The original idea of \u200b\u200bFonvizin's comedy "The Minor" is to reveal the theme of education, which is very relevant in the era of the Enlightenment; a little later, socio-political issues were added to the work.
The title of the play is directly related to the decree of Peter the Great, which banned the possibility of serving and marrying young, uneducated, ignorant nobles.
History of creation
The first manuscripts of the sketches of "The Minor" date back to about 1770. To write the play, Fonvizin had to revise many works with the appropriate ideology - the works of Russian and foreign contemporary writers (Voltaire, Rousseau, Lukin, Chulkov, etc.), articles from satirical magazines and even comedy written by the Empress Catherine II herself. The work on the text was fully completed in 1781. A year later, after some obstacles from the censorship, the first production of the play took place, and the director was Fonvizin himself, and the first publication of the play took place in 1773.
Description of the work
Step 1
The scene begins with a heated discussion of the caftan made for Mitrofanushka. Mrs. Prostakova scolds her tailor Trishka and Prostakov supports her in an effort to punish the careless servant. The situation is saved by the appearance of Skotinin, he justifies the would-be tailor. This is followed by a comic scene with Mitrofanushka - he manifests himself as an infantile young man, moreover, very loving to eat tightly.
Skotinin discusses with the Prostakov couple the prospects of his marriage to Sofyushka. The girl's only relative, Starodum, unexpectedly sends the news that Sophia has acquired an impressive inheritance. Now the young lady has no end to the suitors - now the "undersized" Mitrofan appears on the list of candidates for husbands.
Step 2
Among the soldiers who stopped in the village, by chance, Sofyushka's fiancé, officer Milon, appears. He turns out to be a good acquaintance of Pravdin, an official who came to deal with the lawlessness that is happening in the Prostakovs' estate. At a chance meeting with her beloved Milon learns about Prostakova's plans to arrange the fate of her son by marrying a now wealthy girl. This is followed by a quarrel between Skotinin and Mitrofan over the future bride. Teachers appear - Kuteikin and Tsyfirkin, they share with Pravdino the details of their appearance in the Prostakovs' house.
Step 3
Arrival of Starodum. Pravdin is the first to meet Sophia's relative and report to him about the atrocities taking place in the Prostakovs' house in relation to the girl. The entire host family and Skotinin greet Starodum with hypocritical joy. The uncle's plans are to take Sofyushka to Moscow and marry her off. The girl obeys the will of her relative, not knowing that he chose Milo as her husband. Prostakova begins to praise Mitrofanushka as a diligent student. After everyone has dispersed, the remaining teachers, Tsyfirkin and Kuteikin, discuss the laziness and mediocrity of their undersized student. At the same time, they accuse the crook, the former groom of Starodum, Vralman, of interfering with the learning process of the already stupid Mitrofanushka with his dense ignorance.
Step 4
Starodum and Sofyushka are talking about high moral principles and family values \u200b\u200b- true love between spouses. After a conversation with Milo, having made sure of the high moral qualities of the young man, the uncle blesses his niece to marry her beloved. This is followed by a comical scene in which the unlucky suitors Mitrofanushka and Skotinin are exposed in a very unfavorable light. Having learned about the departure of the happy couple, the Prostakov family decides to intercept Sophia on the road.
Step 5
Starodum and Pravdin conduct pious conversations, having heard the noise, they interrupt the conversation and soon learn about the attempted kidnapping of the bride. Pravdin accuses the Prostakovs of this atrocity and threatens them with punishment. Prostakova begs for forgiveness from Sophia on her knees, but as soon as she receives it, she immediately accuses the servants of being slow in kidnapping the girl. A government paper arrives, announcing the transfer of all the Prostakovs' property to Pravdin's custody. The scene of paying debts to teachers ends with a fair outcome - Vralman's deception opens, the modest workaholic Tsyfirkin is generously endowed, and the ignorant Kuteikin is left with nothing. The happy young and Starodum are preparing to leave. Mitrofanushka listens to Pravdin's advice to go to serve as a soldier.
main characters
Considering the images of the main characters, it is worth noting that the speaking surnames of the characters in the play express the one-line character of their character and leave no doubt about the author's moral assessment of the characters of the comedy.
The sovereign mistress of the estate, a despotic and ignorant woman who believes that all matters, without exception, can be solved with the help of force, money or deception.
His image is the focus of stupidity and ignorance. He has an amazing weakness and unwillingness to make decisions himself. Mitrofanushka was called a dwarf not only because of his age, but also because of his total ignorance and low level of moral and civic education.
A kind, sympathetic girl who has received a good education, has a high level of internal culture. Lives with the Prostakovs after the death of his parents. With all her heart she is devoted to her fiancé - Officer Milon.
A person who personifies the truth of life and the word of the law. As a government official, he is in the Prostakovs' estate in order to understand the lawlessness that is happening there, in particular, the unfairly cruel treatment of servants.
Sophia's only relative, her uncle and guardian. A successful person who has succeeded in realizing his high moral principles.
Sophia's beloved and long-awaited groom. A brave and honest young officer distinguished by high virtue.
A narrow-minded, greedy, uneducated person who does not disdain anything for the sake of profit and is distinguished by a high degree of deceit and hypocrisy.
Comedy analysis
Fonvizin's "Minor" is a classic comedy in 5 acts, in which all three unities are strictly observed - the unity of time, place and action.
The solution to the problem of upbringing is the central point of the dramatic action of this satirical play. The accusatory sarcastic scene of Mitrofanushka's exam is a real culmination in the development of an educational and educational theme. In Fonvizin's comedy, two worlds collide - each with different ideals and needs, with different lifestyles and dialects of speech.
The author innovatively shows the landlord's life of that time, the relationship between the owners and the common peasant people. The complex psychological characteristics of the heroes gave impetus to the subsequent development of Russian everyday comedy as a theatrical and literary genre of the era of classicism.
Hero Quotes
Mitrofanushka - “I don’t want to study, I want to get married”;
— "Direct dignity in a person is a soul" and many others.
Prostakova — « People live and lived without sciences "
Final conclusion
Fonvizin's comedy has become a unique landmark work for his contemporaries. In the play, there is a vivid opposition of high moral principles, true education and laziness, ignorance and willfulness. In the socio-political comedy "The Minor", three themes are brought to the surface:
- the topic of education and upbringing;
- the theme of serfdom;
- the theme of condemnation of the despotic autocratic power.
The purpose of writing this brilliant work is clear - the eradication of ignorance, the education of virtues, the fight against the vices that have afflicted Russian society and the state.
In the comedy "Minor", Pravdin is a positive hero, an honest official with humane views on the management of the estate. According to the plot of the work, a man in service ends up in the village of Prostakova in order to expose and suppress the atrocities taking place there, punish the cruel landowners and take the estate under his own care. The official successfully resolves an acute situation by punishing the guilty and helping those in need.
In The Minor, as a classicist play, the names of the characters largely determine their personal qualities and role in the work. Pravdin was no exception. In "Minor", the characterization of the character's personality fully corresponds to the meaning of his surname - "Pravdin" from "truth", that is, the hero is the bearer of truth and impartial justice. In the comedy, the official acts as an auditor, personifying the letter of the law, the highest justice and severity in decisions - he punishes the guilty, taking the village from the Prostakovs, finds out which of the teachers served honestly, and who only deceived Prostakov. The man decides the fate of Mitrofan, taking him to his service.
The character of Pravdin plays an important role in the ideological concept of the comedy. In his image, Fonvizin portrayed the ideal of a humane and educated official of education, who deservedly rewards and punishes. For the author, Pravdin is the personification of a humane, rational truth in the final instance.
Pravdin is one of the heroes that are found in the work of Fonvizin, who arrived at the Prostakovs' estate and has been there for three days. For what purpose is Pravdin on the Prostakova estate? This question can be answered only by getting acquainted with the work of Fonvizin, which we did today in the literature lesson. So why did Pravdin come to the Prostakovs? Of course, for the purpose of control. He came to reveal the malicious ignoramuses, who turned out to be the Prostakov family. Pravdin not only managed to understand their affairs, and revealed cruelty in dealing with the peasants, but also tried to suppress the willfulness of the landowners who were abusing their power. Having revealed the atrocity of the Prostakovs, Pravdin deprives them of their property and the ability to dispose of the peasants.
Brief description of Pravdin
Having studied the work of Fonvizin, we find out who Pravdin is in the comedy The Minor. And this is an official who was called upon to investigate the deeds of the Prostakov family. From the plot, we can give the following characterization of the hero. Here you can see that this is a just man, he is an honest and noble man. The image of Pravdin evokes only positive emotions and I would like to give a more detailed description of Pravdin in a comedy in my essay. So, in the image of Pravdin, the author portrayed a landowner who is fighting against violations in his own class. Despite his position, he is polite with everyone, hardworking, principled. The hero opposes evil and here we see that the role of Pravdin in the comedy is great, because he destroys evil and injustice. It’s a pity that in Nedoroslya the image of Pravdin is just a conditional image and not a real one. The author just wanted to show the real officials of that time what they should be and how they should perform their functions.
"The Minor" is a comedy play of the era of classicism, the plot of which unfolds around the directly positive and equally negative characters of the simplest village.
One of them, Mr. Pravdin, is a law-abiding landowner and official who, by the will of fate, finds himself in the village of the Prostakovs. Being a humane person and not indifferent to the fate of ordinary people, he immediately notes the tyranny and despotism of the local owners: "... I found a countless fool of the landowner, and my wife despised by a fury, whose hellish temper makes the whole house unhappy ...".
Pravdin considers his main goal to be the prevention of the cruel attitude of the nobility towards the serfs: "... I have already notified our chief of all the barbarities here and I do not hesitate that measures will be taken to appease them ..."
Characteristics of the hero
(K. Zabiyakin plays the role of Pravdin)
The author of the work awarded his heroes with “speaking” surnames. And the character of Pravdin is by no means an exception: he is straightforward and honest, tactful and fair, respects the law, does not fundamentally retreat from his duties and fights for the truth. He has a good education and high ideals.
He does not like the lordly order in the Prostakovs' estate, as they do: an evil and two-faced mistress, a stupid and spineless husband, a darling mama's son. In the society of the Prostakov-Skotinins, the hero is impressed only by the simple and modest girl Sophia, for whom he feels sympathy. It was Pravdin who was the first to meet her uncle Starodum, in order to warn about the malicious intrigues "in relation to Sonya."
Restless matchmakers organize a feigned warm welcome to Starodum, welcoming him as the most dear guest and kissing his hands. Mother Prostakova pays attention to her "worthy" son in every possible way, despite the fact that here too Pravdin did not fail to show the true face of the alleged groom. Mitrofanushka could not clearly answer any of his questions, thereby demonstrating the scarcity of mind. The mother, however, justified her son by saying that "education in their family is not in honor."
Despite this, the love conflict between Milonov's old friend, the orphan Sophia and other contenders for her hand and heart, bypasses our hero. However, this situation (which turned into a battle for a rich heiress) helped Pravdin again to expose Mrs. Prostakova of greed and hypocrisy.
At the same time, upon the arrival of Starodum, Pravdin finds a new pleasant interlocutor: both of them are literate and well-read people, both value in people primarily their personal qualities, and not their position in society and material viability.
The image of the hero in the work
Inspector Pravdin, as an exceptionally positive hero, plays an important role in the work. Everything that contradicts the law is disgusting to him and throughout the entire action he does not change his position: "... moreover, from my own deed of my heart, I do not leave to notice those malicious ignoramuses who, having complete power over their people, use it in evil is inhuman ... "
Principled and highly moral, he is a loud protest of the cruelty and impunity of the nobility. Not being part of the Prostakov family, Pravdin, nevertheless, decides their future fate: he takes land from thieving and arrogant owners and determines their loafing son Mitrofanushka for service. Despite the indignation of Mrs. Prostakova, he does not make concessions and even agrees to pay the master's debts, if only everything is in good faith.
Thus, the author of the play in the image of Pravdin shows us a certain ideal of an enlightened government official who cares for the future of his country, rejects barbarism, lies, bribery and fights for the truth with all his might.
Starodum has a like-minded person in the comedy - Pravdin. This is a member of the governorship, an official and a public figure.
Pravdin - a face even less alive than Starodum, but important for understanding the ideological content of the comedy. Pravdin fulfills the duties of an incorruptible official, chosen to help the governor to monitor the attitude of landowners to serfs. In the name of the government, he punishes Prostakova, taking her house and villages into state custody. But, of course, in reality, such cases were extremely rare. The facts of the tyranny of the landlords almost could not reach the government, because the serfs were forbidden to complain about the gentlemen on pain of exile to Siberia. The purely external interference of Pravdin in the denouement of the comedy created the appearance of government interference in the affairs of the village. This gave the comedy a political speciousness. At the same time, the traditionally happy ending of the comedy (vice is punished, virtue triumphs) shows not what the government actually did, but what it should have done.
In the denouement of the comedy, he plays a decisive role: after making sure of Prostakova's cruelty, he takes her estate into custody. Such cases were rare in that era, but they were. For the propaganda of Fonvizin's views, such a comedy denouement was very important. She reminded the government that the issue of custody of the estates of cruel landowners had already been raised in the commission of 1767 and that it needed to be implemented.
Comparatively pale comedy images Milonaand Sophia... This is explained not only by the fact that the display of the serf estate pushed them into the background, but also by the fact that reality did not provide the writer with material for creating a "positive" hero in the noble life. These are idealized representatives of that “new breed” of people, which, although not particularly successfully, some pedagogical institutions and home education were really trying to create according to the ideas of Locke and Rousseau.
The image of Milo is given in the comedy as the ideal of a young noble warrior, honest and fearless. Sophia in the comedy "The Minor" is drawn as the ideal of a noble girl: she is both educated (reads French books), and clever (has a serious conversation with Starodum), and faithful in the feeling of love, and well-behaved. Sophia, in essence, is opposed to Mitrofanushka as the ideal of correct upbringing. She is, as it were, a living illustration of Starodum's pedagogical views, since it was he who raised her. Starodum says: "I retired, I laid the foundation for your upbringing." And Sophia in the comedy "Minor" and Milon are representatives of the "new breed" of people. Their images are the antithesis of the image of Mitrofanushka.
The cultural level of the goodies of the comedy is emphasized by their language. This is the bookish, literary language of the era. Even Sophia in the comedy "The Minor" speaks with such complex phrases: "So therefore it is necessary that every vicious person should really be worthy of contempt when he does something bad, knowing what he is doing." As well-mannered people, all positive heroes say with exquisite courtesy: "You will lend me a lot by this" (Sophia), "I am glad to have made your acquaintance" (Pravdin), etc. The language of Starodum is characterized by aphorisms, i.e. short, succinct sayings, with the help of which Starodum, as it were, raps out his thoughts. Such exquisitely bookish language of positive characters further emphasized the rudeness and uncivilized speech of Prostakova, Skotinin and Mitrofanushka.