Who is Prostakov? Characteristics of the hero from the comedy "The Minor" by D. Fonvizin

Mrs. Prostakova is the mother of Mitrofanushka, one of the main characters of the comedy. She was born into a family with many children, but only she and her brother survived. Prostakova's father was a military employee, after that, being illiterate, he became rich, but he was so greedy that one day he died lying on a chest that was completely filled with gold coins. Prostakova and her brother Skotinin also grew up greedy and rich.

Fonvizin speaks of Prostakova as a wild animal that is capable of “doing badly to others,” her maiden name, the same as that of her brother, Skotinin, speaks about this. She is rude to her peasants, in addition, she took away everything they only had. But not only the servants are afraid of their mistress, but also her husband. Prostakova treats him like a servant, forcing him to obey her, for her his opinion means nothing and she pushes him around as she wants, considering herself to be the mistress of this estate.

She has only one treasure - her sixteen-year-old son Mitrofanushka. The only happiness for Prostakova is the well-being of her son, because she considers it her main parental duty not to deny him anything. But even though Prostakova believes that studying is harmful and even dangerous to health, she still hires foreign teachers for him, considering it "fashionable."

The landowner Prostakova humiliates and insults all her servants. For example, she accuses the nanny Mitrofanushka - Eremeevna of greed because she is worried about Mitrofan overeating buns at dinner. And she calls Trishka a "swindler" only because he sewed her son's caftan out of size.

She addresses Starodum with flattery, since he possessed a large amount of money, which he bequeathed to his niece Sofyushka, and Prostakova wanted to marry her Mitrofanushka to her. But because of her self-interest and greed, all her plans collapsed, and she was left with nothing.

Thus, throughout her life, Prostakova's character was disfigured. Prostakova grew up in a family that was distinguished by extreme ignorance, greed and ingratitude. Her parents did not give her or her brother a good upbringing and did not put any good qualities in her soul. But most of all, the conditions of serfdom acted on her - she was a full-fledged owner of the serfs. She did not follow any rules and was aware of her complete power over everyone, so she turned into an "inhuman tyrant mistress."

Option 2

Prostakova is not as simple as it seems. Behind the smiles and kind words addressed to the people she needs, there is a lot of anger, envy and cruelty.

She reveals herself in communication with forced people. Serfs suffer from her unfair abuse, from severe beatings ... She does what she wants. And when she is reprimanded (almost judged already), she does not understand why this cannot be a mistress at home. She finds it strange that a good master does not swear at the servants. And she does not want, for example, to quarrel with her neighbors, she would rather take away her money and land from the peasants. That is, so as not to be at a loss. It's the same with nerves, I think. Prostakova will not argue with important people, but you need to "drain" the negative on someone. And these are her poor servants. She doesn't hear any excuses. For example, at the very beginning, she scolds the tailor for a good caftan. The tailor says he never learned to sew. Prostakova laughs, like, is it really necessary to learn from this.

She pushes her husband around. Doesn't respect him at all. He treats his brother a little better, but also laughs at his simplicity. When she is needed as a groom for poor Sophia, then she communicates well with him, when she has attached a son to a rich woman, then a brother is no longer needed. And she is ready to use everyone to her advantage.

Her politeness does not come from the heart. A good attitude depends on benefits. She offended Sophia, but as soon as she got rich, she became "darling." Her politeness (bows, kisses) is unnecessary. Starodub, a rich uncle, also notices this. That is, he is practically no one to them, they all see him for the first time, but he is already a “dear father” to everyone. When they announce the engagement of Sophia, Prostakova does not stop. She's organizing a bride kidnapping! It turns out that she is practically ready for anything for the sake of her goals, which are often all fixated on her son.

She is even proud of the fact that she was not taught anything in her time. Believes that education is not necessary for a good life. But he already understands that the "child" needs to be given a good (visible) education.

She only loves her son - Mitrofanushka. Blind maternal love. The sonny is good to everyone: he is smart, and educated, and kind ... But everything, in fact, is not so! And in the end, spoiled Mitrofanushka is ready to give up his own mother. This is the worst blow to her. She did everything for this boy, and he is a traitor. In principle, he behaves like herself.

The image, characterization of Prostakova in the comedy The Minor

I think that Prostakov is wrongly scolded by everyone! She already got it in the comedy. Everyone considers her a stupid, evil, hypocritical woman. In principle, it seems so ... But you need to look at the reasons for such her strange behavior.

She just loves her son too much. And Mitrofanushka shamelessly uses only this - for his own benefit. Prostakova almost forgot herself for the sake of her son. She is in the grip of the senses. So she could love her husband, brother, father ... or ice cream. That is, her main thing is to love someone or something, to do everything for his or her good.

And she just doesn't understand a lot. As a child, as we understand, she was not taught anything. She does not know many sciences. For example, she believes that only the coachman needs geography. But on the other hand, she's not so wrong! People often stuff their heads with unnecessary information, they know everything superficially. And there should be specialists in every field. Now, if mathematics does not suit me, then there is nothing to torment me with it.

Prostakova thinks that you need to scold with the servants, that they need to be beaten, but they do not understand otherwise. (Maybe this is partially true.) If you remember the hero from Chekhov's funny story "The Intruder", it is useless to talk to this guy! And yet - she does not want to spoil relations with neighbors, with relatives, and says that it is better to take everything out on the serfs. It's terrible, yes. But then serfs (like black slaves) were practically not considered people. They were whipping simulators for her, as dolls are in offices today. And if in a hundred years they talk about the rights of dolls, then we will also be cruel.

In the finale, she screams that she has died - there is no more power (literally), no son (figuratively). The son turned out to be a real traitor. In general, Prostakova is a narrow-minded mother hen, she cannot be completely blamed for her terrible behavior. Perhaps she will even repent and reform.

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Mrs. Prostakova image and characteristics with a plan:

• general characteristics
• Character and way of thinking
• Relationship to husband and son
• Attitude to Sophia
• Exposure and punishment
• The meaning of the image

1. General characteristics

Mrs. Prostakova is one of the main characters in DI Fonvizin's comedy "The Minor". This is the wife of Mr. Prostakov, the mother of Mitrofanushka. She keeps her weak-willed husband "under the thumb", single-handedly managing all affairs. Mrs. Prostakova is firmly convinced of the inviolability of her noble rights. She believes that she can, at her discretion, execute and pardon the people under her control.

2. The nature and way of thinking

Mrs. Prostakova is a cruel and oppressive woman who can hit not only a serf, but even her husband. She very often becomes angry, demanding complete obedience from those around her ("I swear, then I fight; this is how the house is held").

The highest value for Prostakova is money, to which she treats with great stinginess, although she knows how to count with a sin in half. She is completely illiterate, but she considers this not a disadvantage, but an advantage: "I can receive letters, but I always order someone else to read them." At the beginning of the comedy, she utters a very characteristic phrase: "Is it really necessary ... to be a tailor to be able to sew a caftan ...".

Prostakova is proud of her noble origins, which gives her unlimited power. She is ready to punish the "brutes" under her control at any moment, even if they are not guilty of anything.

3. Attitude towards husband and son

Prostakova despises her husband and does not at all consider his opinion. In fact, he is the same serf for her.
Mrs. Prostakova brings up Mitrofanushka according to her own "system". She really sincerely loves the mindless "ignoramus" and allows him absolutely everything. Prostakova herself does not understand that her boundless love is ruining a boy, whose character will be very difficult to change.
Mitrofanushka's training resembles a farce. He cannot master the most elementary knowledge. The main reason lies in Ms. Prostakova herself. The illiterate woman hired "teachers" out of necessity. She does not see any benefit in them and says to the "poor child": "If learning is so dangerous for your little head, stop it for me."

4. Attitude to Sophia

Mrs. Prostakova dreams of taking possession of all the already insignificant property of Sophia. To this end, she took the girl to her village and is going to marry her off to her brother, Skotinin.

The news of the "risen from the dead" uncle and the rich inheritance of Sophia leads to a new plan. According to Prostakova, only her beloved Mitrofanushka can be the best groom for the heiress of ten thousand.

Prostakova is ready to do anything to marry her "ignoramus" to Sophia. She doesn't give a damn about the feelings and desires of the girl herself. Having learned about Starodum's intentions, she is going to secretly marry Sophia with Mitrofanushka. The kidnapping attempt, fortunately, is thwarted.

5. Exposure and punishment

The embodiment of justice in the comedy is Pravdin, who arrives at the Prostakovs' estate in order to familiarize himself with all the abuses on the spot. He is personally convinced of the "inhumanity of the evil landowner."

The case with Sophia becomes the last straw. Pravdin is decisively going to act against Prostakova in accordance with "the full severity of the laws."
Mrs. Prostakova is deprived of all possessions, because "no one is free to tyrannize." But the more terrible punishment for her is the unexpected rudeness of "Mitrofanushka's heartfelt friend": "Let go, mother, how imposed."

6. The meaning of the image

The image of a despotic landowner was not typical of Russian society, which was traditionally dominated by men. Perhaps, by doing so, Fonvizin wanted to soften the sharp meaning of the comedy and its anti-serfdom orientation.

Mrs. Prostakova actually replaces her husband and loses all (except maternal love) female traits. She always acts like a man: decisively and tough.

In general, the image of Prostakova symbolizes all the ignorance and "tyranny" of the provincial nobility, which felt like real kings in their small estates.

The comedy "The Minor" is a brilliant work of Fonvizin, in which the playwright portrayed bright, memorable characters, whose names have become common nouns in modern literature and the era. One of the main characters in the play is Mitrofanushka's mother, Mrs. Prostakova. According to the plot of the work, the heroine belongs to negative characters. A rude, uneducated, cruel and self-serving woman from the first scene causes a negative attitude, and in some places even ridicule of readers. Nevertheless, the image itself is subtly psychological and requires detailed analysis.

The fate of Prostakova

In the play, upbringing and heredity almost completely determine the future character and inclinations of the individual. And the image of Prostakova in the comedy "The Minor" is no exception. The woman was brought up in a family of uneducated landowners, whose main value was material wealth - her father even died on a chest with money. Disrespect for others, cruelty towards the peasants and the willingness to do anything for the sake of profit, Prostakov took over from her parents. And the fact that there were eighteen children in the family and only two of them survived - the rest died due to an oversight - causes real horror.

Perhaps if Prostakova married an educated and more active man, the shortcomings of her upbringing would become less and less noticeable over time. However, she got a passive, stupid Prostakov as her husband, it is easier for him to hide behind the skirt of an active wife than to solve economic issues himself. The need to manage the whole village herself and the old landowner upbringing made the woman even more cruel, despotic and rude, strengthening all the negative qualities of her character.

Considering the story of the heroine's life, the ambiguous characterization of Prostakova in "The Ignorant" becomes clear to the reader. Mitrofan is a woman's son, her only consolation and joy. However, neither he nor her husband appreciate the effort Prostakova spent on managing the village. Suffice it to recall the well-known scene when, at the end of the play, Mitrofan abandons his mother, and her husband can only reproach his son - Prostakov also remains on the sidelines of her grief, not trying to console the woman. Even with all the grumpy character, I feel sorry for Prostakov, because her closest people leave her.

Mitrofan's ingratitude: who is to blame?

As mentioned above, Mitrofan was the only joy of Prostakova. Excessive love of a woman raised him "mama's son". Mitrofan is just as rude, cruel, stupid and greedy. At sixteen years old, he still resembles a small child who is naughty and runs around chasing pigeons instead of studying. On the one hand, excessive care and protection of the son from any worries of the real world can be associated with the tragic story of the family of Prostakova herself - one child is not eighteen. However, on the other hand, it was simply convenient for Prostakova that Mitrofan remained a big, feeble-minded child.

As it becomes clear from the stage of a lesson in arithmetic, when a woman solves the problems proposed by Tsyfirkin in her own way, the “own” landowner wisdom of the owner is the main one for her. Without any education, Prostakova solves any situation by seeking personal gain. The obedient Mitrofan, who obeyed his mother in everything, should also have become a profitable investment. Prostakova is not even spent on his education - after all, firstly, she herself lived well without burdensome knowledge, and, secondly, she knows better what her son needs. Even marrying Sophia would first of all replenish the chests of the village of Prostakovs (remember that the young man does not even fully understand the essence of marriage - he is simply not mentally and morally mature enough).

The fact that in the final scene Mitrofan refuses his mother is undoubtedly the fault of Prostakova herself. The young man took over from her disrespect for relatives and the fact that you need to stick to the one who has money and power. That is why Mitrofan, without hesitation, agrees to serve with the new owner of the village, Pravdin. However, the main reason still lies in the general "evil" of the entire Skotinin family, as well as the stupidity and passivity of Prostakov, who could not become a worthy authority for his son.

Prostakova as a bearer of outdated morality

In The Minor, Mrs. Prostakova is contrasted with two characters - Starodum and Pravdin. Both men are carriers of humane educational ideas, contrasting with the outdated, landowner foundations.

According to the plot of the play, Starodum and Prostakova are the parents of young people, but their approach to upbringing is completely different. A woman, as mentioned earlier, pampers her son and treats him like a child. She does not try to teach him something, on the contrary, even during the lesson she says that he will not need knowledge. Starodum communicates with Sophia on equal terms, shares his own experience with her, transfers his own knowledge and, most importantly, respects her personality.

Prostakova and Pravdin are contrasted as landowners, owners of large estates. The woman believes that it is quite normal to beat her peasants, take their last money from them, treat them like animals. For her, the inability to punish the servants is as terrible as the fact that she lost her village. Pravdin is guided by new, educational ideas. He came to the village specifically in order to stop Prostakova's cruelty and give people to work in peace. By comparing the two ideological directions, Fonvizin wanted to show how important and necessary the reforms of the upbringing of Russian society of that era are.

Fonvizin's innovation in the portrayal of Prostakova

In The Minor, Prostakov appears as an ambiguous character. On the one hand, she appears to be a cruel, stupid, self-serving representative of the old nobility and landowners' foundations. On the other hand, we have before us a woman with a difficult fate, who at one moment loses everything that was valuable to her.

According to the canons of classic works, the exposure and punishment of negative characters in the final scene of the play should be fair and not arouse sympathy. However, when in the end the woman loses absolutely everything, the reader feels sorry for her. The image of Prostakova in Nedorosl does not fit into the templates and framework of classic heroes. Psychologism and non-standard depiction of a prefabricated image in essence (Prostakova is a reflection of a whole social stratum of serf Russia in the 18th century) makes it innovative and interesting even for modern readers.

The above description of Prostakova will help pupils of grades 8 and 9 to reveal the image of Mitrofan's mother in her essay on the topic "Characteristics of Prostakova in the comedy" Minor "by Fonvizin"

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The most vivid and versatile image of Prostakova is given in the comedy "The Minor". Prostakova is a type of a rude serf-landowner. The despotic disposition of this heroine is reflected, first of all, in the family, at home. She brought her husband, a weak-willed, timid man, almost to idiocy. He is so downtrodden that he is afraid to express his opinion even on minor issues, humbly declaring to his wife: "In your eyes, mine do not see anything."

The character of Prostakova is even more pronounced in her attitude towards the serfs. She is the tormentor of serfs and peasants. Especially difficult is the life of the courtyards, who are forced to be in front of her all the time. Servants are not human to her. When the courtyard woman Palashka falls ill, Prostakova screams in fury: “He's lying down! As if noble ... ".

The image of Prostakova in the comedy "The Minor" is characterized by the fact that she treats the servants as unrequited animals. This is how she relates to her faithful slave Eremeevna. To the question of Kuteikin what gratitude she receives for her service from Prostakova, Eremeevna replies: "Five rubles a year, but five slaps a day." The crackle of slaps is an everyday, common occurrence in Prostakova's house.

Naturally, the position of the peasants in the estate of this "evil fury" was unbearable. We do not see these peasants on the stage, but the position of the serf village is easy to imagine. Prostakova is an inveterate, convinced serf woman. She is incorrigible. When Starodum forgives her, she, getting up from her knees, exclaims: "Well, now I will give the dawn to the canals, to my people!" This is the voice of her nature.

One of the reasons for Prostakova's wild ideas and rudeness is her ignorance. She can’t even read, she is indignant that “girls can read and write”, calls geography “eorgafia,” and so on. Her stories about the Skotinin family and about her father, who threatened with a curse any of the children who learned something, very expressively characterize the environment that formed the Prostakovs and Skotinins.

Attention is drawn to the moral cynicism of Prostakova. In relations with others, she is guided by one rough calculation. When it suits her, she prays that Starodum died, and then she exclaims: "I'm dying, I want to see this venerable old man!" In front of the right person, she is ready to pretend, and go to humiliation, and lie: "Old, father, I never cursed with anyone," she crumbles before Starodum.

Prostakova has only one warm feeling: love for her son Mitrofanushka. She forgives Mitrofanushka everything. For his sake, she is ready for both sacrifice and crime. She has only one concern: "to bring Mitrofanushka to the people". She even overcomes her inherited aversion to science and tries to educate him. True, Mitrofanushka's upbringing system is ugly. The results, as you would expect, are soon to be found. Prostakova's blind, animal love for her son does not make her image more attractive, but it explains well her actions in the comedy.

The expressiveness of the image of Prostakova in the comedy "The Minor" is also facilitated by her language. He is bright and imaginative in his own way. Here is a sample of her speech: "Well ... and you, beast, were dumbfounded, you did not stick to your brother's mug ..." A woman with sharp, sweeping gestures, disheveled, with the face of a fury and evil eyes, looms in front of us. Her language is full of curses and reveals all the rudeness and cruelty of her nature. However, when it suits her, Prostakova can speak in a different language, feigned affectionate: "Sofyushka, my soul," she turns to Sophia, and to Starodum: "Our guest is priceless! .. Our benefactor!"

The character of this cruel, ignorant, deceitful woman is very well defined at the end of the comedy Milon: "And the crime and repentance in her are worthy of contempt." Her character is a mixture of ignorance and arrogance, cowardice and anger, inhumanity towards serfs and tenderness towards her son. And the results of her work are perfectly described in the concluding words of the comedy: "Here is evil worthy fruits ..."

Described in the work of non-trivial characters, whose names are today used as common nouns to describe characteristic types. Mrs. Prostakova is the mother of the protagonist. She is one of the negative heroes of the comedy. A cruel serf woman who demonstrates despotism everywhere, she is greedy and contemptuous. Sometimes her actions provoke ridicule. The characteristics of this image are thought out by Fonvizin to the smallest detail, and the character is distinguished by psychologism.

History of creation

The idea of ​​creating the play originated with Fonvizin in 1778, and the work was completed in 1782. At this time, the era of reign fell. The heroes of the work became the personification of typical representatives of the then society. At that time, the cult of the enlightened monarchy and the rise in scientific and cultural development reigned in the country. The Empress herself condoned the fact that the bourgeois and noblemen followed the propagandized idea of ​​enlightenment.

Working on a comedy, Fonvizin shared the ideas characteristic of a representative of his social status. In a comedy, he portrayed the real state of affairs, demonstrating the weaknesses of the implemented policy. The play became an example of classical drama. The work uses "speaking" surnames, which also allows us to attribute it to examples of classicism. The positive characters in the narrative include Sophia and Milona, ​​and the negative ones - Prostakov and himself. The names of the characters reveal the dominant feature in their images. So, for example, Pravdin becomes the bearer of morality in comedy.

Role in the play "Minor"

The work clearly demonstrates how the upbringing and morals inculcated in the family shape the personality and her character traits. Prostakova grew up in a landlord family, where the propensity for education was not encouraged. Material wealth in her family was valued higher, therefore cruelty towards serfs is inherent in the landowner at the genetic level, out of a desire to cash in. It is worth recalling that she was one of eighteen children. Only two children survived in the family. Even taking into account the mortality statistics, this fact is terrifying.

The biography of Prostakova was not conducive to broadening his horizons. Her husband was not burdened with knowledge and ambition. The husband could not positively influence her, since stupidity and passivity characterized him as well. They were flavored with cowardice and unwillingness to take responsibility. The need to take on the role of mistress of the house and head of the family made Prostakova rude, reinforced her negative qualities.

At the same time, the landowner, who is perceived only as an evil fury, is a caring mother. Mitrofanushka is her only love. The son, like the spouse, does not appreciate the efforts of the woman. Grief falls on the landowner when Mitrofan decides to leave her, and her husband does not rise to Prostakova's defense.

The son of an oppressive mistress was no different from his mother. He was narrow-minded, greedy and rude. At the age of 16, he was reputed to be an infantile fellow, incapable of independence. The bummer was having fun, not knowing the worries and hardships of real life. His mother raised him in love, protecting him from work, so the young man grew up as a "mama's boy."

Mitrofan obeys his mother in everything and, like her, does not recognize the effect of education. When the question of marrying Sophia arises, it turns out that he does not understand the meaning of marriage, since he simply has not grown up to him. Marriage becomes a means of improving the well-being of the family. The refusal of a young man from his mother is natural, because she herself instilled disrespect for the family, dependence on money and power. Pravdin, as a master, is of greater interest to Mitrofan than his mother. The lack of authority of the father and the lack of upbringing led to a situation in which Prostakova is deprived of the most important thing that she has.

Prostakova is opposed to Pravdin and Starodum, who advocate enlightenment, reproaching the outdated way of life practiced by the landowners. Like Prostakova, Starodum is the father of a representative of the new generation, but his attitude to upbringing differs from the rules established in the house of a future relative. The landowner instills in Sophia a love of learning, a thirst for knowledge and thought.

He educates personality. The heroes' views on the management of the estate differ, as well as the views on the relationship with the serfs. The enlightener Pravdin saves the peasants of Prostakova, saving them from the usual cruelty of the landowner.

Opposing two radically different points of view, the author of the work emphasized the need for social reforms. For all the stupidity and severity, Prostakova represents the nobility, whose foundations have outlived their usefulness, and a disappointed woman who dramatically lost everything she had. Contrary to the dramatic canons, the negative character, the landowner, evokes pity and sympathy. The psychologism inherent in the image makes it innovative.

Quotes

The speech of the landowner Prostakova characterizes the approach to managing the peasants and the usual way of life. The phrases that she uses in dialogues eloquently describe the disastrous situation in which the serfs found themselves due to the mistress's stupidity and her lack of interest in education.

“... we took away everything that the peasants had, we cannot rip anything off. Such a disaster! " - clearly demonstrates the avarice, greed and despotism of Prostakova, ready to rob her own peasants naked.

A woman treats serfs like plebeians, without hesitation scolding them, on what the light stands.

"... And you, cattle, come closer ...", - she says to tailor Trishka, humiliating him.

Prostakova considers constant showdowns with serfs to be work that takes time and effort. Although her appearance does not suggest that a woman can get into a fight with ordinary men, in reality it turns out differently:

“... From morning to evening, as if I was hung by the tongue, I don’t lay my hands on it: now I swear, now I fight; That is why the house holds on, my father! " - complains Prostakova.

Greed, inability to manage competently, lack of interest in the correct approach to communication fully characterize Prostakova.