Essay: Genre originality of the drama “The Thunderstorm. Genre originality of the drama "thunderstorm" Genre originality of the drama thunderstorm

Having listened to “The Thunderstorm” read by the author, Turgenev wrote in 1859 that this play is “the most amazing, most magnificent work of Russian, powerful, completely mastered talent.” Time has confirmed the validity of such a high assessment. In none of the playwright's previous plays has Russian life been shown as widely as in The Thunderstorm. This was reflected even in its construction. The action of the play is not confined to one house or one family. It is as if it is wide open, put on public display - on the boulevard, square, embankment.

Suffice it to remember that out of the five acts of the play, only one takes place in the Kabanovs’ house. Nature is directly included in the plot as one of the important elements. The charm of a summer night, the tragic premonitions of an inevitable thunderstorm - all this contributes to the creation of a tense emotional atmosphere in which the action develops. One of the main characters of the play is Volga, a free and indomitable force with which Katerina is compared!

“The Thunderstorm” essentially represents a new genre, hitherto unknown in Russian drama. This is a tragedy built not on historical, but on modern material. The question of genre is very important: genre suggests in which way a work of art should be understood and interpreted. Throughout the 19th century. “The Thunderstorm” was viewed as an everyday drama, which predetermined increased attention to everyday life, to the details of a certain historical era. Meanwhile, “The Thunderstorm” is a phenomenon of a larger aesthetic scale. Katerina is not just a victim of family oppression; the conflict in the play is of a more universal nature, precisely indicated in Dobrolyubov’s title. Tragedy differs from everyday or psychological drama not only in its objective-tragic conflict (including an insoluble contradiction between ideal and reality), but also in a special artistic way of reflecting life, a special poetic structure of the narrative. In this regard, one cannot ignore the folk-poetic basis of “The Thunderstorm”.

A.N. Ostrovsky is not just a playwright. He is rightfully considered the father of Russian drama. After all, before him, in the literature of the 19th century, theatrical art developed very poorly. Ostrovsky's plays were new, fresh and interesting. It was thanks to this author that people flocked to theaters again. One of the most famous plays is "The Thunderstorm".

History of creation

A.N. Ostrovsky was sent on a special mission to central Russia. Here the writer was able to see provincial life in all its glory. Like any other writer, Ostrovsky first of all paid attention to the life and way of life of the Russian merchants, townspeople, and noble people of the province. He was looking for characters and plots. As a result of the trip, the play "The Thunderstorm" was written. And a little later, a similar incident occurred in one of them. Ostrovsky was able to predict events that happened in the future. The characterization of the play "The Thunderstorm" as an integral work shows that the author is not just an insightful person, but also a talented playwright.

The artistic originality of the drama

The play has a number of artistic features. It should be said that Ostrovsky was both a novelty in dramaturgy and a supporter of tradition. To understand, it is necessary to analyze the genre, the main characters, the conflict and the meaning of the title of the play “The Thunderstorm”.

Genre

There are three dramatic forms: tragedy and drama. Of these, comedy is the oldest, followed by comedy, but drama as a genre appears only in the 19th century. Its founder in Russia was A.N. Ostrovsky. The play "The Thunderstorm" fully corresponds to his canons. In the center of the image are ordinary people, not historical figures, not people with their own shortcomings and merits, in whose souls feelings, attachments, likes and dislikes develop. The situation is also common. However, there is an acute life conflict, most often unresolvable. Katerina (the main character of the drama) finds herself in a life situation from which there is no way out. The meaning of the title of the play “The Thunderstorm” is multifaceted (this will be discussed below), one of the interpretation options is the inevitability of something, the predetermination and tragedy of the situation.

Main characters

The main characters of the play: Kabanikha, her son Tikhon, Katerina (Kabanova’s daughter-in-law), Boris (her lover), Varvara (Tikhon’s sister), Dikoy, Kuligin. There are other characters, each of which has its own meaning.

Kabanikha and Dikoy personify everything negative that exists in the city of Kalinov. anger, tyranny, the desire to lead everyone, greed. Tikhon Kabanov is an example of resigned worship of his mother; he is spineless and stupid. Varvara is not like that. She understands that her mother is wrong in many ways. She also wants to free herself from under her pressure and does it in her own way: she simply deceives her. But such a path is impossible for Katerina. She cannot lie to her husband; betrayal for her is a great sin. Compared to others, Katerina looks more thinking, feeling and alive. Only one hero stands aside - Kuligin. He plays the role of a reasoning hero, that is, a character into whose mouth the author puts his attitude to the situation.

The meaning of the title of the play "The Thunderstorm"

A symbolic title is one of the ways to express the ideological intent of a work. There is a huge meaning in one word, it is multi-layered.

Firstly, thunderstorms happen twice in the city of Kalinov. Each character reacts differently. Kuligin, for example, sees a physical phenomenon in a thunderstorm, so it does not cause him much fear. Of course, the meaning of the title of the play “The Thunderstorm” is not only that this phenomenon is present in the text. The symbol of a thunderstorm is closely connected with the main character - Katerina. For the first time, this natural phenomenon catches the heroine on the street when she is talking with Varvara. Katerina was very scared, but not of death. Her horror is justified by the fact that lightning can kill suddenly, and she will suddenly appear before God with all her sins. But she has one most serious sin - falling in love with Boris. Upbringing and conscience do not allow Katerina to completely surrender to this feeling. Having gone on a date, she begins to experience enormous torment. The heroine also makes a confession during a thunderstorm. Hearing the thunderclap, she cannot stand it.

Depends on the level of interpretation. On a formal level, this is the beginning and culmination of the drama. But on a symbolic level, this is the fear of God’s punishment, of retribution.

We can say that a “thunderstorm” hung over all the inhabitants of the city. Purely outwardly, these are attacks from Kabanikha and Wild, but on the existential level it is the fear of answering for one’s sins. Perhaps that is why she causes horror not only in Katerina. Even the word “thunderstorm” itself is pronounced in the text not only as the name of a natural phenomenon. Tikhon leaves home, rejoicing that his mother will no longer bother him, that she will no longer order him around. Katerina is not able to escape from this “thunderstorm”. She found herself backed into a corner.

Katerina's image

The heroine commits suicide, and because of this, her image is very contradictory. She is devout, afraid of “fiery Gehenna,” but at the same time she commits such a grave sin. Why? Apparently, moral suffering, moral torment is stronger than her thoughts about hell. Most likely, she simply stopped thinking about suicide as a sin, seeing it as a punishment for her sin (cheating on her husband). Some critics see in her an exceptionally strong personality who has challenged society, the “dark kingdom” (Dobrolyubov). Others believe that voluntary death is not a challenge, but, on the contrary, a sign of weakness.

It is impossible to say with certainty how to evaluate this act of the heroine. The meaning of the title of the play “The Thunderstorm” emphasizes that in the society that has developed in Kalinov, such cases are not surprising, because this is an ossified, backward city, ruled by tyrants such as Dikoy and Kabanikha. As a result, sensitive natures (Katerina) suffer without feeling support from anyone.

Conclusions. Features and meaning of the title of the play "The Thunderstorm" (briefly)

1. The drama became a vivid example of the life of provincial cities, exposing one of the main problems of Russia - tyranny.

2. The drama corresponds to the canons of the genre (there is a reasoning hero, there are negative characters), but at the same time it is innovative (it is symbolic).

3. “Thunderstorm”, which is included in the title of the play, is not just a compositional element, it is a symbol of God’s punishment and repentance. The meaning of the title of the play "The Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky takes the play to a symbolic level.

The artistic merits of the drama “The Thunderstorm” give the right to consider it one of the masterpieces of Russian dramatic literature. The action of the drama is revealed with a deep internal pattern, harmonious and natural. At the same time, the playwright skillfully uses compositional techniques that give the play a special scenic quality, and the movement of the action - sharpness and tension. This is the technique of using landscape throughout the play.

The landscape performs a double function in The Thunderstorm. At the beginning of the play, he is the background against which the dramatic action unfolds. He seems to emphasize the discrepancy between the dead, motionless life of the Kalinovites and their “cruel morals,” on the one hand, and the beautiful gifts of nature, which the Kalinovtsy do not know how to appreciate, on the other. This landscape is truly beautiful. Admiring him, Kuligin says to Boris: “Okay, sir, go for a walk now. Silence, excellent air, the smell of flowers from the meadows from across the Volga, the sky is clear... An abyss has opened, it’s full of stars, The stars have no number, the abyss has a bottom.”

But Kuligin, a poet, a romantic, is alone in the city with his enthusiastic attitude towards nature. All the more clearly does the indifference to everything elegant and beautiful on the part of the Wild and Kabanovs, who are ready to strangle any manifestation of good, natural feeling in their environment, emerge.
Thunderstorms play a different role in the play in the first and fourth acts. A thunderstorm in nature, an atmospheric one, here directly interferes with the heroine’s spiritual drama, influencing the very outcome of this drama. It comes at the moment of Katerina’s most intense experiences.

In Katerina’s soul, under the influence of a feeling of love for Boris, confusion begins. She reveals her secret to Varvara and struggles between two feelings: love for Boris and the consciousness of the sinfulness, the “illegality” of this love. Katerina feels as if some kind of disaster is approaching her, terrible and inevitable, and at this time a thunderstorm begins. "Storm! Let's run home! Hurry up!” - she exclaims with horror. The first clap of thunder is heard, and Katerina exclaims again: “Oh, hurry, hurry!”
The storm is approaching again:
"Woman. Well, the sky has covered everything. Exactly with the cap, it covered it.
1st walker. Eco, my brother, it’s like a cloud is curling around like a ball, just like there’s living things tossing and turning in it.
2nd walker. Remember my words, this storm will not go in vain!.. Either it will kill someone, or the house will burn down...
Katerina (listening). What they're saying? They say he will kill someone... Tisha, I know who he will kill... He will kill me.”
A thunderstorm breaks out, and Katerina’s tense nerves cannot stand it: she publicly repents of her guilt... A thunderclap - and she falls unconscious.
The role of the old “lady with two footmen” is also important compositionally. Her appearances also coincide with pictures of a thunderstorm... “It would be a sin,” says Katerina. - Such fear is upon me, such fear is upon me! It’s as if I’m standing over an abyss, and someone is pushing me there...” She is afraid of temptation, the “terrible sin” of forbidden love - and then the old woman appears with her ominous speeches: “What, beauties? What are you doing here? Are you expecting some good guys, gentlemen? Are you having fun? Funny? Does your beauty make you happy? This is where beauty leads [points to the Volga]. Here, here, right into the whirlpool,” she prophesies Katerina’s fate. In the distance, beyond the Volga, clouds are crawling and enveloping the sky before a thunderstorm.

“The lady with a stick and two footmen in three-cornered hats behind” are shown again at the moment of the highest tension of the play. Thunder strikes. Katerina again hears the words of the crazy old woman: “Why are you hiding? There's no need to hide! Apparently you’re afraid, you don’t want to die!.. It’s better to go into the pool with beauty... You’ll all burn in unquenchable fire!” Katerina, in horror, runs up to the gallery wall and, as if on purpose, kneels next to the painting depicting “fiery Gehenna”: “Hell! Hell! Hell! Gehenna of fire! (Kabanova, Kabanov and Varvara surround her). My whole heart burst! I can't stand it anymore. Mother! Tikhon! I am a sinner before God and before you!”
By such means, the author of “The Thunderstorm” deliberately enhances the drama of its stage situations.

The picturesqueness and relief of the depiction of the setting and characters in the play are further enhanced by the use of contrasts. In parallel with the main intrigue of the play (Katerina and Boris Grigorievich), a secondary one (Varvara and Kudryash), opposed to the first, also develops. The entire scene of the meeting at night in the ravine is built on parallelism and contrast: the simple-minded, rude feelings and speeches of Kudryash and Varvara set off the upbeat, lyrical tone of Boris and Katerina’s explanations. Their very characters are opposite in everything: Kudryash, unlike Boris, is a lively, brave, dexterous person, able to stand up for himself even in front of the Wild; Varvara simply and easily looks at life, is not tormented by remorse, like Katerina, and does not even understand her torment. “In my opinion,” she argues, “do what you want, as long as it’s sewn and covered...” Varvara does not allow herself to be offended, does not give in to her mother and, defending her freedom, runs away from home with Kudryash.

Ostrovsky emphasizes the characteristic features of his heroes with the so-called “significant” or “iconic” surnames, with the help of which the author reveals the inner world of his heroes, the dominant traits of their character (Dikoy, Kabanikha, Kudryash). This method of characterization is generally widely used in Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy, and his characters bear not only allegorical surnames, but also names: Gordey and Lyubim Tortsov in the comedy “Poverty is not a vice”, The Power of Groznov in the dramatic scenes “Truth is good, but happiness is better”, Lup Lupych is an official in “The Abyss”, etc. Sometimes Ostrovsky emphasizes the main properties of the hero in names and surnames, even in a parody-exaggerated way: the quarterly in the comedy “There wasn’t a penny, but suddenly Altyn” bears the name of Tigry Lvovich Lyutov (fierce, like tiger and lion). Ostrovsky's merchants bear the surnames of Puzatova, Bryukhov, Raznovesov, Akhova, etc.
He very clearly characterizes the characters and their language itself, somewhat old-fashioned, with a bookish, Church Slavonic touch in Kuligin, dotted with folk proverbs, proverbs and sayings in Kudryash, etc. The speech of the characters is strictly individualized. In its very composition, in the choice of expressions, in their turns of phrase, the inner essence of a person is visible. The wanderer Feklusha, for example, weaves her touching, flattering words, talks about her wonderful “visions” and about the lands “where all the people have dog heads,” and the image of a bigot and a saint is drawn, exploiting the philistine darkness, ignorance and backwardness.

Contents of the essay:

The genre of A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” is a controversial issue in Russian literature. This play combines the features of both tragedy and drama (i.e., “everyday tragedy”).
The tragic beginning is associated with the image of Katerina, who is presented by the author as an extraordinary, bright and uncompromising person. She is contrasted with all the other characters in the play. Compared to other young heroes, she stands out for her moral maximalism - after all, everyone except her is ready to make a deal with their conscience and adapt to circumstances. Varvara is convinced that you can do whatever your heart desires, as long as everything is “sewn and covered.” Katerina, on the other hand, does not allow remorse to hide her love for Boris, and she publicly confesses everything to her husband. And even Boris, whom Katerina fell in love with precisely because she thought he was not like the others, recognizes the laws of the “dark kingdom” over himself and does not try to resist him. He meekly endures the bullying of the Wild for the sake of receiving an inheritance, although he perfectly understands that at first he “will be abused in every possible way, as his heart desires, but will still end up not giving anything or just a little.”
In addition to the external conflict, there is also an internal conflict, a conflict between passion and duty. It manifests itself especially clearly in the scene with the key, when Katerina delivers her monologue. She is torn between the need to throw the key and the strong desire not to do so. The second one wins: “Come what may, I will see Boris.” . Almost from the very beginning of the play it becomes clear that the heroine is doomed to death. The motif of death is heard throughout the entire action. Katerina says to Varvara: “I will die soon.”
Catharsis (the cleansing effect of tragedy on the audience, the excitement of noble, sublime aspirations) is also associated with the image of Katerina, and her death shocks not only the viewer, it forces the heroes who had hitherto avoided conflicts with the powers that be to speak differently. In the last scene, Tikhon lets out a cry addressed to his mother: “You ruined her! You! You!"
In terms of strength and scale of personality, only Kabanikha can be compared with Katerina. She is the main antagonist of the heroine. Kabanikha puts all her strength into defending the old way of life. External conflict goes beyond everyday life and takes the form of social conflict. Katerina’s fate was determined by the collision of two eras - the era of a stable patriarchal structure and the new era. This is how the conflict appears in its tragic guise.
But the play has features and drama. Accuracy of social characteristics: the social position of each hero is precisely defined, largely explaining the character and behavior of the hero in different situations. One can, following Dobrolyubov, divide the characters in the play into tyrants and their victims. For example, Dikoy is a merchant, the head of the family, and Boris, who lives as his dependent, is a tyrant and his victim. Each person in the play receives a share of significance and participation in events, even if it is not directly related to the central love affair (Feklusha, the half-crazy lady). The daily life of a small Volga town is described in detail. “In the foreground I always have the environment of life,” said Ostrovsky.
Thus, we can conclude that the author’s definition of the genre of Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” is to a large extent a tribute to tradition.

The drama “The Thunderstorm” is the result of the enormous creative work of A. N. Ostrovsky. He is the author of more than a dozen brilliant plays, but even among them “The Thunderstorm” stands out as the main, landmark work. “The Thunderstorm” was to be included in the collection “Nights on the Volga,” conceived by the author during a trip to Russia in 1855, organized by the Ministry of the Navy. True, Ostrovsky then changed his mind and did not unite, as he initially intended, the cycle of “Volga” plays under a common title. “The Thunderstorm” was published as a separate book in 1859. During the work on it, the play underwent great changes - the playwright introduced a number of new characters, but most importantly, he changed his original plan and decided to write not a comedy, but a drama. However, the strength of the social conflict in “The Thunderstorm” is so great that the play can not even be spoken of as a drama, but as a tragedy - the genre of the play can be clearly defined.
The play is written on a social and everyday theme: it is characterized by the author’s special attention to depicting the details of everyday life, the desire to accurately convey the atmosphere of the city of Kalinov, its “cruel morals.” The fictional city is described in detail and in many ways. The landscape concept plays an important role, but a contradiction is immediately visible here: the Kalinovites do not understand the beauty of the nature around them. Pictures of a night walk along the boulevard, songs, picturesque nature, Katerina’s stories about childhood - this is the poetry of Kalinov’s world, which collides with the everyday cruelty of the inhabitants, stories about “naked poverty.” The Kalinovites have preserved only vague legends about the past; news from the big world is brought to them by the wanderer Feklusha. Such attention by the author to the details of the characters’ everyday life allows us to call the play “The Thunderstorm” a drama.
Another feature characteristic of drama and present in the play is the presence of a chain of intra-family conflicts. The conflict between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law develops from a domestic one into a social one. The expression of conflict inherent in drama in the actions and words of the characters is most clearly shown in the monologues and dialogues of the characters. So, we learn about Katerina’s life before marriage from her conversation with Varvara: Katerina lived “not grieving about anything,” like “a bird in the wild.” Nothing is known about the first meeting of Katerina and Boris, or how their love began. In his article, N.A. Dobrolyubov considered the insufficient “development of passion” to be a significant omission, and said that this is why the “struggle between passion and home” is designated “not quite clearly and strongly” for us. But this fact contradicts the laws of drama.
The originality of the Thunderstorms genre is also manifested in the fact that, despite the overall gloomy, tragic flavor, the play also contains comic, satirical scenes: Feklusha’s ridiculous, anecdotal and ignorant stories about the Saltans, about lands where all people “have dog heads”; conversation between Dikiy and Kuligin about the lightning rod. The image of the Dikiy as a whole is ironic: his reluctance to part with money (“Who doesn’t feel sorry for their goods?”), stupidity, confidence in impunity (“Who will stop me?”). After the release of “The Thunderstorm,” A.D. Galakhov wrote in his review of the play that “the action and the catastrophe are tragic, although many places excite laughter.”
The author himself called his play a drama. At that time, when speaking about the tragic genre, we were accustomed to dealing with historical plots, with main characters outstanding not only in character, but also in position, placed in exceptional life situations. It can be assumed that on Ostrovsky’s part calling “The Thunderstorm” a drama was only a tribute to tradition. His innovation lay in the fact that he wrote a tragedy based on real-life material that was completely uncharacteristic of the tragic genre.
The tragedy of “The Thunderstorm” is revealed by a conflict with the environment not only of the main character, but also of other characters. Thus, the fate of Tikhon, who is a weak-willed toy in the hands of a powerful and despotic mother, is tragic. N.A. Dobrolyubov wrote that Tikhon’s “grief” lies in his indecision. If life is sickening, what is stopping him from throwing himself into the Volga? Tikhon cannot do anything at all, not even that “in which he recognizes his goodness and salvation.” Tragic in its hopelessness is the situation of Kuligin, who dreams of the happiness of the people, but is doomed to obey the will of the rude tyrant - Dikiy, and repair small household utensils, earning only “his daily bread” by “honest labor”.
A feature of the tragedy is the presence of a hero who is outstanding in his spiritual qualities, according to V. G. Belinsky, “a man of the highest nature,” according to N. G. Chernyshevsky, a person “with a great, not petty character.” Katerina differs from Kalinov’s “dark kingdom” in her morality and willpower. Her soul is constantly drawn to beauty, her dreams are full of fabulous visions. It seems that she fell in love with Boris not the real one, but the one created in her imagination. Katerina could well adapt to the morality of the city and continue to deceive her husband, but “she doesn’t know how to deceive, she can’t hide anything,” honesty does not allow Katerina to continue pretending in front of her husband. As a deeply religious person, Katerina had to have enormous courage in order to overcome not only the fear of the physical end, but also the fear “of the Judge” for the sin of suicide. Katerina’s spiritual strength, “...her desire for freedom, mixed with religious prejudices, creates a tragedy” (V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko).
A feature of the tragic genre is the physical death of the main character. Thus, Katerina, according to V. G. Belinsky, is “a real tragic heroine.” Katerina's fate was determined by the collision of two historical eras. It’s not just her misfortune that she commits suicide, it’s a tragedy of society. She needed to free herself from the heavy oppression, from the fear weighing down her soul. The general coloring of the play is also tragic, with its gloominess, with the every second feeling of an impending thunderstorm: a social, public and thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon.
Another characteristic feature of the tragic genre is its cleansing effect on the audience, which arouses in them noble, sublime aspirations. So in “The Thunderstorm,” as N.A. Dobrolyubov said, “there is even something refreshing and encouraging.” Despite the presence of an undoubted tragic conflict, the play is imbued with optimism. Katerina’s death testifies to the rejection of the “dark kingdom”, resistance, and the growth of forces called upon to replace the boars and wild ones. Even if it’s still timid, the protest is already beginning.
The genre uniqueness of “The Thunderstorm” lies in the fact that it is the first Russian tragedy written on social and everyday material. This is not just a tragedy for Katerina, it is a tragedy for the entire Russian society, which is at a turning point in its development, living on the eve of significant changes.