The essence of the conflict in the play Woe from Wit. Composition: Conflicts in the comedy "Woe from Wit

The author of the comedy focuses on the obvious confrontation that existed at the beginning of the 19th century between adherents of the "old" way of life, reactionaries and younger, enlightened and progressive representatives of the nobility.

Adhering to the “former” views on life, the landowners tried in every possible way to preserve the life of the serf-owners, which was familiar to them, while their opponents strenuously assured those around them that the “current century” had already come and it was high time to end with the “past century”. It is precisely such nobles that include the hero Griboyedov, throughout the entire action of the play trying to convince people of his rightness who do not want not only to understand him, but at least to hear him.

At the very beginning of the comedy, a naive and dreamy young man comes to Famusov's house, seeking to change the society that is imbued with vices. He talks about his ideas to the owner of the house and his guests, equally old-fashioned and reactionary people who are afraid of any new trends and consider them extremely harmful, for this reason Chatsky's words are completely not perceived by his opponents.

It is worth paying attention to how the author characterizes his characters, in particular, the “member of the English Club” Famusov, and his relative, the man who demands that “no one knows the letter”, and other acquaintances of Sophia’s father, evaluating the whole their narrow-mindedness, narrow-mindedness and hatred for everything unknown to them, which seems alien and dangerous to them.

As a result, Chatsky, who received a deep insult in this "chosen" society, gets rid of all his illusions and understands how pointless it was to try to change such people at least in some way. According to him, at the end of the play, "the veil" finally fell from his eyes.

Famusov, the main antagonist of Chatsky, does not at all hide his indifferent attitude to the service, which for him is only a formality, as he claims, "signed - and out of sight." In addition, this gentleman, confident in his infallibility, constantly makes patronage exclusively to relatives and friends, saying that he will find relatives “and at the bottom of the sea” and is ready for anything for her. The main rule for him is frank groveling before higher ranks, and only in this way, according to Famusov, is it possible to "come out into the people" and become a truly "worthy" person.

Such words infuriate Chatsky, and the young man utters a passionate, hot, filled with the most sincere indignation and anger monologue, denouncing the undisguised "servility" and "buffoonery", without which his interlocutor cannot imagine life. Famusov, in turn, is frankly horrified by such statements and begins to repeat that such dissident personalities as Chatsky should not be allowed into the capital at all, moreover, they must be immediately brought to justice. The guests gathered in the house are happy to learn from the owner that there is a “new project” concerning educational institutions where they will teach “our way, one or two”, while the younger generation will actually not need books.

The people present in Famusov's chambers consider the teachings to be a real "plague", Colonel Skalozub without hesitation expresses a dream "to collect all the books and burn them." Molchalin, whom Sophia is in love with, also learned from childhood that everyone around needs to “please” and behaves that way, absolutely not thinking about self-esteem and pride, he tries to please not only his immediate superior, but also the janitor, and even “ janitor's dog.

Chatsky turns out to be a complete stranger in this environment of “correct”, old-time people, enemies of any progress and improvement of society. His reasoning only frightens those around him, he seems to them a very strange person, there is an assumption that he is simply "out of his mind", Chatsky's high intelligence and his ardent impulses only repel those gathered at Famusov from him.

The main monologue of a young nobleman, in which he asks who are the judges of innovations, and denounces the heartless landowners who do not hesitate to sell children and separate them from their parents or change servants for dogs. Chatsky has already served and traveled, but he wants to be useful to his native country, and not to his superiors, so for now the man, having left his previous occupations, is trying to find his way in life.

He is also deeply outraged by the lack of any patriotism among the members of the "high-society society", their obvious admiration for everything foreign and conversations among the nobility in such an absurd combination of languages ​​as "French and Nizhny Novgorod". He believes that the aristocracy should be closer to the common people and at least be able to speak Russian correctly, while for most nobles it is easier to explain themselves in any of the European languages. At the same time, even Chatsky's opponents notice his extraordinary mind and excellent speech. According to Famusov, his guest is “small with a head” and clearly and competently expresses his thoughts.

The young man is in a completely alien environment for him only for the sake of Sophia, whom he loved from his youth. However, the girl is completely under the influence of the society around her, which formed all her ideas about life, and she is unable to reciprocate Chatsky, who contradicts her usual world of values ​​and concepts.

When it becomes clear to Famusov's guest that Sophia easily betrayed their former feelings and promises, and exposed Chatsky to the general ridicule, talking about his loss of reason, he immediately leaves the empty, devoid of any inner content, realizing that now he has absolutely no need to be here. In the final monologue, he emphasizes his complete disappointment in the audience, from now on all his ties with the "famus" world are severed.

For people like this progressive nobleman, being in such an environment brings only suffering, "woe from the mind," as the play is called. But Chatsky's efforts are still not in vain, his denunciations deal a serious blow to people like Famusov, Skalozub, Molchalin, and other adherents of the "old order".

True, the fight against reactionaries in comedy does not end with the victory of progress, since in real life in Russia it was just beginning at that time. However, Famusov, like his supporters, feels powerless in the face of enlightenment, the approaching new era and a different life, they cannot help but realize that their established world is gradually becoming a thing of the past and they are being replaced by completely different people who adhere to different views and aspirations. .

There are several conflicts in the play “Woe from Wit”, while the presence of only one conflict was a necessary condition for the classic play.

“Woe from Wit” is a comedy with two storylines, and at first glance it seems that there are two conflicts in the play: love (between Chatsky and Sophia) and public (between Chatsky and Famusovsky society).

The play begins with the beginning of a love conflict - Chatsky comes to Moscow to his girlfriend. Gradually, a love conflict develops into a public one. Finding out if Sophia loves him, Chatsky is faced with the Famus society. In comedy, the image of Chatsky represents a new type of personality at the beginning of the 19th century. Chatsky is opposed to the entire conservative, ossified world of the Famusovs. In his monologues, ridiculing the life, customs, ideology of the old Moscow society, Chatsky tries to open the eyes of Famusov and everyone else to how they live and how they live. The social conflict “Woe from Wit” is insoluble. The old lordly society does not listen to the freedom-loving, intelligent Chatsky, it does not understand him and declares him crazy.

The social conflict in the play by A. S. Griboedov is connected with another conflict - between the “current century” and the “past century”. Chatsky is a type of a new person, he is the spokesman for the new ideology of the new time, the “current century”. And the old conservative society of the Famusovs belongs to the “past century”. The old does not want to give up its positions and go into the historical past, while the new actively invades life, trying to establish its own laws. The conflict of the old and the new is one of the main ones in the Russian life of that time. This eternal conflict occupies a large place in the literature of the 19th century, for example, in such works as "Fathers and Sons", "Thunderstorm". But this conflict does not exhaust all the collisions of comedy.

Among the heroes of Griboedov's play, perhaps, there are no stupid people, each of them has his own worldly mind, that is, an idea of ​​\u200b\u200blife. Each of the characters in Woe from Wit knows what he needs from life and what he should strive for. For example, Famusov wants to live his life without going beyond secular laws, so as not to give rise to being condemned by powerful secular lionesses, such as Marya Aleksevna and Tatyana Yuryevna. Therefore, Famusov is so concerned about finding a worthy husband for his daughter. The purpose of Molchalin's life is to quietly, even slowly, but surely move up the career ladder. He is not even ashamed of the fact that he will humiliate himself a lot in the struggle to achieve his goals: wealth and power (“to take rewards and live happily”). He does not love Sophia, but looks at her as a means to achieve his goals.

(391 words) Griboyedov showed in his work that in the first third of the 19th century a split occurred in Russia into two political camps. Progressive nobles appeared who advocated changes in society. Chatsky expresses their views. On the other hand, the conservative nobility is depicted in the comedy in the person of Famusov and people like him. The main conflict is determined by the fact that the characters have opposite views on the main issues of social development.

The conflict of generations makes itself felt in the attitude of the heroes towards serfdom. Representatives of the Famus society are used to managing other people's lives. For example, the rich lady Khlestova treats her slave in the same way as a dog. She brings both of them to the party for her own entertainment, and then asks Sophia to send them a "soup" from the master's table. Chatsky expresses his attitude to this in the monologue “Who are the judges?”. He talks about a landowner who traded his faithful servants for dogs, although they were loyal and saved him many times. He is outraged by such actions. He is an opponent of serfdom. Also, the characters have different attitudes towards enlightenment. Representatives of the Famus society oppose enlightenment. In their opinion, extra knowledge is harmful. When a rumor spreads in society about Chatsky's madness, everyone is sure that the reason is his desire to learn. Alexander, on the contrary, is a supporter of education, as it develops a person. In addition, the attitude of the actors to the service is noteworthy. Moscow society is convinced that it is worth serving only for the sake of profit. For example, Skalozub wants not to defend his homeland, but to become a general. Famusov is the "manager in the government house." Service for him is a boring duty, but he does not retire, as his position gives him a good position in society. Chatsky calls all these goals in one contemptuous word - "to serve." The protagonist believes that a decent person should, first of all, benefit the people, and not take care of personal gain. In the past, he held a high position. He could have made a good career, but he left, because the sovereign's people did not appreciate his ideas. This suggests that their understanding of patriotism is different. Famusov praises Moscow for the fact that no one here wants change. Alexander just condemns Moscow for this, exposes "the meanest traits of the past life." But still, she is dear to him, since this is his hometown. Chatsky's patriotism lies in his desire to make his country more civilized.

Thus, A. S. Griboyedov managed to show that the social conflict between the progressive and conservative nobility was very acute. These people did not find a common language on any serious issue.

One cannot but agree with Goncharov that the figure of Chatsky determines the conflict of comedy - the clash of two eras. It arises because people with new views, beliefs, and goals begin to appear in society. Such people do not lie, do not adapt, do not depend on public opinion. Therefore, in an atmosphere of servility and respect for rank, the appearance of such people makes their clash with society inevitable. The problem of mutual understanding of the “current century” and the “past century” was relevant at the time of the creation of the comedy “I Burn from Wit” by Griboyedov, and it is still relevant today.

So, at the center of the comedy is the conflict between “one sane person” (according to Goncharov) and the “conservative majority”. It is on this that the internal development of the conflict between Chatsky and the Famus environment surrounding him is based.

The “age of the past” in comedy is represented by a number of vivid images-types. This is Famusova Skalozub, and Repetilov, and Molchalin, and Lisa. In a word, there are many of them. First of all, the figure of Famusov stands out, an old Moscow nobleman who has earned a general location in metropolitan circles. He is affable, courteous, sharp-smart, cheerful - in general, a hospitable host. But this is only the outer side. The author, on the other hand, shows Famusov in an all-sided way. He also appears as a convinced, fierce opponent of enlightenment. “Take away all the books and burn them!” he exclaims. Chatsky, on the other hand, a representative of the “current century,” dreams of “putting a mind hungry for knowledge into science.” He is outraged by the order established in the Famus society. If Famusov dreams of more profitable marriage of his daughter Sofya (“Whoever is poor is not a match for you”), then Chatsky longs for "sublime love, before which the whole world ... is dust and vanity."

Chatsky's desire is to serve the fatherland, "the cause, not the persons." Therefore, he despises Molchalin, who is accustomed to pleasing "all people without exception":

owner, where will happen live,

to the chief, With by whom will I serve,

Servant his, which cleans dresses,

doorman janitor, For escape evil,

dog janitor to affectionate was.

Everything in Molchalin: behavior, words - emphasize the cowardice of the immoral careerist. Chatsky bitterly speaks of such people: "The silent ones are blissful in the world!" It is Molchalin who suits his life best of all. He is talented in his own way. He earned the favor of Famusov, the love of Sophia, received awards. He values ​​the two qualities of his character most of all - moderation and accuracy.

In the relationship between Chatsky and the Famus society, the views of the "past century" on career, service, on what is most valued in people are revealed. Famusov takes only relatives and friends to his service. He respects flattery and servility. Famusov wants to convince Chatsky to serve, "looking at the elders," "put up a chair, pick up a handkerchief." To which Chatsky objects: “I would be glad to serve, it’s sickening to serve.” Chatsky is very serious about the service. And if Famusov is a formalist and a bureaucrat (“it’s signed, so off his shoulders”), then Chatsky says: “When I’m in business, I hide from fun, when I’m fooling around, I’m fooling around, and mixing these two crafts is the darkness of artisans, I am not one of them. Famusov worries about the affairs of only one side: he is mortally afraid, "so that a lot of them do not accumulate."

Skalozub is another representative of the “gone past century”. It was such a son-in-law that Famusov dreamed of having. After all, Skalozub is “and a golden bag, and aims for generals.” This character combines the typical features of the reactionary shareholder of the Arakcheev time. “Wheezy, strangled, bassoon. A convocation of maneuvers and mazurkas, he is the same enemy of education and science, like Famusov. “You don’t fool me with learning,” says Skalozub.

It is quite obvious that the very atmosphere of the Famus society makes the representatives of the younger generation show their negative qualities. So, Sophia fully corresponds to the morality of the "fathers". And although she is a smart girl, with a strong, independent character, a warm heart, a pure soul, they managed to bring up many negative qualities in her, which made her part of a conservative society. She does not understand Chatsky, does not appreciate his sharp mind, his logical, merciless criticism. She also does not understand Molchalin, who "loves her ex officio." The fact that Sophia has become a typical lady of the Famus society is her tragedy.

And the society in which she was born and lived is to blame: “She is ruined, in stuffiness, where not a single ray of light, not a single stream of fresh air penetrated” (Goncharov. “Million of Torments”).

One more character of the comedy is very interesting. This is Repetilov. He is a completely unprincipled person, an idler, but he was the only one who considered Chatsky a “high mind” and, not believing in his madness, called the pack of Famusov’s guests “chimeras” and “game”. Thus, he was at least one step above them all.

"So! I sobered up completely! exclaims Chatsky at the end of the comedy.

What is it - defeat or insight? Yes, the finale of this comedy is far from being cheerful, but Goncharov is right when he said this: “Chatsky is broken by the quantity of the old force, inflicting a mortal blow on it with the quality of the fresh force.” And I completely agree with Goncharov, who believes that the role of all the Chatskys is “suffering”, but at the same time always “winning”.

Chatsky opposes the society of ignoramuses and feudal lords. He fights against noble villains and sycophants, swindlers, rogues and scammers. In his famous monologue “And who are the judges?” he tore off the mask from the vile and vulgar Famus world, in which After that, the Russian people turned into an object of purchase and sale, where the landowners exchanged serfs who saved “both honor and life ... more than once” for “three greyhounds”. Chatsky defends real human qualities: humanity and honesty, intelligence and culture. He defends the Russian people, his Russia, from everything inert and backward. Chatsky wants to see Russia enlightened. He defends this in disputes, conversations with all the characters in the comedy "Woe from Wit", directing all his mind, evil, ardor and determination to this. Therefore, the environment takes revenge on Chatsky for the truth, for trying to break the usual way of life. The "past century", that is, the Famus society, is afraid of people like Chatsky, because they encroach on the way of life, which is the basis of the well-being of the feudal lords. The last century, which Famusov admires so much, Chatsky calls the century of "submission and fear." A strongly Famus society, its principles are firm, but Chatsky also has like-minded people. These are episodic characters: a cousin of Skalozub (“The rank followed him - he suddenly left the service ...”), the nephew of Princess Tugoukhovskaya. Chatsky himself constantly says “we”, “one of us”, speaking, therefore, not only on his own behalf. So A. S. Griboedov wanted to hint to the reader that the time of the “past century” is passing, and it is being replaced by the “current century” - strong, intelligent, educated.

The comedy "Woe from Wit" was a huge success. It sold thousands of handwritten copies even before it was printed. The advanced people of that time warmly welcomed the appearance of this work, and the representatives of the reactionary nobility were outraged. What is this - the collision of the "age of the past" and the "age of the present"? Of course yes.

Griboyedov ardently believed in Russia, in his Motherland, and the words written on the writer's grave monument are absolutely true: "Your mind and deeds are immortal in Russian memory."

The innovation of the comedy "Woe from Wit"

Comedy A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit" is innovative. This is due to the artistic method of comedy. Traditionally, "Woe from Wit" is considered the first Russian realistic play. The main departure from classicist traditions lies in the author's rejection of the unity of action: there is more than one conflict in the comedy Woe from Wit. In the play, two conflicts coexist and flow from one another: love and social. It is advisable to refer to the genre of the play to identify the main conflict in the comedy "Woe from Wit".

The role of love conflict in the comedy "Woe from Wit"

As in the traditional classic play, the comedy Woe from Wit is based on a love affair. However, the genre of this dramatic work is a public comedy. Therefore, social conflict predominates over love.

Nevertheless, the play opens with a love conflict. Already in the exposition of the comedy, a love triangle is drawn. Sophia's nightly meeting with Molchalin in the very first appearance of the first act shows the girl's sensual preferences. Also in the first appearance, the maid Lisa recalls Chatsky, who was once associated with Sophia by youthful love. Thus, a classic love triangle unfolds before the reader: Sofia - Molchalin - Chatsky. But, as soon as Chatsky appears in Famusov's house, a social line begins to develop in parallel with the love one. The plot lines closely interact with each other, and this is the originality of the conflict in the play "Woe from Wit".

To enhance the comic effect of the play, the author introduces two more love triangles into it (Sofya - Molchalin - the maid Lisa; Lisa - Molchalin - the barman Petrush). Sofya, who is in love with Molchalin, does not suspect that the maid Lisa is much dearer to him, which he explicitly hints to Lisa. The maid is in love with the barman Petrusha, but is afraid to confess her feelings to him.

Public conflict in the play and its interaction with the love line

The basis of the social conflict of the comedy was the confrontation between the "current century" and the "past century" - the progressive and conservative nobility. The only representative of the "current century", with the exception of off-stage characters, in the comedy is Chatsky. In his monologues, he passionately adheres to the idea of ​​serving "the cause, not the persons." The moral ideals of the Famus society are alien to him, namely the desire to adapt to circumstances, to “serve” if it helps to get another rank or other material benefits. He appreciates the ideas of the Enlightenment, in conversations with Famusov and other characters he defends science and art. This is a man free from prejudice.

The main representative of the "past century" is Famusov. It concentrated all the vices of the aristocratic society of that time. Most of all, he is concerned about the opinion of the world about himself. After Chatsky's departure from the ball, he is only concerned about "what Princess Marya Aleksevna will say." He admires Colonel Skalozub, a stupid and shallow man who only dreams of "getting" himself a general's rank. This is what Famusov would like to see as his son-in-law, because Skalozub has the main advantage recognized by the world - money. With rapture, Famusov talks about his uncle Maxim Petrovich, who, during an awkward fall at the reception of the Empress, was "granted with the highest smile." Admiration, according to Famusov, is worthy of the uncle's ability to "serve": in order to amuse those present and the monarch, he fell two more times, but this time on purpose. Famusov is sincerely afraid of the progressive views of Chatsky, because they threaten the usual way of life of the conservative nobility.

It should be noted that the clash between the "current century" and the "past century" is not at all a conflict between fathers and children of "Woe from Wit". For example, Molchalin, being a representative of the generation of "children", shares the views of the Famus society on the need to make useful contacts and skillfully use them to achieve their goals. He has the same reverent love for awards and ranks. In the end, he only associates with Sophia and supports her infatuation with him out of a desire to please her influential father.

Sophia, Famusov's daughter, cannot be attributed either to the "current century" or to the "past century". Her opposition to her father is connected only with her love for Molchalin, but not with her views on the structure of society. Famusov, frankly flirting with the maid, is a caring father, but is not a good example for Sophia. The young girl is quite progressive in her views, smart, not concerned about the opinion of society. All this is the cause of disagreement between father and daughter. “What a commission, creator, to be a father to an adult daughter!” Famusov laments. However, she is not on the side of Chatsky. With her hands, or rather with a word spoken out of revenge, Chatsky was expelled from the society he hated. Sophia is the author of rumors about Chatsky's madness. And the world easily picks up these rumors, because in Chatsky's accusatory speeches everyone sees a direct threat to their well-being. Thus, in spreading the rumor about the madness of the protagonist in the world, a love conflict played a decisive role. Chatsky and Sophia collide not on ideological grounds. It's just that Sophia is worried that her former lover can destroy her personal happiness.

conclusions

Thus, the main feature of the conflict in the play "Woe from Wit" is the presence of two conflicts and their close relationship. The love affair opens the play and serves as a pretext for Chatsky's clash with the "gone century". The love line also helps the Famus society to declare their enemy insane and disarm him. However, the social conflict is the main one, because Woe from Wit is a public comedy, the purpose of which is to expose the mores of the noble society of the early 19th century.

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