1. Introduction.
After reading A. N. Ostrovsky’s plays “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry,” I decided to compare them with each other as the only dramatic works of this author that were written at different times, but have many similarities. The comparison of these plays is also prompted by the fact that in both of them a drama of an extraordinary female nature unfolds before us, leading to a tragic denouement. Finally, it is also important that in both plays the image of the Volga city in which the action takes place plays an important role.
2. Similarities and differences.
2.1. Both plays in question belong to the genre of drama, although the exact genre of "The Thunderstorm" remains a controversial issue in Russian literature. This play combines the features of both tragedy and drama (i.e., “everyday tragedy”). The tragic genre is characterized by an insoluble conflict between the personal aspirations of the hero and the laws of life, which is inherent in both plays.
2.2. In terms of the time it was written, “The Thunderstorm” is the main work of Ostrovsky’s pre-reform drama, while “Dowry” absorbs many motifs from the playwright’s post-reform work. The difference in the eras depicted in these plays led to a complete dissimilarity in the artistic world; "Dowry" is a drama of the bourgeois era - a new time, when ties with a thousand-year-old folk tradition are severed, a time that freed a person not only from the foundations of morality, but also from shame, honor, conscience - and this decisively influences its problematics. The culture of the people in “The Thunderstorm” is inspired by the moral values of Orthodoxy. Residents of the city of Kalinov still live according to “Domostroy”; life is still largely patriarchal.
2.3. Born in Zamoskvorechye, Ostrovsky knows well the life and customs of the merchants and explores the various characters of this circle in his work. His plays are densely populated by merchants and clerks, their children and wives. The playwright is interested in any little detail, from the description of the costume and furnishings of the house to the individuality of the speech of each character. Ostrovsky was completely original in his portrayal of heroes.
2.4. In my opinion, the author is especially good at female types – “warm hearts”.
Two dramas by A.N. devoted to the same problem - the position of women in Russian society. Of course, these women are extraordinary individuals. I want to focus on female heroines.
2.4.1. First of all, this is Katerina from the play “The Thunderstorm”. She is religious and romantic at the same time. Her soul strives for happiness, longing for freedom. Katerina is a merchant's daughter, married without love to Tikhon, she finds herself in an atmosphere of cruelty. In this environment, family responsibilities are performed not from the heart, but “from under bondage,” and Katerina is associated for the rest of her life with her stupid and narrow-minded husband, with her angry and grumpy mother-in-law.
But her romantic impulses find a way out; Katerina falls passionately in love with a young man, Boris, who stands out for his decent manners and some education. Two principles struggle in the heroine: sincere feeling, love and consciousness of the duty of a married woman. This internal struggle evokes in Katerina a desire for personal freedom. Having cheated on her husband, Katerina herself repents to him, but, exhausted by the homely atmosphere, she prefers death to returning to her family. Honest, sincere and principled, she is not capable of deception and falsehood, of resourcefulness and opportunism.
She talks about her desire to fly several times. With this, Ostrovsky emphasizes the romantic sublimity of Katerina’s soul. She would like to become a bird, flying wherever she wants: “Why don’t people fly!.. Why don’t people fly like birds? You know, sometimes I feel like I'm a bird. When you stand on a mountain, you feel the urge to fly. That’s how I would run up, raise my arms and fly,” she says to Varvara, Tikhon’s sister, “how playful I was!” And yours has completely withered...” Harsh reality returns the heroine to the world of the Kabanovs and the Wild. Here you need to lie, quietly do what you want, outwardly observing the rules of decency. Varvara, who grew up in the house, perfectly mastered this science. Varvara is the complete opposite of Katerina. She is not superstitious, is not afraid of thunderstorms, and does not consider strict adherence to established customs obligatory. Katerina is disgusted by this behavior.
Therefore, in a merciless world where Wild and Boars reign, her life turns out to be unbearable, impossible and ends so tragically. Katerina’s protest against Kabanikha is a struggle of the bright, pure, human against the darkness of lies and cruelty of the “dark kingdom”. Katerina has a very unique character: she is God-fearing and rebellious at the same time. For her, this is not suicide, but liberation from the hardships of life and hopelessness.
2.4.2. The situation is different in the drama “Dowry”. The main character Larisa is not a simple girl from a bourgeois environment, she is an educated, cultured, thinking girl. She received a noble upbringing and, unlike Katerina, grew up in conditions where the weak are humiliated and where the strongest survive. Her character does not have the integrity that Katerina has. Therefore, Larisa does not strive, and cannot, realize her dreams and desires. She is oppressed by poverty and low status. Larisa does not accept the world in which she lives. She wants to get out of it at any cost.
For Larisa’s mother, a widow with three daughters, the ostentatious grace and nobility of family life is not a normal state, but a decoration for arranging profitable marriages for her daughters. For her, flattery and cunning are the main principles of communication with rich people visiting the house. Larisa is the youngest daughter, the last one left in the house, and her mother needs to get rid of her, without even claiming great luck. All this puts the extraordinary girl in a difficult situation. Around Larisa is a motley and dubious crowd of admirers and contenders for her hand, among whom there are quite a few “rabble of all sorts.” Life in her house is like a “bazaar” or a “gypsy camp.” The heroine is forced not only to endure the falsehood, cunning, and hypocrisy that surrounds her, but also to take part in them.
Larisa becomes a victim of the noble splendor and irresistibility of Sergei Sergeevich Paratov. She sees in him the “ideal of a man,” a man who cannot be disobeyed, whom one cannot but trust. Larisa does not see the insignificance and pettiness of his nature. Having lost hope of happiness with Sergei Sergeevich, Larisa is ready to marry anyone who will take her away from a house that looks like a fair. She doesn’t like Karandyshev, doesn’t even respect him, but she hopes for him. But there is no nobility in this world. Larisa soon realized this. “I am a thing,” she tells Karandyshev. Realizing this, Larisa wants to sell herself at a higher price. The heroine is overcome by internal contradictions. She is ashamed of her thoughts, wants a clean and honest life, but does not see the way there. She wants to die and doesn’t have the strength, so Larisa takes Karandyshev’s shot as a blessing, liberation from the oppression of unsolvable problems. The death of the heroine is a worthy departure from life.
2.5. A. Ostrovsky's plays are full of various symbolism. First of all, these are symbols associated with the natural world: forest, thunderstorm, river, bird, flight. The names of the characters also play a very important role in the plays, most often names of ancient origin: ancient Greek and Roman.
2.5.1. Women's names in Ostrovsky's plays are very bizarre, but the name of the main character almost always extremely accurately characterizes her role in the plot and fate. Larisa means “seagull” in Greek, Katerina means “pure”. Larisa is a victim of Paratov’s trade pirate deals: he sells “birds” - “Swallow” (steamboat) and then Larisa - a seagull. Katerina is a victim of her purity, her religiosity, she could not bear the splitting of her soul, because she loved not her husband, and cruelly punished herself for it. It is interesting that Kharita and Martha (in “The Dowry” and in “The Thunderstorm”) are both Ignatievna, that is, “ignorant” or, in scientific terms, “ignoring”. They stand, as it were, on the sidelines of the tragedy of Larisa and Katerina, although both of them are certainly to blame (not directly, but indirectly) for the death of their daughter and daughter-in-law.
2.5.2. Paratov is both a parade and a pirate. Also, of course, the comparison of Paratov with a “paraty” beast, that is, powerful, predatory, strong and merciless, suggests itself. His predatory behavior in the play is best characterized by this surname.
There is no need to comment on the names of Dikoy and Kabanov. And Tikhon is Kabanov, no matter how “quiet” he is. So Katerina rushes about in this dark forest among animal-like creatures. She chose Boris almost unconsciously, the only difference between him and Tikhon was his name (Boris is “fighter” in Bulgarian).
Wild, headstrong characters, except for the Wild One, are represented in the play by Varvara (she is a pagan, a “barbarian,” not a Christian and behaves accordingly).
Kuligin, in addition to the well-known associations with Kulibinsh, also evokes the impression of something small, defenseless: in this terrible swamp he is a sandpiper - a bird and nothing more. He praises Kalinov like a sandpiper praises his swamp.
Larisa in “Dowry” is not surrounded by “animals”. Mokiy is “blasphemous”, Vasily is “king”, Julius is, of course, Julius Caesar, and also Kapitonich, that is, living with his head (kaput - head), and perhaps striving to be in charge.
And finally, Kharita - the mother of three daughters - is associated with the Kharites, the goddesses of youth and beauty, of which there were three, but she also destroys them (remember the terrible fate of the other two sisters - one married a sharper, the other was stabbed to death by her Caucasian husband).
3. Conclusions
3.1. “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry” are Ostrovsky’s best plays, which showed the reader and viewer the hitherto unknown world of the merchants with its passions and pain, sorrows and joys. This world stepped onto the stage of the Russian theater, showing the depth and diversity of natures, unbridled and rich in passions, petty and cruel, kind and noble, but weak, unable to stand up for themselves.
The female characters created by the playwright took their rightful place in classical Russian literature.
3.2. Katerina and Larisa have different upbringings, different characters, different ages, but they are united by the desire to love and be loved, to find understanding, in a word, to become happy. And each one goes towards this goal, overcoming the obstacles created by the foundations of society. For Katerina, money still does not matter; she is ready to follow Boris on foot, if only he agrees to take her with him. Larisa is poisoned by the glitter of gold and does not want to vegetate with her pitiful and poor husband.
Katerina cannot connect with her loved one and finds a way out in death.
Larisa's situation is more complicated. She became disillusioned with her loved one and stopped believing in the existence of love and happiness. Realizing that she is surrounded by lies and deception, Larisa sees two ways out of this situation: either the search for material values, or death. And given the circumstances, she chooses the first. But the author does not want to see her as an ordinary dependent woman, and she leaves this life.
3.3. The characters of the main characters are very similar. These are natures who live by the mind of the heart, dream of happiness and love, and idealize the world. But the play “Dowry” was created in a different socio-political environment than “The Thunderstorm”. The playwright's hopes for the correction of society and the human race raise sincere doubts, which is why the endings of these plays differ significantly. If after the death of Katerina the world of the “dark kingdom” realizes its guilt, and Tikhon challenges his mother, blaming her for the death of his wife, then the murder of Larisa Ogudalova does not cause a similar resonance. The author deliberately emphasizes the indifference of others; the scene of the heroine's death is voiced by the singing of a gypsy choir.
3.4. Revealing the meaning of names and surnames in Ostrovsky's plays helps to comprehend both the plot and the main images. Although surnames and names cannot be called “speaking” in this case, since this is a feature of the plays of classicism, they are speaking in the broad - symbolic - sense of the word.
I say why don't people fly like that?
how are the birds?
A. N. Ostrovsky
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky in his plays created a gallery of unforgettable Russian characters, an entire repertoire of Russian theater. The images of Katerina from “The Thunderstorm” and Larisa Ogudalova from “Dowry” seem reverent, romantic and so different. These two dramas were written at different times, which may be why Ostrovsky’s heroines are so different.
Katerina is a romantic, dreamy, God-fearing woman. Her soul is initially tormented by conflicting feelings: the impulse for freedom and Christian humility before fate. Katerina is a merchant's daughter, married without love. But her soul strives for happiness, longing for freedom.
Larisa Ogudalova is much more educated and has a more complex inner makeup and range of experienced feelings. She lives in a different environment - in the world of books and music. But this does not make the heroine luckier. Still the same impulse for happiness. Larisa craves family comfort and peace. She lives like in a “gypsy camp.” There are a lot of random people crowding around, a lot of rabble among them. All this disgusts the girl. But she is homeless, she has nothing to count on. With beauty, intelligence, manners, talents, but without money, Larisa has only one road - to become a kept woman. She could have found happiness with a modest and decent man, but such a person was not nearby. Larisa is in love with the heartless and selfish egoist Paratov. He is the “ideal man” for the heroine. But Larisa has no idea how wrong she was when she fell in love with a sleek slacker, a brilliant gentleman who, for the sake of his own well-being, is ready to sell himself rather than get down to business. Times have changed, but there is only one way out for the heroine - to the Volga.
Only for Katerina this is the only and fairly accessible way. She always knew that if it became completely unbearable, she would be able to “leave” the “dark kingdom” that she hated: “Eh, Varya, you don’t know my character! Of course, God forbid this happens! And if I get really tired of it here, they won’t hold me back by any force. I'll throw myself out the window. I'll rush to the Volga. I don’t want to live here, I won’t, even if you cut me!”
Larisa does not have such strong determination. She internally gravitates toward “brilliance” in society, wealth, she is disgusted by everything simple, she sees vulgarity in a poor, simple, modest life, although she says that she would be glad to leave the “bazaar” that surrounds her in her own home. Karandyshev is not a salvation for Larisa. She despises this insignificant and arrogant man. The heroine is faced with a dilemma: to leave this life because it is impossible to live like this anymore, or to continue to suffer and become an expensive “thing” for a rich “owner.” And he is more inclined towards the second path. She says to Karandyshev with contempt: “How disgusting you are to me, if only you knew! Why are you here?.. For me, the most serious insult is your patronage... I am now convinced of that, I have tested myself... I am a thing!.. Every thing must have an owner, I will go to the owner... Even if To be a thing, there is only one consolation - to be expensive, very expensive. Do me one last service: go and send Knurov to me..."
For Katerina, money still does not matter; she is ready to follow Boris on foot, if only he agrees to take her with him. Larisa is poisoned by the glitter of gold and does not want to vegetate with her pitiful and poor husband.
But at the same time, Larisa is “grateful” to Karandyshev that with a shot he saved her from further shame, “falling” into the abyss of vice.
Both plays by Ostrovsky still constitute the “golden fund” of the Russian theater repertoire, because they reveal wonderful female characters and justify the actions of the heroines.
In his works, the great playwright Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky often talks about the difficult, sometimes tragic fate of a woman. An example is the heroines of two, probably, the most popular plays by A.N. Ostrovsky - Larisa Ogudalova from “Dowry” and Katerina Kabanova from the play “The Thunderstorm”. The main characters, Katerina and Larisa, are often compared to each other. The basis for their comparison is the desire of both for freedom, both were pure and bright natures, loved the unworthy, they are united by the indifference and cruelty of others and, most importantly, death in the finale.
In the play "Dowry" a young, beautiful, talented girl becomes a toy in the hands of those around her. Cruelty, selfishness, heartlessness and indifference of those around him drive young Katerina Kabanova from “The Thunderstorm” to the grave. These two plays were written at different times, which is why Ostrovsky’s heroines are so different. The images of these girls are reverent, romantic and so different.
Katerina is a romantic, dreamy, God-fearing woman. Her soul is initially gnawed by conflicting feelings, an impulse for freedom and Christian humility before fate. Katerina is a merchant's daughter, married without love to a rich but weak-willed merchant, wholly under the influence of her despotic mother. The girl has to obey her mother-in-law, her unloved husband and endure all the attacks and humiliation. Her soul strives for happiness, longing for freedom. Because she was raised in a different environment:
“I lived, didn’t worry about anything, like a bird in the wild.”
A bird yearning for freedom will never be able to come to terms with its captivity. She will fight for her freedom to the end, even at the cost of her life. Katerina internally could not come to terms with her pitiful fate; every day she felt more and more unhappy.
Larisa does not have the main thing that Katerina has - integrity of character, the ability to take decisive action. Larisa does not have the simple, natural integrity of Katerina; on the contrary, one feels in her early fatigue from life, some kind of emptiness, disappointment. It would seem that the educated and cultured Larisa should have expressed at least some kind of protest. But no, she is a weak nature in all respects, weak even in order not to be a toy in the dirty hands of others. This beautiful, multi-talented girl becomes a bait for rich suitors. After all, Larisa’s mother inspires her that, although she does not have a dowry, she must marry “successfully.” And there are plenty of people who want to entertain themselves with a funny and beautiful “toy”. This is the brilliant dandy Paratov, and Knurov, playing toss with his rivals. Even Karandyshev, who is in love with Larisa, perceives the girl not as a person, but as a thing:
"They don't look at you as a woman, as a person... they look at you as a thing."
Larisa is used to a fun life - parties, music, dancing. It is simply impossible to imagine Katerina in such a situation; she is much more closely connected with nature, with popular beliefs, and truly religious. Larisa also remembers God in difficult times, and, having agreed to marry Karandyshev, dreams of leaving for the village with him.
The conflict in the play "Dowry" is structured differently than in "The Thunderstorm". There was no talk about Katerina’s poverty as the basis of her tragedy. Larisa's fate is predetermined from the very beginning by her poverty: it is like a stigma that cannot be hidden, like fate that indomitably pursues a person. In “The Thunderstorm,” the clash occurs between tyrants and their victims. In “The Dowry” there is another motive - the motive of money. It is he who forms the main conflict of the drama. Larisa is homeless, and this determines her position in the play. The girl is looking for sublimely beautiful love and the same life. For this she needs wealth. Of course, Karandyshev is not a match for her in all respects. But her idol, the embodiment of her ideals, the brilliant master Paratov, ultimately turned out to be not at all what she needed.
After disappointments in Paratov and Knurov, Larisa is thinking about throwing herself into the Volga, but the girl lacks the determination:
“And if you fall, they say... certain death. It would be good to rush! No, why rush! ...What dizziness! I'm falling, falling, ouch! Oh, no... Leaving life is not as easy as I thought. So I have no strength! Here I am, how unhappy! But there are people for whom it’s easy...”
Larisa dreams of leaving life pure, sinless, including without the sin of suicide. And she clearly lacks the determination to take her own life.
Katerina is a different matter. She realizes that she is a sinner because she cheated on her husband, even for the sake of real, genuine love. Katerina Kabanova always knew that if it became completely unbearable, she would be able to “leave” the “dark kingdom” that she hated:
“Eh, Varya, you don’t know my character! Of course, God forbid this happens! And if I get really tired of it here, they won’t hold me back by any force. I'll throw myself out the window. I'll rush to the Volga. I don’t want to live here, I won’t, even if you cut me!”
Her suicide is an atonement for sin. Katerina understands perfectly well that suicide is an even greater sin, but this does not stop her: this is where the strength of her character manifests itself.
Could the author leave such a character in Kabanova’s house? No. I believe that the author’s decision to end Katerina’s life this way is completely justified. With her suicide, the girl challenged all tyranny, she will no longer be a victim of a soulless mother-in-law, she will no longer languish behind bars. She's free! Of course, such a liberation is sad and bitter, but there was simply no other way out. The heroine of “The Dowry” does not have the will to commit suicide. A chance comes to her aid in the person of Karandyshev, who with his shot ended Larisa’s life and, thereby, freed her from suffering. The girl thanks the killer for saving her from life in a world where she “didn’t see sympathy from anyone, didn’t hear a warm, heartfelt word. But it’s cold to live like this.”
Between these heroines of plays by A.N. Ostrovsky - Larisa Ogudalova from “The Dowry” and Katerina Kabanova from the play “The Thunderstorm” have a lot in common: this is the thirst for flight, and the desire for will, freedom; their protest against the “dark kingdom”. But their main difference is in the expression of this protest. Katerina is a much stronger person than Larisa. And Katerina’s tragedy is much deeper than Larisa’s tragedy.
Essay on literature.
In Ostrovsky’s play “Dowry,” as in the work “The Thunderstorm,” we see a city dominated by immorality and materialism. In “Besprilannitsa” power belongs to those who have money, and rich people like Paratov can afford everything. These rich people have no moral values.
They are only interested in personal gain and fun. If on the one hand the city is ruled by rich people who are only interested in having a fun time, then on the other hand we see a very cunning and cherry plum Ogudalova.
She cares
Only about his own well-being he stoops to the point where he blatantly lies for the sake of extra money.
In a city with a corrupt dominant society, in a city where material well-being “godlikes” people, where money, rank and pedigree are placed above moral values, the “dark kingdom” undeniably dominates.
Poor Larisa becomes a victim of this “dark kingdom”. Since she is homeless, they do not want to marry her. Larisa's only fault is that she has no dowry, so she is forced to suffer. This confirms the correctness of our judgments about the materialism of the city's inhabitants.
Larisa is a meek, smart girl. She is very sweet and talented. Her “trouble” is that she has no cunning.
This is what sets her apart from society. Larisa is not particularly interested in money; she is not ruled by scarcity. They say about her that she was born to shine, but she has morality, spiritual purity. Larisa has enough pride and self-esteem to not stoop for money like Ogudalova.
She is looking only for peace of mind. Larisa is pure and simple-minded. It is difficult for her to survive in such a society.
If you compare Larisa and Katerina, then at first their fates are very similar. They both strive for harmony in their personal lives. Neither Larisa nor Katerina have happiness, no love.
They are both opposed to society, the “dark kingdom”. Both are pure and kind-hearted. Also, the heroines are brought together by the motif of the Volga River: for both of them, the river symbolizes death. Both Katerina and Larisa are overtaken by death on the river.
But unlike Larisa, Katerina commits suicide. Katerina is sinful. But based on this act, we can conclude that she is braver than Larisa.
It seems to me that this is their difference. They both protest against the “dark kingdom”. But their main difference is in the expression of this protest.
The world of merchants in Ostrovsky's play “Dowry” is shown very vividly and in detail. The uppians in the work are clean and decent. Knurov, for example, has become involved in culture: he reads French newspapers. Vozhevatov is dressed in a European suit.
These merchants pretend to be Europeans and ridicule the uncultured. They spare no money on dinner, entertainment, gifts. If we compare them with the merchants from “The Thunderstorm,” they are well-mannered and educated, but in moral terms they turn out to be no higher than the ignorant tyrant merchants.
This is revealed through their attitude towards Larisa. In “The Dowry” the merchant world has external splendor and education, but in this world there is no place for love, compassion, mercy.
Paratov is one of the main characters of the play. He is the most admired man in the city. He leads a royal lifestyle: everyone obeys and admires him. He owes his money to this attention.
Paratov is also characterized by a desire to rule and humiliate. We see the manifestation of this quality in his attitude towards Karandyshev. This combination of qualities in Paratov is not accidental.
In my opinion, the image of Paratov is a generalizing meaning of power. Power over a person. It also reflects the values of society.
If he, a rich and immoral man, rules society, then it is not difficult to guess what this society wants and what it really is like.
(No Ratings Yet)
Related posts:
- The heroines of A. N. Ostrovsky’s plays “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry” are the personification of the victims of their time, the victims of the moral foundations of society. Many of their actions are explained by the impossibility of making a different choice in the conditions within their lives, but since these were deliberate decisions, it means that the girls’ actions were influenced by their inner world. Deciding to throw herself headlong into the pool, Katerina, first of all, [...]
- “The Thunderstorm” and “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” are two famous works of two great Russian writers. They were created around the same time (1859 and 1865). Even the main characters are both Katerinas. Leskov’s essay, however, can be considered a kind of polemic with Ostrovsky’s play. Let's try to compare the heroines of these works. So, both heroines are young wives, given […]...
- Comparing the novel in verse by A. S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin” and the poem “Dead Souls” by N. V. Gogol, we see a common theme. Both works show the quality of education at that time. In “Eugene Onegin” it is said: “We all learned a little something and somehow.” These words reflect the superficiality of education that people of the era of Tsarist Russia possessed. About the same with […]...
- The drama of Larisa Ogudalova, the heroine of N. A. Ostrovsky’s play “Dowry,” consists of a clash of romantic aspirations, a naive and pure dream of happiness with the rough real world of calculation and profit. Larisa’s sincerity and sincerity bring her nothing but suffering: after all, in a world of lies and deceit, “dowryless women cannot do this.” Larisa, however, “doesn’t hide it at all to whomever she’s disposed towards. […]...
- After reading the works of two different writers, I decided to compare the two main characters from them. Katerina Izmailova from N. S. Leskov’s essay “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” and Ekaterina Kabanova from the play “The Thunderstorm” by A. N. Ostrovsky were the wives of merchants; they were not married for love. Each of them was bored by the routine of life, but both were bored by the dullness [...]
- Larisa Aleksandrovna Dolina is a Russian singer, Honored and People's Artist of Russia. Larisa Dolina was born on September 10, 1955 in Baku into a working-class family. Dolina is Larisa’s mother’s maiden name. A few years later in her biography, Dolina and her family settled in Odessa. She has had a passion for music since childhood, playing the piano from the age of 6. […]...
- Ostrovsky wrote a wonderful play “Dowry”. It describes the life of one beautiful, young and beautiful girl - Larisa Dmitrievna Ogudalova, who turned out to be a victim of unfortunate circumstances. “Dowry” is similar in meaning to the drama “The Thunderstorm”. In these plays, even the main characters are similar in character and the plays end equally tragically. And we, of course, feel very sorry for both heroines. If Katerina dies from [...]
- These poems are very similar in theme. The theme is the purpose of the poet and poetry on earth. But Pushkin and Derzhavin have different understandings of this topic. For Pushkin, a poet is God's messenger who must bring light and joy to the people. And for Derzhavin, a poet is a man who created his unfading fame through poetry. The poems are almost identical in composition. Only […]...
- Larisa Ogudalova, the main character of the play, is a young girl living with her mother, a widowed noblewoman. Larisa is a sensual, soft and calm girl; her mother’s plans to marry him off to a wealthy and decent person are alien to her. The girl is waiting for real, sincere love and finds it with the former landowner, shipowner Sergei Sergeevich Paratov. In the “secular” environment of Larisa’s mother, money has the greatest value, [...]
- Ogudalova Larisa Dmitrievna is the main character of Ostrovsky’s wonderful play “Dowry”. This girl is young, extremely beautiful, but poor, and they do not give her any dowry. This situation is extremely humiliating, Larisa feels this especially acutely, because, by nature, she is an intelligent and proud person. Heroines without a dowry were encountered in Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy before: Marya Andreevna (“The Poor Bride”), Nadya (“The Pupil”), Aksyusha […]...
- Two dramas by A. N. Ostrovsky are devoted to the same problem - the position of women in Russian society. Before us are the fates of three young women: Katerina, Varvara, Larisa. Three images, three destinies. Katerina differs in character from all the characters in the drama The Thunderstorm. Honest, sincere and principled, she is incapable of deception and falsehood, of resourcefulness and […]...
- There are female images in Russian literature that have become the embodiment of passionate and extraordinary natures. These are Tatyana Larina and Katerina Kabanova. There are Nekrasov’s monumental images: “He will stop a galloping horse and enter a burning hut...”. There is a weak, barely blossoming flower of the “Turgenev woman”. Finally, there is Natasha Rostova, a playful child yearning for love. All of them are bright and memorable. And there are among [...]
- Analysis of the third phenomenon of the fifth act of the drama “The Thunderstorm”. The drama “The Thunderstorm” is one of the most striking and interesting plays by A. N. Ostrovsky. It was written in the pre-reform period of the writer’s work, when images from such strata of Russian life as merchants and bureaucrats began to appear. The action of “The Thunderstorm” takes place in the small town of Kalinov, which stands on the banks of the Volga. Although the nature of the city [...]
- The heroes of Ostrovsky's plays most often become women. Of course, these women are extraordinary and extraordinary individuals. Suffice it to recall the heroine of the drama “The Thunderstorm” Katerina. She is so emotional and impressionable that she stands apart from the other characters in the play. Katerina's fate is somewhat similar to the fate of Ostrovsky's other heroine. In this case we are talking about the play “Dowry”. Larisa Ogudalova had to experience indifference and […]...
- Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev is a great Russian poet, lyricist, diplomat, philosopher. To be honest, philosophy, which I became quite closely acquainted with this year, did not give rise to a feeling of interest in me, but philosophy, touched upon and revealed by literary language, literary works, always seemed to me something completely different from everything else that could be called philosophy. Fyodor Ivanovich was really [...]
- 1. Introduction. After reading A. N. Ostrovsky’s plays “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry,” I decided to compare them with each other as the only dramatic works of this author that were written at different times, but have many similarities. The comparison of these plays is also prompted by the fact that in both of them a drama of an extraordinary female nature unfolds before us, leading to a tragic denouement. Finally, it is important [...]
- The scene of Katerina's farewell to Tikhon plays an important role in the plot of the work. The main characters in the episode are Kabanov and Katerina. The latter terribly does not want to be left without a husband for two reasons: firstly, the girl is afraid to be left alone with her mother-in-law and her tyranny; secondly, Katerina is afraid that in the absence of her husband she will do something to her […]...
- Is Katerina's death a protest? Is it true that the strongest protest brews in the weakest and most patient individuals? Indeed, Katerina is a complex character in whom inner strength and determination are hidden behind external fragility. This person is no weaker than the representatives of the “dark kingdom.” Katerina does not intend to adapt and tolerate the old way of life. Her first protest is [...]
- Many poets and writers dedicated their lines to women, the fair half of humanity. In Russian literature, the image of a woman was depicted with great warmth, her best traits were sung: fidelity, sincerity, beauty, intelligence, nobility, tenderness and selfless love. Larisa is an unusually interesting and attractive character in A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “Dowry”. The meaning of the main character's life is love. Larisa is a beautiful, smart, gentle, multi-talented girl […]...
- A. N. Ostrovsky is a great Russian playwright, author of many plays. But only the play “The Thunderstorm” is the pinnacle of his work. The critic Dobrolyubov, analyzing the image of Katerina, the main character of this work, called her “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” Katerina’s monologues embody her cherished dreams of a harmonious, happy life, of truth, and of Christian paradise. The heroine’s life was going well and carefree […]...
- The drama “The Thunderstorm” was conceived under the impression of Ostrovsky’s trip along the Volga (1856-1857), but was written in 1859. “The Thunderstorm,” as Dobrolyubov wrote, “is without a doubt Ostrovsky’s most decisive work.” This assessment has not lost its force to this day. Among everything written by Ostrovsky, “The Thunderstorm” is undoubtedly the best work, the pinnacle of his creativity. This is a real pearl of Russian […]...
- The unsightly creature of the characters in “The Dowry” sometimes has a certain aesthetic coloring that is deceptively attractive. Larisa is also seduced by this “brilliance”, but, unlike those around her, she is sincere and simple-minded. In this she is a victim not only of “cruel games”, but also of the narrowness of her horizons, her own shortsightedness. Larisa, of course, is sharply different from other characters, but to some extent she is similar to them. […]...
- Ostrovsky’s drama “Dowry” is built on the classical naturalness and simplicity of the characters’ images, but at the same time on the complexity of their characters and actions. The drama is not like others, there are no strong intrigues in it, the heroes are the same people, but with the difference that they are simpler, they are easy to understand. Goncharov, discussing the basis of Ostrovsky’s drama [...]
- 1. The dreamy nature of Larisa Ogudalova. 2. Groom and lover. 3. The tragedy of Larisa as a woman in love. The main character of one of the most famous plays by A. N. Ostrovsky “Dowry” is Larisa Dmitrievna Ogudalova, a young girl living in the ordinary Volga city of Bryakhimov with her mother, a widowed poor noblewoman. Larisa is naturally gifted with a sense of beauty; she has a soft, calm [...]
- Our writers of the 19th century often spoke about the unequal position of Russian women. “You are your share!” - Russian female share! It’s hardly more difficult to find,” exclaims Nekrasov. Chernyshevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov and others wrote on this topic. But personally, A. N. Ostrovsky truly revealed to me the tragedy of the female soul in his plays. “Once upon a time there was a girl. Dreamy, kind, affectionate. She lived with her parents. Needs […]...
- A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” is one of the best and most famous works of the great Russian playwright. Written in 1869, this play still does not leave the theater stage, finding a response in each new generation of readers and spectators. The action of “The Thunderstorm” takes place in the provincial merchant town of Kalinov. Dobrolyubov called this city “the dark kingdom.” Here is a centuries-old [...]
- A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” is rightfully considered one of the best plays in Russian drama. It touches on important human problems that are relevant at all times: the problem of freedom, love, happiness, conscience, moral choice. All these themes are developed in the play very accurately and psychologically subtly. Therefore, probably, “The Thunderstorm” is still included in the repertoire of every self-respecting theater […]...
- The female image in Russian literature is rich and varied. Many writers have devoted their works to the theme of women's fate. Russian playwright A. N. Ostrovsky also took this topic as the basis for his works. An example is two of his plays: “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry”, the main characters of which are Katerina Kabanova and Larisa Ogudalova. They are different in social status, but have many similar […]...
- In Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm” there is a conflict between the old and new way of life, which formed the basis of the work. This conflict occurred between old principles and modern aspirations for freedom. This dark world of despotism does not give ordinary people a peaceful life. Incorrigible things happen there, and invisible tears are shed. But suddenly among these people a completely different, different […] appears.
- Katerina’s last meeting with Boris occurs in the third scene of the fifth act of the play “The Thunderstorm”. This scene is of utmost importance for revealing the images of Katerina and Boris. And it is also the turning point in the whole action. We can say that this scene led the play to a tragic ending. Before the last meeting, Katerina was already driven to despair. In the second appearance we […]...
- The drama “The Thunderstorm,” written by A. N. Ostrovsky in 1859, is a socio-psychological drama in its genre, but it is close to tragedy. This is proven not only by the tragic ending - the heroine’s suicide, but also by the strongest intensity of passions, the classic contradiction between feeling and duty in Katerina’s soul. Like a subtle master psychologist, the author depicts the heroine’s deep experiences, her suffering, and changes of mood. […]...
- The action of A. N. Ostrovsky’s drama “Dowry” takes place in the 70s of the 19th century in the large city of Bryakhimov, on the Volga. The writer shows how the tragedy of a young girl living according to the laws of a “warm heart” plays out in the noble-merchant environment. Larisa Ogudalova is beautiful, talented, and is surrounded by many fans. Each of them plays a certain role in her fate. Knurov and Vozhevatov […]...
- Ostrovsky wrote the drama “Dowry” in 1879, that is, in the last, third period of his work. Before this, the playwright had already created the plays “The Thunderstorm” and “Warm Heart”. These three dramatic works by Ostrovsky are united by a single theme. Katerina in “The Thunderstorm”, Parasha in “Warm Heart”, Larisa in “Dowry” - they all belong to the same type of woman, women with a rebellious soul. […]...
- The drama “The Thunderstorm”, created by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky, is the most significant and thorough work, which became the result of the first half of the author’s work. In the drama, Ostrovsky resorted to his favorite themes, depicting a family conflict from the point of view of internal dramatic development, giving it a decisive denouement and, thus, for the first time he went beyond the boundaries of the comedy genre. In his work, the author depicted more […]...
- If we talk about dramatic works and their role in literature, then first of all the work of A. N. Ostrovsky comes to mind, since, in my opinion, no other writer has turned to this form so thoroughly. In his plays, the playwright touched on various topics that worried and continue to worry people of all times and peoples. Morality, morality, society are the main [...]
- Everyone knows the great Russian writer A. N. Ostrovsky and his works. He created a lot of wonderful dramas, one of them is “The Thunderstorm”. This work reveals various aspects of life, conflicts between people: the opposition of the old and new generations, the dark kingdom of people and their subordinates, poverty and wealth. The conflict between mind and soul comes to the fore. We […]...
- The play “The Thunderstorm” is the pinnacle of A. N. Ostrovsky’s creativity. The main character of the drama is Katerina, who was “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” She belongs to the old patriarchal world and comes into irreconcilable conflict with it. Using her example, the author shows how difficult and terrible it is for a person to live in the “kingdom of despots and tyrants.” Katerina resists this [...]
- Epigraph: “the sunset said that a certain person once gave fire to the sun. The secret fire that fills everything now and dictates the meaning of life...” (Vladislav Valov). Russia opened up to writers from different sides and from different angles in different eras. The most important thing that A. N. Ostrovsky did not pass by was serfdom, freedom and human dignity, [...]
- Force does not get along with untruth... N. Nekrasov A. N. Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm” is one of the most significant works not only in the writer’s work, but in all of Russian drama. The central conflict of the play, conceived as a social drama, gradually reaches true tragedy, which is facilitated by the image of the main character of the play, Katerina. Herzen wrote about “The Thunderstorm”: “In his drama [...]
- In the play “The Thunderstorm” A. N. Ostrovsky creates a completely new female image, a simple, deep character. We are talking about Katerina, the main character of the drama “The Thunderstorm”. She differs from the writer’s previously created heroines in her strength of spirit, the harmony of her personality, and her own worldview. In my opinion, Katerina is a poetic, bright, sublime, dreamy person who has a highly developed imagination. After all, Katerina’s memories are [...]
Katerina and Larisa Ogudalova are the main characters of two famous plays by A. N. Ostrovsky, “The Thunderstorm” (1859) and “Dowry” (1878). The works are separated by nineteen years, but many similarities can be found in these dramas.
Two heroines - a similar fate
The action takes place in a small provincial town, in a merchant-philistine environment, the minor characters are representatives of the so-called third estate. The recreation of everyday life occupies a central place in the plot, serving as a backdrop for the concretization and development of the images of the characters, as well as creating a sharp contrast between Larisa Ogudalova and Katerina, on the one hand, and the surrounding environment, on the other. The characterization of Larisa Ogudalova and the comparison of the heroine with Katerina Kabanova are the subject of this review.
Common features in the characters of Larisa and Katerina
The images of the heroines have a lot in common. The girls do not fit into the merchant-philistine world in any way, despite the fact that they were born, raised and brought up in it. Both dream of freedom and happy love and in every possible way oppose the norms, rules and guidelines that their families, acquaintances and, finally, the inhabitants of the city adhere to. Both are unhappy in love: Katerina suffered in the family of Tikhon Kabanov, and Larisa’s engagement with Karandyshev ended in tragedy. The girl’s relationship with Paratov also did not work out: the latter, although he was not indifferent to her, considered it more profitable for himself to marry a rich bride. Both took these shocks hard: for their sensitive, gentle and soft natures it was too heavy a blow.
Protest of heroines against the patriarchal way of life
Each in her own way expresses a protest against the patriarchal way of life: Larisa Ogudalova is trying with all her might to resist the efforts of her mother, Kharita Ignatievna, to profitably marry her to a rich and influential groom. Katerina directly declares her rejection of the lifestyle that she leads in the house of her mother-in-law Kabanova. It should be noted that Katerina expresses her position more decisively and boldly than Larisa: she, in principle, cannot get along in the new environment in which she found herself after marriage. Everything in her husband’s family seems alien to her, and even before the fateful date with Boris, she directly declares to Varvara that nothing in her husband’s family is dear to her. Larisa’s protest manifested itself only when she became seriously interested in Sergei Sergeevich Paratov: the girl unexpectedly exhibited character traits that, it seemed, could not be suspected in this well-mannered young lady. However, already from the heroine’s first remarks the reader can judge her decisive character: she speaks quite harshly about her fiancé Karandyshev and directly tells him that he is losing in comparison with Paratov.
Larisa's character
Larisa Ogudalova, a dowry-free woman, is very proud: she is ashamed of herself and her mother, of the miserable lifestyle they are forced to lead, pleasing the rich guests who come in droves to their house to look at the beautiful but poor bride. Nevertheless, Larisa tolerates these parties, despite repeated scandals in the house, which immediately become known to the whole city. However, when her feelings were affected, the heroine disdained all conventions and ran after Paratov on the day of his departure from Bryakhimov (which, by the way, like Kalinov, is located on the banks of the Volga). After returning home, the heroine continues to live her usual life and even agrees to marry Karandyshev - an unequal marriage in all respects. And if not for the reappearance of Paratov on stage, then, most likely, Larisa would have become Mrs. Karandysheva, would have gone with her husband to the village and, perhaps, after some time in the lap of nature, would have found the strength to continue leading her usual existence.
Katerina's character
However, such a scenario is difficult to imagine in relation to Katerina: it is unlikely that the latter would come to terms with such an existence. To the characterization of Larisa Ogudalova, it should be added that the heroine is extremely withdrawn into herself: at her first appearance on stage, she limits herself to only a few remarks, while Katerina from the very beginning opens up with her husband’s sister Varvara. She willingly shares her childhood memories with her and admits how difficult it is for her in her new environment. In light of the above, it makes sense to compare the images of the heroines with Tatyana Larina, with whom, at first glance, one can find a lot in common: all three are distinguished by their impulsiveness and spontaneity of perception of the world around them. However, both Katerina and Larisa are too divorced from reality: both live as if in a dream, and it seems that they are always in some kind of inner world.
Comparison of Larisa and Katerina
It was not without reason that Knurov said that there was “nothing worldly” about Larisa, that she was like “ether.” Perhaps this is the best characteristic of Larisa Ogudalova: the girl is really constantly distracted and remains surprisingly indifferent to everything around her, and only sometimes does she make individual remarks that betray her dislike for the bourgeois life. It is surprising that she does not at all express her love or even any affection for her mother. Of course, from a moral point of view, the portrait of Kharita Ignatievna is far from ideal, but this woman, after all, cares about her daughter, is concerned about her fate and, of course, deserves some respect. Larisa gives the impression of a young lady alienated from life: her image, so to speak, is incorporeal and divorced from the historical and social soil. In this regard, Katerina is more realistic: she reacts vividly and sharply to what is happening around her; she lives a full-blooded, rich, although more tragic, life. However, the image of Katerina is somewhat idealized, despite its quite recognizable features. 
Comparison of heroines with Tatyana Larina
Tatyana Larina is not like that - she is firmly attached to her native corner in the village, which she tells Evgeniy at the end of the novel. Pushkin's heroine stands firmly on her own ground, which gives her the moral strength to withstand the trials that befell her. That is why she evokes respect, and Larisa and Katerina evoke compassion and pity. Undoubtedly, the essay “Larisa Ogudalova” should draw a parallel between her drama, the tragedy of Katerina Kabanova and the story of Tatyana Larina.
