A.N. Ostrovsky finished his play in 1859, on the eve of the abolition of serfdom. Russia was awaiting reform, and the play became the first stage in the awareness of impending changes in society.
In his work, Ostrovsky presents us with a merchant milieu that personifies the “dark kingdom.” The author shows a whole gallery of negative images using the example of residents of the city of Kalinov. Using the example of the townspeople, we are shown their ignorance, lack of education, and adherence to the old order. We can say that all Kalinovites are in the shackles of the ancient “house-building”.
Prominent representatives of the “dark kingdom” in the play are the “fathers” of the city in the person of Kabanikha and Dikoy. Marfa Kabanova tortures those around her and those close to her with reproaches and suspicion. She relies on the authority of antiquity in everything and expects the same from those around her. There is no need to talk about her love for her son and daughter; Kabanikha’s children are completely subordinate to her power. Everything in Kabanova's house is based on fear. To frighten and humiliate is her philosophy.
Wild is much more primitive than Kabanova. This is the image of a real tyrant. With his screams and swearing, this hero humiliates other people, thereby, as it were, rising above them. It seems to me that this is a way of self-expression for Dikiy: “What are you going to tell me to do with myself when my heart is like this!”; “I scolded him, I scolded him so much that I couldn’t ask for anything better, I almost killed him. This is the kind of heart I have!”
The unreasonable abuse of the Wild One, the hypocritical pickiness of Kabanikha - all this is due to the powerlessness of the heroes. The more real the changes in society and people, the stronger their voices of protest begin to sound. But the rage of these heroes makes no sense: their words remain only an empty sound. “...But everything is somehow restless, it’s not good for them. Besides them, without asking them, another life has grown with other beginnings, and although it is far away and not yet clearly visible, it is already giving itself a presentiment and sending bad visions to dark tyranny,” writes Dobrolyubov about the play.
The images of Kuligin and Katerina are contrasted with the wild one, Kabanikha, and the whole city. In his monologues, Kuligin tries to reason with the residents of Kalinov, to open their eyes to what is happening around them. For example, all the townspeople are in wild, natural horror from the thunderstorm and perceive it as heavenly punishment. Only Kuligin is not afraid, but sees in a thunderstorm a natural phenomenon of nature, beautiful and majestic. He proposes to build a lightning rod, but does not find approval or understanding from others. Despite all this, the “dark kingdom” failed to absorb this self-taught eccentric. In the midst of savagery and tyranny, he retained the humanity within himself.
But not all the heroes of the play can resist cruel morals"dark kingdom" Tikhon Kabanov is downtrodden and persecuted by this society. Therefore, his image is tragic. The hero could not resist; from childhood he agreed with his mother in everything and never contradicted her. And only at the end of the play, in front of the body of the dead Katerina, Tikhon decides to confront his mother and even blames her for the death of his wife.
Tikhon's sister, Varvara, finds her own way to survive in Kalinov. A strong, courageous and cunning character allows the girl to adapt to life in the “dark kingdom”. For her peace of mind and to avoid troubles, she lives by the principle of “closet and security”, she deceives and deceives. But by doing all this, Varvara is only trying to live as she wants.
Katerina Kabanova – light soul. Against the background of the entire dead kingdom, it stands out for its purity and spontaneity. This heroine is not mired in material interests and outdated everyday truths, like other residents of Kalinov. Her soul strives to free itself from the oppression and suffocation of these people who are strangers to it. Having fallen in love with Boris and cheating on her husband, Katerina is in terrible pangs of conscience. And she perceives the thunderstorm as heavenly punishment for her sins: “Everyone should be afraid! It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins...” Pious Katerina, unable to withstand the pressure of her own conscience, decides to commit the most terrible sin - suicide.
Dikiy’s nephew, Boris, is also a victim of the “dark kingdom.” He resigned himself to spiritual slavery and broke under the yoke of pressure from the old ways. Boris seduced Katerina, but he did not have the strength to save her, to take her away from the hated city. " Dark Kingdom" turned out to be stronger than this hero.
Another representative of the “Dark Kingdom” is the wanderer Feklusha. She is highly respected in Kabanikha's house. Her ignorant fables about distant countries listen attentively and even believe them. Only in such a dark and ignorant society can no one doubt Feklusha’s stories. The Wanderer supports Kabanikha, feeling her strength and power in the city.
In my opinion, the play “The Thunderstorm” is a work of genius. It reveals so many images, so many characters that it would be enough for an entire encyclopedia negative characters. All ignorance, superstition, and lack of education were absorbed into Kalinov’s “dark kingdom.” “The Thunderstorm” shows us that the old way of life has long outlived its usefulness and does not respond modern conditions life. Change is already on the threshold of the “dark kingdom” and, together with the thunderstorm, is trying to break into it. It doesn't matter that they encounter enormous resistance from wild and boar animals. After reading the play, it becomes clear that they are all powerless in the face of the future.
this is a clash of two or more parties that do not coincide in their views and worldviews. There are several conflicts in Ostrovsky's play The Thunderstorm, but how to decide which one is the main one? In the era of sociologism in literary criticism, it was believed that social conflict was the most important in the play. Of course, if we see in the image of Katerina a reflection of the spontaneous protest of the masses against the constraining conditions of the dark kingdom and perceive Katerina’s death as a result of her collision with her tyrant mother-in-law, the genre of the play should be defined as a social and everyday drama. Drama is a work in which the public and personal aspirations of people, and sometimes their lives themselves, are under the threat of death from external forces beyond their control. The play also contains a generational conflict between Katerina and Kabanikha, the new always comes on the heels of the old, the old does not want to give in to the new . But the play is much deeper than it might seem at first glance. After all, Katerina, first of all, fights with herself, and not with Kabanikha, the conflict develops not around her, but in herself. Therefore, the play The Thunderstorm can be defined as a tragedy.
A tragedy is a work in which there is an insoluble conflict between the personal aspirations of the hero and the super-personal laws of life that occur in the mind of the main character. In general, the play is very similar to an ancient tragedy; the chorus is replaced by some extra-plot characters; the denouement ends with the death of the main character, like the ancient tragedy except the immortal Prometheus. Death Katerina is the result of a collision of two historical eras.
Some of the characters in the play seem to differ from the times in which they live. For example, Kuligin is a man of the 18th century, he wants to invent a sundial, which was known back in the antiquity, or a perpetuum mobile, which is a distinctive feature of the Middle Ages, or a lightning rod. He himself reaches with his mind something that has already been invented a long time ago, but he only dreams about it. He quotes Lomonosov and Derzhavin - this is also a human trait
13. Depiction of the “dark kingdom” in the play by A.N. Ostrovsky "The Thunderstorm".
In order to show the contradictions between rudeness and honor, between ignorance and dignity, the play shows two generations: people of the older generation, the so-called “dark kingdom,” and people of a new trend, more progressive, who do not want to live by old laws and customs.
Dikoy and Kabanova are typical representatives of the “dark kingdom”. It was in these images that Ostrovsky wanted to show the ruling class in Russia at that time.
Dikoy and Kabanova are that very “dark kingdom”, relics, supporters of the foundations of this “dark kingdom”. That's who they are, these Wild and Kabanovs, stupid, ignorant, hypocritical, rude. They preach the same peace and order. This is a world of money, anger, envy and hostility. They hate everything new and progressive.
A. N. Ostrovsky’s idea was to expose the “dark kingdom” using the images of Dikiy and Kabanova. He denounced all rich people for lack of spirituality and meanness. Mainly in secular society Russia of the 19th century had such Wild and Kabanovs, as the author showed us in his drama “The Thunderstorm”.
Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" caused a strong reaction in the field of literary scholars and critics. A. Grigoriev, D. Pisarev, F. Dostoevsky dedicated their articles to this work. N. Dobrolyubov, some time after the publication of “The Thunderstorm,” wrote the article “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom.” Being a good critic, Dobrolyubov emphasized good style the author, praising Ostrovsky for his deep knowledge of the Russian soul, and reproached other critics for the lack of a direct look at the work. In general, Dobrolyubov’s view is interesting from several points of view. For example, the critic believed that dramas should show the harmful influence of passion on a person’s life, which is why he calls Katerina a criminal. But Nikolai Alexandrovich nevertheless says that Katerina is also a martyr, because her suffering evokes a response in the soul of the viewer or reader. Dobrolyubov gives very accurate characteristics. It was he who called the merchants the “dark kingdom” in the play “The Thunderstorm”.
If we trace how the merchant class and adjacent social strata were displayed over the decades, a complete picture of degradation and decline emerges. In “The Minor” the Prostakovs are shown as limited people, in “Woe from Wit” the Famusovs are frozen statues who refuse to live honestly. All these images are the predecessors of Kabanikha and Wild. It is these two characters that support the “dark kingdom” in the drama “The Thunderstorm”.
The author introduces us to the morals and customs of the city from the very first lines of the play: “Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel!” In one of the dialogues between residents, the topic of violence is raised: “Whoever has money, sir, tries to enslave the poor... And among themselves, sir, how they live!... They quarrel with each other.” No matter how much people hide what is happening inside families, others already know everything. Kuligin says that no one has prayed to God here for a long time. All the doors are locked, “so that people don’t see how... they eat their family and tyrannize their family.” Behind the locks there is debauchery and drunkenness. Kabanov goes to drink with Dikoy, Dikoy appears drunk in almost all scenes, Kabanikha is also not averse to having a glass - another in the company of Savl Prokofievich.
The entire world in which the inhabitants of the fictional city of Kalinov live is thoroughly saturated with lies and fraud. Power over the “dark kingdom” belongs to tyrants and deceivers. The residents are so accustomed to dispassionately fawning over wealthier people that this lifestyle is the norm for them. They often come to Dikiy to ask for money, knowing that he will humiliate them but not give them the required amount. The merchant's most negative emotions are caused by his own nephew. Not even because Boris flatters Dikoy in order to get money, but because Dikoy himself does not want to part with the inheritance he received. His main traits are rudeness and greed. Dikoy believes that since he has a large number of money, which means others must obey him, fear him and at the same time respect him.
Kabanikha advocates for the preservation of the patriarchal system. She is a real tyrant, capable of driving anyone she doesn't like crazy. Marfa Ignatievna, hiding behind the fact that she reveres the old order, essentially destroys the family. Her son, Tikhon, is glad to go as far as possible, just not to hear his mother’s orders, her daughter does not value Kabanikha’s opinion, lies to her, and at the end of the play she simply runs away with Kudryash. Katerina suffered the most. The mother-in-law openly hated her daughter-in-law, controlled her every action, and was dissatisfied with every little thing. The most revealing scene seems to be the farewell scene to Tikhon. Kabanikha was offended by the fact that Katya hugged her husband goodbye. After all, she is a woman, which means she should always be inferior to a man. A wife’s destiny is to throw herself at her husband’s feet and sob, begging for a quick return. Katya does not like this point of view, but she is forced to submit to the will of her mother-in-law.
Dobrolyubov calls Katya “a ray of light in a dark kingdom,” which is also very symbolic. Firstly, Katya is different from the residents of the city. Although she was brought up according to the old laws, the preservation of which Kabanikha often talks about, she has a different idea of life. Katya is kind and pure. She wants to help the poor, she wants to go to church, do household chores, raise children. But in such a situation, all this seems impossible because of one simple fact: in the “dark kingdom” in “The Thunderstorm” it is impossible to find inner peace. People constantly walk in fear, drink, lie, cheat on each other, trying to hide the unsightly sides of life. In such an atmosphere it is impossible to be honest with others, honest with oneself. Secondly, one ray is not enough to illuminate the “kingdom”. Light, according to the laws of physics, must be reflected from some surface. It is also known that black has the ability to absorb other colors. Similar laws apply to the situation with the main character plays. Katerina does not see in others what is in her. Neither the city residents nor Boris, a “decently educated man,” could understand the reason internal conflict Kati. After all, even Boris is afraid of public opinion, he is dependent on Diky and the possibility of receiving an inheritance. He is also bound by a chain of deception and lies, because Boris supports Varvara’s idea of deceiving Tikhon in order to maintain a secret relationship with Katya. Let's apply the second law here. In Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm,” the “dark kingdom” is so all-consuming that it is impossible to find a way out of it. It eats Katerina, forcing her to take on one of the most terrible sins from the point of view of Christianity - suicide. "The Dark Kingdom" leaves no other choice. It would find her anywhere, even if Katya ran away with Boris, even if she left her husband. No wonder Ostrovsky transfers the action to a fictional city. The author wanted to show the typicality of the situation: such a situation was typical of all Russian cities. But is it only Russia?
Are the findings really that disappointing? The power of the tyrants is gradually beginning to weaken. Kabanikha and Dikoy feel this. They feel that soon other people, new ones, will take their place. People like Katya. Honest and open. And, perhaps, it is in them that those old customs that Marfa Ignatievna zealously defended will be revived. Dobrolyubov wrote that the ending of the play should be viewed in a positive way. “We are glad to see Katerina’s deliverance - even through death, if it is impossible otherwise. Living in the “dark kingdom” is worse than death.” This is confirmed by the words of Tikhon, who for the first time openly opposes not only his mother, but also the entire order of the city. “The play ends with this exclamation, and it seems to us that nothing could have been invented stronger and more truthful than such an ending. Tikhon’s words make the viewer think not about a love affair, but about this whole life, where the living envy the dead.”
Definition " dark kingdom"and a description of the images of its representatives will be useful to 10th grade students when writing an essay on the topic "The Dark Kingdom in the play "The Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky."
Work test
", A.N. Ostrovsky depicts for the first time the realistic world of the “dark kingdom”. Who was included in it? This is a large part of that society - tyrants who had the power of money in their hands, who wanted to enslave the poor and profit even more from their free labor. Ostrovsky for the first time opens the world of merchants with all the realities and true events. There is nothing humane or good in this world. No faith in free man, in happiness, in love and decent work.
What is the conflict of the play? In the clash of interests and morals of the past and future generations of people. The complex images of the characters in this play are depicted with special meaning. The rich merchant – Dikoy – is quite an important person in the city. Kudryash, you mean Savel Prokofievich, imagines himself as the ruler of the world and the master of the life around him. Many characters are afraid of him and simply stand in awe of his image. The lawlessness in the Wild's behavior is covered up by the power and significance of his financial fortune. He has the patronage of state power.
Ostrovsky creates a rather ambiguous and complex image of the Wild. This character is faced with the problem of not the external opposition of those around him to his person. He is experiencing an internal protest. The hero understands how callous his middle and his heart are. He tells a story about how he scolded a peasant who was transporting firewood over a trifle. Dikoy pounced on him and almost killed him out of nowhere. And then he began to repent and ask for forgiveness. And he admitted that his heart was “wild.”
It is in this image that we see the secret meaning of the “dark kingdom”. It was outliving itself from the inside. The internal protest of the tyrants of that time destroyed themselves.
Analyzing another image of the play “The Dark Kingdom”, one can notice other features of the tyrants of that time.
The person puzzles us. In her opinion, all relationships in the family should be subject to fear. She is despotic and hypocritical. She is used to living according to the principles of the old society. She completely eats up everyone at home and doesn’t give them a peaceful life.
The secondary image of the wanderer Feklushi comes to the defense of the dying “dark kingdom”. She enters into a conversation with Kabanikha and keeps preaching to her her thoughts about the imminent death of the “dark kingdom.”
In his play, in order to convey to the reader all his thoughts and reasoning, Ostrovsky creates many symbolic images. A thunderstorm is one of them. The ending of the play conveys the author’s thoughts that life in such a “dark kingdom” is unbearable and terrible. The reader understands that the world of tyrants is overcome by an awakened person who is filled with real, human feelings, which can overcome the falsehood and hypocrisy of that “dark kingdom”.
Type: Problem-thematic analysis of the work
A.N. Ostrovsky finished his play in 1859, on the eve of the abolition of serfdom. Russia was awaiting reform, and the play became the first stage in the awareness of impending changes in society.
In his work, Ostrovsky presents us with a merchant milieu that personifies the “dark kingdom.” The author shows a whole gallery of negative images using the example of residents of the city of Kalinov. Using the example of the townspeople, we are shown their ignorance, lack of education, and adherence to the old order. We can say that all Kalinovites are in the shackles of the ancient “house-building”.
Prominent representatives of the “dark kingdom” in the play are the “fathers” of the city in the person of Kabanikha and Dikoy. Marfa Kabanova tortures those around her and those close to her with reproaches and suspicion. She relies on the authority of antiquity in everything and expects the same from those around her. There is no need to talk about her love for her son and daughter; Kabanikha’s children are completely subordinate to her power. Everything in Kabanova's house is based on fear. To frighten and humiliate is her philosophy.
Wild is much more primitive than Kabanova. This is the image of a real tyrant. With his screams and swearing, this hero humiliates other people, thereby, as it were, rising above them. It seems to me that this is a way of self-expression for Dikiy: “What are you going to tell me to do with myself when my heart is like this!”; “I scolded him, I scolded him so much that I couldn’t ask for anything better, I almost killed him. This is the kind of heart I have!”
The unreasonable abuse of the Wild One, the hypocritical pickiness of Kabanikha - all this is due to the powerlessness of the heroes. The more real the changes in society and people, the stronger their voices of protest begin to sound. But the rage of these heroes makes no sense: their words remain only an empty sound. “...But everything is somehow restless, it’s not good for them. Besides them, without asking them, another life has grown with other beginnings, and although it is far away and not yet clearly visible, it is already giving itself a presentiment and sending bad visions to dark tyranny,” writes Dobrolyubov about the play.
The images of Kuligin and Katerina are contrasted with the wild one, Kabanikha, and the whole city. In his monologues, Kuligin tries to reason with the residents of Kalinov, to open their eyes to what is happening around them. For example, all the townspeople are in wild, natural horror from the thunderstorm and perceive it as heavenly punishment. Only Kuligin is not afraid, but sees in a thunderstorm a natural phenomenon of nature, beautiful and majestic. He proposes to build a lightning rod, but does not find approval or understanding from others. Despite all this, the “dark kingdom” failed to absorb this self-taught eccentric. In the midst of savagery and tyranny, he retained the humanity within himself.
But not all the heroes of the play can resist the cruel morals of the “dark kingdom”. Tikhon Kabanov is downtrodden and persecuted by this society. Therefore, his image is tragic. The hero could not resist; from childhood he agreed with his mother in everything and never contradicted her. And only at the end of the play, in front of the body of the dead Katerina, Tikhon decides to confront his mother and even blames her for the death of his wife.
Tikhon's sister, Varvara, finds her own way to survive in Kalinov. A strong, brave and cunning character allows the girl to adapt to life in the “dark kingdom.” For her peace of mind and to avoid troubles, she lives according to the principle of “closet and security”, she deceives and deceives. But by doing all this, Varvara is only trying to live as she wants.
Katerina Kabanova is a bright soul. Against the background of the entire dead kingdom, it stands out for its purity and spontaneity. This heroine is not mired in material interests and outdated everyday truths, like other residents of Kalinov. Her soul strives to free itself from the oppression and suffocation of these people who are strangers to it. Having fallen in love with Boris and cheating on her husband, Katerina is in terrible pangs of conscience. And she perceives the thunderstorm as heavenly punishment for her sins: “Everyone should be afraid! It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins...” Pious Katerina, unable to withstand the pressure of her own conscience, decides to commit the most terrible sin - suicide.
Dikiy’s nephew, Boris, is also a victim of the “dark kingdom.” He resigned himself to spiritual slavery and broke under the yoke of pressure from the old ways. Boris seduced Katerina, but he did not have the strength to save her, to take her away from the hated city. “The Dark Kingdom” turned out to be stronger than this hero.
Another representative of the “Dark Kingdom” is the wanderer Feklusha. She is highly respected in Kabanikha's house. Her ignorant fables about distant countries listen attentively and even believe them. Only in such a dark and ignorant society can no one doubt Feklusha’s stories. The Wanderer supports Kabanikha, feeling her strength and power in the city.
In my opinion, the play “The Thunderstorm” is a work of genius. It reveals so many images, so many characters that it would be enough for a whole encyclopedia of negative characters. All ignorance, superstition, and lack of education were absorbed into Kalinov’s “dark kingdom.” “The Thunderstorm” shows us that the old way of life has long since become obsolete and does not meet modern living conditions. Change is already on the threshold of the “dark kingdom” and, together with the thunderstorm, is trying to break into it. It doesn't matter that they encounter enormous resistance from wild and boar animals. After reading the play, it becomes clear that they are all powerless in the face of the future.