Also a huge role in the play belongs to the description of nature. Ostrovsky's landscape is not only the background against which all events unfold, it seems to appear as a living character, participating in the ongoing events along with other characters.
In the play "Thunderstorm" magnificent pictures of nature appear before the reader. The city of Kalinov is located on the great Russian river Volga. The image of a freedom-loving and beautiful river is contrasted with the suffocating atmosphere of the city, in which there is nothing alive, everything is outdated, gloomy, and ossified. The beauty of nature affects a person, fascinates him with its strength and beauty. And how insignificant a person begins to feel in comparison with a strong river, mighty and virgin nature!
The beauty of nature exists regardless of the desire of man, but it influences his consciousness in every possible way, reminds him of the eternal. Observing the beauty and life of nature, a person understands that his everyday, such small and insignificant problems seem completely insignificant compared to this proud and silent splendor. Next to nature, the human heart seems to come to life, it begins to feel more acutely joy and sorrow, love and hate, hopes and joys.
Katerina is a dreamy person. All her bright, cheerful childhood was connected with nature. When a girl talks about her childhood, she first of all remembers her beloved mother, who did not have a soul in her, and caring for her favorite flowers, of which Katerina had "many, many". Katerina also loved walking in the garden. A garden is wildlife in miniature. Katerina reminisces about her childhood, looking at the beautiful landscape. The natural beauty of the surrounding world is harmoniously intertwined with the girl's speech itself, with a lively, figurative, emotional speech. In the work, the very image of Katerina is closely connected with the surrounding nature.
But not all Ostrovsky's heroes pay attention to this beauty. For example, Kuligin says that he cannot see enough of her throughout his life. Katerina also admires the beauty of nature with great pleasure. She grew up on the Volga and from childhood loves everything connected with this river and the nature around.
But for most of the characters in the play, nature is completely unimportant. For example, Kabanikha and Dikoy throughout the entire drama never once expressed admiration for the beauty of the world around them. Against the background of the surrounding nature, both Wild and Boar look especially pathetic. It is no coincidence that they are afraid of nature and its manifestations, for example, they perceive a thunderstorm as a punishment from above. In fact, a thunderstorm is a boon for a small town, mired in vulgarity, servility and cruelty. The storm, as a natural and as a social phenomenon, washes away the veil of hypocrisy and hypocrisy, which the townspeople have been hiding behind until now.
The feeling of love is inextricably linked with the beauty of the vibrant nature around. Very often, the meeting of lovers takes place against the backdrop of a beautiful landscape. The meeting of Katerina and her lover takes place on a wonderful summer night. Nature around lives and rejoices, and it seems that she does not care about human life.
Katerina confesses to the perfect crime, that is, to her love, when a thunderstorm broke out. A spontaneous natural phenomenon surprisingly harmonizes with the feelings of a scolded and humiliated woman. During the confession, Katerina is in a dilapidated church. Of all the frescoes, only a picture of hell survived.
Katerina feels deeply unhappy, a sinner who has committed a crime, she already hates herself and her act. At this time, it began to rain, which seems to be trying to wash away all the dirt from human relations so that they appear in their original purity.
Katerina decides to take her own life. The Volga River, beloved since childhood, helps her in this. The girl throws herself into the waves of the river to forever get rid of human cruelty, hatred and hypocrisy. She cannot live among people, but nature remains on her side.
The plays by A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" and A. P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" are different in terms of subject matter, mood, and content, but the artistic functions of the landscape in both plays are similar. The load that the landscape bears is also reflected in the titles of the plays. The landscape for Ostrovsky and Chekhov is not only a background, nature becomes a character, and Chekhov's cherry orchard is one of the main characters. In both plays, the landscape is surprisingly beautiful, although it is difficult to compare the breathtaking views of the Volga from the place where the city of Kalinov is located, with a small cherry garden compared to the great Russian river. The huge, colorful Volga landscape overwhelms with its beauty, harsh and powerful. Against its background, a person seems like a small insect, insignificance compared to an immense, strong river. The Cherry Orchard is a secluded, quiet corner, dear to the heart of everyone who grew up and lives here. He is beautiful, - beautiful with that quiet, sweet, cozy beauty that so attracts a person to his native home. Nature has always influenced the souls and hearts of people, unless, of course, the soul is still alive in them and the heart has not hardened. So, Kulygin, a very soft, weak, but kind and sensitive person, in his whole life could not get enough of the beauty of Mother Volga. Katerina, this pure and bright soul, grew up on the banks of the Volga and fell in love with the river with all her heart, which was both her friend and protector in her childhood. Ostrovsky's attitude to nature was one of the criteria for assessing humanity. Wild, Kabanikha and other obedient subjects of the "dark kingdom" are indifferent to the beauty of nature, deep down they are afraid of it. The heroes of The Cherry Orchard - Ranevskaya, Gaev and everyone whose life has long been associated with the cherry orchard - love it: the delicate, subtle beauty of flowering cherry trees has left an indelible mark on their souls. All the action of the play takes place against the backdrop of this garden. The Cherry Orchard is always invisibly present on the stage: they talk about its fate, they try to save it, they argue about it, philosophize about it, dream about it, remember it. Ostrovsky's landscape also complements the action. So, Katerina's explanation with Boris takes place against the backdrop of a beautiful summer night, Katerina repents during a thunderstorm in a dilapidated church, where only a picture of hell has survived from all the frescoes. For Ranevskaya and Gaev, the cherry orchard is a family nest, a small homeland where they spent their childhood and youth, their best dreams and hopes were born and faded here, the cherry orchard became part of themselves. The sale of the cherry orchard symbolizes the end of their life, from which only bitter memories remain. These people, possessing excellent spiritual qualities, perfectly developed and educated, cannot keep their cherry orchard, the best part of their lives. Anya also grew up in a cherry orchard, but she is still very young, full of vitality and energy, so she leaves the cherry orchard with ease, with joy, for her this is a liberation, a step into a new life. She strives to meet new life challenges, dreaming of planting a new garden better than the previous one. But in the old garden, in the boarded-up house, the forgotten old Firs was left to die. The Cherry Orchard does not let anyone go just like his past haunts a person. The cherry orchard is a symbol of life, a symbol of the past and the future. He is immortal, as life itself is immortal. Yes, they will cut it down, yes, they will build dachas in its place, but new people will plant new cherry orchards, and everything will start anew. At the moment of Katerina's repentance, a thunderstorm broke out, it began to rain, cleansing, washing away all sins. But people are not so merciful: the "dark kingdom" hunted down the heroine, who dared to break his laws. The Volga helped Katerina get away from the unbearable life among people, stopped the torment and suffering. Gave peace. Death in the Volga was a way out of the impasse into which Katerina was driven by human callousness and cruelty. The landscape in the plays of Ostrovsky and Chekhov emphasizes, among other things, the imperfection, the pettiness of human relations in the face of cold and beautiful nature.
1. What conflict underlies the play by A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"?
At the heart of A.N. Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" lies the tragic conflict of Katerina's living feelings and the dead foundations of the "dark kingdom".
2. Which of the characters in the play A.N. Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm" refers to the "dark kingdom"?
Tyrants and despots are Wild and Boar, which belong to the "dark kingdom".
3. What allows Tikhon to say that their “family broke apart”?
Unable to withstand the despotism of Kabanikhi, Katerina commits suicide, leaves Barbara's house, Tikhon becomes completely dumb and weak-willed.
4. What is the originality of Kabanikh's speech?
Kabanikhi's speech shows an imperious nature, which is expressed in an imperative tone: “Well, talk more!”, “To your feet, to your feet!” He always speaks instructively. She often uses proverbs and sayings, folk expressions and intonations.
5. What is the difference between the views on the life of Katerina and Barbara?
Katerina is not used to lying and dodging, she does not accept years of hypocrisy, she cannot pretend, realizing her love for Boris as a sin. Barbara accepted the morality of the surrounding society and learned to hide true feelings, to lie, to twist.
6. For what purpose in the play A.N. Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm" introduced the songs of Kudryash?
The songs of Kudryash give the play A.N. Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm" national flavor, and their content repeats the motif of the forbidden love of a married woman for another.
7. What is the function of the image of the Volga in the play by A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"?
The image of the Volga shows that the action takes place in a Russian provincial town. The majestic beautiful Volga contrasts with the sleepy stagnant life of the city. The free Volga takes the unsubdued Katerina into its waters.
8. What is the meaning of the name of the drama by A.N. Ostrovskogo "Thunderstorm"?
The motif of a thunderstorm runs through the whole play. This is an unknown, and therefore a terrible phenomenon of nature. This is the storm of tyranny of Kabani-khi over Tikhon (“There will be no thunderstorm over me for two weeks”). There is something spontaneous, thunderous in Katerina's love for Boris. Thunderstorm is the fear of retribution for sins. Thunderstorm is also a symbol of non-reconciliation with the dark kingdom.
9. What is the function of the landscape in the play by A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"?
The landscape performs a dual function. At the beginning of the play, he is the background against which the action unfolds, and emphasizes the discrepancy between the dead life of the Kalinovites and the beautiful nature. The storm then intrudes into the action and influences the outcome of the drama.
10. What is the role of the episodic figure of the lady in the play by A.N. Ost-rovsky "Thunderstorm"?material from the site
The appearance of an old lady with two lackeys coincides with the picture of a thunderstorm. The ominous speeches of the lady: “What, beauties? What are you doing here? Are you waiting for the good fellows, gentlemen? Are you having fun? Funny? Does your beauty make you happy? Here, here, in the very pool! - prophesy the fate of Katerina.
11. Describe the life of the city of Kalinov.
The city of Kalinov is located in a beautiful place on the banks of the Volga. But the inhabitants care little about the beauty of nature. They are indifferent to everything that goes beyond domestic concerns. No reliable information about life in other places penetrates into their sleepy life. Only wanderers bring monstrously absurd rumors about the lands where people with dog heads live. In the city, ignorance and stagnation reign, cruel house-building customs.
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On this page, material on the topics:
- presentation on the work of the Ostrov thunderstorm
- play thunderstorm test answers what is the role of volumetric
- proverbs in Ostrovsky's plays
- drama thunderstorm which of the characters is the oldest in age
- write out proverbs and who pronounces them in the play thunderstorm
The action takes place in the small provincial town of Kalinov on the banks of the Volga in the summer. We learn about this at the very beginning of the play. Both time of year and place are of great importance. At the beginning of the first act, we see Kuligia looking at the Volga and admiring its beauty. In any work, and even more so in drama, there are no and cannot be trifles. Everything that the author pays attention to is of great importance.
Even with a superficial reading of Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm", one can pay attention to the fact that descriptions of nature are very common. Already in the very name of the drama, a natural phenomenon is reflected - a thunderstorm. In the drama, the strength and beauty of nature, as it were, is opposed to a stuffy and cramped society in which "cruel morals" reign. For example, Kuligin calls Kalinov "a lousy little town", he also emphasizes that there is wonderful nature here.
The description of nature is not only and not so much a background that is necessary for staging a drama on stage. The description of the landscape is necessary in order to demonstrate the wretchedness of people's lives. Kuligin says that people are not happy with the wonderful nature; residents of the city walk very rarely, only on holidays. After all, the poor have no time to walk, and the rich hide behind fences.
It seems that the only advantage of the small provincial town of Kalinova is beautiful nature. The human world is rough, cruel and unpleasant. But nothing can spoil the beauty and grandeur of the Volga River, next to which the city is located, Katerina loved nature since childhood. She says: “If it were my will, I would now ride along the Volga, in a boat, with songs, or in a troika on a good one” ... In her mind, fun is closely connected with nature, with walks, with joy. In the city, people are forced to live in an atmosphere of outdated orders, a gloomy mood. People like Kabanikha and those like her do not pay the slightest attention to nature. They do not need to enjoy the beauty of the landscape. After all, nature cannot be conquered, enslaved. Therefore, they "hide behind fences", tyranny of their household.
Anticipating the approach of a thunderstorm, Katerina begins to suffer from a sense of her helplessness, defenselessness. Only such an impressionable nature as she can feel the superiority of the forces of nature. People seem so weak compared to the mighty elements. But the people around Katerina do not have such a developed imagination, so they cannot compare themselves with the world of wildlife.
The harmonious connection between Katerina and nature is obvious. Katerina says: “Why don't people fly like birds? You know, sometimes I feel like I'm a bird. When you stand on a mountain, you are drawn to fly. That's how she would run away, raise her hands and fly ... ”A bird is a part of nature, and it is not by chance that Katerina compares herself with this free creature. The bird can fly wherever it wants, in contrast to the unfortunate woman who is forced to be locked up according to the house-building orders.
Romantic and impressionable, Katerina has always been able to see the beauty of nature. When she recalls her happy childhood, she talks about caring for flowers, and there were “many, many” of them. Katerina says little about the people who surrounded her in her childhood, she only remembers her loving and caring mother. And this is not accidental, communication with people was of little interest to the girl, flowers were much more important to her, closer and more understandable. The beauty of the garden, flowers, rivers - this is Katerina's world before marriage. After the wedding, everything changed. Now the girl can only remember about past happiness.
When Katerina was little, one day she was greatly offended. She fled to the Volga, got into a boat. The girl was found only in the morning about ten miles away. This episode also shows a connection with wildlife - an offended girl seeks salvation not from people, but from the river. Katerina is a truly folk image, harmoniously and naturally connected with nature. It is hard to imagine Wild, Boar and the like walking on the Volga, enjoying the beauty of the flowers in the garden. And Katerina, on the contrary, is hard to imagine behind a high fence, unable to see the beauty of the world around. The action of the drama takes place in a hot summer. And it is also not accidental. Indeed, in summer, more than ever, a person can feel his inextricable connection with nature, can enjoy its beauty, grandeur, strength. In summer, freedom is especially needed, which the main character of the drama is deprived of.
By the attitude of the characters of the drama to nature, one can judge their spiritual qualities. For Katerina, nature is part of herself. Kuligin also admires the beauty of the world around. He says that he can not see enough of the beauty of nature all his life. This characterizes Kuligin and Katerina as sublime, romantic, emotional natures. Other characters in the drama are completely different. They perceive the world around them as normal. And so they seem even more miserable, gloomy. They are afraid of natural phenomena. For example, when Kuligin tells Diky about the need to install lightning rods in the city, the latter shouts that a thunderstorm is a punishment that is sent from above. From Kuligin's point of view, a thunderstorm is "grace", because every blade of grass rejoices, and people "made scarecrows" for themselves and are afraid of them. But those around are more inclined to believe the Wild, and not Kulngin.
Many writers depicted the scene of a meeting of lovers against the backdrop of nature. When Katerina and Boris meet, there is an amazingly beautiful summer night around. And this detail cannot escape the eye of the reader, because in this way the author shows the harmony of relations between people and the world around. True, this harmony is fragile. Very little time passes, and Katerina is convinced that she has committed a serious crime.
Katerina hears conversations around that during a thunderstorm she will definitely kill someone or the house will catch fire. The girl is sure that the storm was sent as a punishment to her, and it will kill her. During a thunderstorm, Katerina repents of what she has done, confesses to treason. A thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon perfectly matches the mood of a woman. She is in confusion, fear, does not know how and where to seek salvation. And the nature around is also in turmoil, the storm made the world around us unusual, disturbing, scary. All this affects the exalted Katerina in the strongest way. In addition, she sees a fresco in the church, which depicts a picture of hell. Isn't all this enough to drive an impressionable woman crazy... The thunderstorm in Ostrovsky's drama is both a natural phenomenon and a symbol of Katerina's excruciating mental suffering.
Katerina has long mentally said goodbye to life. Now all she had to do was finish the job. In those moments when Katerina speaks of her torment, it is raining. Nature seems to cry with her, grieving and pitying the unfortunate. And Katerina does not receive sympathy from people, except that Kuligin is trying to call mercy in the weak and weak-willed Tikhon. The Volga River, which Katerina has loved since childhood, accepts her, without asking whether she was a sinner or a righteous person during her lifetime. Death in the waves of the river seems to Katerina an easier punishment than the judgment of people.
The role of secondary characters, everyday background and landscape in the play by A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"
I. Introduction
The introduction of minor characters into the play, the depiction of everyday background and landscape enable the author to expand the scope of the depicted, show the environment in which the action unfolds, and create a certain emotional flavor in the work.
II. main part
1. Minor characters:
a) Wild. He is not directly involved in the plot of the play. The function of this character is to embody with maximum clarity the features of the “cruel morals” of the city of Kalinov, to give the reader and viewer an idea of militant tyranny;
b) the wanderer Feklusha. Her stories show all the ignorance of the inhabitants of the city, their hypocrisy and active rejection of everything new;
c) Kuligin. The role of this character is approximately the same, although Kuligin himself is completely opposite to Feklusha. Kuligin represents science and education in the play. In his ideas, however, there is nothing particularly new, but even these ideas (for example, a lightning rod) are met with misunderstanding and contempt. In addition, Kuligin is a man of much more elevated thoughts than his environment (he feels nature, reads poetry, etc.). It is he who expresses thoughts close to the author's (especially after Katerina's suicide).
d) Kudryash and Varvara. This pair of characters is closely connected with the motive of freedom, both external and internal. Due to certain circumstances and character traits, they were able to oppose their own independence to the arbitrariness of tyrants. However, it is impossible to associate with them any serious hopes for changes in the world of petty tyrants: they live one day, not at all caring about the future.
2. Household background. In part, he is associated with such minor characters as Dikoy and Feklusha. Another way to introduce a domestic background into the play and at the same time expand the scope of what is depicted is the stories of the characters (Kuligin, Boris, Diky, etc.), from which we learn about the features of the “cruel morals” of the inhabitants of the city. The everyday background reveals in the play an atmosphere of tyranny, ignorance, rudeness and arbitrariness. He gives the reader and viewer the impression of a stagnant life, contrary to any free speech and freedom in general; everyday background exacerbates the tragedy of the position of the main character.
3. The landscape performs the opposite function in the play. The action takes place in a town on the Volga, and the Volga has long been associated in the minds of Russian people with freedom, with will. It is in the Volga that Katerina finds a unique and only possible release for her. Kuligin speaks more than once about the beauty of the Volga nature, but no one understands him. Thus, nature acts as a contrast to the "cruel morals" of the life of the city of Kalinov.
4. The image of a thunderstorm is somewhat more complicated. If for the same Kuligin this is a natural phenomenon that he sincerely admires, then for the rest, a thunderstorm is a manifestation of God's wrath. So does Katerina; her repentance is connected with the storm.
