Dowry influences us in our time. Ostrovsky, "Dowry": analysis and characterization of the characters

So, at the center of his narrative, Ostrovsky puts the heroine - Larisa Ogudalova. According to N. Skatov, “the titles of Ostrovsky's plays are, as a rule, symbolic. A terrible symbol sounds - "Dowry". The best of the best is a dowry."

- Prove the accuracy of the characteristic given by Nikolai Skatov to Larisa Ogudalava - "the best of the best."

Here Vozhevatov, talking over morning "tea" with Knurov, says about Larisa: "The young lady is pretty, plays various instruments, sings, circulation is free." Knurov gladly supports: “It’s nice to see her alone more often, without interference .... this woman is made for luxury.”

Vasily Danilych, who has known Larisa since childhood, notes the most important thing that distinguishes her from her mother, Harita Ignatievna Ogudalova: necessary". Knurov clarifies: “That is the truth?”

Moky Parmenych Knurov does not exaggerate at all when he assures Harita Ignatievna that in Larisa "there is no earthly, this worldly thing", that she is "created for brilliance."

Larisa, who dreams of “getting out of here as soon as possible”, “getting out of here”, honestly admits: “Every word that I myself say and that I hear, I feel.” And with heartache, the heroine realizes the worst: “Everyone loves themselves! When will someone love me! .. I see that I am a doll for you; you play with me, break it and throw it away.

Larisa Ogudalova: a richly gifted person; endowed with a bright, unique character; distinguished by sensitivity, impressionability; it is characterized by gullibility, sincerity, straightforwardness; love lives in the heart of the heroine; the soul of the heroine is like a bird, etc.

Noting that the soul of Larisa is like a bird, one of the writer's features of the playwright should be emphasized - the use of a "direct" etymology, that is, the correspondence of the initial meaning of the name to the main qualities of the heroine's character. Larisa in Greek means "seagull".

- Name the characters in the play surrounding Larisa. Name the nature of the heroine's attitude to this person.

Harita Ignatievna Ogudalova. The relationship of an obedient, understanding daughter.

Julius Kapitonych Karandyshev. The heroine hopes that Karandyshev will take her away from here, save her from a vulgar, low life.

Vasily Danilych Vozhevatov. Larisa has known this young man since childhood, she believes that they have friendly relations.

Moky Parmenych Knurov. He sees devotion, support of the elder in this respectable person.

Sergei Sergeyevich Paratov. Larisa loves him.
What do these actors have in common? What is the difference?

The first reaction of students is surprise: what do absolutely different characters have in common?

But even in Ostrovsky’s text we read how Karandyshev is surprised: “Well, why am I worse than Paratov?” Larisa remarks to this question: "The comparison will not be in your favor." Karandyshev demands proof. Let us also turn to the estimates given by Paratov and
Karandysheva by those who know them, saw and met them in various situations.

According to Larisa, Paratov is the “ideal man”, because he has some kind of special courage. What she witnessed remained in the heart and memory of the heroine: “I myself saw how he helped the poor, how he gave away all the money that was with him.”

Everyone in the city of Bryakhimov knows Sergey Sergeyevich. To the question of Kharita Ignatievna, who arrived, the gypsy Ilya replies: “Such a gentleman, we can’t wait: we’ve been waiting for a year - that’s what a gentleman is.”

“Well, what is Karandyshev!” - Mokiy Parmenych is perplexed, indignant at the fact that it is precisely this insignificant person that Larisa Dmitrievna is marrying. Vozhevatov calls him an eccentric: “He should get married as soon as possible and leave for his little estate, while the conversations subside ... and he drags Larisa to the boulevard, walks arm in arm with her, raised his head so high that, just look, he will stumble upon someone. Yes, I put on glasses for some reason, but I never wore them. Bows, hardly nods; what a tone he took: before it was not even heard, but now it’s all “I, yes I, I want, I want.”

“... from nothing, but hit people” - this is the opinion of Kharita Ignatievna Ogudalova.
We note the differences in the summary: Paratov is a brilliant gentleman, charming, good-looking; everyone knows; Larissa loves him.

Karandyshev is a petty official; insignificant, we humiliate everyone; nobody knows; Larisa does not love him. Here, perhaps, is all that distinguishes these heroes.

Karandyshev - a victim? Yes. Unhappy person? Undoubtedly. Scoundrel? In a certain sense, certainly. And Julius Kapitonych is cunning, and dodging, and everything in his behavior, especially in the presence of Larisa and Paratov, indicates that he can make a scandal at the first opportunity, and he aims for aristocrats ... Isn't Paratav's pride so wounded by this circumstance that in a happy rival - an insignificant little man Karandyshev - he sees himself as in a mirror!

Let us turn to the interpretation of the names of these actors of the "Dowry". Most likely, the playwright formed the surname Paratava from the dialect word flogged, which means "brisk, strong, hefty." Such an explanation is given in Dahl's dictionary. In some
reference books also have such an explanation of the surname: paraty is a dexterous, predatory beast. But the name of Yulia Kapitonych Karandyshev according to Dahl is “short, undersized, undersized person.”

- Give examples of statements by Paratov and Karandyshev that could be called key, that is, characterizing their life positions.

Paratav: “What is “sorry”, I don’t know this, I have ... there’s nothing cherished, know the benefit, so I’ll sell everything, anything.”

Karandyshev: “I suffered many, many injections for my pride, my pride was offended more than once; now I want and have the right to be proud and magnify. Well, why am I worse than Paratov?

Both characters are getting married. What does marriage mean for each of them?

Both heroes marry in order to improve their situation: neither Paratava has anything (he simply squandered everything), nor Karandyshev “And the master, I heard, he completely squandered, he sold the last steamboat,” Julius Kapitonych explains the turmoil that has risen in the city. — Who came? A squandered reveler, a depraved person. Paratov himself says this to Kharita Ignatievna about the reason for his unexpected disappearance a year ago: “My stewards and stewards reduced my house into a nutshell without me, sir. With their operations, my steamboats and all movable and immovable property were brought to auction sale ... a decent gap remained.

Paratov is going to solve such a problem in the following way: “I am marrying a very rich girl, I take gold mines as a dowry ... I have to say goodbye to my freedom ... the father of my bride is an important bureaucratic gentleman; the old man is strict: he cannot hear about gypsies, about revelry and other things, ”

- How can one explain this situation of Paratov and Karandyshev?

Paratov and Karandyshev are deprived of business acumen, the ability to think and act sensibly, to curb their emotions, to humble their desires. In a small provincial town where everyone knows each other, the business qualities of the most petty official are thoroughly known, but there is not a word about the ability to conduct any business by the Karandyshevs or Paratovs.

- How do Paratov and Karandyshev relate to Larisa?

Sergey Sergeyevich is frank with his friends: “After all, I almost married Larisa - if only I would make people laugh! Yes, I played the fool. Sergey Sergeyevich long ago chose a beautiful life beyond his means, mindlessly squandering money that he does not know how to earn himself, and in the end he sells himself.

Remembering how the girl in love “couldn’t look at him enough”, Paratov, having arrived in Bryakhimov, is going to spend his last single days as cheerfully as possible, for which, with a clear conscience, he takes Larisa away from the dinner party. When Larisa Dmitrievna asks for an answer, who is she to him, wife or not, she shows the engagement ring: “These are the chains with which I am bound for life.”

It is no coincidence that the playwright builds the scene of explanation in this way: Paratov makes a terrible confession for the heroine not alone with Larisa, but when Knurov and Vozhevatov appear from the coffee shop: the “brilliant gentleman” leaves his victim to be torn to pieces by other predators.

Julius Kapitonych Karandyshev represents the type of "little man" in the drama "Dowry". It is important to remember that this play was created in 1878, the ideas of individualism associated with the cult of the great Napoleon also affected the worldview of a petty official.

Here Karandyshev invites Knurov and Vozhevatov to dinner, speaks of the desire to see Larisa Dmitrievna surrounded only by selected people. And a few minutes later, in a conversation with Larisa, he calls Vozhevatov an empty, stupid boy.

Reproaching Larisa for the simplicity of communicating with people, undemandingness, Karandyshev, at the same time, is eager to join the world of the strong with all his might, dreams of a beautiful, luxurious life for show, so that others would envy him.

He has destroyed everything human in himself and with a fatal shot puts an end to it: this woman should belong to him! Otherwise - "don't get it to anyone!". The cruel morals prevailing in the city of Bryakhimov completely corrupted the petty official.

An entry appeared in the abstract reflecting what Paratov and Karandyshev had in common: they get married in order to improve their financial situation; deprived of business acumen and the ability to think and act sensibly, to curb their emotions; completely inhuman towards Larisa; virtues turn out to be imaginary, and so on.

The next stage in compiling the abstract is the analysis of issues related to the images of Vozhevatov and Knurov. The surname of Mokiya Parmenych Knurov is derived from the word knur - “boar, laid boar, boar” (according to Dahl).

The surname Vozhevatova comes from zhevevaty, vozhevatenky, that is (again according to Dahl) this is the one “who knows how to get along with people, a courteous, polite, affable, entertaining interlocutor”, in combination vozhevaty people are cheeky, shameless.

Compiling a description of the images of Knurov and Vozhevatov, students talk about how these merchants differ from Wild, that is, the merchant depicted in the drama Thunderstorm, explain how the merchants relate to each other and to Larisa. As a result - an entry in the abstract: a new type of merchants; complete disregard for public opinion; wariness and distrust of each other; cold prudence and callousness.

One more, the last link, closing the circle of indifference and cruelty, beyond which the “hot heart” of the heroine of the drama “Dowry” is torn. This is Harita Ignatievna Ogudalova, mother of Larisa Dmitrievna.

The characterization of this character, who is number one on the list of characters, A.N. Ostrovsky begins with a name in which all three constituent parts (first name, patronymic, surname) speak volumes.

So, the name Harita comes from the Greek word charis, which means "grace, charm, beauty." Every gypsy was called Ignat in Moscow at the time of the playwright.

The surname Ogudalova is formed from the verb “ogudat”, which is interpreted as follows: to deceive.

Let's combine everything into a single whole and get the following: in front of the audience is not just a middle-aged widow, but a charming gypsy who dresses elegantly and, unlike her daughter, boldly and beyond her years.

- What is the opinion of the influential merchants of the city of Bryakhimov about Kharita Ignatievna?

Moky Parmenych Knurov calls Kharita Ignatievna a “brisk woman,” with which Vasily Danilych Vozhevatov fully agrees, who, meanwhile, suggests: “She. must not be Russian ... very agile.” And the addition “she loves to live happily herself” explains a lot in her cold, prudent nature.

Did she think about the happiness of her eldest daughter, giving in marriage to some highlander, a Caucasian prince, who stabbed his young wife out of jealousy on the way, without taking her to the Caucasus?

It is hard to believe in the naivety and simplicity of Kharita Ignatievna, who allegedly failed to discern in a rogue who pretends to be a foreigner, an ordinary sharper.

What are the life principles of this woman?

“You won’t live in the world without cunning” - that’s what she inspires her daughter in the first place. This principle is a direct, literal roll call with the surname: to bawl, that is, to deceive. And Harita Ignatievna is convinced of one more thing: “We are poor people, we have to humiliate ourselves all our lives. So it's better to be humiliated from a young age. then to live like a human being." She presents her life position to her daughter. (In the abstract we enter these two statements of Harita Ignatievna.)

- How does Harita Ignatievna feel about her daughter?

Harita Ignatievna cannot understand the desire of her daughter, who dreams of leaving Bryakhimov for the village as soon as possible after the wedding. What is going on in Larisa's soul, she has no idea.

Kharita Ignatievna has a lot in common with Knurov, Vozhevatov and other persons included in this circle. But the main thing is that they all look at Larisa as a thing.

- Based on the provisions indicated in the summary, show the main features of the play "Dowry".

1. A.N. Ostrovsky put the heroine in the center of the play “Dowry”, because in the conditions of Russian post-reform reality, the playwright did not find a hero endowed with high moral qualities, capable of performing such actions that would clearly speak of his desire to fight the evil reigning in the world. Successful businessmen, if they did some good, it was only a beautiful gesture, the purpose of which is to attract attention, and not a sincere desire to do good.
2. The play "Dowry" is a psychological drama, since all attention is focused on the feelings, movements of the heroine's soul, and not on actions. “The line of struggle,” we read in the article by A.I. Zhuravleva “The Millennium Monument of Russia”, which opens the collection of selected works of the writer “Theater and Life”, “passes through the soul of Larisa herself, her personality is devoid of integrity, and she herself is a battlefield between the elemental the desire for purity and false ideas about life values. Thus, at the center of the play is a contradictory nature, and the psychological drama turns out to be the most suitable genre for embodying such a character.

0 / 5. 0

The great contribution of the works of A. N. Ostrovsky is undeniable, and this applies not only to Russian literature, but also to the development of Russian theater. Many writers and playwrights admired his work and ability to describe the era of that life, in which the contradictory characters of the characters intertwined. It was A. N. Ostrovsky who was named the author who extolled the national culture. He was an author who was proud of and loved very much as a truly Russian writer-dramatist.

He became famous in the era of industrial development, when new socio-economic relations began to take shape. This fact became the basis of the plots of his works, in which the tragedy and comedy of human relations were woven.

A. N. Ostrovsky had the honor to describe a solid time period where a person is constantly faced with a choice between good and evil. In that era, human relations acted as good, which were not blinded by the power of money, in which, first of all, human qualities were valued, which did not allow humiliation, cunning and cunning for the benefit of one's own benefit. The evil in this play is economic relations, in which power is obtained only in the presence of financial capital. It was its presence or absence that determined the position of a person in society. A. N. Ostrovsky showed how the ardent hearts of heroes experience inhuman torment between moral principles and the greedy laws of reality. Many authors tried to display the problem of material inequality and the controversial attitude towards it. Some got neutral looks that loved money and tried to multiply it. Some have shown that money does not play a decisive role in people's lives, since it does not serve to enrich them. But it was A. N. Ostrovsky who succeeded simply brilliantly. For him, the theme of money is decisive, which determines the fate of people, changing their souls.

The drama "Thunderstorm" clearly shows the tragedy of human destinies, how they remain with a "broken trough", because they cannot part with money. Let's take, for example, the image of Diky, who finds it hard to think of losing even a penny. This reveals the greed of the hero. His nephew, Boris, will not marry Katerina's pure and ardent love, because he will lose the opportunity to receive an inheritance. Yes, and the parents of Katerina themselves are shown very clearly, who did not want to marry her to Tikhon Kabanov, only because he obeyed his “mother” in everything, since he depended on her money.

In "Dowry", all relationships are defined and revolve around money. Starting with the poor widow, mother Larisa, who always counts every penny and chastises the cook for her. In this work, the line is clearly visible that it is money, fortune or capital that plays a decisive role in the fate of the main characters. It was money that distorted fate, forcing them to do not entirely good deeds. And the lack of money sometimes pushes the heroes to rash steps. Let's take Knurov, a respectable person with huge capital, but there is no one to talk to. Then he decides to bribe Larisa. Vozhevatov, being Larisa's childhood friend, refuses to help her, because he gave someone his "merchant's word", which forever determined Larisa's attitude towards this person. Paratov is striking in his willingness to sacrifice freedom in favor of a monetary condition, although he sincerely loves and appreciates real feelings. The tragedy of these fates is predetermined from the very beginning, although in the work they play the role of people who have power not only over capital, but also over people. In fact, these are not the only tragic roles that decide the fate of Larisa.

The image of Karandyshev, the petty head of the post office, also bears a significant load. At first glance, we are impressed by his desire to save Larisa from the meanness and cruelty of the world. But later she does not act completely honestly, which pushes her to unsightly acts, which provokes her in a society that will gladly betray a moral court.

Larisa was honest with him from the very beginning. She said that she did not love him, but, despite this, she would make every effort to become a good wife to him. At the same time, she asks for only one thing - that he take her as soon as possible to where they could live in peace, away from the bustle of the city. But Karandyshev, being a petty and conceited man, decides to play a wedding in the city in order to show everyone who his bride is. Karandyshev, who endured so many years of humiliation and ridicule, suddenly gets a chance, at least not by much, but to rise to the “strong and powerful”.

A.N. Ostrovsky created an amazing gallery of Russian characters. Representatives of the merchant class became the main characters - from "domostroevsky" tyrants to real businessmen. The playwright's portrayals of women were no less vivid and expressive. Some of them looked like the heroines of J.S. Turgenev: they were just as brave and resolute, had warm hearts and never gave up their feelings. Below is an analysis of Ostrovsky's "Dowry", where the main character is a bright personality, different from the people who surrounded her.

History of creation

The analysis of Ostrovsky's "Dowry" should begin with the history of its writing. In the 1870s, Alexander Nikolayevich was an honorary judge in one county. Participation in lawsuits and familiarity with various cases gave him a new opportunity to search for topics for his works.

Researchers of his life and work suggest that the plot for this play was taken from his judicial practice. It was a case that made a lot of noise in the county - the murder of a local resident of his young wife. Ostrovsky began writing the play in 1874, but progress was slow. And only in 1878 the play was completed.

Actors and their brief description

The next point in the analysis of Ostrovsky's "Dowry" is a small description of the characters in the play.

Larisa Ogudalova is the main character. A beautiful and impressionable noblewoman. Despite her sensitive nature, she is a proud girl. Its main disadvantage is poverty. Therefore, her mother tries to find a rich groom for her. Larisa is in love with Paratov, but he leaves her. Then, out of desperation, she decides to marry Karandyshev.

Sergey Paratov is a nobleman who is over 30 years old. An unprincipled, cold and calculating person. Everything is measured in money. He is going to marry a rich girl, but does not tell Larisa about it.

Julius Kapitonych Karandyshev is a petty official who has little money. Vain, his main goal is to win the respect of others and impress them. Jealous of Larisa to Paratov.

Vasily Vozhevatov is a young rich merchant. I've known the main character since childhood. A cunning person without any moral principles.

Moky Parmenych Knurov is an elderly merchant, the richest man in the city. He likes the young Ogudalova, but he is a married man. Therefore, Knurov wants her to become his kept woman. Selfish, he cares only for his own interests.

Harita Ignatievna Ogudalova - Larisa's mother, widow. Cunning, she tries to profitably give her daughter in marriage so that they do not need anything. Therefore, he believes that any means are suitable for this.

Robinson is an actor, mediocrity, a drunkard. Friend of Paratov.

One of the points in the analysis of Ostrovsky's "Dowry" is a brief description of the plot of the play. The action takes place in the Volga city of Bryakhimov. In the first act, the reader learns from the conversation between Knurov and Vozhevatov that Sergei Paratov, a wealthy gentleman who loves to appear spectacularly in society, is returning to the city.

He left Bryakhimov so hastily that he did not say goodbye to Larisa Ogudalova, who was in love with him. She was in despair because of his departure. Knurov and Vozhevatov say that she is beautiful, smart and performs romances incomparably. Only her suitors shun her, because she is a dowry.

Realizing this, her mother constantly keeps the doors of the house open, in the hope that a rich groom will marry Larisa. The girl decides to marry a petty official, Yuri Kapitonych Karandyshev. During the walk, the merchants inform them of Paratov's arrival. Karandyshev invites them to a dinner party in honor of his fiancee. Julius Kapitonych arranges a scandal for the bride because of Paratov.

Meanwhile, Paratov himself, in a conversation with the merchants, says that he was going to marry the daughter of the owner of the gold mines. And Larisa is no longer interested in him, but the news of her marriage makes him think.

Larisa quarrels with her fiancé because she wants to leave with him for the village as soon as possible. Karandyshev, despite the constraint on funds, is going to give a dinner party. Ogudalova is having an explanation with Paratov. He accuses her of cheating and asks if she loves him. The girl agrees.

Paratov decided to humiliate Larisa's fiancé in front of the guests. He gets him drunk at dinner, and then persuades the girl to go on a boat trip with him. After spending the night with her, he tells her that he has a fiancee. The girl realizes that she is disgraced. She agrees to become the kept woman of Knurov, who won her in a dispute with Vozhevatov. But Yuri Karandyshev shot Larisa out of jealousy. The girl thanks him and says that she is not offended by anyone.

The image of Larisa Ogudalova

In the analysis of Ostrovsky's "Dowry" one should also consider the image of the main character. Larisa appeared before the reader as a beautiful, educated noblewoman, but without a dowry. And, finding herself in a society where the main measure is money, she was faced with the fact that no one takes her feelings seriously.

Possessing an ardent soul and a warm heart, she falls in love with the treacherous Paratov. But because of his feelings, he cannot see his true character. Larisa feels lonely - no one even tries to understand her, everyone uses her like a thing. But despite the subtle nature, the girl has a proud disposition. And just like all heroes, she is afraid of poverty. Therefore, she feels even more contempt for her fiancé.

In the analysis of Ostrovsky's "Dowry" it should be noted that Larisa does not have great fortitude. She does not decide to commit suicide or start living the life she wants. She accepts the fact that she is a thing and refuses to fight any further. Therefore, the groom's shot brought her peace, the girl was glad that all her suffering was over, and she found peace.

The image of Yuri Karandyshev

In the analysis of the play "Dowry" by Ostrovsky, one can also consider the image of the heroine's fiancé. Julius Kapitonych is shown to the reader as a small person who is important to earn the recognition of others. For him, a thing has value if rich people have it.

This is a proud man who lives for show and causes only contempt from others because of his pathetic attempts to be like them. Karandyshev, most likely, did not like Larisa: he understood that all men would envy him, because she was the dream of many. And he hoped to get the public recognition he so desired after their wedding. Therefore, Julius Kapitonich could not come to terms with the fact that she left him.

Comparison with Katerina

Comparative analysis of "Thunderstorm" and "Dowry" by Ostrovsky helps to find not only similarities, but also differences between the works. Both heroines are bright personalities, and their chosen ones are weak and weak-willed people. Katerina and Larisa have warm hearts and fall in love with men who match their imaginary ideal.

Both heroines feel lonely in society, and the internal conflict is heating up more and more. And this is where the differences come in. Larisa did not have the inner strength that Katerina had. Kabanova could not come to terms with life in a society where tyranny and despotism reigned. She rushed into the Volga. Larisa, realizing that for everyone she is a thing, cannot decide on such a step. And the girl does not even think about the fight - she just decides to live now like everyone else. Perhaps that is why the viewer immediately liked the heroine Katerina Kabanova.

Stage productions

In the analysis of Ostrovsky's drama "Dowry", it can be noted that, contrary to expectations, the performances failed. The viewer seemed bored with a story about a provincial girl who was deceived by a fan. Critics also did not like the acting: for them it was too melodramatic. And only in 1896 the play was staged again. And even then the audience was able to accept and appreciate it.

An analysis of Ostrovsky's work "Dowry" allows us to show what a serious psychological subtext the play has. How detailed the characters are. And, despite the sentimental scenes, the play belongs to the genre of realism. And her characters have replenished the gallery of Russian characters, masterfully described by A.N. Ostrovsky.

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky is a brilliant Russian playwright. His famous play The Dowry was written in 1878. The author worked long and hard on the work for four years. "Dowry" caused a lot of questions and controversy among critics and viewers, who were the very first to see the production of the play on stage.

As is often the case, people's recognition of "Dowry" came only a few years after the death of the author himself. The first staged performances in St. Petersburg and Moscow theaters, unfortunately, were very disastrous, critics gave poor ratings and wrote conflicting reviews. However, the play quickly and easily passed the censorship and was immediately published in the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski in 1879.
It is believed that Ostrovsky wrote the drama based on real events that he had to observe in his life as a justice of the peace in Kineshma district.

The idea of ​​this work was conceived by the author in the autumn of 1874, but the work on it went on for a long time and painstakingly. During the time it was written, the author released several more works, and The Dowry finished only in January 1879. The play, which was not accepted and recognized in its time, has now become a classic and has gained real respect and immortality.

The essence of the work

To begin with, it is worth deciding who such a dowry is? So in the old days they called poor girls and those who did not have a dowry, which was supposed to enter the capital of her future family. A woman did not work in those days, therefore, a man took her as a dependent, and, apart from the money received from his parents, he had nothing to hope for, his wife could not help him in financial matters, and her children were automatically left without inheritance from one of the parties. As a rule, such girls diligently tried to win the attention of suitors with their beauty, pedigree and inner virtues.

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky in his play describes the real inner state of an ordinary dowry woman who stubbornly seeks true, sincere love on earth, but realizes that it does not exist. No one dared to look into her soul and show sincere interest in her, so the girl becomes an ordinary thing for a rich man, she simply has no other choice and even a chance to get a decent attitude. Another option to arrange your life is to marry the miserable, selfish and unpretentious Karandyshev, a petty clerk who, again, marries Larisa for the sake of self-affirmation. But she rejects this option. The author demonstrates all the contradictions of life that surround us, using the example of the fate of the heroes. The essence of the play "Dowry" is to show the reader how mercilessly and vilely people change true love and friendship for an ordinary deal, from which one can only draw one's own benefit.

main characters

1. The characters in the play are:
   Larisa Ogudalova is a young beautiful girl who does not have a dowry. She feels extremely humiliated in this world because of her difficult position in society. Unfortunately, few people were interested in such girls during the life of the writer. The heroine loves to dream very much, so she falls in love with a rich nobleman and hopes for happiness next to him. With Karandyshev, the girl feels like a thing, her personality becomes insignificant, she directly tells him that she cannot love him the way she loves another. She is gifted with musical and choreographic talents. Her disposition is meek and calm, but deep down she is a passionate nature, desiring mutual love. A hidden strength of will manifested itself in her character when she ran from her engagement to the risk of being disgraced and misunderstood by her surroundings. But for the sake of a sincere feeling, she is ready to sacrifice her life, shouting a farewell ultimatum to her mother: either she will become Paratov's wife, or one should look for her in the Volga. As you can see, a desperate woman is not devoid of excitement, she puts both honor and herself at stake. we analyzed in the essay.
2. Harita Ignatievna - Mrs. Ogudalova, mother of Larisa Ogudalova, a poor noblewoman, a widow who was particularly dexterous in household affairs, but could not give her three daughters a dowry, since her fortune was not great. She herself barely makes ends meet, but manages to roll dinners and evenings to find a match for her last marriageable lady.
3. Yuri Karandyshev - a poor official, the fiance of Larisa Ogudalova, was distinguished by excessive narcissism and obsession. A selfish eccentric who was often jealous and looked stupid. Larisa was a toy for him, which he could boast to others. He feels on himself all the contempt of the Ogudalovs' entourage, but, nevertheless, does not give up the idea of ​​proving to them that he is an equal to everyone. His ostentatious arrogance, attempts to please and win honor irritate society and the heroine herself, in comparison with the dignity and strength of Paratov, this little man hopelessly loses. He finally sinks in the eyes of the bride when he gets drunk at the engagement dinner party. Then she realizes that it is better to go to the Volga than to marry him.
4. Sergei Paratov is a respected nobleman, a wealthy man who often threw money away for his own pleasure. He lived, caroused and looked after women beautifully, so after a gradual ruin he managed to capture the heart of a rich heiress. It is obvious that he is the same soulless egoist as Karandyshev, he simply lives in a big way and knows how to impress. The soul of the company and joker, above all, loves to have fun and throw dust in the eyes, and therefore chooses a marriage of convenience, and not sincere feelings.
5. Vasily Vozhevatov is a friend of Larisa Ogudalova, a very rich, but immoral and vile person. The hero has never been in love and does not know what it is. He was witty and cunning. Vasily is not going to marry the girl, although he claims to take her for maintenance. He loses her in a draw, but consoles himself that he saved, which makes him an immoral and empty person. He is a merchant, a native of serfs, who achieved everything himself. For him, the most important thing is not to lose the achieved position, so he refuses to help the young woman, not wanting to violate the merchant's word given to Knurov.
6. Mokiy Knurov is a rich man of advanced age. He shows sympathy for Larisa, although he is married. A very specific and thorough person, instead of everything, he immediately promises the girl whom he wants to make his kept woman material benefits, stipulating: "For me, the impossible is not enough."
7. Arkady Schastlivtsev (Robinson) is an acquaintance of Paratov, a failed actor who often liked to drink, but did not know how to control his condition.
8. Gavrilo is a barman, runs a coffee shop on the boulevard.
9. Ivan is a servant in a coffee shop.

Main theme

The drama of the human soul in an immoral society is the main essence of the main tragic theme in Ostrovsky's play "The Dowry", which the author widely reveals through the heroine Larisa Ogudalova. She did not receive a dowry from her mother, so she will have to suffer in this inhuman world. Grooms who are fighting for a girl do not take her seriously, she becomes for them either an object for boasting, or just a toy and a thing.

The theme of disappointment in the world is also present in the work. The main character is waiting for a terrible end: devastation, despair, dishonor and death. The girl believed in a better and new life, believed in love and kindness, but everything that surrounded her could prove to her that there was simply no love, no hint of enlightenment. All storylines in the work affect social topics. Larisa lives in a world where everything can be bought for money, even love.

Issues

Of course, a tragedy cannot do without ambiguous and complex questions. The problems in the play by Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky are quite extensive and multifaceted.

1. The main issues in the work are the problems of morality: Larisa commits a dishonorable act in the eyes of society, but the background fully justifies her. A real immoral act is to deceive Karandyshev and marry without love. It's not better to be kept by merchants. Therefore, Larisa and thank the jealous groom for her death.
2. The author raises the problems of duty and honor, the purchase of the human soul. Morality in society is ostentatious, it is enough for him to simply maintain the appearance of decency, but the dishonest bargaining of his elected members remains without condemnation and without attention.
3. We also see in the work the problem of finding the meaning of life. The girl despaired and lost her meaning in everything, Vozhevatov and Knurov use her as a bright toy that is not even scary to bet. Paratov reports that he will soon marry another girl because of material wealth, he betrays her and changes love for comfort. Larisa cannot understand and endure the complete absence of a soul and the indifference of those who surround her all her life. All the men who were next to her disappointed the heroine, she did not feel the respect and attitude that she deserved. For her, the meaning of life was love, and when she was gone, like respect, Larisa preferred death.

What is the meaning of the play?

Ostrovsky wrote a very emotional drama that will not disappoint even an experienced and fastidious reader with its ideological and thematic content. The main idea of ​​Ostrovsky's drama "Dowry" is to condemn the too high value of wealth and money in society. Material goods in life play the most important role, a person who does not have them can only be a toy in the hands of a rich man who does not have the right to sincere feelings. Poor people become the subject of sale to heartless barbarians who languished over their fortune. Around Larisa Ogudalova, everything is saturated with gross cynicism and cunning, which destroy her pure, bright soul. These qualities determined the price of a woman's life, reselling it among themselves as a faceless and soulless thing. And this price is low.

Using the image of the heroine as an example, the writer shows how the heart of a dowry suffers, who is to blame only for the fact that she has no fortune behind her. So dishonest and unfair is fate in relation to the poor, but very bright and intelligent people. The girl loses faith in humanity, in her ideals, experiencing numerous betrayals and humiliations. What is the reason for the tragedy of the dowry? She could not come to terms with the collapse of her dream, with the destruction of her beliefs, and decided to get reality to position her the way she needed, as it should have happened in natural conditions. The heroine knows from the very beginning that she is taking a mortal risk, this is evidenced by her farewell remark to her mother. She set conditions for the whole world: either her dream comes true, or she passes away without stooping to marriage and cohabitation of convenience. Even if Karandyshev had not killed her, she would have fulfilled her own warning and drowned herself in the Volga. Thus, the young woman became a victim of her illusions, her pride and intransigence with the vulgarity of the environment.

Before us is a classic clash of romantic dreams and harsh, vulgar reality. In this battle, the latter always wins, but the author does not lose hope that at least some people will come to their senses and stop creating and maintaining unfair conditions for social relations. He emphasizes true virtue and true values, which must be learned to distinguish from the vain squabbles of empty and petty scoundrels. The heroine's rebellion inspires courage to fight for her beliefs to the end.

genre

Drama, as a genre, presents the reader with the fate of the hero in a contradictory and cruel world, an acute conflict between the human soul and the society in which he lives. The purpose of psychological drama is to show the dramatic position of the individual in a hostile environment. As a rule, the characters of the drama are expected by a tragic fate, spiritual suffering, internal contradictions. In a work of this type, you can find many vivid emotions and experiences that are inherent in many of us.

So, Ostrovsky's play vividly describes the internal state of Larisa Ogudalova, who rebels against the inhuman order in society, sacrifices herself in order not to sacrifice her principles. The heroine hardly accepts the circumstances that overtake her, she endures with horror all the trials prepared for her by fate. This is Larisa's personal tragedy, which she cannot survive. The psychological drama ends with her death, which is typical of a work in this genre.

Life and customs of the province

Ostrovsky's play highlights the life and customs of the Russian provinces, nobles and merchants. All of them are very similar, and, at the same time, differ from each other. The heroes behave quite liberated and are not at all afraid to show their true colors to others, it doesn’t matter to them that sometimes they look rather stupid. They are not afraid not because of courage or openness of character. They simply do not realize that they look ignorant, stingy, suspicious or worthless.

Men do not bypass open communication with women; for them, adultery is not considered shameful. For them, this is an element of status: a mistress becomes a reflection of wealth. One of the heroes of the work, Mr. Knurov, offered Larisa to become his kept woman, although he himself had been married for a long time, he did not care what the heroine felt, only his own benefit and lust were in the first place.

A girl in the province of that time, as we have already found out, must have a good condition in order to successfully marry and live well. In such a world it is very difficult to find true love and respect, in a world where everything is saturated with the power of money and the bad habits of greedy people, an honest and intelligent woman simply could not find a proper place for herself. Larisa was literally ruined by the cruel and dishonest customs of her contemporaries.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

I was watching everything beyond the Volga: how is it
ok, on the other side!
A. N. Ostrovsky
"Dowry" is one of the later creations of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. The drama reflected the thoughts, views, passions of the established artist, his moral ideals.
In The Dowry, the conflict is based on the gullibility of a poor girl in love and the treachery of her rich seducer. Here the drama between dependent poverty and all-conquering wealth is revealed. The relationships between the characters are shown with plot and psychological concreteness, their real internal regularity is much more clearly revealed, and therefore they are full of dramatic pathos.
Larisa Ogudalova is not a simple girl from a bourgeois environment. She embodies the traditions of noble education, and in her character there is a sharp contradiction between the desire for external brilliance, for the ostentatious nobility of life and the deeper, inner properties of her nature - seriousness, truthfulness and a thirst for genuine and sincere relationships. Such a contradiction was then a phenomenon encountered in the life of the best representatives of the privileged strata of "society". Under these conditions, the contradiction in Larisa's character inevitably leads her to a dramatic conflict.
For mother Larisa, who was left a widow with three young daughters, the ostentatious elegance and nobility of family life is not a natural and normal state, but an artificially and difficultly created decoration that serves as a medium.
to arrange profitable marriages for her daughters. For her, flattery and cunning are the main principle of dealing with rich people who visit the house.
Larisa is the youngest, the last one left in the house, and her mother needs to get rid of her, not even pretending to be very lucky. All this puts the outstanding girl in an extremely difficult position. Around Larisa there is a motley and dubious crowd of admirers and applicants, among them there are many "all sorts of rabble." Life in the house is like a "gypsy camp". Larisa must not only endure the falsity surrounding her, cunning, hypocrisy, but also take part in them.
If these contradictions were only external, Larisa could find a way out of them: meet and fall in love with a simple and sincere person, leave this “bazaar” with him. But the contradiction lies in the very nature of the girl. Larisa herself is drawn to the brilliance and nobility of life, any simplicity and unpretentiousness are offensive to her. This is clearly manifested in relations with Paratov and Karandyshev. In the provincial environment of Larisa, even with rich admirers of Vozhevatov and Knurov, Paratov is an exceptional person.
By nature, he is not an entrepreneur or a businessman, but a rich, spoiled metropolitan gentleman. “Having started a business”, he does not enter into his “budgetary” subtleties, and therefore goes bankrupt, but even here he does not take up work, but decides to improve his position by a profitable marriage. Paratov has acquired an external gloss, which manifests itself in bold, sometimes even in daring and defiant behavior, in a penchant for risky actions, even bre-terstvo. All this makes him stand out from the crowd. His manner is smug and casual. Larisa becomes a victim of Paratov's aristocratic irresistibility. She sees in him the "ideal of a man", a man who cannot be disobeyed, who cannot be distrusted. Only the conviction that Paratov left her life forever after their first rapprochement makes Larisa agree to marry the rustic and narrow-minded Karandyshev, so as not to become a victim of hypocrisy and venality. Larisa has an honor and a good name, which she wants to keep by marrying a dowry, but deep down, Larisa despises her fiancé. Karandyshev partly deserves such an attitude. He is the embodiment of honest poverty offended by wealth. He sincerely hates the "gypsy camp" in the Ogudalovs' house and Larisa's wealthy admirers who seduce her and litter with money. He seems to be striving for a quiet family life. But Karandyshev is not only a petty official, but also a poor landowner, who, thanks to his marriage, is trying to strengthen his social position in order to then "run for justice of the peace." He wants to "show off" with his beautiful young wife, to prove that he is no worse than others, that Larisa goes for him for the sake of his personal merits, and not from a hopeless situation. All this makes Karandyshev overestimate his abilities - invite important guests to a modest dinner, boast of his position as a groom. And this makes him the subject of jokes and insults.
From this correlation of the characters of the main characters follows the climax and denouement of the conflict.
For Paratov, a night trip with Larisa across the Volga is a farewell to the "volo". For Larisa - the catastrophe of a lifetime. Now she has neither a dowry nor a girl's honor, and it remains either to sell her beauty, or to rush into the Volga. Larisa is trying to do this, but she does not have the moral strength to overcome the natural fear of torment and death. “The other day I was looking down through the bars, my head was spinning, and I almost fell. And if you fall, so, they say ... certain death! It would be nice to rush! .. Oh, oh! How scary!.. To part with life is not as easy as I thought! So there is no strength! .. A pitiful weakness: to live, at least somehow, but to live ... when you can’t live and don’t need to. How miserable I am!”
The playwright showed that fate intervened in the life and death of Larisa, saving the heroine from the debauchery to which her circumstances are pushing.
The drama turned out to be surprisingly topical and topical, revealing the essence of the eternal tragedy of the dowry - a smart, bright, talented individuality, which becomes the subject of bargaining. “Thing... yes, thing! They are right, I am a thing, not a person. I am now convinced that I have tested myself ... I am a thing! Finally, a word has been found for me, you have found it ... "