Alexander Andreevich Chatsky, the son of Famusov's late friend Andrei Ilyich Chatsky, was a relatively young nobleman. He was not rich, but still had 300-400 serfs, which allowed him to live comfortably and not work (Chatsky left military career and traveled for pleasure).
Chatsky was very educated, intelligent, eloquent and witty. He is independent, honest and straightforward (even too much) and is always ready to ridicule vulgarity, stupidity and narrow-mindedness.
...Ah, Chatsky! You like to dress everyone up as jesters...
...and cheerful and sharp...
...What does he say? and speaks as he writes!..
...I'm strange; but who is not strange? The one who is like all fools...
...I would be glad to serve, but being served is sickening...
...And who are the judges?..
Chatsky is a freedom-loving man and believes that conservative Moscow society is in vain limiting young nobles to military or public service. A person, in his opinion, should have no boundaries and is free (if he wants) to engage in science or the arts.
Of the young people, there will be an enemy of quest,
Without demanding either places or promotion,
He will focus his mind on science, hungry for knowledge;
Or God himself will stir up heat in his soul
To the creative, high and beautiful arts...
Moscow secular society does not like Chatsky because of his freethinking and liberal views:
...You glorified me as crazy with the whole choir...
...The houses are new, but the prejudices are old...
Chatsky is well versed in politics, culture and social issues, but is absolutely blind in matters of love (he thought that Sophia loved him).
Role in the plot of the play
Alexander Andreevich Chatsky, after a three-year journey “across foreign countries,” returns to Moscow for the sake of Sofia Famusova, with whom he grew up and whom he loved. He comes to Pavel Famusov (her father), but, to his surprise, receives a cold reception from Sophia. She was offended by Chatsky for leaving her for three years, and was about to get married to secretary Molchalin.
Chatsky despises Molchalin, this gray personality, this “most pitiful creature.” He does not understand how his Sophia could love him and, because of this, his feelings for her are fading away (he understands that Sophia is a very superficial person).
In Famusov's house, Chatsky encounters typical representatives the capital's "elite" and immediately enters into a "battle" with them, subjecting them to ridicule.
Their ossified views, limited horizons and selfishness infuriate Chatsky and this makes him a very unpleasant person in the eyes of Famusov’s guests. However, “society” explains Alexander Andreevich’s liberal views and his audacity as madness young man(these rumors were started by the embittered Sophia).
At the end of the play, Chatsky, disappointed with the local elite, decides to leave Moscow.
...Get out of Moscow! I don't go here anymore.
I’m running, I won’t look back, I’ll go looking around the world...
The title of the play perfectly characterizes Chatsky’s place in the world of the Famusovs.
/A.A. Grigoriev. Regarding the new edition of an old thing. "Woe from Wit." SPb. 1862/
So I now turn to my second position - to the fact that Chatsky is still the only heroic the face of our literature.<...>
Chatsky first of all - honest And active nature, and also the nature of a fighter, that is, an extremely passionate nature.
They usually say that a secular person in secular society, firstly, he will not allow himself to say what Chatsky says, and secondly, he will not fight with windmills, preach to the Famusovs, the Silent Ones and others.<...>
In Chatsky there is only a truthful nature, which will not allow any lies - that’s all; and he will allow himself everything that his truthful nature allows himself. And that there are and were truthful natures in life, here is the evidence: old man Grinev 1, old Bagrov 2, old Dubrovsky 3. Alexander Andreevich Chatsky must have inherited the same nature, if not from his father, then from his grandfather or great-grandfather.
Another question is whether Chatsky would talk to people he despises.
And you forget with this question that Famusov, on whom he pours out “all the bile and all the annoyance,” is not just such and such a person for him, but a living memory of his childhood, when he was taken “to bow” to his master, which
He drove away on many trucks from the mothers and fathers of rejected children.<...>
<...>Chatsky believes in the benefit of his sermon less than you yourself, but bile has boiled in him, his sense of truth is offended. And besides, he's in love...
Do you know how such people love?
Not this love, not worthy of a man, which absorbs the entire existence into the thought of a beloved object and sacrifices everything to this thought, even the idea of moral improvement: Chatsky loves passionately, madly and tells the truth to Sophia that
I breathed you, lived, was busy continuously...
But this only means that the thought of her merged for him with every noble thought or deed of honor and goodness. He speaks the truth when asking her about Molchalin:
But does he have that passion, that feeling, that ardor, so that, except for you, the whole world seems like dust and vanity to him?
But underneath this truth lies the dream of his Sophia, as capable of understanding that “the whole world” is “dust and vanity” before the idea of truth and goodness, or, at least, capable of appreciating this belief in the person she loves, capable of loving for it person. He loves only such an ideal Sophia; he doesn’t need another: he will reject another and go with a broken heart
Search the world, Where there is a corner for the offended feeling.
Look with what deep psychological fidelity the entire conversation between Chatsky and Sophia in Act III is visible. Chatsky keeps asking why he is silent higher And better; he even enters into conversation with him, trying to find in him
A quick mind, a mature genius, -
and yet she cannot, is unable to understand that Sophia loves Molchalin precisely for properties that are opposite to the properties of him, Chatsky, for petty and vulgar properties (she does not yet see Molchalin’s vile traits). Only after being convinced of this, he leaves his dream, but leaves as a husband - irrevocably, he already sees the truth clearly and fearlessly. Then he tells her:
You will make peace with him after mature reflection.
Destroy yourself!.. and for what? You can scold him, and swaddle him, and send him to work. Meanwhile, there is a reason why Chatsky passionately loved this apparently so insignificant and petty nature. What was it about him? Not just childhood memories, but more important reasons, at least physiological. Moreover, this fact is not at all the only one in that strange, ironic cycle that is called life. People like Chatsky often love such petty and insignificant women as Sophia. You could even say that for the most part they like it that way. This is not a paradox. They sometimes meet women who are completely honest, who are quite capable of understanding them, sharing their aspirations, and are not satisfied with them. Sophia is something fatal, inevitable in their life, so fatal and inevitable that for the sake of
<...>You, gentlemen, who consider Chatsky to be Don Quixote, are especially emphasizing the monologue that ends the third act. But, firstly, the poet himself put his hero here in a comic position and, remaining faithful to the high psychological task, showed what comic outcome untimely energy can take; and secondly, again, you probably haven’t thought about how people with the inclinations of even some kind of moral energy love. Everything he says in this monologue, he says for Sophia; he gathers all the strength of his soul, wants to reveal himself with all his nature, wants to convey everything to her at once.<...>This shows Chatsky’s last faith in Sophia’s nature...; here for Chatsky the question is about the life or death of an entire half of his moral existence. That this personal question merged with a public question is again true to the nature of the hero, who is the only type of moral and manly struggle in the sphere of life that the poet has chosen.<...>
Yes, Chatsky is - I repeat again - our only hero, that is, the only one who is positively fighting in the environment where fate and passion have thrown him.<...>
Chatsky, in addition to his general heroic significance, also has significance historical. He is a product of the first quarter Russian XIX centuries, direct son and heir of the Novikovs 7 and Radishchevs 8, comrade of people
Eternal memory of the twelfth year,
powerful, still deeply believing in itself and therefore a stubborn force, ready to die in a collision with the environment, to die if only because it would leave behind a “page in history”... He does not care that the environment with which he is struggling, positively unable not only to understand him, but even to take him seriously.
But Griboyedov, as a great poet, cares about this. No wonder he called his drama a comedy.
Read also other articles by critics about the comedy "Woe from Wit":
A.A. Grigoriev. Regarding the new edition of an old thing. "Woe from Wit"
- Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" - a representation of secular life
- Characteristics of Chatsky
I.A. Goncharov
V. Belinsky. "Woe from Wit." Comedy in 4 acts, in verse. Essay by A.S. Griboyedova
Alexander Andreevich Chatsky is the main male and only positive character in the comedy Woe from Wit, Griboyedov. He was left an orphan quite early, and was brought up in the house of his father’s friend, Famusov. The patron gave him an excellent education, but could not instill in Chatsky his worldview. Having matured, Chatsky began to live separately. Subsequently, he quit military service, but did not serve as an official.
Famusov has a beautiful and intelligent daughter Sophia, over time her friendship with Chatsky grew into love, he also sincerely admired her and wanted to marry her. But being an emotional, active and inquisitive person, he becomes bored in Moscow, and he goes to travel to see the world. He left for 3 years without even warning Sophia about it and without ever writing to her. Upon his return, Chatsky realized that she no longer had love for him, and besides, she had another lover - Molchalin. He is very worried about disappointment in his beloved and her betrayal, in his opinion.
Chatsky is proud, direct and noble man who always speaks his mind. He lives in the future, has a negative attitude towards the cruelty of landowners and serfdom, he is a fighter for a fair society and dreams of benefiting the people. Therefore, it is difficult for him to live in Famus’s immoral society, and he understands that he has no place among people who live in lies and meanness. Society remains the same as it was 3 years ago. That same evening he quarreled with everyone, and besides, Sophia, wanting to take revenge on him, spread the rumor that he was crazy. At the end of the comedy, he witnesses a scene where Sophia finds out that Molchalin does not love her, but simply wants to stay in Famusov’s house. Laughing, Chatsky demands a carriage and leaves.
Alexander Chatsky is an aristocrat, born into a noble family in Moscow. From an early age he has been in the company of upper-class people. His parents died very early, leaving Alexander a large estate as an inheritance. He was an only child, and he has no other relatives. Therefore, family friend Pavel Famusov takes in raising the little orphan. He works as an official and is a fairly prominent person in Moscow. For some time, Chatsky lives in Famusov’s house, but, having matured, he begins an independent life. Alexander has good memories of his stay in this house; he returns to Famusov’s house with the best intentions. Chatsky is a member of the English Club - this is a special place for aristocrats.It was envisaged that in this club gentlemen could discuss social and political phenomena, but in practice it all came down to cards and dinners. Chatsky rarely visited this club - at first he was too young, and then he went abroad. There he gets acquainted with the culture of Europe, learns a lot about the relationships between people, their social position, gets acquainted with the most progressive trends. Chatsky returned to Russia three years later.Characteristics of Chatsky’s personal qualities
Chatsky received a traditional education for aristocrats. He knew foreign languages, basics of economics and other sciences, music, dancing. Then he actively explores the world on his own, deepening his knowledge in various sciences. Chatsky is very inquisitive and smart; he managed to become a philosopher at a young age. Previously, Alexander entered military service, but quickly became disillusioned with it and resigned. He believes that military drill kills a person’s personality and deprives him of the ability to make independent decisions. Chatsky was not interested in civil service. He wants to continue working on his farm. But those around him do not accept this, because in this way he deliberately refuses what authority and name can give him. Everyone thinks his plans are just crazy.
Important! He believes that art and science are necessary for every person. If a person does not consider it necessary to engage in his education, this is disgusting to him.Chatsky sincerely loves Russia and wants to make the life of his people better.
Conflict between Chatsky and Famusov's society
Griboyedov calls the Famusov Society the circle of aristocrats who were raised by Pavel Famusov. Based on it, he shows a typical picture of high society, its behavior and position. This society is decidedly different from Chatsky, first of all, in its attitude towards how to conduct business and climb the career ladder. They consider mutual responsibility and bribes to be the norm. Chatsky believes in the ideals of honor and pride. He does not accept humiliation in front of his superiors in order to appease them. He believes that people should be valued for how well they do their job and how professional they are. Chatsky is also very upset that even foreigners take bribes here, for whom this is simply unthinkable in their homeland. In addition, the conflict between Famus society and Chatsky affects the attitude towards art and science. They value only military or civilian service; everything else, in their opinion, is unworthy of an aristocrat. People of art and scientists are especially hated by them. Almost all of these people do not believe that education is important for a person, that it has benefits. They simply ridicule everyone who has dedicated their life to this. Chatsky is also outraged and upset by the attitude of the landowners towards the peasants - for them they are a commodity or a toy.
Love and disappointment of Chatsky
Sonya Famusova knew Chatsky since early childhood. They lived together for some time. At first their relationship was brotherly, but then gave way to love. Having left, Chatsky left Sonya at for a long time, but did not forget her. In fact, he returned precisely to her. Sonya decided that he was bored with life in their house and fell in love with someone else. Seeing an old friend, she feigns joy and reciprocity, but over time it turns out that this is not true - she has loved someone else for a long time, and Alexandra is simply fooling. Chatsky returned to Famusov's house to continue their romance and eventually marry Sonya. However, his intentions were quickly besieged by Pavel - he believed that his daughter could only marry a rich man with a respectable position. Chatsky, in his opinion, was not wealthy enough and did not want to pursue a career, which was unacceptable. From that moment on, Alexander’s childhood enthusiasm for this man began to disappear. Realizing that Sonya was leading him by the nose, Chatsky is very disappointed and accuses her of indecent behavior. But he is very glad that he did not have time to become her husband. Chatsky is a unique person for that time. He is a pure soul, a humanist who believes in the benefits of science and art. Alexander sincerely believes that people should build their lives on the basis of moral laws, and not self-interest. Chatsky lost his illusions, but did not change his convictions. He still values freedom and the right to choose for every person. Alexander is trying to change people who are rigid in their position, but he fails - he is crushed and runs away from Moscow. We also recommend that you watch the video in which you will find and quotation description the image of Chatsky in the comedy “Woe from Wit”.Comedy “Woe from Wit” by A.S. Griboyedov occupies a special place in the history of Russian literature. It combines the features of outgoing classicism with new ones artistic methods: realism and romanticism. In this regard, literary scholars note the features of the portrayal of the characters in the play. If in the comedy of classicism before all the characters were clearly divided into bad and good, then in “Woe from Wit” Griboyedov, bringing closer characters To real life, endows them with both positive and negative qualities. This is the image of Chatsky as the main character of the play “Woe from Wit”.
The background of the main character of the play "Woe from Wit"
In the first act, Alexander Andreevich Chatsky returns from a long trip around the world, where he went to “search for his mind.” Without stopping home, he arrives at Famusov’s house, because he is driven by sincere love for the daughter of the owner of the house. They were once brought up together. But now they haven’t seen each other for three long years. Chatsky does not yet know that Sophia’s feelings for him have cooled down, and her heart is occupied with something else. The love affair subsequently gives rise to a social clash between Chatsky, a nobleman of progressive views, and the Famus society of serf-owners and rank-worshippers.
Even before Chatsky appears on stage, we learn from Sophia’s conversation with the maid Lisa that he is “sensitive, and cheerful, and sharp.” It is noteworthy that Lisa remembered this hero when the conversation turned to intelligence. It is intelligence that is the trait that sets Chatsky apart from other characters.
Contradictions in Chatsky's character
If you trace the development of the conflict between the main character of the play “Woe from Wit” and the people with whom he is forced to interact, you can understand that Chatsky’s character is ambiguous. Arriving at Famusov’s house, he began a conversation with Sophia by asking about her relatives, using a sarcastic tone and sarcasm: “Has your uncle jumped off his life?”
Indeed, in the play “Woe from Wit” the image of Chatsky represents a rather hot-tempered, in some moments tactless young nobleman. Throughout the entire play, Sophia reproaches Chatsky for his habit of ridiculing the vices of other people: “The slightest oddity in someone is barely visible, your wit is immediately ready.”
His harsh tone can only be justified by the fact that the hero is sincerely outraged by the immorality of the society in which he finds himself. Fighting her is a matter of honor for Chatsky. It is not his goal to prick his interlocutor. He asks Sophia in surprise: “...Are my words really all caustic words? And tend to harm someone?” The fact is that all the issues raised resonate in the soul of the hero; he cannot cope with his emotions, with his indignation. His “mind and heart are not in harmony.”
Therefore, the hero lavishes his eloquence even on those who are clearly not ready to accept his arguments. A.S. After reading the comedy, Pushkin spoke this way about this: “The first sign of an intelligent person is to know at first glance who you are dealing with, and not to throw pearls in front of the Repetilovs...” And I.A. Goncharov, on the contrary, believed that Chatsky’s speech was “boiling with wit.”
The uniqueness of the hero's worldview
The image of Chatsky in the comedy “Woe from Wit” largely reflects the worldview of the author himself. Chatsky, like Griboyedov, does not understand and does not accept the slavish admiration of the Russian people for everything foreign. In the play, the main character repeatedly ridicules the tradition of inviting foreign teachers into the house to educate children: “...Nowadays, just like in ancient times, regiments are busy recruiting teachers, more in number, at a cheaper price.”
Chatsky also has a special attitude towards service. For Famusov, Chatsky’s opponent in Griboedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit,” his attitude towards the hero is determined by the fact that he “does not serve, that is, he does not find any benefit in that.” Chatsky clearly outlines his position on this issue: “I would be glad to serve, but it’s sickening to be served.”
That’s why Chatsky speaks with such anger about the habit. Famusov society treat disadvantaged people with contempt and curry favor with influential people. If for Famusov his uncle Maxim Petrovich, who fell on purpose at a reception with the empress in order to please her and the court, is a role model, then for Chatsky he is just a buffoon. He does not see among the conservative nobility those from whom it would be worth following an example. Enemies of a free life, “passionate for rank,” prone to extravagance and idleness - this is what the old aristocrats are for the main character of the comedy “Woe from Wit” by Chatsky.
Chatsky is also irritated by the desire of the Old Moscow nobles to make useful acquaintances everywhere. And they attend balls for this purpose. Chatsky prefers not to mix business with fun. He believes that everything should have its place and time.
In one of his monologues, Chatsky expresses dissatisfaction with the fact that as soon as a young man appears among the nobles who wants to devote himself to the sciences or arts, and not to the pursuit of rank, everyone begins to fear him. And they are afraid of people like Chatsky himself, because they threaten the well-being and comfort of the nobles. They introduce new ideas into the structure of society, but the aristocrats are not ready to part with the old way of life. Therefore, the gossip about Chatsky’s madness, started by Sophia, turned out to be very opportune. This made it possible to make his monologues safe and disarm the enemy of the conservative views of the nobles.
Feelings and characteristics of the hero’s internal experiences
When characterizing Chatsky in the comedy “Woe from Wit,” you can pay attention to his last name. She's talking. Initially, this hero bore the surname Chadsky, from the word “chad”. This is due to the fact that the main character is, as it were, in the clouds of his own hopes and shocks. Chatsky in the comedy “Woe from Wit” experiences a personal drama. He came to Sophia with certain hopes that did not come true. Moreover, his beloved preferred Molchalin to him, who is clearly inferior to Chatsky in intelligence. Chatsky is also burdened by being in a society whose views he does not share and which he is forced to resist. The hero is in constant tension. By the end of the day, he finally understands that he has parted ways with both Sophia and the Russian conservative nobility. There is only one thing the hero cannot accept: why is fate favorable to cynical people who seek personal gain in everything, and so merciless to those who are guided by the dictates of the soul, and not by calculation? If at the beginning of the play Chatsky is in the midst of his dreams, now the true state of affairs has been revealed to him, and he has “sobered up.”
The meaning of Chatsky's image
Griboyedov was led to create the image of Chatsky by the desire to show the brewing split in the nobility. Chatsky's role in the comedy "Woe from Wit" is quite dramatic, because he remains in the minority and is forced to retreat and leave Moscow, but he does not give up his views. So Griboyedov shows that Chatsky’s time has not yet come. It is no coincidence that such heroes are classified as extra people in Russian literature. However, the conflict has already been identified, so the replacement of the old with the new is ultimately inevitable.
The given description of the image of the main character is recommended for reading by 9th grade students before writing an essay on the topic “The image of Chatsky in the comedy “Woe from Wit””
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