Thunderstorm Ostrovsky genre of work. Composition "Genre" Thunderstorms "Ostrovsky

The question of genres has always been quite resonant among literary scholars and critics. Disputes over which genre to attribute this or that work to gave rise to many points of view, sometimes completely unexpected. Most often, disagreements arise between the author's and the scientific designation of the genre. For example, N. V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" with scientific point vision should have been called a novel. In the case of dramaturgy, too, everything is not so clear. And this is not about a symbolist understanding of drama or futuristic experiments, but about drama within the framework of a realistic method. Speaking specifically, about the genre of "Thunderstorms" by Ostrovsky.

Ostrovsky wrote this play in 1859, at a time when theater reform was needed. Ostrovsky himself believed that the performance of actors was much more important to the audience, and you could read the text of the play at home. The playwright was already beginning to prepare the public for the fact that plays for performances and plays for reading should be different. But the old traditions were still strong. The author himself defined the genre of the work "Thunderstorm" as a drama. First you need to understand the terminology. Drama is characterized by a serious, mostly household plot, the style is close to real life. At first glance, The Thunderstorm has a lot of dramatic elements. This, of course, is life. The customs and way of life of the city of Kalinov are spelled out incredibly clearly. One gets a complete impression not only of a single city, but of all provincial towns. It is no coincidence that the author points to the conditionality of the place of action: it is necessary to show that the existence of inhabitants is typical. Social characteristics are also clear: the actions and character of each hero are largely determined by his social position.

The tragic beginning is associated with the image of Katerina and, in part, Kabanikh. Tragedy requires a strong ideological conflict, a struggle that can end in the death of the protagonist or several characters. The image of Katerina shows a strong, pure and honest person who strives for freedom and justice. She was married early against her will, but she was able to some extent fall in love with her spineless husband. Katya often thinks that she could fly. She again wants to feel that inner lightness that she had before marriage. The girl is cramped and stuffy in an atmosphere of constant scandals and quarrels. She can neither lie, even though Varvara says that the whole Kabanov family rests on a lie, nor hush up the truth. Katya falls in love with Boris, because initially both to her and to the readers he seems the same as her. The girl had last hope to save himself from disappointment in life and in people - an escape with Boris, but the young man refused Katya, acting like other inhabitants of a strange world for Katerina.

Katerina's death shocks not only readers and viewers, but also other characters in the play. Tikhon says that his imperious mother, who killed the girl, is to blame for everything. Tikhon himself was ready to forgive his wife's betrayal, but Kabanikha was against it.

The only character who can be compared with Katerina in strength of character is Marfa Ignatievna. Her desire to subjugate everything and everyone makes a woman a real dictator. Her difficult nature eventually led to her daughter running away from home, her daughter-in-law committing suicide, and her son blaming her for her failures. Kabanikha can be called Katerina's antagonist to some extent.

The conflict of the play can also be viewed from two sides. From the point of view of tragedy, the conflict is revealed in the clash of two different worldviews: the old and the new. And from the point of view of the drama in the play, the contradictions of reality and characters collide.

The genre of the play "Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky cannot be precisely defined. Some lean towards the author's version - social drama, others suggest reflecting characteristic elements both tragedies and dramas, defining the Thunderstorm genre as an everyday tragedy. But one thing cannot be denied for sure: in this play there are both traits of tragedy and drama.

Artwork test

Our lesson today is dedicated to the work of N.A. Ostrovsky. We will reflect on the genre of the play "Thunderstorm". What is it - drama or tragedy? To do this, we turn to the history of the tragedy genre, find its signs in the play and try to determine genre feature works.

She was immediately staged in the Moscow Small drama theater and called serious pores and disagreements. Not everyone could see the large-scale meaning of this play. Some took it simply as family drama about how a dark, downtrodden, intimidated woman cheated on her pathetic husband. Such thoughts were expressed not only by conservatives, but even by such a revolutionary and radical literary critic as D. Pisarev (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. D.I. Pisarev ()

In his article “Motives of Russian Drama,” he reproached Katerina for not leaving her husband, and generally believed that her behavior was ridiculous and stupid, and it was not worth putting her at the center of the play. But already in 1860, an article by Dobrolyubov was published in the Sovremennik magazine (Fig. 3).

Rice. 3. N.A. Dobrolyubov ()

It must be said that we are now reviewing Dobrolyubov's work and cannot agree with him on all points. But it must be borne in mind that Ostrovsky himself liked Dobrolyubov's article "A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom" extremely. He repeatedly said that Dobrolyubov understood the idea of his play absolutely correctly.

What is the difference between drama and tragedy? First of all, the scale of the problem. The tragedy touches upon universal questions about life and death, about the world and the fate of man in it. Drama, on the other hand, examines the problematics in more detail, but perhaps in a more subtle way: a person and society, a person and his social environment, a person and his various public relations, which are tied in a person with the people around him. Dobrolyubov persistently called Ostrovsky's play a tragedy:

"Thunderstorm" is, without a doubt, the most decisive work Ostrovsky; the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought in it to the very tragic consequences; and for all that most of those who have read and seen this play agree that it makes an impression less heavy and sad than other plays by Ostrovsky ... "

“There is even something refreshing and encouraging about The Thunderstorm. This “something” is, in our opinion, the background of the play, indicated by us and revealing the precariousness and the near end of tyranny. Then the very character of Katerina, drawn against this background, also blows on us. new life which is revealed to us in her very death…”

“Katerina's character is a step forward not only in Ostrovsky's dramatic work, but in all of our literature. It corresponds to a new phase of our folk life…»

It is no coincidence that Dobrolyubov speaks of a new phase of people's life. What happened in Russia in the late 1950s? This is a difficult and critical time. Just died down Crimean War(Fig. 4),

Rice. 4. Crimean War ()

turned out to be a complete shame for Russia, Nicholas I died (Fig. 5),

Rice. 5. Emperor Nicholas I ()

and the talk turned to reforms, the inevitability of which was understood by the country's leadership. Already in 1857, the release of the peasants was announced (Fig. 6).

Rice. 6. Reading the manifesto on the liberation of the peasants ()

Archaic, inhumane, completely backward social order in Russia was to be completely broken. But here a large-scale question arose before society: is the people ready for these changes, can they become the subject of history, go towards lofty goals, etc.? After all, several centuries of oppression and being in slavery could kill in him the will to independence and freedom. These questions were answered in different ways, there were intense disputes in the society, and it is at this moment that the play The Thunderstorm appears, which is called upon to answer this question in the way Ostrovsky understands it.

Thus, Ostrovsky is trying to find in his play a conscious or at least elemental heroic principle in the depths of folk life.

Tragedy- a play that depicts extremely sharp, often insoluble life contradictions. The plot is based on the irreconcilable conflict of the hero, strong personality, with transpersonal forces (fate, state, elements, etc.) or with oneself. In this struggle, the hero, as a rule, dies, but wins moral victory. The purpose of the tragedy is to cause shock in the viewer by what they see, which, in turn, gives rise to sorrow and compassion in their hearts. Such state of mind leads to catharsis.

Drama - literary work written in the form of a dialogue actors. Focused on spectacular expression. The relationship between people and the conflicts that arise between them are revealed through the actions of the characters and are embodied in a monologue-dialogical form. Unlike tragedy, drama does not end in catharsis.

Let us now turn to the history of the genre of tragedy itself. Tragedy as a genre often appears in literature precisely in turning points stories. It helps to comprehend the global issues facing humanity. Tragedy was born Ancient Greece and precisely at the moment when the man of Antiquity for the first time began to realize himself not just as a member of a collective, tribe, state, but as a separate sovereign personality. How should a person behave, for example, in combat with the authorities, if this authority is omnipotent and unrighteous? Here is the issue famous tragedy Aeschylus (Fig. 7)

"Prometheus chained" (Fig. 8).

Rice. 8. "Prometheus chained" (P. Rubens, 1612) ()

How will a person behave when faced with an inexorable fate? This is the problematic of the play "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (Fig. 9, 10).

Rice. 9. Antigone leads the blind Oedipus out of Thebes (C. Zhalaber, XIX century) ()

Can a person resist the chaos of feelings raging in his own soul? This is the problem of such well-known tragedies of Euripides (Fig. 11),

as "Hippolytus" or "Medea" (Fig. 12).

Rice. 12. "Medea" (A. Feuerbach, 1870) ()

Shakespeare's tragedies (Fig. 13) also appeared in a critical era, when the harsh patriarchal world of the Middle Ages was fading, but the world that was replacing it did not please, showing the disunity of people, selfishness, greed, evil passions.

Great interest in tragedy was shown by the classicists in France of the 17th century, who put the cult of reason and the state at the forefront, trying to normalize everything. At the same time, many scientific works about literature, about how to write, in particular tragedy. Tragedy was conceived as a high, standard genre, and therefore it was in it that a certain set of rules had to be observed without fail. The greatest representatives of classic tragedy are Corneille and Racine. It seemed to the classicists that these requirements stemmed directly from ancient Greek poetics, and this is how plays were staged in ancient Greece. But it is not so. In ancient Greek plays, the law of the unity of time and place was not always respected. For example, in the famous "Oresteia" (Fig. 14) of Aeschylus, the duration of the action is about ten years.

Rice. 14. “Clytemnestra hesitates before killing the sleeping Agamemnon” (P.-N. Geren, 1817) ()

But be that as it may, these laws were popular both in European and Russian literature of the 19th century. For example, in Griboedov's play (Fig. 15)

Rice. 15. A.S. Griboyedov ()

"Woe from Wit" actions begin early in the morning, and end exactly the next morning.

What is unity of action? Here everything is more complicated. First, the action should be limited to a small number of characters, 7-8. Secondly, there should be no side plot moves. And thirdly, there should not be characters who are not involved in the main course of the play. These rules were considered mandatory. In addition, one more thing was added to them: the main character of the tragedy - the high genre - can only be a high, significant historical figure. It could be gods, heroes, commanders, kings, but not representatives of the third estate. As you can see, Ostrovsky does not meet all these requirements. That is probably why he decided, in order to avoid misunderstandings, to put a subtitle to his play “drama”, although, in fact, this is not entirely true. If we consider Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm from the point of view of the normative laws of classicism, then this is not a tragedy. The action lasts about ten days, the scene also changes, and there are also heroes who have nothing to do with fate. main character- Katerina (Fig. 16).

Rice. 16. Katerina ()

First of all, this is Feklusha, a wanderer (Fig. 17).

An unusual place is also occupied by the description of the environment " dark kingdom". Katerina herself is a representative of the "dark kingdom": a merchant's wife, a merchant's daughter, so she is a person of the third estate. But the fact is that the laws developed by the classicists are quite formal, and they do not determine the essence of the genre. After all, Shakespeare did not obey these laws, but the tragedies "Hamlet", "Macbeth" (Fig. 18), "Othello", "King Lear" do not cease to be tragedies.

Rice. 18. "Lady Macbeth" (M. Gabriel, 1885) ()

Tragedy has three mandatory features, and if they are present in a work, then the genre can be safely called a tragedy, and if they are absent, then this is obviously a drama.

First. Tragedy must be tragic hero, i.e. a hero, in his own way moral character located much higher than others.

Second. In a tragedy, there must be a tragic conflict, i.e., a global conflict that cannot be resolved by ordinary peaceful means. This conflict ends, as a rule, with the death of the protagonist.

Third. Tragedy needs catharsis, that is, purification. First of all, it concerns the surviving heroes. They become taller, better, cleaner, extract for themselves a certain life lesson. The same applies to the audience.

We can find all these moments in Ostrovsky's play. Is there a tragic hero there? Yes, this is Katherine. No matter what the unfriendly critics say, Katerina is clearly above those around her. We may be objected: she is superstitious, insufficiently educated, commits sinful acts, such as treason and suicide, and these, from the point of view of Christianity, are terrible sins. But on at least one point she is unquestionably superior to everyone around her. She hates lies and finds it impossible for herself to lie. A lie is what unites all the inhabitants of the city of Kalinov.

Lies Wild (Fig. 19).

In addition to being stupid and cruel, his actions are also permeated with hypocrisy. For example, he knows that scolding workers on a holiday is a grave sin, nevertheless, he scolds them, does not pay them, and then humbly asks for their forgiveness. By the way, he is also cowardly: as soon as Kabanova rebuffs him, he instantly subsides.

Hypocrisy is also permeated with all the behavior of Kabanova (Fig. 20): in the eyes of the city she is virtuous, and with her family she is power-hungry and spiteful.

Rice. 20. Marfa Kabanova ()

In addition, she is a lover of form, which is why she despises content. It seems to her that she needs to live according to Domostroy. But she is interested in the external pattern of behavior: the main thing is to keep the form. This is the evil hypocrisy.

Her daughter Barbara (Fig. 21), who herself learned to lie with passion, easily obeys someone else's lies.

Barbara also has another quality that does not adorn her: she is bored to sin alone, because it is she who draws Katerina into sin, giving her the key to the gate so that she can see Boris.

Curly - at first glance, cheerful, cheerful, clearly opposed to the "dark kingdom" (Fig. 22).

But from a verbal skirmish with Wild, we understand that there is no difference between them, and in a few years Kudryash will become another Wild.

Finally, the most oppressed in this "kingdom" is Tikhon, who lies out of habit, always and everywhere (Fig. 23).

Rice. 23. Tikhon Kabanov ()

This is a man completely crushed by the situation.

Boris is not just a product of the "dark kingdom", despite his education, ability to love, he behaves irrationally (Fig. 24).

He will be given an inheritance only on one condition: if he is respectful to his uncle Wild. It is known that the uncle will not part with the money under any circumstances, so there is nothing to respect him for. But Boris is trying his best, he literally bows down, communicating with Wild.

Finally, Kuligin is an old man-inventor, in whose speech we often see a reflection of the thoughts of Ostrovsky himself (Fig. 25).

He does not lie, but he is reconciled, he has neither moral nor physical strength resist evil, lies and violence reigning in the city. For example, Dikoy accuses him of being a robber, because he wants to. And Kuligin silently presses his head into his shoulders and runs away. He is not a fighter.

Thus, everyone in this "dark kingdom" either lies and hypocrites themselves, or reconciled with someone else's lies and hypocrisy. Against this background, a sharp contrast with the rest of the characters is Katerina. From the very beginning, we see that she does not want and cannot reconcile. Even with his unfinished family life she can reconcile herself only as long as she feels at least some kind of human warmth and affection for Tikhon. As soon as all this disappears, she will not remain in the family cage, because she is irresistibly attracted by freedom, which for her is inextricably linked with the truth. The sincerity and purity of Katerina's soul is also emphasized by her very name, which in Greek means "pure".

Now let's move on to the second point of our reasoning: is there a tragic conflict in Ostrovsky's play? Here it must be said that Ostrovsky made a colossal innovation in comparison with ancient Greek dramaturgy. Usually, among the ancient Greeks, the conflict was either external - a person and the whole the world- either internal, when in an insurmountable struggle they collide different elements V human soul. Ostrovsky's play involves both conflicts.

The external conflict is obvious: pure, truth-loving, sincere Katerina cannot get along in the terrible world of the city of Kalinov, riddled with cruelty, lies and hypocrisy.

Internal conflict: Katerina is a sincerely believing woman, whom angels appear in broad daylight in the middle of the temple. Saints experienced such visions. She believes in both sin and hellfire, she is absolutely sure that her betrayal of her husband is terrible sin, which is impossible to pray. But on the other hand, she cannot be faithful to her husband, because he does not love her, does not respect her. He really deserves only contempt. Already at the beginning of the play, he betrays her: when she asks him for help, he mockingly shrugs his shoulders, refuses and leaves her alone with her difficulties and suffering. It is impossible to love and respect such a person, and therefore, it is impossible to be hypocritical, while maintaining this hateful marriage. And so Katerina struggles in this morally insoluble situation for her: on the one hand, cheating on her husband is a terrible sin, perceived by her as a moral impossibility, and on the other hand, it is impossible to remain honest married woman and continue this disgusting hypocritical life. She cannot give up her love for Boris, because in this love for her is not only sensual passion, but the desire for truth, freedom, life. And only death can resolve this tragic collision.

Now the third point: catharsis, purification. Does anyone experience purification in the play after Katerina's death? Yes, definitely. Firstly, Tikhon, who has always been quiet and submissive to his mother, finally finds his voice and shouts, uncontrollably blaming his mother for Katerina's death: “You ruined her! You! You!" Thus he received his sight, perhaps for a short time, but nevertheless he rose above his grassy and inhuman condition.

Kuligin also gains a voice, who carries out the body of Katerina and says to her tormentors: “Here is your Katerina for you. Do with her what you want! Her body is here, take it; and the soul is now not yours: it is now before a judge who is more merciful than you!” That is, he accuses the city of Kalinov of the fact that he can and knows primitive harsh justice, but mercy is not available to him. Thus, Kuligin's voice merges into this case with the voice of Ostrovsky himself.

Some still reproach Katerina: how is it that she is a suicide, a sinner, and according to Christian canons, this is an unforgivable sin. But here we can say the following: it is not without reason that the Holy Testament, the Bible, was given to us in two books: the first is Old Testament(fig. 26),

Rice. 26. Old Testament (cover, modern edition) ()

the Bible itself, which teaches us justice, and the second - the New Testament (Fig. 27),

Rice. 27. New Testament (cover, modern edition) ()

A gospel that teaches us mercy. It was not for nothing that Christ said: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened” (Fig. 28).

Rice. 28. Icon depicting Jesus Christ ()

He did not say that only those who are clean should come to him, he said that everyone should come. And we believe, together with Kuligin, that there is a judge who is more merciful than the city of Kalinov.

Thus, both in terms of the scale of the problematics and the depth of the conflict, Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" can be safely called a tragedy. But one difficulty remains: the play depicts the environment in great detail, so the final conclusion must be drawn as follows: Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" is a tragedy with elements of drama.

Bibliography

Sakharov V.I., Zinin S.A. Russian language and literature. Literature (basic and advanced levels) 10. - M.: Russian word.
Arkhangelsky A.N. etc. Russian language and literature. Literature (advanced level) 10. - M.: Bustard.
Lanin B.A., Ustinova L.Yu., Shamchikova V.M. / ed. Lanina B.A. Russian language and literature. Literature (basic and advanced levels) 10. - M.: VENTANA-GRAF.

Russian language ().
Internet portal Otherreferats.allbest.ru ().
Internet portal Referatwork.ru ().

Homework

Write down the definitions of "drama" and "tragedy" from five sources.
Compose comparative characteristic dramatic and tragic elements in the play "Thunderstorm".
*Write an essay-reflection on the topic: “The tragedy of the heroes of the play“ Thunderstorm ”.

The play "Thunderstorm" by a famous Russian writer XIX century by Alexander Ostrovsky, was written in 1859 in the wake of a public upsurge on the eve of social reforms. She became one of the best works author, opening the eyes of the whole world to mores and moral values the then merchant class. It was first published in the Library for Reading magazine in 1860 and, due to the novelty of its subject matter (descriptions of the struggle of new progressive ideas and aspirations with old, conservative foundations), immediately after publication caused a wide public outcry. She became a topic for writing a large number critical articles of that time (“Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom” by Dobrolyubov, “Motives of Russian Drama” by Pisarev, criticism by Apollon Grigoriev).

History of writing

Inspired by the beauty of the Volga region and its vast expanses during a trip with his family to Kostroma in 1848, Ostrovsky began writing the play in July 1859, after three months he finished it and sent it to the court of St. Petersburg censorship.

Having worked for several years in the office of the Moscow Conscientious Court, he knew well what the merchant class in Zamoskvorechye (the historical district of the capital, on the right bank of the Moscow River) was like, more than once, on duty, faced with what was happening behind the scenes. high fences merchants in chorus, namely with cruelty, tyranny, ignorance and various superstitions, illegal transactions and scams, tears and suffering of others. The basis for the plot of the play was tragic fate daughter-in-law in the wealthy merchant family of Klykovs, which happened in reality: a young woman rushed into the Volga and drowned, unable to withstand the harassment from the imperious mother-in-law, tired of her husband’s spinelessness and secret passion for the postal clerk. Many believed that it was stories from the life of the Kostroma merchants that became the prototype for the plot of the play written by Ostrovsky.

In November 1859, the play was played on the stage of the Maly academic theater in Moscow, in December of the same year at the Alexandrinsky Drama Theater in St. Petersburg.

Analysis of the work

Story line

At the center of the events described in the play is the wealthy merchant family of the Kabanovs, who live in the fictional Volga city of Kalinovo, a kind of peculiar and closed little world, symbolizing the general structure of the entire patriarchal Russian state. The Kabanov family consists of a domineering and cruel woman-tyrant, and in fact the head of the family, a wealthy merchant and widow Marfa Ignatievna, her son, Tikhon Ivanovich, weak-willed and spineless against the backdrop of the heavy temper of his mother, the daughter of Varvara, who learned by deceit and cunning to resist the despotism of her mother , as well as daughter-in-law Katerina. A young woman, who grew up in a family where she was loved and pitied, suffers in the house of an unloved husband from his lack of will and the claims of her mother-in-law, in fact, having lost her will and becoming a victim of the cruelty and tyranny of the Kabanikh, left to the mercy of fate by a rag-husband.

From hopelessness and despair, Katerina seeks solace in love for Boris Diky, who also loves her, but is afraid to disobey her uncle, the wealthy merchant Savel Prokofich Diky, because she depends on him financial situation him and his sisters. Secretly, he meets with Katerina, but at the last moment he betrays her and runs away, then, at the direction of his uncle, he leaves for Siberia.

Katerina, being brought up in obedience and submission to her husband, tormented by her own sin, confesses everything to her husband in the presence of his mother. She makes the life of her daughter-in-law completely unbearable, and Katerina, suffering from unhappy love, remorse and cruel persecution of the tyrant and despot Kabanikh, decides to end her torment, the only way in which she sees salvation is suicide. She throws herself off a cliff into the Volga and dies tragically.

Main characters

All the characters in the play are divided into two opposing camps, some (Kabanikha, her son and daughter, merchant Dikoy and his nephew Boris, maids Feklusha and Glasha) are representatives of the old, patriarchal way of life, others (Katerina, self-taught mechanic Kuligin) are new, progressive.

A young woman, Katerina, the wife of Tikhon Kabanov, is the central character of the play. She was brought up in strict patriarchal rules, in accordance with the laws of the ancient Russian Domostroy: a wife must obey her husband in everything, respect him, fulfill all his requirements. At first, Katerina tried with all her might to love her husband, to become a submissive and good wife for him, but due to his complete spinelessness and weakness of character, she can only feel pity for him.

Outwardly, she looks weak and silent, but in the depths of her soul there is enough willpower and perseverance to resist the tyranny of her mother-in-law, who is afraid that her daughter-in-law can change her son Tikhon and he will no longer obey the will of his mother. Katerina is cramped and stuffy in the dark realm of life in Kalinovo, she literally suffocates there and in her dreams she flies away like a bird away from this terrible place for her.

Boris

Having fallen in love with a visitor young man Boris, the nephew of a wealthy merchant and businessman, she creates in her head the image of an ideal lover and a real man, which is completely untrue, breaks her heart and leads to a tragic ending.

In the play, Katerina's character is opposed not to a specific person, her mother-in-law, but to the entire existing patriarchal way of life at that time.

Boar

Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova (Kabanikha), like the tyrant merchant Dikoi, who tortures and insults his relatives, does not pay wages and deceives his workers, are prominent representatives the old, petty-bourgeois way of life. They are distinguished by stupidity and ignorance, unjustified cruelty, rudeness and rudeness, complete rejection of any progressive changes in the ossified patriarchal way of life.

Tikhon

(Tikhon, in the illustration near the Kabanikhi - Marfa Ignatievna)

Tikhon Kabanov throughout the play is characterized as a quiet and weak-willed person, who is under the complete influence of a despotic mother. Distinguished by his gentle nature, he makes no attempt to protect his wife from the attacks of his mother.

At the end of the play, he finally breaks down and the author shows his rebellion against tyranny and despotism, it is his phrase at the end of the play that leads readers to a certain conclusion about the depth and tragedy of the current situation.

Features of compositional construction

(Fragment from a dramatic production)

The work begins with a description of the city on the Volga Kalinov, whose image is collectively all Russian cities of that time. The landscape of the Volga expanses depicted in the play contrasts with the musty, dull and gloomy atmosphere of life in this city, which is emphasized by the dead isolation of the life of its inhabitants, their underdevelopment, dullness and wild lack of education. The author described the general state of urban life as if before a thunderstorm, when the old, decrepit way of life is shaken, and new and progressive trends, like a gust of furious thunderstorm wind, will carry away outdated rules and prejudices that prevent people from living normally. The period of life of the inhabitants of the city of Kalinov described in the play is just in a state when outwardly everything looks calm, but this is only the calm before the coming storm.

The genre of the play can be interpreted as a social drama, as well as a tragedy. The first is characterized by the use of a thorough description of living conditions, the maximum transfer of its "density", as well as the alignment of characters. The attention of readers should be distributed among all participants in the production. The interpretation of the play as a tragedy suggests that it is more deep meaning and thoroughness. If we see in the death of Katerina the consequence of her conflict with her mother-in-law, then she looks like a victim of a family conflict, and all the unfolding action in the play seems small and insignificant for a real tragedy. But if we consider the death of the main character as a conflict of the new, progressive time with the fading, old era, then her act is interpreted in the best possible way in a heroic key, characteristic of a tragic narrative.

The talented playwright Alexander Ostrovsky from the social drama about the life of the merchant class gradually creates a real tragedy, in which, with the help of a love-domestic conflict, he showed the onset of an epoch-making turning point that is taking place in the minds of the people. Ordinary people are aware of the awakening feeling dignity, begin to relate to the world around them in a new way, they want to decide their own destinies and fearlessly express their will. This nascent desire comes into irreconcilable contradiction with the real patriarchal way of life. The fate of Katerina acquires a social historical meaning, expressing the state of the people's consciousness at the turning point of two eras.

Alexander Ostrovsky, who noticed in time the doom of decaying patriarchal foundations, wrote the play "Thunderstorm" and opened the eyes of the entire Russian public to what was happening. He depicted the destruction of the usual, outdated way of life, with the help of the ambiguous and figurative concept of a thunderstorm, which, gradually growing, will sweep away everything from its path and open the way for a new, better life.

The play by A. N. Ostrovsky “Thunderstorm”, written in 1859, is considered in Russian literature as a social drama and as a tragedy. Some critics even introduced a concept that unites these two genres - everyday tragedy.
But in order to more accurately define the genre of "Thunderstorm", it is necessary to understand the essence of the dramatic and tragic.
Drama in literature work of art generated by the contradictions of the real life of people. Usually it is created under the influence of external forces or circumstances. The life of people in dramatic situations is often under the threat of death, which is guilty of external forces that do not depend on people. The definition of genre also depends on the assessment of the main conflict in the work. The article by N. A. Dobrolyubov “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom” shows that the main conflict of “Thunderstorm” is the conflict between Kabanikha and Katerina. In the image of Katerina, we see a reflection of spontaneous protest younger generation against the constraining conditions of the “dark kingdom”. The death of the main character is the result of a collision with a tyrant mother-in-law. From this point of view, this work can be called a social drama. It is noteworthy that the author himself called his work a drama.
But Ostrovsky's play can also be perceived as a tragedy. What is a tragedy? The tragic genre is characterized by an insoluble conflict between the personal aspirations of the hero and the laws of life. This conflict takes place in the mind of the main character, in his soul. The hero of the tragedy often struggles with himself, experiencing deep suffering. Seeing the main conflict in the soul of the heroine herself, her death as a result of a collision of two historical eras(let us note that this image was perceived precisely in this way by Ostrovsky's contemporaries), the genre of "Thunderstorm" can be defined as a tragedy. Ostrovsky's play differs from classic tragedies that his hero is not a mythological or historical character, not a legendary person, but a simple merchant's wife. At the center of the narrative, Ostrovsky places a merchant family and family problems. Unlike classical tragedies, in The Thunderstorm private life ordinary people is the subject of tragedy.
The events in the play take place in the small Volga town of Kali-nova, where life is still largely patriarchal. The action of the drama takes place before the reform of 1861, which in many respects had a revolutionary influence on the life of the Russian provinces. Residents of Kalinov, who is not far away from the village, still live in Domostroy. But Ostrovsky shows that the patriarchal way of life begins to collapse in front of the eyes of the inhabitants. The youth of the city does not want to live according to "Domostroy" and has long ceased to adhere to patriarchal orders. The boar, the last guardian of this dying way of life, herself feels its near end: “It’s good, whoever has elders in the house, they keep the house while they are alive. What will happen, how the old people will die, how the light will stand, I don’t know.”
Looking at the relationship between his son and daughter-in-law, Kabanikha understands that everything is changing: “They don’t really respect elders nowadays ... I have long seen that you want freedom. Well, wait, live in the wild when I'm gone...”
Kabanikhi has no doubts about the correctness of the patriarchal orders, but there is also no confidence in their inviolability. Therefore, the more acutely she feels that people do not live in a house-building style, the more fiercely she tries to keep her shape. patriarchal relations. Kabanikha stands only for the rite, she tries to preserve only the form, and not the content of the patriarchal world. If Kabanikha is the guardian of the patriarchal form of life, then Katerina is the spirit of this world, its bright side.
According to Katerina's stories about her former life, we see that she comes from an ideal patriarchal domostroy world. main meaning her former world - the love of all for all, joy, admiration for life. And before Katerina was a part of just such a world, she did not need to oppose herself to it: She is truly religious, connected with nature, with popular beliefs. She draws knowledge about the environment from conversations with wanderers. “I lived, I didn’t grieve about anything, like a bird in the wild,” she recalls. But in the end, Katerina still turns out to be a slave of this patriarchal world, its customs, traditions, and ideas. The choice has already been made for Katerina - they have been passed off as a weak-willed, unloved Tikhon. Kalinovsky world, his dying patriarchal way of life broke the harmony in the soul of the heroine. “Everything seems to be from under captivity,” she conveys her attitude. Katerina enters the Kabanov family, ready to love and honor her mother-in-law, expecting her husband to be her support. But Kabanikha does not need the love of her daughter-in-law at all, she only needs an external expression of humility: “They will not be afraid of you, and even more so. What will be the order in the house? ”
Katerina understands that Tikhon does not match her ideal husband. The relationship between her and her husband is no longer Domostroevsky, because Tikhon is characterized by the idea of mercy and forgiveness. And for Katerina, this feature, according to the house-building laws, is a disadvantage (Tikhon is not a husband, not the head of the family, not the owner of the house). Thus, her respect for her husband collapses, the hope of finding support and protection in him.
Gradually, a new feeling is born in Katerina's soul, which is expressed in the desire for love. But at the same time, this feeling is perceived by Katerina as an indelible sin: “How, girl, do not be afraid! .. I’m not afraid to die, but when I think that suddenly I will appear before God the way I am here with you ... What a sin- That! Terrible to say!” Katerina perceives her love for Boris as a violation of the rules of Domostroy, a violation of the moral laws in which she was brought up. Katerina perceives betrayal of her husband as a sin in which one must repent "to the grave." Without forgiving herself, Katerina is not able to forgive another for indulgence towards her. “His caresses are worse than beatings,” she says of Tikhon, who forgave her and was ready to forget everything. tragic conflict Katerina is insoluble with herself. For her religious consciousness unbearable thought of committed sin. Feeling divided inner peace, the heroine already in the first act says: “Out of longing, I will do something with myself!” Feklusha with tales that “people with dog heads” got their appearance as punishment for infidelity, and the old lady, predicting youth and beauty “whirlpool”, thunder from the sky and a picture of fiery hell for Katerina mean almost terrible “ end times”, “end of the world”, “judgment seat of God”. The soul of a woman is torn to pieces: “The whole heart is torn! I can't take it anymore!" Comes the climax and the play, and mental anguish heroines. Along with the external, the internal action also develops - the struggle in Katerina's soul flares up more and more. Repenting in public, Katerina takes care of the purification of the soul. But the fear of Gehenna continues to possess her.
Having repented, relieving her soul, Katerina nevertheless arbitrarily leaves this life. She cannot live by violating those moral laws that have been laid down in her since childhood. Her strong and proud nature cannot live with the consciousness of sin, having lost her inner purity. She doesn't want to justify herself. She judges herself. She doesn’t even really need Boris, his refusal to take her with him will not change anything for Katerina: she has already ruined her soul. Yes, and the Kalinovites are merciless to Katerina: “To execute you, so your sin will be removed, and you live and suffer from your sin.” The heroine of Ostrovsky, seeing that no one will execute her, eventually executes herself - she throws herself off a cliff into the Volga. It seems to her that she repays herself for sins, but only God can repay for sins, but she herself renounces God: “The light of God is not dear to me!”
Thus, if we consider central conflict plays as a conflict in the soul of the heroine, then “Thunderstorm” is a tragedy of conscience. With death, Katerina gets rid of the pangs of conscience and the oppression of an unbearable life. The patriarchal world is dying, and with it his soul is dying (in this respect, the image of Katerina is symbolic). Even Kabanikha understands that nothing can save the patriarchal world, that it is doomed. To the public repentance of the daughter-in-law, the open rebellion of the son is added: “You ruined her! You! You!"
The moral conflict taking place in the soul of Katerina exceeds in depth the social and domestic and socio-political conflicts (Katerina is the mother-in-law, Katerina is “ dark kingdom”). As a result, Katerina is not fighting with Kabanikha, she is fighting with herself. And Katerina is being destroyed not by her silly mother-in-law, but by a turning point, which gives rise to protest against old traditions and habits and the desire to live in a new way. As the soul of the patriarchal world, Katerina must perish with it. The struggle of the heroine with herself, the impossibility of resolving her conflict are signs of tragedy. Genre originality Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" lies in the fact that the social drama, written by the author and described by Dobrolyubov as such, is also a tragedy in terms of the nature of the main conflict.

Tragedy or drama? Genre of the play "Thunderstorm"

Genre of the play by A. N. Ostrovsky “Thunderstorm” - controversial issue in Russian literature. This play combines features of both tragedy and drama (i.e. “ household tragedy”).

The tragic beginning is associated with the image of Katerina, who is presented by the author as an outstanding, bright and uncompromising personality. .She is opposed to all the other faces of the play. Against the background of other young heroes, she stands out for her moral maximalism - after all, everyone except her is ready to make a deal with her conscience and adapt to circumstances. Barbara is convinced that you can do whatever your heart desires, as long as everything is “covered up and covered”. Katerina, however, does not allow remorse to hide her love for Boris, and she publicly confesses everything to her husband. And even Boris, whom Katerina fell in love with precisely because, as she thought, he was not like the others, recognizes the laws of the “dark kingdom” over him and does not try to resist him. He meekly endures the bullying of the Wild for the sake of receiving an inheritance, although he is well aware that at first he “outrages in every possible way, as his heart desires, but still ends up giving nothing or so, some little.”

In addition to the external conflict, there is also an internal conflict, the conflict between passion and duty. It is especially pronounced in the scene with the key, when Katerina pronounces her monologue. She is torn between the need to drop the key and the strongest desire not to. The second wins: “Come what may, but I will see Boris.” . Almost from the very beginning of the play, it becomes clear that the heroine is doomed to death. The motif of death resounds throughout the action. Katerina says to Varvara: "I will die soon."

Catharsis (the purifying effect of the tragedy on the audience, the excitation of noble, lofty aspirations) is also associated with the image of Katerina, and her death shocks not only the viewer, it makes the characters speak differently, who have hitherto avoided conflicts with the mighty of the world this. In the last scene, Tikhon lets out a cry addressed to his mother: “You ruined her! You! You!"

In terms of strength and scale of personality, only Kabanikha can be compared with Katerina. She - main antagonist heroines. Kabanikha puts all his strength into defending the old way of life. External conflict goes beyond the everyday and takes the form public conflict. The fate of Katerina was determined by the collision of two eras - the era of a stable patriarchal way of life and new era. Thus the conflict appears in its tragic guise.

But there are traits and dramas in the play. Accuracy social characteristics: social status each hero is precisely defined, largely explains the character and behavior of the hero in different situations. It is possible, following Dobrolyubov, to divide the characters of the play into tyrants and their victims. For example, Wild - a merchant, the head of the family - and Boris, who lives at his expense - a petty tyrant and his victim. Each person in the play receives a share of significance and participation in events, even if it is not directly related to the central love affair(Feklusha, half-mad lady). The daily life of a small Volga town is described in detail. “In the foreground, I always have the atmosphere of life,” Ostrovsky said.