Life principles of molchalin. Chatsky and Molchalin (based on the comedy “Woe from Wit” by A. S. Griboyedov). Life principles of Chatsky and Molchalin

In the comedy “Woe from Wit” by A.S. Griboyedov presents images of Moscow nobles of the early 19th century, when a split emerged in society between the conservative nobility and those who adopted the ideas of Decembrism. The main theme of the work is the confrontation between the “present century” and the “past century”, the painful and historically natural replacement of old noble ideals with new ones. Supporters of the “past century” in comedy are numerous. These are not only such significant and influential people in the world as the feudal landowners Famusov and Colonel Skalozub, but also young nobles who do not have high ranks and are forced to “serve” influential people. This is the image of Molchalin in the comedy “Woe from Wit”.

Molchalin is a poor nobleman originally from Tver. He lives in the house of Famusov, who “gave him the rank of assessor and took him on as secretary.” Molchalin is the secret lover of Famusov’s daughter, but Sophia’s father does not want to see him as a son-in-law, because in Moscow it is supposed to have a son-in-law “with stars and ranks.” Molchalin does not yet meet these standards. However, his desire to “serve” is very valuable for Famus society.

Thanks to this skill, Molchalin received the position of Famusov’s secretary, because usually such positions are hired only through patronage. Famusov says: “With me, strangers’ employees are very rare: more and more sisters, sisters-in-law and children; Only Molchalin is not my own, and that’s because he’s a businessman.” It is business qualities, and not honor and dignity, that are valuable in the Famus environment.

In the play "Woe from Wit" the image of Molchalin fully corresponds to the accepted standards of behavior of a young nobleman in society. He curries favor and humiliates himself in front of influential guests in Famusov’s house, because they can be useful in his career advancement. Molchalin descends to the point that he begins to praise the smooth fur of Khlestova’s dog. He believes that while “we are small in rank,” “we must depend on others.” That is why Molchalin lives by the principle “At my age one should not dare to have one’s own opinion.”

Like everyone else in Famus’s society, in the comedy “Woe from Wit” Molchalin is proud of his career successes and boasts of them at every opportunity: “According to my work and effort, since I am listed in the archives, I have received three awards.” Molchalin also succeeded in establishing connections with the “right” people. He often visits Princess Tatyana Yuryevna, because “officials and officials are all her friends and all her relatives,” and even dares to recommend this manner of behavior to Chatsky.

Despite the fact that Molchalin’s views and values ​​completely coincide with the ideals of the conservative nobility, Molchalin is capable of causing serious harm to the society in which he is located. Famusov’s daughter will be deceived by this very man, since he assumes the guise of her lover “by position,” that is, for profit.

Molchalin fully reveals his face when interacting with the maid Liza, whom he expresses sympathy. “You and the young lady are modest, but the maid is a rake,” she tells him. It becomes clear to the reader that Molchalin is not at all a stupid, modest person - he is a two-faced and dangerous person.

In Molchalin’s heart there is neither love nor respect for Sophia. On the one hand, he puts on this performance “to please the daughter of such a man,” and on the other hand, he is mortally afraid that his secret relationship with Sophia will be revealed. Molchalin is very cowardly. He is afraid of ruining the opinion of himself in society, because “evil tongues are worse than a pistol.” Even Sophia is ready to go against the light for the sake of love: “What do I hear?!” This is probably why Molchalin does not find “anything enviable” in his marriage to Sophia.

It turns out that with his meanness Molchalin causes harm even to the society of which he is a product. Molchalin simply clearly follows his father’s advice - “to please all people without exception - the owner, where I happen to live, the boss with whom I will serve...”

This hero fully corresponds to the ideals of the “past century”, although he belongs to the younger generation of nobles. He knows the main thing - to adapt, and therefore “Silent people are blissful in the world.”
Thus, Molchalin is the product and worthy continuation of representatives of the conservative nobility. He, like this society, values ​​only rank and money and evaluates people only by these standards. The cunning and duplicity of this hero are the defining features of Molchalin’s characterization in the comedy “Woe from Wit.” That’s why Chatsky claims that Molchalin “will reach the well-known levels, because nowadays they love the dumb.”

The problem that Griboyedov raises in the comedy “Woe from Wit” remains relevant to this day. At all times there have been Molchalins who stopped at nothing to achieve their goals. The image of Molchalin will remain alive for readers as long as such values ​​as wealth and position in society, rather than honor, conscience, human dignity and true patriotism, are put at the forefront.

Characteristics of the hero, reasoning about his views and ideals, description of relationships with other characters - all these arguments will help 9th grade students when writing an essay on the topic of the image of Molchalin in the comedy “Woe from Wit”

Work test

Polkanova Maria

Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" was written in 1824. The essence of the play is the confrontation between “smart” people and “stupid” people.

The author himself wrote: “In my comedy there are 25 fools for one sane person...” The main character is Alexander Chatsky, Griboedov assigned him the role of “smart”, and the “fools” turned out to be landowners and officials, residents of Moscow, Messrs. Famusov and his secretary Molchalin , Colonel Skalozub and others.

Over the course of 4 acts of the comedy, we see how Chatsky “struggles” with the “outdated” principles of his opponents. Extraordinary, witty, capable of pronouncing brilliant monologues like “Who are the judges?..”, he is a man who undoubtedly rises above the entire “Famus society.” But, despite all this, our hero is a utopian. He believes that all human vices can disappear instantly. According to A.I. Solzhenitsyn, Chatsky chose for himself the role of a fiery prophet who still does not know who and where to lead. Our hero's program is as follows: he calls for national identity, for freedom of choice and for mitigating the abuses of serfs. Chatsky preaches his ideas to everyone and everyone, he doesn’t care whether people are interested in it or not. Often Griboyedov's hero does not notice that he is telling something to himself. Chatsky speaks in monologues, and if he suddenly hears a response, he retorts sharply and rudely. Alexander is impatient, quick-tempered, thoughtlessly and unfair. In his article “Rubing His Eyes,” Solzhenitsyn writes that Chatsky “... flogs everyone in a row, indiscriminately, and he himself is already exhausted from this.”

In contrast to the verbose Chatsky, the quiet Molchalin is placed. These heroes were brought together by a love conflict. Chatsky sympathizes with Sofia, Famusov’s daughter, and she is in love with Molchalin, her father’s secretary. But the main character cannot understand why Sofia chose Molchalin over him. Chatsky characterizes his opponent as “the most pitiful creature.” (However, the main character does not consider the other characters in the comedy different.) M.M. Bakhtin called Griboyedov’s hero a superlative, because he cannot and does not want to delve into the psychology of other people. The same is true in the situation with Molchalin. He really doesn’t have a lively, lively, knowledge-hungry mind like Chatsky, but he has a practical, worldly mind. Molchalin is a provincial who came to conquer the capital. It was a great happiness for him to become the secretary of the rich Famusov. And, naturally, Molchalin had to please his boss and his friends in every possible way. Chatsky ridicules “subservience to superiors.” But it’s easy for him to say, he himself is a rich nobleman and, naturally, can afford to satisfy his every whim. And Molchalin constantly has to gather his will into a fist so as not to fall from his precarious position, earned by such hard work.

Chatsky, who shackled himself with the armor of infallibility, according to Solzhenitsyn, cannot understand why Sofia (the girl whom he so easily left and forgot) stopped loving him. The main character blames Molchalin for everything. The comedy contains numerous evidence of the insensitivity and prudence of Famus’s secretary. But if you take a closer look at the text, the picture emerges as follows: Molchalin does not love Sofia, there is a struggle in his soul (on the one hand, he needs to be more kind to the boss’s daughter, but on the other, his heart does not allow him to do this, since he loves another, maid Liza). Therefore, Molchalin is delaying the outcome in every possible way. But circumstances are not in his favor: Sofia hears Molchalin’s confession to Liza.

Even though the secretary still ruined his career, he did not allow himself to discredit the girl out of selfish interest. This characterizes Molchalin from the best side. To summarize, we can say that Molchalin showed over Chatsky a clear advantage of deeds over words. Our heroes are two different types of people characteristic of the era of the early 19th century.

Among the heroes of “Woe from Wit” (see summary, analysis and full text), Famusov stands at the top steps of the official and social ladder. Molchalin, being on the lower steps of the same ladder, tries to climb it, following the principles and life rules of his boss. Adulation and servility, common in Famus society, were instilled in him from childhood:

“My father bequeathed to me

says Molchalin,

Firstly, to please all people without exception;
The owner, where he will live,
The boss with whom I will serve,
To his servant, who cleans the dress,
Doorman, janitor, to avoid evil,
To the janitor’s dog, to be more affectionate.”

We can say that Molchalin really fulfills his father’s wills! We see how he tries to please the noble old woman Khlestova, how he praises and caresses her dog; and although Khlestova treats him very condescendingly (“Molchalin, here’s your little closet!”), however, she allows him to lead her by the arm, plays cards with him, calls him “my friend,” “dear,” and probably won’t refuse he has protection when he needs it. Molchalin is confident that he is going the right way and advises Chatsky to go “to Tatyana Yuryevna,” since, according to him, “we often find patronage there where we don’t aim.”

Woe from the mind. Maly Theater performance, 1977

Molchalin himself recognizes two “talents” in himself: “moderation” and “accuracy,” and there is no doubt that with such properties “he will reach the known levels,” as Chatsky notes, adding: “after all, nowadays they love the dumb.” Molchalin is truly dumb, since he not only does not express, but does not even have his own opinion - it is not for nothing that Griboedov called him “Molchalin”:

"At my age one should not dare
Have your own opinion,”

he says. Why risk “having your own judgment” when it is so much easier and safer to think, speak and act as the elders do, as Princess Marya Alekseevna does, as “everyone” does? And can Molchalin have his own opinion? He is undoubtedly stupid, limited, although cunning. This is a small soul. We see the baseness and meanness of his behavior with Sophia. He pretends to love her because he thinks it can be beneficial for him, and at the same time flirts with Lisa; he sneakily crawls on his knees in front of Sophia, begging for her forgiveness, and immediately after that he rushes to hide from Famusov’s anger, like a real coward. The pathetic type of Molchalin is depicted by Griboyedov with merciless realism.

If Famusov and Chatsky are people of different generations, then Molchalin and Chatsky are the same age. The sharper the contrast between them.

Molchalin is Chatsky’s happy rival in love. But if Molchalin had been worthy of Sophia’s love, Chatsky, perhaps, would not have been so saddened by the knowledge that a low, vile person was preferred to him. “Here he is, on tiptoe and not rich in words,” says Chatsky about Famusov’s secretary.

Molchalin is poor and rootless, but he has set himself the goal of achieving “known degrees.” And he, according to Chatsky, will achieve them: “After all, nowadays they love the dumb.” Molchalin knows how he should behave and determines his tactics:

Firstly, to please all people without exception - the Master, where I happen to live, the Chief, with whom I will serve, his Servant, who cleans the dresses, the Doorman, the janitor to avoid evil, the janitor’s dog, so that he is affectionate.

Molchalin’s tactics have already borne fruit: he received three service awards. Molchalin himself says that he has two talents - moderation and accuracy, to which Chatsky ironically remarks: “The most wonderful two! and are worth all of us.”

In his hypocrisy and sycophancy, Molchalin does not act as rudely and primitively as the old-time sycophant Maxim Petrovich. He quietly flatters at every opportunity, flatters everyone who might someday be useful. He pretends to be in love with Sophia: she is the daughter of his boss, and her location can be very useful. He ingratiates himself with Khlestova, arranging a game for her to play cards and admiring her dog. He advises Chatsky to go to the rich and well-connected Tatyana Yuryevna. In response to Chatsky’s perplexed question, why should he go to a woman about whom he “heard that she was nonsense,” Molchalin without hesitation (with Chatsky he behaves self-confidently and impudently, considering him an impractical person) explains: “...often / There we find patronage “We’re shooting where we don’t mark,” and is surprised at Chatsky’s indignation. He admires Foma Fomich “himself,” who retained the position of chief under three ministers. Chatsky says about this official: “The most empty person, among the most stupid.” Molchalin believes that at his age “one should not dare / to have one’s own judgment,” that one must “depend on others,” and to Chatsky’s question: “Why is it necessary?” - explains: “We are not very high in rank.” Molchalin needs such tactics only while he is in low ranks. It will not be needed when he reaches “known degrees”, becomes an important official, and when other people will depend on him. Material from the site

The servile morality of a sycophant who does not dare to “have his own opinion” is unacceptable for Chatsky. “Why are other people’s opinions only sacred?” - he asks Molchalin with irony. He himself speaks freely and directly. Chatsky is convinced that people should be judged not by their position in society and wealth, but by their business and moral qualities, and boldly condemns the recognized Moscow authorities - Foma Fomich, Tatyana Yuryevna.

Molchalin's moral face is very unsightly. When his hypocrisy towards Sophia was revealed, he simply chickened out. He crawls on his knees in front of her not because he feels guilty, but because his career may suffer. When Chatsky appears, Molchalin flees.

“Silent people are blissful in the world!” - Chatsky exclaims bitterly. He is outraged by the practicality and opportunism of life, which Molchalin elevated to the principle of his life in noble society.

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In ten years, it will be two centuries since the comedy “Woe from Wit” is performed on theater stages with constant success. Among the brilliant characters that Griboyedov portrayed in his work are Chatsky and Molchalin. Our article is dedicated to them.

The classic of Russian literature of the early 19th century was an extraordinary personality: a brilliant diplomat “worth an army of 20,000,” one of the most educated people of his time. The viewer is fascinated by the playwright’s model of a middle-class aristocratic Moscow society. The characters of Griboyedov's comedy are bright and relevant.

In particular, the life principles of Chatsky and Molchalin, two young people of 23 and 24 years of age, starting their social life in Russian society, are conceptual. The principles of the first boil down to the destruction of the foundations of serfdom. The second is fixated on an effective career within a stable state.

Comparison of Chatsky and Molchalin

The nature of people's social activity is to a certain extent determined by their social status. The origins of Alexander Andreevich Chatsky and Alexey Stepanovich Molchalin are different. Chatsky is an aristocrat; although he is not in the service, he has a stable source of income. Moreover, it not only provides “daily bread”, but also allows you to go to “learn your mind” in Europe. The life principles of Chatsky and Molchalin are the principles of various social groups: aristocrats who despise work and are passionate about the French Revolution, and commoners who seek recognition with their work.

Chatsky is ironically called a “fiery prophet”

Arriving at his homeland, aristocrat Chatsky, inspired by the European progress he saw, according to Alexander Isaevich Solzhenitsyn, positions himself with the status of a “fiery prophet” who does not even imagine how the declarative principles he formulated can be implemented in Russia.

Chatsky’s phrases are biting and correct. Alexander is a utopian and an egoist. His communication with other people comes down to fiery monologues and sharp parries of opposing opinions. Alexander Isaevich noticed the communicative incompetence of this hero Griboedov, his readiness to “slash” his opponents with words, and being overly carried away by the process.

Pushkin, speaking about Chatsky, was even more ironic - “a funny fellow.”

Chatsky and Molchalin − different attitude towards society

Unlike his wealthier peers, Alexey has a keen sense of the society in which he lives. His tact and helpfulness earn him social bonuses. is more than a secretary, in fact, Famusov’s right hand. He pleases the friends of his patron who are visiting Famusov’s house.

Is Chatsky right in branding the “two-faced,” “creeping,” “mean” secretary? After all, he doesn’t even try to understand what kind of person Alexey is. Chatsky and Molchalin expose two completely different personalities with different types of minds. One is bright, imaginative, ideological, the second is practical, economic. After all, in fact, Alexey Stepanovich Molchalin acts within the framework of decency and tolerance.

In the end, he can also be motivated by gratitude to Famusov - his benefactor, the person who gives work and shelter. Molchalin does not think about things (in the words of Bulgakov’s professor Preobrazhensky) “of cosmic scale and cosmic stupidity.” He does more than he talks. Moreover, Chatsky also shows that the first is not only loyal to society, but is also its useful cog. The second should be classified as a cohort of superfluous people in his Fatherland, following Evgeny Onegin and Pechorin. He, following the logic of the author of the work, positions himself as the only “smart person” among the “fools”.

The life principles of Chatsky and Molchalin are incomparable. The ideas of the first are divorced from Russian life; they are just general slogans. There is an abyss before they are put into practice.

Is Molchalin so “cunning”?

Alexey Molchalin, unlike his opponent, actually makes a living from the service. His life rules have been tested in practice. He, working as a secretary, lives in the house of his patron Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov, actually carrying out all the office work of the manager of the government place for him. In other words, Molchalin is a clerk and accountant. He values ​​his place of work. So should he be blamed for “moderation and accuracy”?

In addition, young people are united by a love conflict. Chatsky likes Famusov's daughter, Sophia; and she, in turn, sympathizes with Alexei Khlestakov. The life principles of Chatsky and Molchalin are different, including in relationships with the opposite sex. So, Chatsky, who imagines himself to be ideal, has no idea about the reasons that have cooled the girl’s feelings for him.

Molchalin is a “living”, fallible character

Molchalin does not find the courage to immediately admit to Sophia that he does not love her. At the same time, he is delicate in communicating with her and does not compromise the girl. Griboyedov in the image of Molchalin shows a careerist who does not have a noble title, but is pragmatic. Step by step he follows to achieve a favorable position in society. Silent people are not keen on ideas or criticism. Their element is daily painstaking work.

Griboyedov brings these two characters into an ideological conflict: Chatsky and Molchalin. After all, they, young people, according to the author, will determine the face of the “coming century.” However, the reader understands: Famusov’s secretary is not at all such a calculating monster as Chatsky expresses. Moreover, Alexey is really confused - on the one hand, wanting a relationship with Liza, whom he loves, and on the other, trying to be nice to the owner's daughter. By chance, Sophia hears his confession to the maid. This plays into Chatsky’s hands.

Molchalin’s career is ruined by “lordly love”

The situation is not in Molchalin’s favor. Most likely, he will lose his job as a secretary of a government agency. However, in the grand scheme of things, he didn’t do anything reprehensible. Sophia’s reaction to the confession she heard can be called “a storm in a teacup.” She liked Alexey, and she fantasized that he loved her. Famusov’s daughter presented the discrepancy between imagination and reality as Molchalin’s baseness. Chatsky openly gloats.

However, he understands perfectly well that his position in the Famusov house is quite precarious. Therefore, the wise phrase spoken by Lisa about the disastrous consequences for a person of a simple class of both “lordly anger” and “lordly love” directly concerns him. It is “lordly love” that becomes the reason for the future collapse of his career as an employee. Comparative and Molchalina, thus, shows that it is the latter who is characterized by sociability, modesty, self-discipline, and will.

Obviously, these traits aroused Sophia’s sympathy.

Instead of a conclusion

Chatsky and Molchalin have different types of thinking. Alexander Andreevich expresses his thoughts very temperamentally, he clearly justifies his chosen position, immediately criticizes his opponents and does nothing, and then leaves with an offended look. It is worth remembering that lovers of Russian literature have already encountered a stormy and fruitless stream of thoughts in one character. This is Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, familiar to us all.

Of course, Chatsky is a more dynamic character. However, he had already taken the first step along the path of Ilya Ilyich - he neglected work. It’s not for nothing that Alexey Molchalin teases him about this.

At the same time, the characterization of Molchalin and Chatsky, given by the author in the work, gives reason to move away from the classical characterization. And it is right. After all, Chatsky is not so positive, and Molchalin, in fact, is not a potential villain at all.