How to understand goodies. The role of positive characters in the comedy Minor (Fonvizin D

/ / / What is the role positive characters in Fonvizin's comedy "Minor"?

The comedy by Denis Fonvizin has a vivid gallery of images, both negative and positive. The role of the first in exposing the vices of society in the 18th century. Mrs. Prostakova and Skotinin personify the ignorance and cruelty of serf-owners, Mitrofanushka - laziness and unwillingness to learn. The author helps us to judge the qualities of a character, starting with their first and last names. If we read about Skotinin, then we understand that this hero behaves like an animal. Prostakova is a simple ignoramus, whose designs, though mean, are not far off. And Mitrofanushka - "revealed by his mother" - really looks like his mother, Prostakova.

The main idea of ​​comedy is in portraying far from comedic problems of society: inhuman serfdom, autocracy and malevolent upbringing. Negative characters help readers understand these problems more deeply, while positive ones show that these problems can still be dealt with.

The fact that the hero is positive can also be learned from his name. There are several such characters in the comedy: Starodum, Sophia, Pravdin, Milon. Each of them has its own important role.

- nobleman, uncle the main character Sophia. He is the girl's guardian, but leaves for Siberia for long time, leaving her in the care of the Prostakovs. The surname Starodum comes from the phrase "old thoughts". That is, the writer hints that this hero thinks in the old way. One would think that this is bad, because you need to live in step with the times. However, the time of the action in the play was the time of the willfulness of cruel serf-owners, who worried only about their estates and did not think about the development of culture. Starodum received his education and upbringing during the reign of Peter, the tsar, who was for enlightenment. And therefore, the "old" time was just more progressive than the "new". The hero cannot accept that the nobles care only about their own benefit, and have forgotten about their duty to their fatherland. Therefore, he leaves his villages and leaves for Siberia, where he can honestly earn a fortune.

- a wise girl, which is clear from the meaning of her name. She got a good education, therefore he looks at the Prostakovs with irony, seeing their ignorance and greed. The heroine is not a rebel, but fights for her love. She does not agree to marry Mitrofan or Skotinin, because she is in love with Milo.

- a nobleman, a member of the governorship, who is entitled to audit the villages. For a couple of days he stops at the Prostakovs' estate and gradually realizes that they are cruel serf-owners. He is asked to read Starodum's letter, but he replies that he does not read letters intended for others. Pravdin justifies his name, because he always speaks the truth and despises lies.

And after Prostakova behaves badly in relation to Sophia, she decides to excommunicate her family from the management of their villages. Pravdin is the embodiment of harsh justice in comedy.

Milo is a brave officer, Sophia's beloved. He is a worthy man.

Positive characters play the role of a noble force that opposes ignorance and cruelty in the guise of negative characters.

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“The Minor” is a play in five acts, written by Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin. Cult dramatic work XVIII century and one of the most striking examples of classicism. It went into school curriculum, was repeatedly staged on the stage, received a screen embodiment, and its lines were disassembled into quotes that today live independently from the original source, becoming aphorisms of the Russian language.

Plot: a summary of the play "The Minor"

The plot of "Underage" is well known to everyone from school years, however, we still recall summary plays to recall the sequence of events.

The action takes place in the village of Prostakovs. Its owners - Mrs. and Mr. Prostakovs and their son Mitrofanushka - live a quiet life of provincial nobles. The estate is also inhabited by the orphan Sofyushka, whom the mistress took in her house, but, as it turns out, not out of compassion, but because of the inheritance, which she freely disposes as a self-proclaimed guardian. In the near future, they plan to give Sophia for Prostakova's brother Taras Skotinin.

The mistress's plans collapse when Sophia receives a letter from her uncle Starodum, who was still believed to be dead. Stradum is alive and well and goes on a date with his niece, and he also reports a fortune of 10 thousand in income, which he inherits his beloved relative. After such news, Prostakov begins to court Sophia, whom she still has little regard for, because now she wants to marry her for her beloved Mitrofan, and leave Skotinin with nothing.

Fortunately, Starodum turned out to be noble and honest man, wishing his niece well. Moreover, Sophia already had a betrothed - officer Milon, who had just stopped with his regiment in the village of Prostakovs. Starodub knew Milon and gave the young people a blessing.

In despair, Prostakova tries to organize the kidnapping of Sophia and force her to marry her son. However, even here the perfidious mistress suffers a fiasco - Milo saves his beloved on the night of the abduction.

Prostakova is generously forgiven and not brought to justice, however, her estate, which has long aroused suspicion, is transferred to the state guardian. Everyone leaves, and even Mitrofanushka leaves his mother, because he does not love her, as, in general, he does not love anyone in the world.

Characteristics of heroes: positive and negative characters

As in any classic work, the characters in "The Ignorant" are clearly divided into positive and negative.

Negative heroes:

• Mrs. Prostakova - the mistress of the village;
• Mr. Prostakov is her husband;
• Mitrofanushka - the son of the Prostakovs, an ignoramus;
• Taras Skotinin is the brother of the Prostakovs.

Goodies:

• Sophia is an orphan, lives with the Prostakovs;
• Starodum is her uncle;
• Milon - officer, beloved of Sophia;
• Pravdin is a government official who came to supervise affairs in the village of Prostakovs.

Minor characters:

• Tsyfirkin - teacher of arithmetic;
• Kuteikin - teacher, former seminarian;
• Vralman - a former coachman, posing as a teacher;
• Eremevna is Mitrofan's nanny.

Mrs. Prostakova

Prostakova is the brightest negative character, and indeed the most prominent character in the play. She is the mistress of the village of the Prostakovs and it is the mistress who, having completely suppressed the weak-willed spouse, establishes lordly orders and makes decisions.

At the same time, she is completely ignorant, devoid of manners, often rude. Prostakova, like other members of the family, cannot read and despises science. The mother is engaged in the education of Mitrofanushka only because it is so in the new world society, but true value does not understand knowledge.

In addition to ignorance, Prostakova is distinguished by cruelty, deceit, hypocrisy, envy.

The only creature she loves is her son Mitrofanushka. However, the mother's blind absurd love only spoils the child, turning him into a copy of himself in a man's dress.

Mr. Prostakov

The figurative owner of the Prostakovs' estate. In fact, everything is led by his domineering wife, whom he is insanely afraid of and does not dare say a word. Prostakov has long lost his own opinion and dignity. He cannot even say whether the caftan sewn by the tailor Trishka for Mitrofan is good or bad, because he is afraid to say something other than what the mistress expects.

Mitrofan

The son of the Prostakovs, an ignoramus. In the family, he is lovingly called Mitrofanushka. And, meanwhile, it's time for this young man to go out in adult life, but he has absolutely no idea about it. Mitrofan is spoiled maternal love, he is capricious, cruel towards servants and teachers, pompous, lazy. Despite many years of lessons with teachers, the young master is hopelessly dull, he does not show the slightest desire for study and knowledge.

And the worst thing is that Mitrofanushka is a terrible egoist, for him nothing matters except his own interests. At the end of the play, he easily abandons his mother, who loved him so unrequitedly. Even she is an empty place for him.

Skotinin

Brother of Mrs. Prostakova. Narcissistic, narrow-minded, ignorant, cruel and greedy. Taras Skotinin has a great passion for pigs, the rest is of little interest to this narrow-minded person. He has no idea about family ties, heartfelt affection and love. Describing how well his future wife will heal, Skotinin only says that he will give her the best light. In his coordinate system, this is precisely what conjugal happiness lies.

Sophia

Positive female image works. She is a very well-mannered, kind, meek and compassionate girl. Sophia received a good education, she has an inquiring mind and a thirst for knowledge. Even in the poisonous atmosphere of the Prostakovs' house, the girl does not become like the owners, but continues to lead the way of life that she likes - she reads a lot, reflects, she is friendly and polite with everyone.

Starodum

Uncle and guardian of Sophia. Starodum is the voice of the author in the play. His speeches are very aphoristic, he talks a lot about life, virtues, intelligence, law, government, modern society, marriage, love and other pressing issues. Starodum is incredibly wise and noble. Despite the fact that he clearly has a negative attitude towards Prostakova and others like her, Starodum does not allow himself to stoop to rudeness and open criticism, and as far as slight sarcasm, his close-minded “relatives” cannot recognize.

Milon

Sophia's beloved officer. The image of a hero-defender, an ideal young man, a husband. He is very fair, does not put up with meanness and lies. Milo dared, and not only in battle, but also in his speeches. He is devoid of vanity and base prudence. All the “suitors” of Sophia spoke only about her condition, while Milo never mentioned that his betrothed was rich. He sincerely loved Sophia even before she had an inheritance, and therefore in his choice the young man was not guided by the size of the bride's annual income.

“I don’t want to study, but I want to get married”: the problem of education in the story

The key problem of the work is the theme of the provincial noble upbringing and education. The main character Mitrofanushka gets an education only because it is fashionable and "so it is." In fact, neither he nor his ignorant mother understands the true purpose of knowledge. They should make a person smarter, better, serve him throughout life and benefit society. Knowledge is acquired through labor and can never be forcibly placed in someone's head.

Home education Mitrofana is an empty shell, a fiction, a provincial theater. For several years, the unfortunate student has not mastered either reading or writing. The comic test that Pravdin arranges, Mitrofan fails with a crash, but because of his stupidity he cannot even understand this. He calls the word door an adjective, because it is said to be attached to the opening, science confuses history with stories that Vralman tells him in abundance, and Mitrofanushka cannot even pronounce the word “geography” ... too tricky.

To show the grotesque nature of Mitrofan's education, Fonvizin introduces the image of Vralman, who teaches “in French and all sciences”. In fact, Vralman (a surname that speaks!) Is not a teacher at all, but a former coachman of Starodum. He easily deceives the ignorant Prostakova and even becomes her favorite, because he professes his own teaching method - not to force the student to do anything through force. With such zeal as that of Mitrofan, the teacher and the student are simply loafing around.

Upbringing goes hand in hand with acquiring knowledge and skills. For the most part, Mrs. Prostakova is responsible for it. She methodically imposes her rotten morality on Mitrofan, who (here he is diligent!) Perfectly absorbs mother's advice. So, while solving the problem of dividing, Prostakov advises his son not to share with anyone, but to take everything for himself. Speaking about marriage, mother speaks only of the bride's wealth, never mentioning emotional affection and love. Such concepts as courage, courage, valor are not familiar to the ignorant Mitrofan. Despite the fact that he is no longer a toddler, he is still cared for in everything. The boy cannot even stand up for himself during a clash with his uncle, he immediately begins to call his mother, and the old nanny Eremeevna rushes at the offender with her fists.

The meaning of the name: two sides of the coin

The title of the play has a direct and figurative meaning.

Direct meaning of the name
In the old days, teenagers were called undersized, young men who had not yet reached the age of majority and did not enroll in civil service.

Figurative meaning titles
A fool, an ignoramus, a narrow-minded and uneducated person, regardless of his age, was also called an undersized person. WITH light hand Fonvizin, it is this negative connotation that has stuck with the word in modern Russian.

Every person is reborn from an underage youth into an adult man. This is growing up, a law of nature. However, not everyone turns from a dark, undereducated, half-educated person into an educated, self-sufficient person. This transformation takes effort and perseverance.

Place in literature: Russian literature XVIII centuries → Russian drama XVIII century → Creativity of Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin → 1782 → The play "Minor".

“The Minor” is a play by DI Fonvizin. Analysis of the work, the main characters

The original idea of ​​Fonvizin'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, who banned the possibility of serving and marrying young, uneducated, ignorant noblemen.

History of creation

The first manuscripts of the sketches of "The Minor" date back to about 1770. To write the play, Fonvizin had to rework many works with the appropriate ideology - the works of Russians and foreign contemporary writers(Voltaire, Rousseau, Lukin, Chulkov, etc.), articles from satirical magazines and even comedy, written by the Empress Catherine II herself. 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 comical 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 only relative of the girl, Starodum, unexpectedly sends the news about Sophia's acquisition of 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, turns out to be. 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 about family values - true love between spouses. After a conversation with Milo, making sure of the high moral qualities young man, uncle blesses his niece for marriage with her beloved. This is followed by a comic scene in which the unlucky suitors Mitrofanushka and Skotinin are exposed in a very unfavorable light. Learning about departure happy couple, the Prostakov family decides to intercept Sophia on the road.

Step 5

Starodum and Pravdin conduct pious conversations, hearing 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 on her knees begs for forgiveness from Sophia, 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 the custody of Pravdin. 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 people 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 speaking surnames the characters in the play express the one-liner character of their character and leave no doubt about the moral assessment of the author actors 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. Possesses amazing weakness and unwillingness to make decisions on his own. 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, possesses high level internal culture. Lives with the Prostakovs after the death of his parents. With all my heart she is devoted to her fiancé - Officer Milon.

Man personifying the truth of life and the word of the law. As a government official, he is on the Prostakovs' estate in order to sort out the illegalities that are happening there, in particular, unfair ill-treatment with the servants.

Sophia's only relative, her uncle and guardian. A successful person who has managed to implement his highly 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.

Analysis of the work

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 education is the central moment 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 the comedy of Fonvizin, two worlds collide - each of them with different ideals and needs, with different styles life and speech dialects. The author innovatively shows the landlord's life of that time, the relationship between the owners and the common peasant people. Complex psychological characteristic heroes gave impetus to the subsequent development of the Russian everyday comedy as a theatrical and literary genre of the era of classicism.

Final conclusion

Fonvizin's comedy became unique for contemporaries iconic work... In the play, there is a vivid opposition of high moral principles, real education and laziness, ignorance and willfulness. Three themes are brought to the surface in the socio-political comedy "The Minor":

• the topic of education and upbringing;
• the theme of serfdom;
• the theme of condemnation of 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 struck Russian society and the state.

In 1782 he finished work on his best work - the comedy "The Minor" - DI Fonvizin.

Written in accordance with the traditions of classicism, it nevertheless became innovative for its time. This manifested itself in the problematic (the author makes you think about the issues of education, state structure, public and family relations), and in the depiction of heroes. Despite the fact that in the comedy "The Minor" positive and negative characters are clearly distinguished, the attitude of the reader (or viewer) to them is not always unambiguous. Let's try to figure it out: why?

Classic traditions in the work

Let's start with the fact that Fonvizin's comedy celebrates the unity of time (day) and place (the Prostakovs' estate), love triangle and the presence of a resonator, speaking surnames. The main characters are grouped around Starodum and Prostakova, the minor ones are adjacent to one or the other. This is how the groups are formed: a young uneducated nobleman Mitrofanushka - he is an ignoramus - positive and negative heroes, differing in moral convictions, attitude towards others, speech, etc.

"I scold, then I fight ..."

The phrase uttered by Prostakova fully characterizes the characters that cause a negative assessment. The powerful (up to a certain point) owner of the estate is the main bad guy.

The "Minor" is a parody of what was happening in many noble families, who were not distinguished by intelligence and literacy, but who had money and power. Mrs. Prostakova reigns supreme over the whole house - even a weak-willed husband is afraid of her. "Swindler", "blockhead", "harya", "kanalya" and so on. - this is her usual appeal to others. She calls only her son "darling" and makes it clear that she is doing everything for his happiness. Prostakova is an uneducated and spiteful person who perfectly feels the situation. She knows who is not worth a dime, and who should smile, please.

As the action develops in the comedy "The Minor", positive and negative characters are characterized from different sides. So, we learn the story of Prostakova's life from her communication with Starodum. She inherited all hers from the same ignorant parents. In turn, she instilled them in her beloved Mitrofanushka.

Not much different from Sister Skotinin. Fonvizin almost completely deprived this hero of his human appearance. And the surname sounds like not human, and the only hobby that turns into passion is pigs, and the lexicon is appropriate. And when it comes to marriage, his own nephew, who also wants to seize the bride's rich inheritance, turns into a rival for him.

Mitrofanushka is a negative hero

A minor - this was the name in Russia of a young minor nobleman who had not yet entered the service. It is at this age that Mitrofanushka is - "like a mother." He is as illiterate, rude, duplicitous, cunning as Prostakova. In addition, he is lazy, contemptuous of all sciences and teachers, but at the same time fully mastered the laws of immorality, deception, and the ability to please. He had already fully felt the taste of the power that position gave him. Even Mitrofanushka treats his father as an insignificant person, as evidenced by his "dream". However, it can be noted that the undergrowth will go further than its mother. In this regard, the behavior of the hero in final scene, when he rather rudely pushes her away with the words: "Yes, get off, mother, how imposed ...". By the way, it was after Fonvizin's comedy that the word “ignoramus” acquired a generalizing meaning with a negative assessment.

Antipodes of the Prostakovs - positive heroes

"The undergrowth" is distinguished by a clearly marked author's assessment historical events the end of the XYIII century. The image of Starodum plays a significant role in this. This is a sixty-year-old husband who, by his own labor, made a small fortune working in Siberia. Then he fought, after his retirement he served at the court. As a fair person and having seen a lot, he gives a not entirely disagreeable characterization to officials, public relations... Starodum paid special attention to the need to serve for the benefit of the Fatherland, emphasized the role of education. It is no coincidence that many of his statements, for example, "Have a heart, have a soul, and you will be a man ..." - immediately became aphorisms.

There were others goodies- The "undergrowth" in this respect strictly corresponds to the traditions. This is the Moscow official Pravdin (he came to expose the evil), the niece and heiress of Starodum Sophia, who for a long time experienced oppression in the house of Prostakova, a young officer who dreamed of devoting his life to the Fatherland, Milon. Their statements and actions further expose the vices of people like the Prostakovs and Skotinin. They practically have no flaws, therefore they can be called

Thus, in the comedy "The Minor" they are positive and play a strictly defined role. The former expose evil and cruelty, and their speeches assert the principles of a just social order. The latter embody the most common human vices: ignorance, despotism, selfishness, confidence in their own superiority, etc.

Author's innovation

In keeping with tradition, the comedy had a number of differences from its predecessors. Commitment to realism is something new that Fonvizin introduced into the play. The "undersized", whose heroes are shown in a bright and multifaceted manner, is distinguished by a desire for typification. What happened in the Prostakov family is viewed through the prism of social structure and makes one think about such issues as serfdom in the state, the importance of education. As a result it comes already about the violation of the trinity as one of the requirements of classicism.

It is also unexpected that in the finale the reader sympathizes with the cruel Prostakova, who has become a victim of her own malice. Against this background, the words of Starodum sound even more eloquent: “Have a heart, have a soul, and you will be a man at any time,” which do not lose their relevance today.

positive hero