About the work The Master and Margarita. Two storylines
In this article we will look at the novel that Bulgakov created in 1940 - “The Master and Margarita”. A brief summary of this work will be brought to your attention. You will find a description of the main events of the novel, as well as an analysis of the work “The Master and Margarita” by Bulgakov.
Two storylines
There are two in this work storylines that develop independently. In the first of them, the action takes place in Moscow in May (several days of the full moon) in the 30s of the 20th century. In the second storyline, the action also takes place in May, but already in Jerusalem (Yershalaim) about 2000 years ago - at the beginning of a new era. The chapters of the first line echo the second.
The appearance of Woland
One day Woland appears in Moscow, introducing himself as a specialist in black magic, but in reality he is Satan. A strange retinue accompanies Woland: this is Gella, a vampire witch, Koroviev, a cheeky type, also known by the nickname Fagot, the sinister and gloomy Azazello and Behemoth, a cheerful fat man, appearing mainly in the form of a huge black cat.
Death of Berlioz
At the Patriarch's Ponds, the first to meet Woland are the editor of a magazine, Mikhail Alexandrovich Berlioz, as well as Ivan Bezdomny, a poet who created an anti-religious work about Jesus Christ. This “foreigner” intervenes in their conversation, saying that Christ really existed. As proof that there is something beyond human understanding, he predicts that a Komsomol girl will cut off Berlioz's head. Mikhail Alexandrovich, in front of Ivan’s eyes, immediately falls under a tram driven by a Komsomol member, and his head is actually cut off. The homeless man tries unsuccessfully to pursue his new acquaintance, and then, having arrived in Massolit, talks so confusingly about what happened that he is taken to psychiatric clinic, in which he meets the Master, the main character of the novel.
Likhodeev in Yalta
Arriving at the apartment on Sadovaya Street, occupied by the late Berliz together with Stepan Likhodeev, director of the Variety Theater, Woland, finding Likhodeev in a severe hangover, presented him with a signed contract to perform in the theater. After this, he escorts Stepan out of the apartment, and he strangely ends up in Yalta.
Incident in the house of Nikanor Ivanovich
Bulgakov's work "The Master and Margarita" continues with the fact that barefoot Nikanor Ivanovich, the chairman of the house's partnership, comes to the apartment occupied by Woland and finds Koroviev there, who asks to rent this premises to him, since Berlioz has died and Likhodeev is now in Yalta. After lengthy persuasion, Nikanor Ivanovich agrees and receives another 400 rubles in addition to the payment stipulated in the contract. He hides them in the ventilation. After this, they come to Nikanor Ivanovich to arrest him for possession of currency, since rubles have somehow turned into dollars, and he, in turn, ends up in the Stravinsky clinic.
At the same time, Rimsky, the financial director of Variety, as well as Varenukha, the administrator, are trying to find Likhodeev by phone and are perplexed when reading his telegrams from Yalta asking him to confirm his identity and send money, since he was abandoned here by the hypnotist Woland. Rimsky, deciding that he is joking, sends Varenukha to take the telegrams “to the right place,” but the administrator fails to do this: the cat Behemoth and Azazello, taking him by the arms, carry him to the above-mentioned apartment, and Varenukha faints from the kiss of the naked Gella.
Woland's presentation
What happens next in the novel that Bulgakov created (“The Master and Margarita”)? A summary of further events is as follows. Woland's performance begins on the Variety stage in the evening. The bassoon causes money to rain with a pistol shot, and the audience catches the falling money. Then a “ladies’ store” appears where you can dress for free. There is a line immediately forming into the store. But at the end of the performance, the chervonets turn into pieces of paper, and the clothes disappear without a trace, forcing women to rush through the streets in their underwear.
After the performance, Rimsky lingers in his office, and Varenukha, transformed into a vampire by the kiss of Gella, comes to him. Noticing that he does not cast a shadow, the director tries to run away, scared, but Gella comes to the rescue. She tries to open the latch on the window, and Varenukha, meanwhile, is standing guard at the door. Morning comes, and with the first crow of the rooster, the guests disappear. Rimsky, instantly turning gray, rushes to the station and leaves for Leningrad.
The Master's Tale
Ivan Bezdomny, having met the Master at the clinic, tells how he met the foreigner who killed Berlioz. The master says that he met with Satan and tells Ivan about himself. Beloved Margarita gave him this name. A historian by training, this man worked in a museum, but suddenly he won 100 thousand rubles - a huge amount. He rented two rooms located in the basement of a small house, left his job and began writing a novel about Pontius Pilate. The work was almost finished, but then he accidentally met Margarita on the street, and a feeling immediately flared up between them.
Margarita was married to a rich man, lived in a mansion on Arbat, but did not love her husband. She came to the Master every day. They were happy. When the novel was finally finished, the author took it to the magazine, but they refused to publish the work. Only an excerpt was published, and soon devastating articles appeared about it, written by critics Lavrovich, Latunsky and Ariman. Then the Master fell ill. One night he threw his creation into the oven, but Margarita snatched the last pack of sheets from the fire. She took the manuscript with her and went to her husband to say goodbye to him and in the morning to reunite with the Master forever, but a quarter of an hour after the girl left, there was a knock on the writer’s window. Winter night, returning home a few months later, he found that the rooms were already occupied, and went to this clinic, where he has been living for four months without a name.
Meeting of Margarita with Azazello
Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita continues with Margarita waking up with the feeling that something is about to happen. She sorts through the sheets of manuscript and then goes for a walk. Here Azazello sits down next to her and reports that some foreigner is inviting a girl to visit. She agrees, as she hopes to find out something about the Master. Margarita rubs her body with a special cream in the evening and becomes invisible, after which she flies out the window. She causes destruction in the home of the critic Latunsky. Then the girl is met by Azazelo and escorted to the apartment, where she meets Woland’s retinue and himself. Woland asks Margarita to become queen at his ball. As a reward, he promises to fulfill the girl's wish.
Margarita - queen at Woland's ball
How further events describes Mikhail Bulgakov? "The Master and Margarita" is a very multi-layered novel, and the narrative continues with the full moon ball, which begins at midnight. Criminals are invited to attend, who come in tailcoats, and the women are naked. Margarita greets them, offering her knee and hand for a kiss. The ball is over, and Woland asks what she wants to receive as a reward. Margarita asks her lover, and he immediately appears in a hospital gown. The girl asks Satan to return them to the house where they were so happy.
Some Moscow institution Meanwhile, he is interested in the strange events taking place in the city. It becomes clear that they are all the work of one gang, headed by a magician, and the traces lead to Woland’s apartment.
Pontius Pilate's decision
We continue to consider the work that Bulgakov created (“The Master and Margarita”). The summary of the novel consists of the following further events. Pontius Pilate in the palace of King Herod interrogates Yeshua Ha-Nozri, who was sentenced to death by the court for insulting the authority of Caesar. Pilate was obliged to approve it. Interrogating the accused, he realizes that he is dealing not with a robber, but with a wandering philosopher who preaches justice and truth. But Pontius cannot simply release a person who is accused of acts against Caesar, so he confirms the sentence. Then he turns to Caiaphas, the high priest, who, in honor of Easter, can release one of the four sentenced to death. Pilate asks to release Ha-Nozri. But he refuses him and releases Bar-Rabban. There are three crosses on Bald Mountain, and the condemned are crucified on them. After the execution, only the former tax collector, Levi Matvey, a disciple of Yeshua, remains there. The executioner stabs the condemned to death, and suddenly a downpour falls.
The procurator summons the head of the secret service, Afranius, and instructs him to kill Judas, who received a reward for allowing Ha-Nozri to be arrested in his house. Nisa, a young woman, meets him in the city and arranges a date, where unknown men stab Judas with a knife and take his money. Afranius tells Pilate that Judas was stabbed to death and the money was planted in the high priest's house.
Levi Matthew is brought before Pilate. He shows him recordings of Yeshua's sermons. The procurator reads in them that the most grave sin- cowardice.
Woland and his retinue leave Moscow
We continue to describe the events of the work “The Master and Margarita” (Bulgakov). We return to Moscow. Woland and his retinue say goodbye to the city. Then Levi Matvey appears with an offer to take the Master to him. Woland asks why he is not accepted into the world. Levi replies that the Master did not deserve light, only peace. After some time, Azazello comes to the lovers’ house and brings wine - a gift from Satan. After drinking it, the heroes fall unconscious. At the same moment, there is turmoil in the clinic - the patient has died, and on the Arbat, in a mansion, a young woman suddenly falls to the floor.
The novel that Bulgakov created (“The Master and Margarita”) is coming to an end. Black horses carry away Woland and his retinue, and with them the main characters. Woland tells the writer that the character in his novel has been sitting on this site for 2000 years, seeing the lunar road in a dream and wanting to walk along it. The master shouts: “Free!” And the city with the garden lights up over the abyss, and a lunar road leads to it, along which the procurator runs.
A wonderful work was created by Mikhail Bulgakov. "The Master and Margarita" ends as follows. In Moscow, the investigation into the case of one gang continues for a long time, but there are no results. Psychiatrists conclude that the gang members are powerful hypnotists. After a few years, the events are forgotten, and only the poet Bezdomny, now professor Ponyrev Ivan Nikolaevich, every year on the full moon sits on the bench where he met Woland, and then, returning home, sees the same dream in which the Master and Margarita appear to him , Yeshua and Pontius Pilate.
Meaning of the work
The work “The Master and Margarita” by Bulgakov amazes readers even today, since even now it is impossible to find an analogue of a novel of this level of skill. A modern writer It is not possible to note the reason for such popularity of the work, to highlight its fundamental, main motive. This novel is often called unprecedented for all world literature.
The main idea of the author
So, we looked at the novel and its summary. Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" also needs analysis. What is the author's main intention? The story takes place in two eras: the life of Jesus Christ and modern author period Soviet Union. Bulgakov paradoxically combines these very different eras and draws deep parallels between them.
The master, the main character, himself creates a novel about Yeshua, Judas, Pontius Pilate. Mikhail Afanasyevich unfolds a phantasmagoria throughout the work. The events of the present turn out to be connected in a surprising way with what has changed humanity forever. It is difficult to single out a specific topic to which M. Bulgakov devoted his work. "The Master and Margarita" touches on many eternal, sacramental issues for art. This, of course, is the theme of love, tragic and unconditional, the meaning of life, truth and justice, unconsciousness and madness. It cannot be said that the author directly reveals these issues; he only creates a symbolic holistic system, which is quite difficult to interpret.
The main characters are so non-standard that only their images can be the reason detailed analysis the concept of the work created by M. Bulgakov. "The Master and Margarita" is imbued with ideological and philosophical themes. This gives rise to the multifaceted semantic content of the novel that Bulgakov wrote. “The Master and Margarita”, as you see, touches on very large-scale and significant problems.
Out of time
The main idea can be interpreted in different ways. The Master and Ga-Nozri are two unique messiahs whose activities take place in different eras. But the Master’s life story is not so simple; his divine, bright art is also connected with dark forces, because Margarita turns to Woland to help the Master.
The novel that this hero creates is sacred and amazing story, but Soviet-era writers refuse to publish it because they do not want to recognize it as worthy. Woland helps the lovers restore justice and returns to the author the work he had previously burned.
Thanks to mythological techniques and a fantastic plot, Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" shows eternal human values. Therefore, this novel is a story outside of culture and era.
Cinema showed great interest in the creation that Bulgakov created. “The Master and Margarita” is a film that exists in several versions: 1971, 1972, 2005. In 2005, a popular mini-series of 10 episodes directed by Vladimir Bortko was released.
This concludes the analysis of the work that Bulgakov created (“The Master and Margarita”). Our essay does not reveal all the topics in detail, we just tried to succinctly highlight them. This plan can serve as a basis for writing your own composition based on this novel.
“The “fantastic novel” that Bulgakov created in the last twelve years of his life is recognized best work a writer in whom he, as if “a summary of what was lived,” was able to comprehend with amazing depth and with deep artistic conviction embody his understanding of the fundamental issues of existence: faith and unbelief. God and the Devil, man and his place in the universe, the human soul and its responsibility before the Supreme Judge, death, immortality and meaning human existence, love, good and evil, the course of history and man’s place in it. We can say that Bulgakov left readers a novel-testament, which not only “presents surprises”, but also constantly poses questions, the answers to which each of the readers must find in correlating the work with their own ideas about what these “eternal Problems".
The composition of the novel “The Master and Margarita”, which is rightly called a “double novel”, is very interesting - after all, “The Romance of Pontius Pilate”, created by the Master, is brilliantly “inscribed” in the novel itself, becoming an integral part of it, making this work unique in terms of genre: the opposition and unity of the two “novels” form a certain alloy of seemingly incompatible methods of creating a narrative, which can be called “Bulgakov’s style.” Here the image of the author, who occupies a central position in each of the novels, takes on special significance. significant place, but manifests itself in different ways. In the “Master’s novel” about Yeshua and Pilate, the author deliberately withdraws himself, it is as if he is not in this almost chronically accurate presentation of events, his “presence” is expressed in the author’s view of what is depicted, inherent in the epic, his expression moral position as if “dissolves” in the artistic fabric of the work. In the “novel” itself, the author openly proclaims his presence (“Follow me, my reader!”), He is emphatically biased in his depiction of events and characters, but at the same time his author's position cannot be understood easily; it is “hidden” in a special way in buffoonery, ridicule, irony, deliberate gullibility and other artistic techniques.
The philosophical basis of the writer's moral position is the ideas " good will" and the "categorical imperative" as mandatory conditions existence of the human personality and a rationally organized society, and it is they who serve as the “touchstone” for evaluating each of the heroes and historical events, depicted in both novels, which share similarities moral situation: the era of Yeshua and the era of the Master is a time of choice that each of the heroes and society as a whole must make. In this regard, the opposition of these central images is obvious.
"Yeshua, nicknamed Ha-Nozri" in the novel "The Master and Margarita" represents a person who initially carries within himself goodness and light, and this attitude towards the world is based on the moral strength that is inherent in this weak, defenseless person, who is in the power of the procurator Pilate, but stands immeasurably higher all those who seem to have power over him. There is much debate about how close the image of Yeshua is to evangelical Christ, but, despite their undoubted similarity, what distinguishes them is that Bulgakov’s heroes initially do not perceive themselves as the Messiah, he is, first of all, a man in his behavior and attitude towards himself. However, this happens only because in fact he is the higher power that determines everything that happens - and it is he who “decides the destinies” of the heroes, it is with him that Woland argues in a special way, in his own way restoring the trampled in the world of “Massolitov” “Justice, in the end, it is to him that all the thoughts of the heroes of the novel are directed, whether they realize it or not. We can say that the image of Yeshua in the novel “The Master and Margarita” is the spiritual center of the work, this is the moral principle that makes it possible for the world to exist.
Image of the Master in the novel "The Master and Margarita" - this tragic image a person who was given the “gift of the Word” from above, who was able to feel it, to fulfill the mission entrusted to him - but then found himself unable to maintain the moral height to which he was raised by his creativity. Unlike Yeshua, the bearer and embodiment of “good will,” the Master is only temporarily imbued with the idea of serving good as the basis of life, but a real collision with this very “life” (the denunciation of Aloysius Magarych, the clinic of Professor Stravinsky) forces him to betray himself, then The best thing about him was to renounce not only his novel, but, in fact, everything that was connected with the idea of transforming life. Humanly, one can understand a person who has been “finished well” (in Woland’s words) and who admits his defeat: “I hated this novel and I’m afraid... I’m nobody now... I don’t want anything more in life... I have there are no more dreams and inspirations." However, each of the people in life has his own path determined, God's Providence determines the place of each of us in this world, and therefore the Master, who renounced his novel (and therefore himself), turns out to "not deserve light, he deserves peace,” which, probably, can heal his tormented soul in order to... but where then can he escape from the memories of his capitulation to the world of everyday life and lack of spirituality?..
The bearer of the highest justice in Bulgakov's novel "The Master and Margarita" is Woland, Satan, who arrived with his retinue in Moscow in order to “see the Muscovites” in order to understand how “ new system“changed people who, as he knows very well, are not inclined to become better. And indeed, the “session” at which Muscovites are completely “exposed” (and not only in the literal sense of the word), Styopa Likhodeev and others, the satirically depicted images seem to convince him that “these townspeople” have not “internally” changed, so he has every reason to draw his less-than-optimistic conclusion: “... people are like people, ... ordinary people.. ". However, the story of the Master and Margarita shows Satan that in this world of “ordinary” people there is something that goes back to completely different moral categories- there is selfless, devoted love, when “He who loves must share the fate of the one he loves.”
Dedication Margaritas, ready to cross the line separating Good from Evil in order to save a loved one, is obvious, but here Bulgakov shows us not just love, but love that opposes generally accepted norms, elevating people who seem to violate these norms. After all, Margarita’s relationship with the Master is a violation of her marital fidelity, she is married, and her husband treats her wonderfully. But this “marriage without love,” which has turned into torment, turns out to be untenable when the heroine finds herself in the grip of a real feeling, sweeping aside everything that prevents people from being happy.
Probably, Margarita’s readiness to save her beloved at any cost is also caused by the fact that she feels guilty for having delayed leaving her husband for too long, the punishment for which was the loss of the Master. But, having agreed to become the queen of Satan's ball, having gone through everything that was destined for her, at the very last moment the heroine finds herself unable to do what she went through such trials for - she asks Woland not for her beloved to be returned to her, and about the unfortunate Frida, whom she promised help... Probably, here we can talk about the complete triumph of “good will”, and it is with this act that Margarita proves that, in spite of everything, she is a truly moral person, because the words are “cherished and cooked in the soul,” she could not pronounce... And no matter how she convinced herself that she was a “frivolous person,” Woland was still right: she was a “highly moral person.” It's just not her fault that she lives in a world where genuine moral values inaccessible to most people.
The image of the poet is of great importance in the novel "The Master and Margarita" Ivan Bezdomny, who later became professor Ivan Nikolaevich Ponyrev. This man, a gifted poet (“figurative... power... of talent”), after meeting the Master, understands his moral unpreparedness to be a servant of the Word; he is, as it were, a student of the Master who consciously deviates from the chosen path, thereby repeating his fate teachers.
The satirical “layer” of Bulgakov’s analyzed novel is very convincing; here the writer uses a wide palette visual arts- from humor to farce and grotesque, he paints a society of people busy with their petty affairs, getting comfortable in life at any cost, from flattery to denunciations and betrayal. The background is authentic moral relations For the main characters, such a “life” cannot but cause condemnation, but the writer rather feels sorry for most of his heroes rather than condemning them, although, of course, such characters as Berlioz and the critic Latunsky are written out very clearly.
Let's go back to image of Woland. His “activities” in Moscow became a special form of restoring justice - in any case, he punished those who could not help but be punished, and helped those who had the right to count on help higher powers. Bulgakov shows that Woland fulfills the will of Yeshua, being, as it were, his messenger in this world. Of course, from the point of view of Christian ethics, this is unacceptable. God and Satan are antipodes, but what if everything in this world is so mixed up that it is difficult to understand how people can be made to remember that they are, after all, creatures of God?.. In this regard, the role of in the novel Pontius Pilate, the purpose of which was to condemn Yeshua to death, who tried to save him and then was tormented by what he had done - after all, in essence, the procurator of Judea plays on earth the same role that in the universe (according to Bulgakov) is assigned to Woland: to be a judge. Pilate internally feels the impossibility of sending him to death." wandering philosopher", but he does it. Woland does not seem to experience internal experiences or hesitations, but why then does he react so emotionally to Margarita’s request?..
The obvious inconsistency of the image of Woland, his strange kinship with Yeshua and Pilate make this image tragic in many ways: his apparent omnipotence actually cannot change anything in this world, because he is not able to hasten the onset of the “kingdom of truth” - this is not from him depends... “Eternally wanting evil” - and “eternally doing good” - this is Woland’s destiny, because this path was determined for him by the One who “hung the thread of life”...
The novel “The Master and Margarita,” which we analyzed, belongs to those works in the history of mankind that have become an integral part of its spiritual life. " Eternal problems"and momentary “truths” that disappear with the sunset, high pathos and tragedy and obvious satire and grotesque, love and betrayal, faith and its loss, Good and Evil as a state of the human soul - that’s what this novel is about. Each appeal to For him, this is a new introduction to the world of enduring moral values and genuine culture.
Novel "The Master and Margarita" - greatest work Bulgakov. It was assessed by the author as a kind of testament to descendants.
The novel tells about the life of Moscow in the 30s. Main character writes a novel about Pontius Pilate, but then burns it and ends up in a psychiatric hospital. At the same time, after the arrival of Woland's retinue, strange things happen in Moscow. The Master's beloved Margarita, in order to return her beloved, makes a deal with Satan, becomes a witch and goes to the ball of the dead. Woland returns the heroine her beloved Master. And the lovers go into a world of peace and tranquility.
Bulgakov wrote a “novel within a novel” compositionally. The text intertwines chapters from the life of the Master, that is, Moscow, and chapters from the Master’s novel itself, telling about Yershalaim. All these parts form a single whole. Here a parallel is drawn between the two worlds; they reflect the same problems. That is why there are so many parallels and double heroes in the novel. In the time of Yeshua, people are almost no different from the people of Moscow in the 30s. They are also interested in wealth and position in society.
In his novel, Bulgakov raises various themes and problems: good and evil, freedom and choice, creativity.
Good and evil in the work are personified in the images of Woland and Yeshua. These contrasting concepts are closely intertwined and also have absolutely equal rights in the soul of every person.
Yeshua preaches kindness and care. Death did not break the hero, his soul will never be defeated.
Woland, who must do evil, only reveals the vices of the Moscow people, since they are terrible force. Satan performs acts of justice in a unique way. Here one of the main ideas of the work is embodied: a person must choose for himself whether good or evil will guide him. The novel shows goodies, which in some cases do the wrong thing. The master is not ready to fight for his creativity and burns the novel. Margarita takes revenge on the critic Latunsky. However, these people have bright goals, so they deserve forgiveness.
The problem of choice is connected with the image of Pontius Pilate and Yeshua. Pontius Pilate shows cowardice when he sends Yeshua to execution, although he understands the unusual nature of this character. Fear of responsibility is the reason wrong choice procurator, for which he later had to repent.
Bulgakov showed that creativity is not free, the artist cannot create what he wants. The government sets certain limits for creativity. This is shown in the image of MASSOLIT. The reality of the 30s is reflected here. Literature at that time was subject to enormous censorship.
The theme of love is also of great importance in the novel. Margarita is a woman capable of love, despite all difficulties. The images of the Master and Margarita can be called collective, and their love is indestructible.
“The Master and Margarita” is not the story of an individual, it is the story of all humanity. Although the story worlds in the novel are different from each other, they realize the same goal.
Option 2
The work touches on a number of diverse problems that interested the author. Bulgakov addressed the themes of freedom of creativity, moral choice and responsibility that cannot be abdicated.
The desire to highlight different and complex topics prompted the writer to use a complex composition - a novel within a novel. The presence of chapters dedicated to Yeshua and Pontius Pilate also made it possible to create a contrast contemporary Bulgakov Moscow and distant times.
The master represents the ideal type of writer-creator. He is not appreciated by readers and the professional community and is persecuted literary authorities and colleagues who do not have the talent he has. In the punishments and bullying that the writer’s pursuers are subjected to at the behest of Woland, the author wanted to express his rejection new government and, especially, its policies in the field of creativity.
Margarita is simply an image of a woman. She, at the same time, loves her Master and is capable of satanic tricks.
The devil, named Woland, - controversial character. On the one hand, he creates evil, being its embodiment. On the other hand, Woland punishes only insignificant and petty people who deserve it and rewards the Master and Margarita. By introducing this ambiguous image, Bulgakov apparently wanted to show true essence the people around him, embodied in the images minor characters novel. They turn out to be even worse than the Devil himself.
The writer also condemned cowardice, considering it the worst of human qualities. It was this quality that forced Pilate to execute Yeshua and endure punishment for this. The master who burned his novel also by this act avoided responsibility, the struggle to present his creation to people. That is why Woland rewards the Master and Margarita only with peace.
Yeshua ha-Nozri is also ambiguous. This is not the biblical Jesus who conquered death. Compared to Christ, he is depicted as emphatically pitiful. However, at the same time, he still appears as the embodiment of Good. The reason for the creation of such an image, most likely, was the gloomy and painful feeling that the reality around him gave rise to in Bulgakov.
Analysis 3
In his novel "The Master and Margarita" the writer raises a lot of relevant and controversial issues, the answers to which can reveal the problems of society. The concept of love and moral duty, freedom of speech, blurred boundaries between good and evil, retribution for perfect deeds- this is not the entire list.
In the 30s, literature adhered only to the strictly assigned framework. Widespread censorship and prohibitions did not allow the writer to freely engage in creativity, and the Master was not allowed to publish the novel of his life about Pontius Pilate. Clean and creative person was forced to rotate in literary society, whose members turned out to be petty materialists. The master, having found himself thrown out of the literary circle, for his sincere purity, burns the manuscript. Bulgakov condemns this act of the Master; in his opinion, the writer must fight for the truth and try to convey it to society in any way.
The problems of good and evil, as well as choice, are raised in the chapter where the characters are Pilate and Yeshua. Having realized the full value of Yeshua, Pilate was afraid of responsibility and, in spite of everything, sent the righteous man to execution. The torment of conscience for such an act haunted Pilate for a long time.
Combining the “Moscow” chapters in parallel with the “Pilatov” chapters, the author draws a kind of parallel, proving that no time can change a person as much as he can change himself. The motivational component of both novels is the search for the road to gaining freedom and truth, the spiritual struggle between good and evil. Everyone has mistakes, but in order to gain freedom, you must constantly reach for the light.
In the novel, the forces of good and evil are embodied in the images of Yeshua and Woland. These two heroes in the work act in completely different eras; with this approach, the author shows that the struggle between good and evil was relevant at all times.
The hearts of many people are filled with evil and in the actions of the devil, who arrived in Moscow, according to the author’s plan, there is more justice than black hatred. The author proves that no one has the power to influence a person’s actions. Final decision a person personally does for good or evil.
In the author's understanding, there are no clear distinctions between good and evil, light and darkness; these phenomena are in constant close interaction. Woland, as a representative of evil, commits it based on the laws of justice, and Yeshua, as a true righteous man, forgives people, despite the evil on their part.
Nikolai Ivanovich, Margarita’s neighbor from the bottom floor, became another unwitting victim of Woland and his retinue’s stay in Moscow.
The painting “Morning” depicts a girl who has just gotten up and is doing exercises.
« Captain's daughter» - historical story Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, reflecting the reign of Catherine the Great. The narration is told on behalf of Pyotr Grinev, who at the time of writing the work is quite an elderly man
The action of the novel "The Master and Margarita", which we will now analyze, begins in Moscow. Mikhail Bulgakov uses Moscow toponymy, this gives the story credibility and immerses us more and more into the plot. Don't forget to read the summary of the novel.
History of creation and genre of the work
Inspired by Goethe's tragedy "Faust", Bulgakov decided to write his own novel. It is known that the first notes were made in 1928. In the first 160 pages there were no such heroes as the Master and Margarita, and the plot was about the appearance of Christ and the story of Woland. Original titles novels were also associated with this mystical hero. One of them was "Black Magician". In 1930, Bulgakov burned the manuscripts. Two years later, Bulgakov found the surviving sheets and got to work.
But in 1940 he became seriously ill and his wife wrote a novel from his dictation, like a devoted Margarita. When the work was completed, Elena applied to many publishing houses, but she was refused. 30 years later, a censored version was published, quite different from the original.
What can we say about genre originality? Of course, this is a novel with its classic features in its classic execution.
Composition and issues
The composition of the novel is different in that there is a parallel between the heroes of Pilate's time and those of Moscow. Several storylines. Variety of characters. When analyzing the novel, conditionally divide the work into two parts:
- Moscow events
- Narration from the Master's perspective
The problem of the work is philosophical problem, which is expressed in the relationship between power and man, not only among Moscow’s heroes, but also among Pilatov’s. Thus, Bulgakov emphasizes that this problem has existed at all times and eras.
The truth is expressed that society should be based on moral values, not material ones. Be sure to include this idea in your analysis of the novel “The Master and Margarita.”
Theme and main characters
One of the central themes is Biblical. Critics are struck by the authenticity of the chronology of events, which they compared with the writings of Levi Matthew. The Judgment scene is believable even within the time frame. Pilate and Yeshua are depicted in a new way and even with elements of character traits modern people, therefore, readers of our time also find similarities in them.
Love line did not bypass this either brilliant work. When the Master's first meeting with Margarita takes place, it is immediately clear that this is true love at first sight, which must end tragically. Margarita is a reward for the difficult fate of the Master. Love is shown in the novel as something eternal that does not depend on anything. This idea can become one of the key ones in the analysis of the novel "The Master and Margarita".
The fantastic theme makes this piece special. Appears in the novel devilry: Woland, conducting the sessions and his retinue.
The theme of creativity is also interestingly presented. Non-acceptance of the master's works by critics, his destruction creative potential led him to madness.
Let us also mention the main characters of the work:
- Master. Creator. In Him we find similar features with Bulgakov.
- Woland. Devil, Prince of Darkness. It becomes real when it leaves the Russian capital.
- Margarita. Unlucky girl. Beloved of the Master.
Analysis of the novel "The Master and Margarita"
Main idea Bulgakov when writing this novel - ironically convey everything hot topics.
The novel combines the problem perfect creativity And true love. Along with the exciting plot, landscapes play a significant role. The illuminated corners of Moscow add dynamics to the novel and immerse you in their world.
Each generation reveals this novel in its own way and finds similar features in it modern problems. The master does not finish his work and burns it, finding his peace in this.
Margarita's dream is a significant episode in the novel. The girl dreams of hell, pitch darkness, a wasteland, and in the midst of this horror - the Master. Bulgakov specifically portrayed Margarita as wealthy and prosperous, but for her the highest value is a photograph of her lover and a charred notebook of his manuscripts. It is this fragment that emphasizes that it is not material things that make a person happy, but earthly things. And it would seem that love is a feeling, but it is more expensive than everything else.
You read brief analysis novel "The Master and Margarita", we also recommend that you visit our literary Blog, where many articles are posted with analyzes of the works and characteristics of the characters.
Bulgakov worked on the novel “The Master and Margarita” for about 12 years and did not have time to finally edit it. This novel became a real revelation of the writer; Bulgakov himself said that this was his main message to humanity, a testament to his descendants.
Many books have been written about this novel. Among the researchers creative heritage Bulgakov is of the opinion that this work is a kind of political treatise. In Woland they saw Stalin and his retinue was identified with political figures of that time. However, it would be wrong to consider the novel “The Master and Margarita” only from this point of view and to see in it only political satire.
Some literary scholars believe that the main meaning of this mystical work is the eternal struggle between good and evil. According to Bulgakov, it turns out that evil on Earth must always be in balance. Yeshua and Woland personify precisely these two spiritual principles. One of the key phrases of the novel were the words of Woland, which he said, addressing Levi Matvey: “Wouldn’t it be so kind to think about the question: what would your good do if evil did not exist, and what would it look like if they disappeared from it? shadows?
In the novel, evil, in the person of Woland, ceases to be humane and fair. Good and evil are intertwined and are in close interaction, especially in human souls. Woland punished people with evil for evil for the sake of justice.
It is not for nothing that some critics have drawn an analogy between Bulgakov’s novel and the story of Faust, although in “The Master and Margarita” the situation is presented inverted. Faust sold his soul to the devil and betrayed Margarita's love for the sake of his thirst for knowledge, and in Bulgakov's novel Margarita makes a deal with the devil for the sake of love for the Master.
Fight for man
The inhabitants of Bulgakov's Moscow appear before the reader as a collection of puppets, tormented by passions. It is of great importance in the Variety Show, where Woland sits down in front of the audience and begins to talk about the fact that people do not change for centuries.
Against the background of this faceless mass, only the Master and Margarita are deeply aware of the world and who rules it.
The image of the Master is collective and autobiographical. The reader does not know his real name. The master is represented by any artist, as well as a person who has his own vision of the world. Margarita is an image ideal woman who is able to love to the end, despite difficulties and obstacles. They are perfect collective images a man dedicated to his work and a woman true to her feelings.
Thus, the meaning of this immortal novel can be divided into three layers.
Above everything stands the confrontation between Woland and Yeshua, who, together with their students and retinue, wage a continuous struggle for the immortal human soul, play with the destinies of people.
Just below are people like the Master and Margarita; later they are joined by the Master’s student, Professor Ponyrev. These people are spiritually more mature, who realize that life is much more complicated than it seems at first glance.
And finally, at the very bottom are ordinary people Bulgakov's Moscow. They have no will and strive only for material values.
Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita” serves as a constant warning against inattention to oneself, against blindly following the established order of things, to the detriment of awareness of one’s own personality.
Sources:
- The theme of good and evil in Bulgakov's novel "The Master and Margarita"
- The meaning of the title of the novel "The Master and Margarita"
- The main idea of the novel "The Master and Margarita"
Mikhail Bulgakov's novel "The Master and Margarita" is one of best books, written in the 20th century in Russian. Unfortunately, the novel was published many years after the writer’s death, and many of the mysteries encrypted by the author in the book remained unsolved.
Devil on the Patriarch's
Bulgakov began work on the novel, dedicated to the appearance of the Devil in Moscow in the 1930s, in 1929 and continued until his death in 1940, without finishing the author's editing. The book was published only in 1966, thanks to the fact that Mikhail Afanasyevich’s widow, Elena Sergeevna Bulgakova, kept the manuscript. The plot, or rather, all of it hidden meanings, are still the subject scientific research and disputes among literary scholars.
“The Master and Margarita” is included in the list of the hundred best books of the 20th century according to the French periodical Le Monde.
The text begins with the fact that by two Soviet writers While talking on the Patriarch's Ponds, a foreigner approaches, who turns out to be Satan. It turns out that the Devil (he introduces himself by the name Woland) travels all over the world, periodically stopping in various cities along with his retinue. Once in Moscow, Woland and his henchmen punish people for their petty sins and passions. The images of bribe takers and swindlers are drawn by Bulgakov masterfully, and the victims of Satan do not evoke sympathy at all. So, for example, the fate of Woland’s first two interlocutors is extremely unpleasant: one of them dies under a tram, and the second ends up in an insane asylum, where he meets a man who calls himself the Master.
The master tells Woland’s victim his story, in particular, saying that at one time about Pontius Pilate, because of whom he ended up in psychiatric hospital. Moreover, he remembers romantic story his love for a woman named Margarita. At the same time, one of the representatives of Woland’s retinue turns to Margarita with a request to become the queen of Satan’s Ball, which is held annually by Woland in various capitals. Margarita agrees in exchange for the Master being returned to her. The novel ends with a scene of all the main characters from Moscow, with the Master and Margarita finding the dream they dreamed of.
From Moscow to Jerusalem
In parallel with the “” plot line, the “Yershalaim” line is developing, that is, in fact, the novel about Pontius Pilate. From Moscow in the 30s it is transferred to Jerusalem from the beginning of our era, where tragic events, described in the New Testament and reinterpreted by Bulgakov. The author tries to understand the motives of the procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, who sent the philosopher Yeshua Ha-Nozri, whose prototype is Jesus Christ, to execution. In the final part of the book, the storylines intersect, and each hero gets what he deserves.
There are many film adaptations of Bulgakov’s novel, both in Russia and abroad. In addition, the text has inspired many musicians, artists and playwrights.
"The Master and Margarita" is a novel at the junction. Of course, in the foreground is satirical image morals and life of the inhabitants of Moscow contemporary to Bulgakov, but in addition to this, there are various mystical symbols, moral confusion, and the theme of retribution for sins and misdeeds is revealed.
One of the main characters of the novel “The Master and Margarita” is replete with various shades of meaning, and one or another context cannot do without a connection with this image. This allows us to call the Master, strictly speaking, the main character of the novel.
Mikhail Bulgakov's novel "The Master and Margarita" among other possible genre definitions can also be seen as a novel about an artist. From here a semantic thread immediately stretches to the works of romanticism, since the theme of “the artist’s path” sounded most clearly and became one of the main ones in the work of romantic writers. At first glance, it makes you wonder why the hero does not have a name and in the novel only the name “Master” is used to designate him. It turns out that a certain concrete and yet “faceless” image appears before the reader. This technique works on the author's desire to typify the hero. Under the name “Master” are hidden the true, according to Bulgakov, artists who do not meet the requirements of the official “culture” and are therefore always persecuted.
Image in the context of 20th century literature
We should not forget that in general the theme of the state of culture, very characteristic of the 20th century, makes Bulgakov’s novel similar to such a genre as the intellectual novel (a term used mainly when considering the work of Western European writers). The protagonist of an intellectual novel is not a character. This is the image that contains the most character traits era. At the same time, what happens in inner world hero, reflects the state of the world as a whole. In this regard, as the most significant, it is appropriate to recall Harry Haller from Herman Hesse’s Steppenwolf, Hans Castorp from The Magic Mountain or Adrian Leverkühn from Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus. So it is in Bulgakov’s novel: the Master says about himself that he is crazy. This indicates the author's opinion about current state culture (by the way, this is almost what happens in “Steppenwolf”, where entrance to the Magic Theater - a place where the remains of classical art, the art of the humanistic era, are still preserved - is possible only for the “crazy”). But this is just one piece of evidence. In fact, the identified problem is revealed in many aspects, both in the example and outside the image of the Master.Biblical allusions
The novel is structured in a mirror way and it turns out that many storylines are variations, parodies of each other. Thus, the Master’s storyline is intertwined with the line of the hero of his novel, Yeshua. It is appropriate to recall the concept of the romantics about the artist-Creator, rising above the world and creating his own special reality. Bulgakov also parallels the images of Yeshua (biblical Jesus) and the writer Master. In addition, just as Matvey Levi is a disciple of Yeshua, so at the end the Master calls Ivan his disciple.The connection between the image and the classics
The Master’s connection with Yeshua evokes another parallel, namely with Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel “The Idiot.” "Positively wonderful person“Myshkin is endowed by Dostoevsky with the features of the biblical Jesus (a fact that Dostoevsky did not hide). Bulgakov builds the novel according to the scheme only discussed above. Again, the motive of “madness” makes these two heroes similar: just as Myshkin ends his life in the Schneider clinic, where he came from, so life path The Master essentially ends in crazy house, after all, Praskovya Fedorovna answers Ivan’s question that he from the one hundred and eighteenth room just died. But this is not death in its literal sense, it is the continuation of life in a new quality.About Myshkin’s seizures it is said: “What does it matter that this tension is abnormal, if the very result, if a minute of sensation, recalled and considered already in a healthy state, turns out to be extremely harmony, beauty, gives an unheard of and hitherto unspoken feeling of completeness, proportion, reconciliation and triumphant prayerful merging with the highest synthesis of life? And the result of the novel - the incurability of the hero suggests that he has finally plunged into a state, into another sphere of existence and his earthly life is akin to death. The situation is similar with the Master: yes, he dies, but he dies only for all other people, and he himself acquires a different existence, merging in this again with Yeshua, ascending along the lunar path.
Video on the topic
The novel, which still leaves many places open for discussion, attracts many researchers and ordinary readers. The novel offers its own interpretation of the contradictions that are relevant to the era.
What is the novel about?
Since the main character of the novel is the Master, a writer, it is reasonable to assume that the main theme is that of art and the path of the artist. This idea is also suggested by the abundance of “musical” names: Berlioz, Stravinsky, Strauss, Schubert, and the fact that “Griboyedov” occupies an important place in the novel.The theme of art and culture was raised with new ideological content in an intellectual novel. This genre began in the 20s. 20th century. At the same time, Bulgakov was working on the novel “The Master and Margarita.”
Before the reader is a clinic of Stravinsky (certainly a reference to the composer Stravinsky). Both the Master and Ivan find themselves in it. Ivan as a poet (a bad poet, but this is not what is important, but this “status” at the time of his stay in the clinic). That is, the clinic can be conditionally designated as an “artists’ shelter.” In other words, this is a place where artists have closed themselves off from the outside world and are occupied only with the problems of art. It is this problem that the novels of Hermann Hesse are devoted to. Steppenwolf" and "The Glass Bead Game", where you can find analogues to the image of the clinic. This is the “Magic Theater” with the inscription above the entrance “Only for crazy people” (the clinic in Bulgakov’s novel is a madhouse) and the country of Castalia.
The heroes of an intellectual novel are predominantly condemned for withdrawing from the outside world, and since the image of the hero is always generalized, the entire society as a whole is condemned for passivity, which leads to catastrophic consequences (for example, the activation of fascism in Thomas Mann’s novel “Doctor Faustus”). So Bulgakov clearly hints at Soviet power.
The ending of the novel
IN final scenes The fate of the Master is being decided. If we proceed from the fact that “he did not deserve light, he deserved peace,” then we can assume that “peace” is some kind of intermediate state between light and darkness, since peace cannot resist. Moreover, Woland gives the Master peace and then it becomes clear that the Master’s refuge is in the kingdom of the devil.But in the epilogue, when the fate of Ivan Bezdomny (by that time already simply Ivan Ponyrev) after the events described in the novel is told, the days of the full moon that are especially painful for him are mentioned, when something unclear torments him and in a dream he sees Pontius Pilate and Yeshua, walking along the lunar path, and then an “exorbitantly beautiful woman” together with a man with whom he once talked in madhouse who leave the same way. If the Master and Margarita follow Pontius Pilate and Yeshua, doesn’t this mean that the Master was subsequently awarded “light”?
A novel within a novel:
The form of a “novel within a novel” allows Bulgakov to create the illusion of creating the Master’s novel in real time before the reader’s eyes. But the novel is “written” not only by the Master, but also by Ivan (as strange as it may seem). The Master's novel about Pontius Pilate gets its due logical conclusion only at the moment of the “liberation” of Pilate, who leaves with Yeshua along the lunar path; Bulgakov’s novel about the Master ends with his ascension after Pilate and Yeshua, and it is Ivan who “sees” this, who (by analogy with the Master) “frees” the Master and becomes involved in writing the novel, becomes Bulgakov’s co-author.General information
The history of the creation of the novel “The Master and Margarita” is still shrouded in secrets, however, like the novel itself, which never ceases to be the center of mysteries for the reader. It is not even known exactly when Bulgakov had the idea of writing a work that is now known as “The Master and Margarita” (this title appeared in Bulgakov’s drafts relatively shortly before the creation of final version novel).
The time it took Bulgakov from the ripening of the idea to the final version of the novel was ultimately about ten years, which indicates the care with which Bulgakov took on the novel and what significance it apparently had for him. And Bulgakov seemed to have foreseen everything in advance, because “The Master and Margarita” became the last work he wrote. Bulgakov did not even have time to complete the literary editing of the novel; it stopped somewhere in the area of the second part.
Conceptual question
Initially, Bulgakov chose the image of the devil (the future Woland) to replace the main character of his new novel. The first several editions of the novel were created under the banner of this idea. It should be noted that each of the four well-known editions can be considered as an independent novel, since they all contain many fundamental differences at both the formal and semantic levels. Familiar to the reader main image- the image of the Master was introduced into the novel by Bulgakov only in the fourth, final edition, and this itself ultimately determined the main concept of the novel, which initially contained a bias in to a greater extent aside, however, the Master as the main character with his “appearance” forced Bulgakov to reconsider the prospects of the novel and give the dominant place to the theme of art, culture, and the place of the artist in the modern world.
Work on the novel took so long, probably not only because of the incomplete formulation of the concept, its changes, but also due to the fact that the novel was intended by Bulgakov himself as a final work, summarizing his entire path in the field of art, and in connection with this the novel has a rather complex structure, it is filled a huge amount explicit and implicit cultural allusions, references at each and every level of the novel’s poetics.
