Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky is a Russian playwright whose work has become an important stage in the development of the Russian national theater. During his life, he wrote many worthy works, but the most widely known dramas were The Thunderstorm and The Dowry. Both plays are devoted to the problem of the position of a woman in society, which is played up on the two most significant female images of the works: Larisa Ogudalova and Katerina Kabanova.

Katerina is sincere, open and bright man which stands out sharply against the background of the society in which she is forced to live.

She was brought up on love, mutual understanding and respect for her neighbor, which she cannot achieve from her current family in relation to herself. Katerina cannot get along in the environment in which she found herself after her marriage, and in the end her dislike for her own married life turns into a protest against the patriarchal way of life.

By her nature, Larisa Ogudalova is a proud, rather reserved, but unusually friendly girl. Larisa is unhappy in love, which is similar to Katerina Kabanova, she also cannot find support and participation in her family, which leads to the brewing of the heroine's internal conflict. Her mother, Harita Ignatievna, cares only about the future well-being of her daughter, trying to find a richer groom, but despite all her efforts, Larisa, unexpectedly for herself, agrees to marry a poor official. She is ashamed of her future husband and humiliated by his attempts to match Paratov, for whom she still harbors tender feelings. In the soul of Larisa there is a terrible struggle between the desire to come to terms with the fate of the wife of a petty official and the dream of a beautiful and vibrant life.

Despite the similarity of situations in which both girls find themselves, their protest and reaction to what is happening are expressed in different ways. Larisa is indifferent and only sometimes separate remarks break out of her, which betray her dislike for the petty-bourgeois life. Throughout the play, we see little of any of the emotions that Larisa shows. Katerina, on the other hand, reacts most vividly to her surroundings, she is frank with the reader from the very beginning. Perhaps that is why she is more resolute with her protest than Ogudalova Jr. She repents of her deed and, unable to continue such a life any longer, throws herself into the water, to which Larisa herself, although she dreams of death, does not dare.

Thus, the internal conflict brewing in both heroines, which later turns into a protest against society, has different grounds. In the case of Katerina, it is the protest of the victim of tyranny against the tyrants themselves; Larisa, on the other hand, opposes the "trade" in human feelings and the consumer attitude towards the individual. Both girls, who so vehemently strived for freedom, eventually achieve it, but at what cost?

Bright female images in the play by A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"

A.N. Ostrovsky is not only a remarkable playwright, but also a true innovator in the field of plays. No one before him considered the merchant environment in such a multifaceted way, its characters, types, destinies.

Ostrovsky introduced the problem of the "dark kingdom" into Russian literature. He showed that lawlessness, tyranny and cruelty were going on behind the walls of fine merchant houses. Here, young lives and destinies are ruined, any attempts to bring something new, free, individual into life are thwarted.

It is especially hard for women in this atmosphere. One of the most striking and famous female images of A.N. Ostrovsky is Katerina, the main character of the play "Thunderstorm". This is a young woman who ended up in the Kabanovs' house, having married a weak-willed Tikhon. In her husband's family, Katerina met with an abyss of misunderstanding, rejection, the atmosphere of the "dark kingdom". All this oppresses her, but Katerina endures, because she considers it her duty and God's providence.

There is another young woman in the Kabanovs' house - Tikhon's sister Varvara. She is also oppressed by the atmosphere in the family, the tyranny of her mother, the lack of will of her brother. But with all the outward similarities, Varvara and Katerina are strikingly different from each other.

As you know, a person takes out the basis of his nature from childhood. Therefore, it is important to remember that these heroines grew up in completely different families. Katerina grew up in a patriarchal but loving family: “I lived, didn’t grieve about anything, like a bird in the wild. Mother did not have a soul in me, dressed me up like a doll, did not force me to work; I do what I want, I do it." The atmosphere of kindness, light, understanding, love for God and people reigned in the heroine's house. The girl grew up free-spirited. The ideal of a family was firmly established in her head. The heroine dreamed of loving husband who would become her support and protection. In addition, Katerina could not imagine her life without a large number of children. The main thing in life for her was peace and harmony in the family.

Varvara was born and raised in the Kabanikha family. Their family is one of the most respected and influential in Kalinov. Therefore, the heroine always had to comply. This meant that in the eyes of the whole city, she had to live according to the laws of Domostroy. But for a young girl, such a life was tantamount to voluntary slavery. Possessing a rather cheerful character, Barbara could not exist like that.

Thus, both heroines are faced with a choice: to live, obeying the laws of the "dark kingdom" and destroying their souls, or try to live in their own way. Katerina and Varvara solve this problem each in their own way. Katerina tries to obey the laws of Domostroy, because they correspond to her internal laws. She feels an obligation to love her husband, to please her mother-in-law, to work around the house. Therefore, Katerina regards her love for Boris as an inexcusable sin.

Barbara only outwardly observes the laws of the "dark kingdom". But in fact, these laws do not correspond to her internal ideas about life. Therefore, since childhood, the heroine has become accustomed to lying, dodging, hiding and, as a result, adjusting. She herself says about this: “After all, our house rests on that. And I was not a liar, but I learned when it became necessary. Barbara will never protest openly. But she will always do what she wants.

So, the heroine indulges her whim to walk with Curly. At night, she secretly leaves the house and returns only in the morning.

Each of the heroines has a lover. Katerina, unfortunately, is not her husband, but Boris, Dikiy's nephew. The heroine resists this forbidden feeling for a long time, she denies her obvious love for Boris Grigorievich. But when Tikhon leaves home for a long time, Katerina, yielding to Varvara's persuasion, goes on a date with Diky's nephew. In this regard, the episode with the key is very important. In this scene, not just two heroines come into conflict, but their worldviews, their theories regarding truth, honesty, righteousness. Barbara's theory - do whatever you want, as long as everything is "sewn and covered" - prevails over Katerina's desire to remain faithful to herself and her moral ideals. Katerina goes on a date with Boris, becomes his mistress and betrays herself. From this moment on inner world the heroine splits. Now she has nowhere to rest. No one except Varvara knows about her betrayal, there is no one to condemn her, but Katerina condemns and punishes herself. A woman cannot live with such a heavy burden on her heart. Upon the arrival of her husband, she confesses everything to Tikhon and Kabanikh and commits suicide.

I think that Varvara is largely to blame for the death of the heroine, because it was she who pushed Katerina to treason. But she proceeded from her life ideas. I don't think Barbara has ever loved anyone. She is not capable of sacrificing her life for love. This heroine in the first place is herself, her desires and whims. Barbara is unfamiliar with life "according to God's laws", she even loves for herself, not knowing how to give, to sacrifice. Therefore, she will never suffer the fate of Katerina.

In the play "Thunderstorm" the reader gets acquainted with two bright female characters. Both heroines suffer in the atmosphere of the "dark kingdom", but each has its own path in life, because each of them has its own vital basis, its own "inner core". Katerina dies, unable to withstand internal discord, and Varvara ... I think this heroine will sooner or later leave her parents' house and will live simply for herself, for her own pleasure.

Two dramas by A. N. Ostrovsky are devoted to the same problem - the position of women in Russian society. Before us are the fates of three young women: Katerina, Varvara, Larisa. Three images, three destinies.

Katerina is different in character from all actors Drama Storm. Honest, sincere and principled, she is not capable of deceit and falsehood, of resourcefulness and opportunism. Therefore, in a cruel world where wild and wild boars reign, her life turns out to be unbearable, impossible and ends so tragically. Katerina's protest against Kabanikha is a struggle of the bright, pure, human against the darkness of lies and cruelty of the "dark kingdom". No wonder Ostrovsky, who paid great attention to names and surnames, gave the heroine of "Thunderstorm" the name Ekaterina, which means "eternally pure" in Greek. Katerina is a poetic nature. Unlike the rude people around her, she feels the beauty of nature and loves it. It is the beauty of nature that is natural and sincere. “I used to get up early in the morning; in the summer, I’ll go to the spring, I’ll wash myself, I’ll bring water with me and that’s it, I’ll water all the flowers in the house. I had many, many flowers,” she says about her childhood. Her soul is constantly drawn to beauty. Dreams were filled with miracles, fabulous visions. She often dreamed that she was flying like a bird. She talks about her desire to fly several times. By this, Ostrovsky emphasizes the romantic sublimity of Katerina's soul. Married early, she tries to get along with her mother-in-law, to love her husband, but no one needs sincere feelings in the Kabanovs' house. The tenderness that overwhelms her soul finds no use for itself. Deep melancholy sounds in her words about children: “If only someone’s children! Eco grief! I don’t have children: all I would do is sit with them and amuse them. What a loving wife and mother she would have been under other conditions!

Katerina's sincere faith differs from Kabanikh's religiosity. For Kabanikha, religion is a dark force that suppresses the will of a person, and for Katerina, faith is poetic world fabulous images and supreme justice. “... I loved going to church to death! It’s like, it happened, I’ll go into paradise, and I don’t see anyone, and I don’t remember the time, and I don’t hear when the service is over,” she recalls.

Captivity is Katerina's main enemy. The external conditions of her life in Kalinovo seem to be no different from those of her childhood. The same motives, the same rituals, that is, the same activities, but "everything here seems to be from captivity," says Katerina. Bondage is incompatible with the freedom-loving soul of the heroine. “And bondage is bitter, oh, how bitter,” she says in the scene with the key, and these words, these thoughts push her to the decision to see Boris. In Katerina's behavior, as Dobrolyubov said, a "resolute, integral Russian character" appeared, which "will withstand itself, in spite of any obstacles, and when there is not enough strength, it will die, but will not betray itself."

Barbara is the exact opposite of Katerina. She is not superstitious, she is not afraid of thunderstorms, she does not consider it necessary to strictly observe established customs. Due to her position, she cannot openly oppose her mother and therefore cunning and deceiving her. She hopes that marriage will give her the opportunity to leave this house, to escape from the "dark kingdom". To Katerina's words that | she can't hide anything, Varvara replies: "Well, you can't do without it! You remember where you live! when needed." Varvara despises her brother's spinelessness and resents her mother's heartlessness, but she does not understand Katerina. She is only interested in and concerned about the outer side of life. She reconciled herself and adapted to the laws of the old world around her.

Larisa, unlike Katerina, grew up and was brought up in conditions where the weak are humiliated, where the strongest survive. In her character there is no integrity that is in Katerina. Therefore, Larisa does not strive, and cannot make her dreams and desires come true. Her name means "Seagull" in Greek. This bird is associated with something white, light, piercingly screaming. And this image is fully consistent with Larisa.

Katerina and Larisa have different upbringings, different tempers, different ages, but united by their desire to love and be loved, to find understanding, in a word, to become happy. And each goes to this goal, overcoming the obstacles created by the foundations of society.

Katerina cannot connect with her loved one and finds a way out in death.

Larisa's situation is more complicated. She was disappointed in the person she loved and stopped believing in the existence of love and happiness. Realizing that she is surrounded by lies and deceit, Larisa sees two ways out of the current situation: either the search for material values, or death. And under the circumstances, she chooses the first. But the author does not want to see her as an ordinary dependent woman, and she passes away.

* This work is not a scientific work, is not a final qualifying work and is the result of processing, structuring and formatting the collected information, intended to be used as a source of material for self-preparation of educational work.

A.N. Ostrovsky searched for the main characters of his plays The Thunderstorm and The Dowry for a very long time. He went through many options, he needed a hero who would simultaneously evoke in the reader: contempt, pity, delight and sympathy. And as the saying goes, “he who seeks will always find”, here Ostrovsky found what he wanted. And it seems to me that it was not in vain that he chose the main characters so deliberately, since they really fit these roles, even if it be the main character of the story "Thunderstorm" - Katerina, even the main character of the story "Dowry" - Larisa. They are both very interesting characters, to some extent they are even very similar, but it is impossible to say that they are the same, since this is not so.

In the story "thunderstorm" to share main character Katerina fell out not sweet to consider. Yes, in the beginning we see a faithful wife who loves her husband, one might even say a daughter-in-law who is trying to find common language with the mother of the husband, i.e. with mother-in-law. But then, when we begin to learn more and more new things about Katerina, we begin to understand that she does not love her husband at all, she is faithful only because she knows that this is her duty. And she tries not to conflict with her mother-in-law just to make life a little easier for her, in a house where there are only scandals, and which, of course, did not pass without the presence of the grouchy mother-in-law Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova.

And now we see that only it seems that Katerina finds her happiness, falls in love. But even here she cannot be happy, since she is married and there can be no talk of anything like that. But still she goes against the rules and cheats on her husband with a young man, Boris Grigoryevich. We also see that Katerina could not live with such a sin in her soul, and publicly confessed her betrayal. Of course, almost no one understood her and treated her with disdain. Out of shame, she wants to leave with Boris, whom she loves, but he refuses her and leaves alone. And Katerina decides to commit suicide and jumps off a cliff.

As for the story "Dowry", here the main character Larisa is easier, since she is not married and is a completely free girl. But for some reason, this does not prevent her from spoiling her life, at least by the fact that she consents to marriage to someone whom she does not love a bit. And she loves her ex-fiance Paratov, who left her and left. And he returned only when Larisa was almost married girl. And as it is not difficult to guess, of course, it spoils the life of both Larisa and her fiancé Karandyshev. Paratov deceives the naive Larisa, one might even say he simply uses her as a toy. And of course, he quits and is not at all going to marry her, as he promised her earlier. And she remains alone, unhappy and deceived. Since Larisa cheated on her fiancé, she now cannot return to him, and besides, Karandyshev himself already knows about everything and is looking for Paratov and Larisa in anger. A Larisa meanwhile, in despair, approaches the cliff and wants to commit suicide, but does not dare to do this, and exclaims: “It would be like someone killed me now ...” And some minutes pass and her desire comes true. More precisely, Larisa dies at the hands of her deceived fiancé Karandyshev.

And so, personally, I think that the plays "THE THUNDER" and "THE DOWN" are not so similar, or rather, they are similar only in that both main characters die tragically at the end of the plays. And so, in essence, these two plays are completely different and the fates of Katerina and Larisa are not at all similar.

Of course, if these events took place in our time, then perhaps the finals of the plays "G" and "B" would have developed quite differently.

Compare the works of A. N. Ostrovsky "Dowry" and "Thunderstorm" among themselves. What do they have in common?

1. Introduction.

After reading the plays by A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" and "Dowry", I decided to compare them with each other as the only dramatic works this author, which were written at different times, but have many similarities. A comparison of these plays is also suggested by the fact that in both of them a drama of an outstanding female nature unfolds before us, leading to a tragic denouement. Finally, it is also important that in both plays an important role is played by the image of the Volga city in which the action takes place.

2. Similarities and differences.

2.1. Both plays in question belong to the genre of drama, although the exact genre of The Thunderstorm remains a controversial issue in Russian literature. This play combines features of both tragedy and drama (that is, "everyday tragedy"). The tragic genre is characterized by an insoluble conflict between the personal aspirations of the hero and the laws of life, which is inherent in both plays.

2.2. By the time of writing, "Thunderstorm" is the main work of Ostrovsky's pre-reform dramaturgy, "Dowry" absorbs many motifs of the playwright's post-reform work. The difference between the epochs depicted in these plays led to a complete dissimilarity artistic world; "Dowry" is a drama bourgeois era- new time, when ties with the millennial folk tradition, a time that freed a person not only from the foundations of morality, but also from shame, honor, conscience - and this decisively affects its problems. The culture of the people in the "Thunderstorm" is spiritualized moral values Orthodoxy. Residents of the city of Kalinov still live according to the "Domostroy", life is still largely patriarchal.

2.3. Born in Zamoskvorechye, Ostrovsky knows the life and customs of the merchants well and explores the various characters of this circle in his work. His plays are densely populated with merchants and clerks, their children and wives. The playwright is interested in any little things, from the description of the costume and the furnishings of the house, to the individuality of each character's speech. Ostrovsky was completely original in portraying the characters.

Two dramas by A.N. devoted to the same problem - the position of women in Russian society. Of course, these women are extraordinary personalities. I want to dwell on the female heroines.

2.4.1. First of all, this is Katerina from the play "Thunderstorm". She is religious and romantic at the same time. Her soul strives for happiness, breaks free. Katerina is a merchant's daughter, married without love to Tikhon, she finds herself in an atmosphere of cruelty. In this environment, family duties are performed not from the heart, but “from under bondage”, and Katerina is connected for life with a stupid and narrow-minded husband, with an evil and quarrelsome mother-in-law.

But her romantic impulses find a way out, Katerina falls passionately in love with a young man, Boris, who stands out for his decent manners and some education. There are two principles fighting in the heroine: sincere feeling, love and duty married woman. This internal struggle causes Katerina to strive for personal freedom. Having cheated on her husband, Katerina herself repents before him, but, exhausted by the homely atmosphere, she prefers death to returning to her family. Honest, sincere and principled, she is not capable of deceit and falsehood, of resourcefulness and opportunism.

She talks about her desire to fly several times. By this, Ostrovsky emphasizes the romantic sublimity of Katerina's soul. She would like to become a bird, flying wherever she wants: " Why do people don't fly!.. Why don't people fly like birds? You know, sometimes I feel like I'm a bird. When you stand on a mountain, you are drawn to fly. That's how I would have fled, raised my hands and flew, - she says to Varvara, Tikhon's sister, - how frisky I was! And you have withered completely ... ”The harsh reality returns the heroine to the world of the Kabanovs and the Wild. Here you need to lie, quietly do what you want, outwardly observing the rules of decency. Barbara, who grew up in the house, perfectly mastered this science. Barbara is the exact opposite of Katerina. She is not superstitious, she is not afraid of thunderstorms, she does not consider it necessary to strictly observe established customs. Katerina is disgusted with such behavior.

Therefore, in a merciless world where Wild and Boar reign, her life turns out to be unbearable, impossible and ends so tragically. Katerina's protest against Kabanikha is a struggle of light, pure, human against the darkness of lies and cruelty of the "dark kingdom". Katerina has a very peculiar character: she is God-fearing and rebellious at the same time. For her, this is not suicide, but liberation from the hardships of life, hopelessness.

2.4.2. The situation is different in the drama "Dowry". The main character Larisa is not a simple girl from the bourgeois environment, she is an educated, cultured, thinking girl. She received a noble upbringing and, unlike Katerina, grew up in conditions where the weak are humiliated, where the strongest survive. In her character there is no integrity that is in Katerina. Therefore, Larisa does not strive, and cannot make her dreams and desires come true. She is oppressed by poverty and humiliation of position. Larisa does not accept the world in which she lives. She wants to get out of it at any cost.

For the mother of Larisa, who was left a widow with three daughters, the ostentatious elegance and nobility of family life is not a normal state, but a decoration for arranging profitable marriages for her daughters. For her, flattery and cunning are the main principles of communication with rich people who visit the house. Larisa is the youngest daughter, the last one left in the house, and her mother must get rid of her, without even pretending to great luck. All this puts an outstanding girl in a difficult position. Around Larisa there is a motley and dubious crowd of admirers and contenders for a hand, among which there are many "all sorts of rabble." Life in her house is like a “bazaar” or a “gypsy camp”. The heroine is forced not only to endure the falsity surrounding her, cunning, hypocrisy, but also to take part in them.

Larisa becomes a victim of the noble brilliance, irresistibility of Sergei Sergeevich Paratov. She sees in him the "ideal of a man", a man who cannot be disobeyed, who cannot be distrusted. Larisa does not see the insignificance and pettiness of his nature. Having lost hope for happiness with Sergey Sergeyevich, Larisa is ready to marry anyone who will take her away from the house that looks like a fair. She does not love Karandyshev, does not even respect him, but she hopes for him. But in this world there is no nobility. Larisa soon realized this. “I am a thing,” she says to Karandyshev. Realizing this, Larisa wants to sell herself at a higher price. The heroine is overcome by internal contradictions. She is ashamed of her thoughts, wants a clean and honest life, but does not see the way there. She wants to die, and has no strength, so Larisa Karandysheva takes the shot as a blessing, getting rid of the oppression of unsolvable problems. The death of the heroine is a worthy departure from her life.

2.5. Plays by A. Ostrovsky are full of various symbols. First of all, these are symbols associated with the natural world: forest, thunderstorm, river, bird, flight. The names of the characters also play a very important role in the plays, most often the names of ancient origin: ancient Greek and Roman.

2.5.1. Women's names in Ostrovsky's plays are very bizarre, but the name of the main character almost always extremely accurately characterizes her role in the plot and fate. Larisa - "seagull" in Greek, Katerina - "clean". Larisa is a victim of Paratov's pirate trade deals: he sells "birds" - "Swallow" (steamboat) and then Larisa - a seagull. Katerina is a victim of her purity, her religiosity, she could not bear the splitting of her soul, because she loved - not her husband, and severely punished herself for this. It is interesting that Kharita and Marfa (in "Dowry" and in "Thunderstorm") are both Ignatievnas, that is, "ignorant" or, scientifically, "ignoring". They stand, as it were, aloof from the tragedy of Larisa and Katerina, although both, of course, are to blame (not directly, but indirectly) for the death of their daughter and daughter-in-law.

2.5.2. Paratov is both a parade and a pirate. Also, of course, the obvious comparison of Paratov with the “horned” beast, that is, powerful, predatory, strong and merciless. His predatory behavior in the play is best described by this surname.

The names of Dikoy and Kabanov do not need to be commented on. Yes, and Tikhon - Kabanov, no matter how "quiet" he is. So Katerina is rushing about in this dark forest among animal-like creatures. She chose Boris almost unconsciously, the only difference between him and Tikhon is his name (Boris is Bulgarian for “fighter”).

Wild, self-willed characters, except for the Wild, are represented in the play by Barbara (she is a pagan, a “barbarian”, not a Christian and behaves accordingly).

Kuligin, in addition to the well-known associations with Kulibins, also evokes the impression of something small, defenseless: in this terrible swamp he is a sandpiper - a bird and nothing more. He praises Kalinov as a sandpiper praises his swamp.

Larisa in “Dowry” is not surrounded by “animals”. Mokiy - “blasphemous”, Vasily - “king”, Julius is, of course, Julius Caesar, and even Kapitonych, that is, living with his head (kaput - head), or maybe striving to be the main one.

And finally, Kharita - the mother of three daughters - is associated with the Kharites, the goddesses of youth and beauty, of which there were three, but she also destroys them (remember the terrible fate of the other two sisters - one married a cheater, the other was stabbed by a Caucasian husband).

3.1. "Thunderstorm" and "Dowry" are Ostrovsky's best plays, showing the reader and viewer the hitherto unknown world of the merchant class with its passions and pain, sorrows and joys. This world stepped onto the stage of the Russian theater, showing the full depth and diversity of natures, unbridled and rich in passions, petty and cruel, kind and noble, but weak, unable to fend for themselves.

The female images created by the playwright have taken their rightful place in classical Russian literature.

3.2. Katerina and Larisa have different upbringings, different characters, different ages, but they are united by the desire to love and be loved, to find understanding, in a word, to become happy. And each goes to this goal, overcoming the obstacles created by the foundations of society. For Katerina, money still does not matter, she is ready to follow Boris on foot, if only he agrees to take her with him. Larisa is poisoned by the brilliance of gold, she does not want to vegetate with her miserable and poor husband.

Katerina cannot connect with her loved one and finds a way out in death.

3.3. The characters of the main characters are very similar. These are natures living with the mind of the heart, dreaming of happiness and love, idealizing the world. But the play "Dowry" was created in a different socio-political situation than "Thunderstorm". Hopes for the correction of society and the human race arouse sincere doubts of the playwright, therefore the finals of these plays differ significantly. If, after the death of Katerina, the world of the "dark kingdom" realizes its guilt, and Tikhon defiantly turns to his mother, blaming her for the death of his wife, then the murder of Larisa Ogudalova does not cause such a resonance. The author deliberately emphasizes the indifference of others; the scene of the death of the heroine is voiced by the singing of a gypsy choir.

3.4. The disclosure of the meaning of names and surnames in Ostrovsky's plays helps to comprehend both the plot and the main images. Although surnames and names cannot be called “speaking” in this case, since this is a feature of the plays of classicism, they are speaking in the broad - symbolic - sense of the word.