To whom does molchalin reveal his true feelings? Molchalin in A.S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit” (School essays)

Woe from Wit is a famous comedy by A. S. Griboyedov, which features nobles living in the early 19th century. IN this period Decembrist ideas and conservative views began to provoke disagreements. The basis of the theme is the confrontation between modern times and a bygone century; ideals were replaced by new ones, which had a deplorable effect on people. Wherein most of Representatives of comedy belong to the supporters of the bygone century; this category includes both individuals with weight in society and those who try to serve. And Molchanov is one of those who serve not of their own free will.

Characteristics of the hero

Molchalin Alexey Stepanovich is a man, he is young and works as Famusov’s secretary. Among his main traits are stupidity, meanness combined with cunning, his goal is to gain advantages for himself. To do this, he adapts to the opinions of others and meets not with the woman he loves, but with Sofia Famusova.

Among positive qualities can be distinguished:

• modesty. As can be seen from his reaction to drunken behavior, humiliation and affectation, the hero can withstand any quirks;
• tact. Alexey hides his emotions and does not show inappropriate actions towards the owner’s daughter;
• ability to remain silent;
• politeness. Knows how to correctly formulate phrases and present himself correctly;
• ability to make friends;
• calm perception. Even in the most unpleasant situations he does not show his emotions.

There are also negative qualities:

• shyness is only a mask, in fact the hero is two-faced, he behaves depending on his environment;
• pleases and ingratiates for profit. Novels are also built for the purpose of profit; even the smart enough Sofia is ready to be with him, but Molchalin is only pretending;
• He doesn’t have his own opinion, he’s silent more.

Mochalin’s psychological mindset defines a whole category of people; they are ready to do anything for a promotion and forget about their opinion for the sake of this. Alexey gradually lost the ability to judge logically and simply agreed with the public, reaching the maximum in his flattery.

The image of the hero in the work

Alexey is not rich and is a nobleman from Tver, lives in the owner’s house and secretly has love relationship with his daughter. Molchalin cannot reach the status of a son-in-law, because he has no ranks and stars; society likes him because he is professionally helpful. He fully corresponds to the image of a young nobleman, since he tries to please everyone who can somehow influence his career. He himself believes that small ranks do not provide the opportunity to have one’s own judgment.

Role in society

In public, Molchalin’s true face is hidden, but when communicating with Liza, he shows himself, because the bright contrast of a modest and quiet man with a rake is simply impossible not to notice. This person is dangerous because he is two-faced. He has no love or even respect for Sophia, he is afraid to open a relationship, while at the same time he is building a real performance. He believes that the gossips scarier than a pistol, but Sophia, on the contrary, does not worry about the opinions of others. Molchalin lives as his father advised him - he pleases everyone.

Alexey is proud of his success, the presence of important connections, and even gives advice to behave similarly to Chatsky, because he believes that his behavior is correct. Although the hero's views are conservative noble nobility are the same, it is harmful to society. Having deceived Famusov's daughter and being her lover more as a job than out of feelings, he ruins the girl's life. Molchalin has an exact correspondence to the ideals of the bygone century; he easily adapts to the situation and values ​​only wealth and titles.

What does Molchalin show?

The basis of the character's character is duplicity and cunning, such people can be blissful, and reach known degrees, since people like such silence. The relevance of the affected feature of the hero remains, his image has been preserved to this day, promotions, enrichment for many are much more important than such eternal concepts, like dignity, honesty or love of country. Molchalin clearly divides people by status and treats them accordingly.

In the comedy, Molchalin is not very important for the development of the storyline; he personifies the general spirit of the people of that time, showing their humiliation before the higher ranks. The image also allows you to show Chatsky more clearly, because he is opposite in character, and stands out for his strong soul, pride and confidence.

The epithets that are awarded to Alexei Molchalin are a flatterer, a sycophant and a heartless rogue. The anti-hero of the comedy “Woe from Wit” appears before readers as a truly grotesque figure, whose description is full of sarcastic clichés. And according to the law of the genre, the unpleasant guy who stole the heart of a naive girl will be exposed. Alas, similar plot most often only possible in plays.

History of creation

Molchalin is colorful and bright character, with the help of which he exposed the typical secular society times of serfdom. The writer created the first sketches of the comedy “Woe from Wit” back in 1820.

The results of the work, which lasted for four years, did not satisfy the author. In 1824, Griboyedov, while editing the resulting work, partially rewrote the character of Molchalin. The writer adds to the comedy final scenes, thereby exposing the secretary to the other characters.

The first attempts to publish “Woe from Wit” took place in December of the same year. Alas, censorship softened the characters’ remarks, smoothing over the acute social issues that Griboyedov raised. For example, Molchalin’s phrase “After all, you need to depend on others” was replaced with “After all, you need to keep others in mind.”

The comedy, not burdened by the censor's edits, was published only in 1831, and the play was specially translated into German. The Russian-language version of the poetic work appeared in Moscow in 1833.

Criticisms about the play mainly touched on the confrontation and Molchalin. Despite numerous reprimands from the secretary, life values characters are understandable and correspond to the spirit of the times. Vyazemsky subtly noticed this:

“Chatsky says about Molchalin that he used to be so stupid that he is the most pitiful creature. Molchalin took it as a rule: moderation and accuracy. Let’s ask: what’s stupid and funny here?”

"Woe from Wit"

The plot of Alexander Griboyedov's comedy develops on the territory of a landowner's estate. The elderly man’s household has been established for a long time; a secretary helps the man in work matters, full name whom Alexey Stepanovich Molchalin.

The man lives in his employer’s house, so he easily starts a relationship with Sofia Famusova. Young people spend a lot of time alone, talking about personal topics. Molchalin's biography undergoes drastic changes when Chatsky returns to his homeland.

The men disliked each other from the first minutes. Chatsky intends to understand the reasons for his beloved’s strange behavior. Molchalin is scared that secret romance will open up. The secretary does not want to lose his advantageous position, but the opportunity to become the son-in-law of a wealthy aristocrat is too tempting.

The girl herself has long lost interest in Chatsky and can hardly restrain herself from revealing her secret. When Molchalin falls from his horse, the youngest Famusova cannot cope with her emotions. People around them begin to suspect that there is a secret connection between the heroes.

Having ridiculed the secretary's views on life, Chatsky incurs the girl's wrath. Gossip, intrigue and class prejudice surround people's relationships. Molchalin's well-fed life ends at the moment when, succumbing to feelings, the secretary opens his hands and confesses his insidious plans to the maid Liza.

The intimate conversation and unpleasant statements are heard by Sophia herself and the angry Chatsky. In this moment social problems Russian officials and love drama mixed together. Molchalin is expelled from a rich house, and his rival bitterly concludes:

“Silent people are blissful in the world!”

Image and character

The debate about whether Molchalin is pitiful or terrible does not subside among connoisseurs classical literature. Quote characteristic the character will put everything in its place, because Griboyedov expressed his attitude towards the character through the remarks of Molchalin himself and the people around him.

The hero of the comedy grew up in Tver and moved to Moscow in adulthood. The young man is poor, grew up in a middle-class family. His father also worked in service, so from childhood Molchalin was accustomed to groveling before strongmen of the world this:

“My father bequeathed to me: firstly, to please all people without exception - the owner where I happen to live, the boss with whom I will serve.”

The secretary follows his father’s precepts, so he settles into Famusov’s house with ease and comfort. Officially, the young man is listed in the “archives,” but in fact, he performs the duties of the landowner’s personal assistant. During his service, the man managed to receive three awards, which Molchalin is boastfully proud of.

Part of the secretary's characteristics are revealed through the character's appearance. An attractive young man with a slender figure. A man dresses neatly and takes care of his own manners:

“Helpful, modest, with a blush in his face...”

The suit is a unique way for Alexei Stepanovich to achieve his own goals in life. A modest frock coat, colored vest and light trousers help Molchalin advance through career ladder. After all, the status of a creeping servant allows you to achieve a promotion faster. Yes and quiet young man It’s easier to gain the favor of the boss’s daughter.

The image of a modest and reserved person is exploited by Griboyedov even through the hero’s surname. This is what Chatsky thinks about the unpleasant hero:

“Have you not yet broken the silence of the seal?<...>However, he will reach the well-known levels, because nowadays they love the dumb.”

New sides of Molchalin’s character are revealed in the context of the secretary’s relationships with women. Ambition forces a man to look after Sophia, while Alexey is interested in the maid Lisa. The hero is not embarrassed that such actions are a sign of hypocrisy and duplicity. After all, in the struggle between aristocracy and bureaucracy, any methods are good.

Misbehavior has consequences for a liquid and resourceful person. Alexey Stepanovich was caught red-handed, and various subterfuges will not save the bureaucrat. However, even after excommunication from the rich house, Molchalin will easily arrange own life, after all, as he wrote:

“Molchalin is devilishly smart when it comes to his personal gain.”

Film adaptations

In 2000, a video version of “Woe from Wit” was released, directed by. The play was included in the 5 most expensive stage projects in Moscow. The actor embodied the image of Molchalin.

Quotes

“Often we find patronage there where we don’t aim.”

“This frankness would not harm us.”

“What can’t you do to please the daughter of such a man.”

“Ah, evil tongues are worse than a pistol!”

“I dare not pronounce my judgment.”

Among the heroes of “Woe from Wit” (see summary, analysis and full text), Famusov stands at the top steps of the official and social ladder. Molchalin, being on the lower steps of the same ladder, tries to climb it, following the principles and life rules your boss. Adulation and servility, common in Famus society, were instilled in him from childhood:

“My father bequeathed to me

says Molchalin,

Firstly, to please all people without exception;
The owner, where he will live,
The boss with whom I will serve,
To his servant, who cleans the dress,
Doorman, janitor, to avoid evil,
To the janitor’s dog, to be more affectionate.”

We can say that Molchalin really fulfills his father’s wills! We see how he tries to please the noble old woman Khlestova, how he praises and caresses her dog; and although Khlestova treats him very condescendingly (“Molchalin, here’s your little closet!”), however, she allows him to lead her by the arm, plays cards with him, calls him “my friend,” “dear,” and probably won’t refuse he has protection when he needs it. Molchalin is confident that he is going the right way and advises Chatsky to go “to Tatyana Yuryevna,” since, according to him, “we often find patronage there where we don’t aim.”

Woe from the mind. Maly Theater performance, 1977

Molchalin himself recognizes two “talents” in himself: “moderation” and “accuracy,” and there is no doubt that with such properties “he will reach the known levels,” as Chatsky notes, adding: “after all, nowadays they love the dumb.” Molchalin is truly dumb, since he not only does not express, but does not even have his own opinion - it is not for nothing that Griboedov called him “Molchalin”:

"At my age one should not dare
Have your own opinion,”

he says. Why risk “having your own judgment” when it is so much easier and safer to think, speak and act as the elders do, as Princess Marya Alekseevna does, as “everyone” does? And can Molchalin have his own opinion? He is undoubtedly stupid, limited, although cunning. This is a small soul. We see the baseness and meanness of his behavior with Sophia. He pretends to love her because he thinks it can be beneficial for him, and at the same time flirts with Lisa; he sneakily crawls on his knees in front of Sophia, begging for her forgiveness, and immediately after that he rushes to hide from Famusov’s anger, like a real coward. The pathetic type of Molchalin is depicted by Griboyedov with merciless realism.

A character in the comedy “Woe from Wit” (1824) by A. S. Griboyedov (1795 1829). Type of careerist, pleaser, conformist: (Act. 4, Rev. 12): “My father bequeathed to me: first of all, to please all people without exception,” etc. A common noun for flatterers, sycophants,... ... Dictionary winged words and expressions

The central character of the comedy "Woe from Wit" (1824). The significance of this image was realized over the course of historical time. N.V. Gogol was the first to notice something important in the appearance of the modest secretary Famusov: “this face, silent, low, is aptly captured... ... Literary heroes

Wed. ...My father bequeathed to me, Firstly, to please all people without exception: the Master, where I happen to live, the Chief, with whom I will serve, his Servant, who cleans dresses; To the doorman, to the janitor to avoid harm, to the janitor’s dog, so that it is affectionate... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

Molchalin. Wed. ...My father bequeathed to me, First of all, to please all people without exception: the Master, where I happen to live, the Chief, with whom I will serve, his servant, who cleans the dresses; To the doorman, to the janitor to avoid evil, to the janitor’s dog, so that... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

M. 1. Literary character. 2. Used as a symbol of a person hiding own opinion and with his silence wanting to please all superiors or influential persons. Ephraim's explanatory dictionary. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern Dictionary Russian language Efremova

Molchalin- Silently Alin, and... Russian spelling dictionary

Molchalin- (2 m) (lit. character; also about a careerist and a sycophant) ... Spelling dictionary of the Russian language

Molchalin- a character in A. S. Griboyedov’s comedy Woe from Wit (1824) a hypocritical, obsequious careerist who declared ch. Its virtues are moderation and accuracy. His name became popular. meaning, and for the first time this happened in the text itself. (formula... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic Dictionary

- ... Wikipedia

Books

• Woe from Wit, Alexander Griboyedov. The play takes place in Russia, in the twenties of the 19th century. To the house of the old Moscow master Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov, a government manager, a convinced serf owner and a fierce... audiobook
• Poems for children from younger to older age, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Dobrolyubov. “...In the bibliography of our magazine, it was already mentioned last year about “congratulatory poems” by Mr. Fedorov. All sections are what you would expect from the author of “congratulations.” Despite…

Alexey Stepanovich Molchalin is one of the main characters of the comedy by A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit".

Molchalin serves as Famusov’s secretary and enjoys his trust in official matters. He sees the purpose of his life in rank, wealth and career. His highest happiness is “to win awards and live happily.” To achieve his goals, Molchalin makes connections with influential people, believing that this The best way climb the career ladder. Trembling before Famusov, he always speaks, politely adding “s” (with papers, s). He plays cards with the influential Khlestakova, admiring her dog:

Your Pomeranian is a lovely Pomeranian, no bigger than a thimble.

I stroked him all over - like silk fur.

He achieves his goal, Khlestakova calls him “my friend” and “my dear.”

Molchalin has a telling surname.

“Here he is on tiptoe and not rich in words,” Chatsky says about him. Molchalin does not express his opinion:

At my age I shouldn't dare

Have your own opinion.

He is taciturn, his phrases are fragmentary, especially when communicating with people of higher rank than him. And even with the girl who loves him, Sofia, he is silent:

He will sigh from the depths of his soul,

Not a free word, and so the whole night passes.

Despite this, Molchalin talks freely with Lisa, confessing his feelings to her, and tells Chatsky about his base position. Therefore, we can say that taciturnity is not so much a character trait of Molchalin, but another way to achieve goals. It was not for nothing that Chatsky said that Molchalin would reach “the famous levels, because nowadays they love the dumb.”

In addition, Molchalin sacredly honors his father’s instructions: “to please all people without flaw”

Thus, we can say that Chatsky was not mistaken when he said: “The silent ones are blissful in the world.”

Molchalin's character is revealed gradually, in relationships with other people. So, with Famusov he is a helpful and quiet young man. He depends on Famusov, so he is very modest. When communicating with Lisa, he is much more emotional: “You are a cheerful creature! Alive!"). He openly confesses his love to Lisa, while insulting Sophia. He cynically calls her: “our deplorable theft.” At the same time, when communicating with Sophia, Molchalin is respectful, he pretends to be in love with the girl and looks after her for promotion.

In the comedy, Molchalin is contrasted with Chatsky, who is truly in love with Sophia. And we see how the dramatic knot between Molchalin, Sophia and Chatsky is slowly unraveling. Molchalin is also the main figure in the struggle between Sophia and Chatsky. After all, Chatsky, calling Molchalin stupid, offended Sophia’s beloved. And she took revenge by making Chatsky look crazy. We also cannot help but notice that Molchalin is one of the main persons in last scene, where everything fell into place. Sophia found out about Molchalin's true intentions, and he began to crawl humiliatingly on his knees, not because he felt guilty before Sophia, but because he was afraid for his career. When Chatsky appeared, he ran away completely. Here all of Molchalin’s cowardice and meanness were fully revealed.

As a result, we can say that Molchalin will always have a place in Famusov society.

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