The image of Katerina in the play of the Ostrov thunderstorm. The image of Katerina in the play "Thunderstorm" The full image of Katerina in the play Thunderstorm

In the play "Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky creates a completely new for his work female type, simple, deep character. This is no longer a “poor bride”, not an indifferently kind, meek young lady, not “immorality through stupidity”. Katerina differs from the previously created heroines of Ostrovsky by the harmony of her personality, fortitude, and her attitude.

This nature is bright, poetic, sublime, dreamy, with a highly developed imagination. Let us recall how she tells Varvara about her life as a girl. Church visits, embroidery, prayers, wanderers and pilgrims, wonderful dreams in which she saw "golden temples" or "extraordinary gardens" - these are Katerina's memories. Dobrolyubov notices that she "is trying to comprehend and ennoble everything in her imagination ... Rude, superstitious stories turn into her golden, poetic dreams ...". Thus, Ostrovsky emphasizes in his heroine the spiritual principle, her desire for beauty.

Katerina is religious, but her faith is largely due to her poetic worldview. Religion is closely intertwined in her soul with Slavic pagan beliefs, with folklore concepts3. So, Katerina yearns because people do not fly. “Why don’t people fly! .. I say: why people do not fly like birds? You know, sometimes I feel like I'm a bird. When you stand on a mountain, you are drawn to fly. That's how it would have run up, raised its hands and flew. Try something now? she says to Barbara. IN parental home Katerina lived like a "bird in the wild." She dreams about how she flies. Elsewhere in the play, she dreams of becoming a butterfly.

The theme of birds introduces the motif of captivity, cages into the narrative. Here we can recall the symbolic rite of the Slavs to release birds from their cages. This rite was held at the very beginning of spring and symbolized "the liberation of elemental geniuses and souls from the bondage in which they languished, imprisoned by the evil demons of winter." At the heart of this rite is the belief of the Slavs in the ability of the reincarnation of the human soul.

But the theme of birds sets here the motive of death. Yes, in many cultures Milky Way It is called the “Bird Road” because “the souls ascending to heaven along this road seemed to be light-winged birds.” Thus, already at the beginning of the play there are motifs that serve as signs tragic fate heroines.

Let's analyze the character of Katerina. This is a strong nature, possessing self-esteem. She is unbearable in the house of Kabanikh, where “everything seems to be from under bondage”, the endless reproaches of her mother-in-law, the stupidity and weakness of her husband are unbearable. In the house of Marfa Ignatievna, everything is built on lies, deceit, and humility. Under the guise of religious precepts, she demands complete submission from her household, their observance of all house building norms. Under the pretext of moral sermons, Kabanikha methodically and consistently humiliates the household. But if the children of Marfa Ignatievna in their own way “adapted” to the situation in the house, finding a way out in silence and lies, then Katerina is not like that.

“I don’t know how to deceive; I can’t hide anything,” she says to Varvara. Katerina does not want to endure the unreasonable insults of her mother-in-law. “In vain, someone is pleased to endure!” she says to Marfa Ignatyevna. When Tikhon is leaving, Kabanikha remarks that " good wife, seeing off her husband, howls for an hour and a half. To which Katerina replies: “Nothing! Yes, I can't. What to make people laugh.

It is possible that Kabanova's constant attacks on her daughter-in-law are also connected with the fact that she subconsciously feels significant in Katerina, a strong character able to resist the mother-in-law. And in this Marfa Ignatievna is not mistaken: Katerina will endure only up to a certain point. “Oh, Varya, you don’t know my character! Of course, God forbid this happens! And if I get really sick of it, they won't hold me back by any force. I'll throw myself out the window, I'll throw myself into the Volga. I don’t want to live here, so I won’t, even if you cut!” she confesses to Barbara.

She tells Varvara about a characteristic event from her childhood: “... I was born so hot! I was still six years old, no more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, but it was towards evening, it was already dark; I ran out to the Volga, got into the boat and pushed it away from the shore. The next morning they found ten miles away! In this story, the motives of the Slavic pagan culture are guessed. As Yu.V. Lebedev, “this act of Katerina is consistent with the people's dream of truth-truth. IN folk tales the girl turns to the river with a request to save her, and the river shelters the girl in its banks. In terms of composition, Katerina's story precedes the finale of the play. Volga for the heroine is a symbol of will, space, free choice.

Longing at will merges in Katerina's soul with thirst true love. At first she tries to remain faithful to her husband, but there is no love in her heart, and Tikhon does not understand her, does not feel the state of his wife. She also cannot respect her husband: Tikhon is weak-willed, not particularly smart, his spiritual needs are limited to drinking and the desire to "walk" in the wild. Katerina's love is a selective feeling. She loves Boris Grigoryevich, Diky's nephew. This young man seems to her kind, intelligent and well-mannered, he is so unlike those around him. His image is probably associated in the soul of the heroine with a different, "non-Kalinov" life, with other values, to which she subconsciously aspires.

And Katerina secretly meets with him while her husband is away. And then she begins to be tormented by the consciousness of a perfect sin. Here, in The Thunderstorm, an internal conflict arises, allowing critics to talk about the tragedy of the play: Katerina’s actions not only seem to her sinful from the point of view of the Orthodox religion, but also diverge from her own ideas about morality, about good and evil.

The tragedy of the play is also given by the motive of the inevitability of the suffering of the heroine, which arises in the context of her character and attitude. On the other hand, Katerina's suffering seems undeserved to readers: in her actions she realizes only natural needs. human personality- the desire for love, respect, the right to selectivity of feelings. Therefore, the heroine of Ostrovsky evokes a feeling of compassion in readers and viewers.

The concept of “duality of a tragic act” (horror and pleasure) is also preserved here. On the one hand, Katerina's love seems to her a sin, something terrible and terrible, on the other hand, it is an opportunity for her to feel happiness, joy, and the fullness of life.

Tortured by the consciousness of her own guilt, the heroine publicly confesses her deed to her husband and mother-in-law. Katerina repents for everything in the city square, during a thunderstorm. It seems to her that thunder is God's punishment. The thunderstorm in the play is a symbol of the purification of the heroine, catharsis, which is also a necessary element of tragedy.

However, the internal conflict here cannot be resolved by Katerina's confession. She does not receive the forgiveness of the family, the Kalinovites, does not get rid of her guilt. On the contrary, the contempt and reproaches of others support this feeling of guilt in her - she finds them fair. However, if those around her forgave, took pity on her, the feeling of burning shame that owns her soul would be even stronger. This is what the unresolved internal conflict Catherine. Unable to reconcile her actions with her feelings, she decides to commit suicide, throws herself into the Volga.

Suicide, from the point of view of the Orthodox religion, is a terrible sin, but key concepts Christianity is love and forgiveness. And this is what Katerina thinks about before her death. “It’s all the same that death will come, that itself ... but you can’t live! Sin! Will they not pray? Whoever loves will pray...

Of course, external circumstances were also reflected in this act - Boris turned out to be timid, ordinary person, he is not able to save Katerina, give her the desired happiness, in fact, he is not worthy of her love. The image of Boris Grigoryevich, unlike the local inhabitants, in Katerina's mind is nothing but an illusion. And Katerina, I think, feels this during her last meeting with him. And the stronger becomes for her the realization of her own wrong, bitterness and disappointment in love itself.

It is these feelings that reinforce the tragic worldview of the heroine. Of course, Katerina's impressionability, exaltation, and her unwillingness to put up with the cruelty of the world around her, with the tyranny of her mother-in-law, and the impossibility to continue to follow Kalinov's morality - to live without love, are also affected here. “If she cannot enjoy her feelings, her will, it is completely legitimate and holy, in the light of white day, in front of all the people, if they tear out from her what she found and what is so dear to her, then she doesn’t want anything in life, she doesn’t want life either. The fifth act of The Thunderstorm is the apotheosis of this character, so simple, deep and so close to the position and heart of every decent person in our society,” Dobrolyubov wrote.

In the play "Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky creates a completely new female type for his work, a simple, deep character. This is no longer a “poor bride”, not an indifferently kind, meek young lady, not “immorality through stupidity”. Katerina differs from the previously created heroines of Ostrovsky by the harmony of her personality, fortitude, and her attitude.

This nature is bright, poetic, sublime, dreamy, with a highly developed imagination. Let us recall how she tells Varvara about her life as a girl. Church visits, embroidery, prayers, wanderers and pilgrims, wonderful dreams in which she saw "golden temples" or "extraordinary gardens" - these are Katerina's memories. Dobrolyubov notices that she "is trying to comprehend and ennoble everything in her imagination ... Rude, superstitious stories turn into her golden, poetic dreams ...". Thus, Ostrovsky emphasizes in his heroine the spiritual principle, her desire for beauty.

Katerina is religious, but her faith is largely due to her poetic worldview. Religion is closely intertwined in her soul with Slavic pagan beliefs, with folklore concepts3. So, Katerina yearns because people do not fly. “Why don’t people fly! .. I say: why don’t people fly like birds? You know, sometimes I feel like I'm a bird. When you stand on a mountain, you are drawn to fly. That's how it would have run up, raised its hands and flew. Try something now? she says to Barbara. In the parental home, Katerina lived like a "bird in the wild." She dreams about how she flies. Elsewhere in the play, she dreams of becoming a butterfly.

The theme of birds introduces the motif of captivity, cages into the narrative. Here we can recall the symbolic rite of the Slavs to release birds from their cages. This rite was held at the very beginning of spring and symbolized "the liberation of elemental geniuses and souls from the bondage in which they languished, imprisoned by the evil demons of winter." At the heart of this rite is the belief of the Slavs in the ability of the reincarnation of the human soul.

But the theme of birds sets here the motive of death. Thus, in many cultures, the Milky Way is called the "Bird Road" because "the souls ascending this road to heaven were represented by light-winged birds." Thus, already at the beginning of the play, there are motifs that serve as signs of the tragic fate of the heroine.

Let's analyze the character of Katerina. This is a strong nature, possessing self-esteem. She is unbearable in the house of Kabanikh, where “everything seems to be from under bondage”, the endless reproaches of her mother-in-law, the stupidity and weakness of her husband are unbearable. In the house of Marfa Ignatievna, everything is built on lies, deceit, and humility. Under the guise of religious precepts, she demands complete submission from her household, their observance of all house building norms. Under the pretext of moral sermons, Kabanikha methodically and consistently humiliates the household. But if the children of Marfa Ignatievna in their own way “adapted” to the situation in the house, finding a way out in silence and lies, then Katerina is not like that.

“I don’t know how to deceive; I can’t hide anything,” she says to Varvara. Katerina does not want to endure the unreasonable insults of her mother-in-law. “In vain, someone is pleased to endure!” she says to Marfa Ignatievna. When Tikhon leaves, Kabanikha notices that "a good wife, after seeing her husband off, howls for an hour and a half." To which Katerina replies: “Nothing! Yes, I can't. What to make people laugh.

It is possible that Kabanova's constant attacks on her daughter-in-law are also connected with the fact that she subconsciously feels in Katerina a significant, strong character that can resist her mother-in-law. And in this Marfa Ignatievna is not mistaken: Katerina will endure only up to a certain point. “Oh, Varya, you don’t know my character! Of course, God forbid this happens! And if I get really sick of it, they won't hold me back by any force. I'll throw myself out the window, I'll throw myself into the Volga. I don’t want to live here, so I won’t, even if you cut!” she confesses to Barbara.

She tells Varvara about a characteristic event from her childhood: “... I was born so hot! I was still six years old, no more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, but it was towards evening, it was already dark; I ran out to the Volga, got into the boat and pushed it away from the shore. The next morning they found ten miles away! In this story, the motives of the Slavic pagan culture are guessed. As Yu.V. Lebedev, “this act of Katerina is consistent with the people's dream of truth-truth. In folk tales, a girl turns to the river with a request to save her, and the river shelters the girl in its banks. In terms of composition, Katerina's story precedes the finale of the play. Volga for the heroine is a symbol of will, space, free choice.

Longing at will merges in Katerina's soul with a thirst for true love. At first she tries to remain faithful to her husband, but there is no love in her heart, and Tikhon does not understand her, does not feel the state of his wife. She also cannot respect her husband: Tikhon is weak-willed, not particularly smart, his spiritual needs are limited to drinking and the desire to "walk" in the wild. Katerina's love is a selective feeling. She loves Boris Grigoryevich, Diky's nephew. This young man seems to her kind, intelligent and well-mannered, he is so unlike those around him. His image is probably associated in the soul of the heroine with a different, "non-Kalinov" life, with other values, to which she subconsciously aspires.

And Katerina secretly meets with him while her husband is away. And then she begins to be tormented by the consciousness of a perfect sin. Here, in The Thunderstorm, an internal conflict arises, allowing critics to talk about the tragedy of the play: Katerina's actions not only seem to her sinful from the point of view of the Orthodox religion, but also diverge from her own ideas about morality, about good and evil.

The tragedy of the play is also given by the motive of the inevitability of the suffering of the heroine, which arises in the context of her character and attitude. On the other hand, Katerina's suffering seems undeserved to readers: in her actions she realizes only the natural needs of the human person - the desire for love, respect, the right to selectivity of feelings. Therefore, the heroine of Ostrovsky evokes a feeling of compassion in readers and viewers.

The concept of “duality of a tragic act” (horror and pleasure) is also preserved here. On the one hand, Katerina's love seems to her a sin, something terrible and terrible, on the other hand, it is an opportunity for her to feel happiness, joy, and the fullness of life.

Tortured by the consciousness of her own guilt, the heroine publicly confesses her deed to her husband and mother-in-law. Katerina repents for everything in the city square, during a thunderstorm. It seems to her that thunder is God's punishment. The thunderstorm in the play is a symbol of the purification of the heroine, catharsis, which is also a necessary element of tragedy.

However, the internal conflict here cannot be resolved by Katerina's confession. She does not receive the forgiveness of the family, the Kalinovites, does not get rid of her guilt. On the contrary, the contempt and reproaches of others support this feeling of guilt in her - she finds them fair. However, if those around her forgave, took pity on her, the feeling of burning shame that owns her soul would be even stronger. This is the insolubility of Katerina's internal conflict. Unable to reconcile her actions with her feelings, she decides to commit suicide, throws herself into the Volga.

Suicide, from the point of view of the Orthodox religion, is a terrible sin, but the key concepts of Christianity are love and forgiveness. And this is what Katerina thinks about before her death. “It’s all the same that death will come, that itself ... but you can’t live! Sin! Will they not pray? Whoever loves will pray...

Of course, external circumstances were also reflected in this act - Boris turned out to be a timid, ordinary person, he is not able to save Katerina, give her the desired happiness, in fact, he is not worthy of her love. The image of Boris Grigoryevich, unlike the local inhabitants, in Katerina's mind is nothing but an illusion. And Katerina, I think, feels this during her last meeting with him. And the stronger becomes for her the realization of her own wrong, bitterness and disappointment in love itself.

It is these feelings that reinforce the tragic worldview of the heroine. Of course, Katerina's impressionability, exaltation, and her unwillingness to put up with the cruelty of the world around her, with the tyranny of her mother-in-law, and the impossibility to continue to follow Kalinov's morality - to live without love, are also affected here. “If she cannot enjoy her feelings, her will, quite legally and sacredly, in the light of a broad day, in front of all the people, if they tear out from her what she has found and what is so dear to her, then she wants nothing in life, she and life doesn't want to. The fifth act of The Thunderstorm is the apotheosis of this character, so simple, deep and so close to the position and heart of every decent person in our society,” Dobrolyubov wrote.

Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" was written a year before the abolition of serfdom, in 1859. This work stands out among the other plays of the playwright due to the character main character. In The Thunderstorm, Katerina is the main character through which the conflict of the play is shown. Katerina is not like other residents of Kalinov, she is distinguished by a special perception of life, strength of character and self-esteem. The image of Katerina from the play "Thunderstorm" is formed due to the combination of many factors. For example, words, thoughts, environment, actions.

Childhood

Katya is about 19 years old, she was married early. From Katerina's monologue in the first act, we learn about Katya's childhood. Mommy "didn't have a soul" in her. Together with her parents, the girl went to church, walked, and then did some work. Katerina Kabanova recalls all this with light sadness. An interesting phrase of Varvara that "we have the same thing." But now Katya does not have a feeling of lightness, now "everything is done under duress." In fact, life before marriage practically did not differ from life after: the same actions, the same events. But now Katya treats everything differently. Then she felt supported, felt alive, she had amazing dreams about flying. “And now they dream,” but only much less frequently. Before her marriage, Katerina felt the movement of life, the presence of some higher forces in this world, she was devout: “how she loved to go to church with passion!

" From the early childhood Katerina had everything she needed: mother's love and freedom. Now, by the will of circumstances, she is cut off from native person and deprived of liberty.

Environment

Katerina lives in the same house with her husband, her husband's sister and mother-in-law. This circumstance alone no longer contributes to a happy family life. However, the situation is worsened by the fact that Kabanikha, Katya's mother-in-law, is a cruel and greedy person. Greed here should be understood as a passionate, bordering on insanity, desire for something. The boar wants to subordinate everyone and everything to his will. One experience with Tikhon went well for her, the next victim was Katerina. Despite the fact that Marfa Ignatievna was waiting for her son's wedding, she is unhappy with her daughter-in-law. Kabanikha did not expect that Katerina would be so strong in character that she could silently resist her influence. The old woman understands that Katya can turn Tikhon against her mother, she is afraid of this, so she tries in every possible way to break Katya in order to avoid such a development of events. Kabanikha says that his wife has long become dearer to Tikhon than his mother.

“Boar: Al wife takes you away from me, I don’t know.
Kabanov: No, mother!

What are you, have mercy!
Katerina: For me, mama, it's all the same own mother that you, and Tikhon loves you too.
Kabanova: You, it seems, could be silent if you are not asked. What did you jump out in the eyes of something to poke! To see, or what, how you love your husband? So we know, we know, in the eyes of something you prove it to everyone.
Katerina: You are talking about me, mother, in vain. With people, that without people, I’m all alone, I don’t prove anything from myself ”

Katerina's answer is quite interesting for several reasons. She, unlike Tikhon, addresses Marfa Ignatievna as you, as if putting herself on a par with her. Katya draws Kabanikhi's attention to the fact that she does not pretend and does not try to seem like someone she is not. Despite the fact that Katya fulfills the humiliating request to kneel before Tikhon, this does not speak of her humility. Katerina is offended by false words: “Who cares to endure in vain?” - with this answer, Katya not only defends herself, but also reproaches the Kabanikha with lies and slander.

Katerina's husband in The Thunderstorm introduces himself gray man. Tikhon is like an overgrown child who is tired of his mother's care, but at the same time does not try to change the situation, but only complains about life. Even his sister, Varvara, reproaches Tikhon with the fact that he cannot protect Katya from the attacks of Marfa Ignatievna. barbarian only person, who is at least a little interested in Katya, but still she inclines the girl to the fact that she will have to lie and squirm in order to survive in this family.

Relationship with Boris

In The Thunderstorm, the image of Katerina is revealed through love line. Boris came from Moscow on business related to receiving an inheritance. Feelings for Katya flare up suddenly, as do the girl's reciprocal feelings. This is love at first sight. Boris is worried that Katya is married, but he continues to look for meetings with her. Katya, realizing her feelings, tries to give them up. Treason is contrary to the laws of Christian morality and society. Barbara helps the lovers meet. For ten whole days, Katya secretly meets with Boris (while Tikhon was away). Having learned about the arrival of Tikhon, Boris refuses to meet with Katya, he asks Varvara to persuade Katya to keep quiet about their secret meetings. But Katerina is not such a person: she needs to be honest with others and herself. She is afraid of God's punishment for her sin, therefore she regards the raging thunderstorm as a sign from above and talks about betrayal. After that, Katya decides to talk to Boris. It turns out that he is going to leave for Siberia for a few days, but he cannot take the girl with him. It is obvious that Boris does not really need Katya, that he did not love her. But Katya did not like Boris either. More precisely, she loved, but not Boris. In The Thunderstorm, Ostrovsky's image of Katerina endowed her with the ability to see the good in everything, endowed the girl with a surprisingly strong imagination. Katya thought up the image of Boris, she saw in him one of his features - the rejection of Kalinov's reality - and made it the main one, refusing to see other sides. After all, Boris came to ask for money from Wild, just as other Kalinovites did. Boris was for Katya a person from another world, from the world of freedom, the one that the girl dreamed of. Therefore, Boris himself becomes a kind of embodiment of freedom for Katya. She falls in love not with him, but with her ideas about him.

The drama "Thunderstorm" ends tragically. Katya rushes into the Volga, realizing that she cannot live in such a world. And there is no other world. The girl, despite her religiosity, commits one of the worst sins of the Christian paradigm. In order to take such action, one needs great power will. Unfortunately, in those circumstances, the girl had no other choice. Surprisingly, Katya maintains inner purity even after committing suicide.

A detailed disclosure of the image of the main character and a description of her relationship with others actors The play will be useful for 10 classes when preparing for an essay on the topic “The image of Katerina in the play “Thunderstorm””.

Artwork test

According to one version, while writing "" Ostrovsky was in love with one of the actresses of the Maly Theater. Her name was Lyubov Kositskaya. She was married and could not reciprocate the author. Later, Kositsyna played the role of Katerina and, perhaps, in words literary work predicted her fate. It is worth noting that the actress to some extent repeated the fate of her heroine, having passed away early.

The image of Katerina gathered in itself all the lack of rights of a Russian woman of that era. Needless to say, in the 19th century Russian women had virtually no rights. The lion's share of marriages was concluded solely for personal gain or high rank. Young girls were forced to marry older men just because they were rich or revered in high society. The institution of divorce did not exist at all. In the spirit of precisely such traditions, Katerina was married to a merchant's son. Marriage became a real hell for the girl, because she got into " dark kingdom where the rules are tyranny and lies.

An important place in the image in Katerina is occupied by a description of her childhood. She was the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Katenka's childhood was cheerful and carefree. She could do what she loved, and no one could blame her for this. Katerina from birth was surrounded maternal love. Little Katya was dressed up like a doll.

Since childhood, Katerina has been very interested in the church. She often attended church services, receiving spiritual pleasure from this. It was this passion for the church that played with Katerina bad joke, because it was in the church that Boris spotted her and immediately fell in love.

Parental education revealed in the character of the girl best features Russian soul. Katerina was sensual, open and kind person. She did not know how and did not want to deceive. In one moment, all this purity and care parental home were replaced by the house of the Kabanovs, where human relations were built on fear and unconditional obedience.

Every day the girl suffered humiliation from her mother-in-law. No one, even her husband, can protect and support her, everyone is thinking about how not to fall out of favor.

Katerina tried to treat her mother-in-law as a beloved mother, but no one needed her feelings. This atmosphere gradually "kills" her cheerful character in the girl. She fades like a flower. But the strong character of the girl does not allow her to fade completely. Katerina rebels against this despotism. She becomes the only hero of the work who is ready to fight for her life, her feelings.

Katerina's protest resulted in her love for Boris. Of course, the girl reproaches herself for this act. She realizes that she violated God's commandment and deceived her husband. Katerina can't live with it. She openly declares her act. After that, Katerina experiences terrible mental suffering, she cannot find a place for herself. Tikhon cannot support his wife, because he is afraid of his mother's curses. Boris also turns away from the girl. Unable to bear this suffering, Katerina throws herself off a cliff. But her soul remained the same strong and unconquered. Only death allowed her to escape from this "dark kingdom".

Katerina's action was not in vain. Tikhon blamed his mother for the death of his wife. Varvara, unable to withstand the tyranny of Kabanikh, fled with Kudryash from her mother's house. Katerina was able to destroy this kingdom of eternal tyranny, even at the cost of her own life.


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