Two dramas by A. N. Ostrovsky are devoted to the same problem - the position of women in Russian society. Before us are the fates of three young women: Katerina, Varvara, Larisa. Three images, three destinies.
Katerina is different in character from everyone else characters drama “The Thunderstorm”. Honest, sincere and principled, she is not capable of deception and falsehood, of resourcefulness and opportunism. Therefore, in a cruel world where wild and wild boars reign, her life turns out to be unbearable, impossible and ends so tragically. Katerina’s protest against Kabanikha is a struggle of the bright, pure, human against the darkness of lies and cruelty of the “dark kingdom”. No wonder Ostrovsky, who paid great attention to names and surnames, gave the heroine of “The Thunderstorm” the name Ekaterina, which translated from Greek means “eternally pure.” Katerina is a poetic person. Unlike the rude people around her, she feels the beauty of nature and loves it. It is the beauty of nature that is natural and sincere. “I used to get up early in the morning; In the summer, I’ll go to the spring, wash myself, bring some water with me, and that’s it, I’ll water all the flowers in the house. I had many, many flowers,” she says about her childhood. Her soul is constantly drawn to beauty. The dreams were filled with miracles and fabulous visions. She often dreamed that she was flying like a bird. She talks about her desire to fly several times. With this, Ostrovsky emphasizes the romantic sublimity of Katerina’s soul. Married early, she tries to get along with her mother-in-law and love her husband, but in the Kabanovs’ house no one needs sincere feelings. The tenderness that fills her soul finds no application. Deep melancholy sounds in her words about children: “If only there were someone’s children!” Eco woe! I don’t have any children: I would still sit with them and amuse them. I really like talking to children - they are angels.” What a loving wife and mother she would have been under different conditions!
Katerina’s sincere faith differs from Kabanikha’s religiosity. For Kabanikha, religion is a dark force that suppresses the will of a person, and for Katerina, faith is poetic world fairy tale images and supreme justice. “... I loved going to church to death! Sure, it happened that I would enter heaven, and I didn’t see anyone, and I didn’t remember the time, and I didn’t hear when the service was over,” she recalls.
Bondage is Katerina's main enemy. The external conditions of her life in Kalinov seem to be no different from the environment of her childhood. The same motives, the same rituals, that is, the same activities, but “everything here seems to be from under captivity,” says Katerina. Bondage is incompatible with the freedom-loving soul of the heroine. “And captivity is bitter, oh, so bitter,” she says in the scene with the key, and these words, these thoughts push her to the decision to see Boris. In Katerina’s behavior, as Dobrolyubov said, a “decisive, integral Russian character” was revealed, which “will withstand itself, despite any obstacles, and when there is not enough strength, it will die, but will not change itself.”
Varvara is the complete opposite of Katerina. She is not superstitious, is not afraid of thunderstorms, and does not consider strict observance obligatory. established customs. Due to her position, she cannot openly oppose her mother and therefore is cunning and deceives her. She hopes that marriage will give her the opportunity to leave this house, to escape.

* This work is not a scientific work, is not a final qualification work and is the result of processing, structuring and formatting the collected information intended for use as a source of material for independent preparation of educational works.

A.N. Ostrovsky spent a very long time looking for the main characters of his plays “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry.” He went through many options, he needed a hero who would at the same time evoke in the reader: contempt, pity, delight and sympathy. And as they say, “those who seek will always find,” so Ostrovsky found what he wanted. And it seems to me that it was not for nothing that he chose the main characters so carefully, since they really fit these roles, even if it was the main character of the story “thunderstorm” - Katerina, or the main character of the story “dowry” - Larisa. They are both very interesting characters, to some extent they are even very similar, but it is impossible to say that they are the same, since they are not.

In the story "thunderstorm" main character Katerina had a hard time taking into account. Yes, at the beginning we see a faithful wife who loves her husband, one might even say daughter-in-law, who is trying to find have a common language with the husband's mother, i.e. with my mother-in-law. But then, when we begin to learn more and more new things about Katerina, we begin to understand that she does not love her husband at all, she remains faithful only because she knows that it is her duty. And she tries not to conflict with her mother-in-law just so that it will be at least a little easier for her to live in a house where there are only scandals, and which, of course, did not pass without the presence of her grumpy mother-in-law Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova.

And so we see that Katerina seems to find her happiness and fall in love. But even here she cannot be happy, since she is married and there can be no talk of anything like that. But still she goes against the rules and cheats on her husband with a young man, Boris Grigorievich. We also see that Katerina could not live with such a sin in her soul, and publicly admitted her betrayal. Of course, almost no one understood her and treated her with contempt. Out of shame, she wants to leave with Boris, whom she loves, but he refuses her and leaves alone. And Katerina decides to commit suicide and jumps off a cliff.

As for the story “The Dowry,” it is easier for the main character Larisa, since she is not married and is a completely free girl. But for some reason this does not stop her from ruining her life, at least by the fact that she gives consent to marriage to someone whom she does not love at all. And she loves her ex-fiancé Paratov, who left her and left. And he returned only when Larisa was almost a married girl. And as you might guess, of course it ruins the lives of both Larisa and her fiancé Karandyshev. Paratov deceives the naive Larisa, one might even say he simply uses her as a toy. And of course he leaves her and is not at all going to marry her, as he promised her earlier. And she remains alone, unhappy and deceived. Since Larisa cheated on her fiancé, she now cannot return to him, and besides, Karandyshev himself already knows about everything and is in anger looking for Paratov and Larisa. A Larisa, meanwhile, in despair approaches the cliff and wants to commit suicide, but does not dare to do so, and exclaims: “As if someone would kill me now...” And some minutes pass and her desire comes true. Or more precisely, Larisa dies at the hands of her deceived fiancé Karandyshev.

And so, personally, I think that the plays “THE STORM” and “THE MESS” are not so similar, or rather similar only in that both main characters die tragically at the end of the plays. And so, in their very essence, these two plays are completely different and the fates of Katerina and Larisa are not at all similar.

Of course, if these events took place in our time, then perhaps the endings of plays “D” and “B” would have turned out completely differently.

1. Features of Ostrovsky’s creativity.
2. The image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm”.
3. Varvara, daughter of Kabanikha.
4. Katerina, Kabanikha’s daughter-in-law.

A. N. Ostrovsky wrote several dozen plays during his life, and in all these works, as in a mirror, certain aspects of life contemporary to the author were reflected. But did Ostrovsky write only about his time? Undoubtedly, the flavor of his plays belongs to a certain time, but the characters of the people fundamentally remain unchanged. Is this why the playwright’s plays sound so modern today? The formidable figure of the tyrant owner (or mistress), towering over the trembling household members, calculation, equally reigning both in the business sphere and in the field of feelings, human relationships, the suffering of an exalted soul and the torment of petty egoism... Behind all this eternal flickering human life observes the gaze of the master, who sometimes managed to convey the features of a particular character with a few strokes.

Many of Ostrovsky’s works are dedicated to the life of the merchant class, whose life the playwright recreated with amazing accuracy and brightness. In other plays, Ostrovsky showed the life of a noble estate, the vicissitudes of an actor's existence. The playwright's attention was also attracted by the description women's destinies- in his plays he showed many memorable, original female characters. As an example of a bright female image in Ostrovsky’s work, the image of Katerina from the play “The Thunderstorm” is often cited. However, in this play there are other bright female characters - these are Katerina’s mother-in-law, Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova, the formidable Kabanikha, and Kabanikha’s daughter, Varvara.

When analyzing these images, one must remember that they are all products of the same environment. To better understand the essence of each character, it is advisable to compare them. From the text of the play it is clear that life in Kabanova’s house and in parental home Katerina was practically no different. When Katerina talks about her childhood, Varvara remarks: “But it’s the same with us.” It is easy to imagine that the stern Kabanikha herself in her youth, just like Katerina, endured her mother-in-law’s barbs. The tyrannical rule that Kabanikha established in her house, remaining a widow and becoming a full-fledged mistress, is the embodiment of her desire for freedom. Kabanikha herself most likely does not even suspect this - she is sincerely convinced that she cares about the happiness of her son and daughter-in-law, that everything goes according to routine for them, as it should be. good people. Kabanikha is not without positive traits when it comes to communicating with people who are not members of her family. She cordially welcomes wanderers and pilgrims into her home, and talks judiciously with the tyrant Dikiy, whom almost all of his household are afraid of. Kabanikha can rightfully be called an integral nature - she is devoid of painful internal contradictions, on the contrary, she is convinced that her way of behavior is the only correct one. It would seem that the life of Kabanikha, who does not encounter open resistance to her power, enjoys the advantages of wealth and external manifestations of respect and obedience of others, can be called an enviable fate. But the indestructible power of Kabanikha is overshadowed by the shadows of the future - the apocalyptic ghosts of an inevitable catastrophe.

Fantastic stories of wanderers about the machinations of evil spirits are intertwined in the imagination of a rich merchant's wife with obvious signs of weakening Domostroevsky traditions. A departure from antiquity, according to Kabanikha, is the first step towards the abyss. “But they, too, are stupid, want to do their own thing,” Kabanikha laments, thinking about her son and daughter-in-law. In essence, Kabanikha’s idea is not without meaning - living with your own mind is also not so easy, and Tikhon, Kabanikha’s son, does not have the necessary skills for this. But daughter Varvara turns out to be able to independently make significant decisions and implement her plans. Varvara, despite her youth, had a good understanding of how to behave in her parents’ house in order to avoid unnecessary troubles: “...Do whatever you want, as long as it’s sewn and covered.” Varvara’s prudence and practicality are constantly evident. She, like her mother, is an integral nature, and her reaction to events is manifested primarily in action, and not in reflection. Varvara is able to sensibly evaluate the people around her, primarily her loved ones and their relationships. The girl understands how hard life is for Katerina and tries to support her in her own way. sympathizes with her. Varvara understood without words that Katerina did not love Tikhon, “... and there’s no reason to,” the girl impartially notes, knowing what her brother is like. Varvara is very observant - by subtle signs she guessed who Katerina loved.

So, the lively participation that Varvara shows towards Katerina manifests itself in an active way. It is interesting to note: Katerina is trying to tell the girl about her doubts, but the interlocutor does not take them too seriously: “What a desire to dry up! Even if you die of melancholy, they will feel sorry for you! Well, just wait. So what a shame it is to torture yourself!” Varvara’s active nature quickly finds an opportunity to arrange dates without interference - both hers with Kudryash, and with Katerina and Boris. IN practical matters Varvara is an indispensable assistant. But as for the internal contradictions tearing apart Katerina’s soul, Varvara cannot help here simply because she herself is devoid of such hesitations. Having determined her line of behavior, Varvara confidently follows her chosen path. Her escape with Curly is just one step. Having walked “at their own free will,” they will most likely get married and live happily ever after. It is quite possible that over time Varvara will reproduce some of her mother's behavior. Kabanikha’s imperious spirit can already be discerned in her daughter. But Varvara acts differently: she does not rudely force, but cleverly takes advantage of the human weaknesses of those around her - this is how she forced Katerina to take the key to the garden gate, this is how she lured the weak-willed Boris to the meeting place.

Varvara’s character combines various qualities; she has many truly good traits. However, it should be noted that the false atmosphere of her parents’ home forever left its mark on her soul. “...Do whatever you want, as long as it’s done well”—this is Varvara’s hypocritical worldly wisdom, unconsciously borrowed from her mother, who “out of the appearance of piety” tyrannizes her family.

The tragedy of Katerina, which, following Dobrolyubov, is often called “a ray of light in dark kingdom", lies not only in the fact that she fell under the power of her mother-in-law. Katerina’s main problem is that, unlike Kabanikha and Varvara, she is not able to choose for herself a line of behavior that she herself would consider correct. Katerina believes that she must remain faithful to her husband, and does not have enough fortitude for this, she longs for a meeting with Boris, but instead of joy, these meetings bring her new torment. Oddly enough, upon closer examination one can detect some similarities between Katerina and Kabanikha, primarily in their premonitions, full of drama. But if Kabanikha’s gloomy forebodings concern the fate of the world and are directed outward, then Katerina’s forebodings concern her own fate and are directed inward. The thought is material: Kabanikha’s premonitions are embodied by the collapse of the values ​​of “Domostroy” and the “shame” that Katerina brought upon the family. Katerina’s premonitions also come true - after all, she herself actively contributed to this.

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky is a Russian playwright, whose work became the most important stage in the development of Russian national theater. During his life he wrote many worthy works, but the dramas “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry” became the most widely known. Both plays are devoted to the problem of the position of women in society, which is played out on the two most significant female images of the works: Larisa Ogudalova and Katerina Kabanova.

Katerina is a sincere, open and bright person, which makes her stand out sharply from the background of the society in which she is forced to live.

She was brought up on love, mutual understanding and respect for her neighbor, which she cannot achieve from her current family in relation to herself. Katerina cannot get along in the situation in which she found herself after her marriage, and in the end her hostility towards her own married life results in a protest against the patriarchal way of life.

By nature, Larisa Ogudalova is a proud, rather reserved, but unusually friendly girl. Larisa is unhappy in love, in which she is similar to Katerina Kabanova; she also cannot find support and participation in her family, which leads to the brewing of the heroine’s internal conflict. Her mother, Kharita Ignatievna, cares only about her daughter’s future well-being, trying to find a richer groom, but despite all her efforts, Larisa, unexpectedly for herself, agrees to marry a poor official. She is ashamed of her future husband and humiliated by his attempts to compare with Paratov, for whom she still has tender feelings. In Larisa’s soul there is a terrible struggle between the desire to come to terms with the fate of the wife of a minor official and the dream of a beautiful and bright life.

Despite the similarity of the situations in which both girls find themselves, their protest and reaction to what is happening is expressed differently. Larisa is indifferent and only sometimes does she make individual remarks that betray her dislike for bourgeois life. Throughout the play we see little of any emotion that Larissa shows. Katerina, on the other hand, reacts most vividly to the situation around her; she is frank with the reader from the very beginning. Perhaps that is why she comes out more decisively with her protest than Ogudalova the younger. She repents of what she has done and, no longer able to continue such a life, throws herself into the water, which Larisa herself, although she dreams of death, does not dare to do.

Thus, internal conflict, brewing in both heroines, which later turns into a protest against society, has a different basis. In the case of Katerina, this is a protest of the victim of tyranny against the tyrants themselves; Larisa is against “trade” human feelings and consumer attitude towards the individual. Both girls, who so passionately strived for freedom, eventually achieve it, but at what cost?

Compare the works of A. N. Ostrovsky “Dowry” and “The Thunderstorm”. What do they have in common?

1. Introduction.

After reading A. N. Ostrovsky’s plays “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry,” I decided to compare them with each other as the only dramatic works of this author that were written at different times, but have many similarities. The comparison of these plays is also prompted by the fact that in both of them a drama of an extraordinary female nature unfolds before us, leading to a tragic denouement. Finally, it is also important that in both plays the image of the Volga city in which the action takes place plays an important role.

2. Similarities and differences.

2.1. Both plays in question belong to the genre of drama, although the exact genre of "The Thunderstorm" remains a controversial issue in Russian literature. This play combines the features of both tragedy and drama (i.e., “everyday tragedy”). The tragic genre is characterized by an insoluble conflict between the personal aspirations of the hero and the laws of life, which is inherent in both plays.

2.2. In terms of the time it was written, “The Thunderstorm” is the main work of Ostrovsky’s pre-reform drama, while “Dowry” absorbs many motifs from the playwright’s post-reform work. The difference in the eras depicted in these plays led to complete dissimilarity art world; "Dowry" is a drama of the bourgeois era - a new time, when ties with the thousand-year-old folk tradition, a time that freed a person not only from the principles of morality, but also from shame, honor, conscience - and this decisively influences its problematics. The culture of the people in “The Thunderstorm” is inspired by the moral values ​​of Orthodoxy. Residents of the city of Kalinov still live according to “Domostroy”; life is still largely patriarchal.

2.3. Born in Zamoskvorechye, Ostrovsky knows well the life and customs of the merchants and explores the various characters of this circle in his work. His plays are densely populated with merchants and clerks, their children and wives. The playwright is interested in any little detail, from the description of the costume and furnishings of the house to the individuality of speech of each character. Ostrovsky was completely original in his portrayal of heroes.

Two dramas by A.N. devoted to the same problem - the position of women in Russian society. Of course, these women are extraordinary personalities. I want to focus on female heroines.

2.4.1. First of all, this is Katerina from the play “The Thunderstorm”. She is religious and romantic at the same time. Her soul strives for happiness, longing for freedom. Katerina is a merchant's daughter, married without love to Tikhon, she finds herself in an atmosphere of cruelty. In this environment, family responsibilities are performed not from the heart, but “from under bondage,” and Katerina is associated for the rest of her life with her stupid and narrow-minded husband, with her angry and grumpy mother-in-law.

But her romantic impulses find a way out, Katerina falls passionately in love with young man, Boris, who stands out for his decent manners and some education. In the heroine, two principles struggle: sincere feeling, love and consciousness of duty. married woman. This internal struggle evokes in Katerina a desire for personal freedom. Having cheated on her husband, Katerina herself repents to him, but, exhausted by the homely atmosphere, she prefers death to returning to her family. Honest, sincere and principled, she is not capable of deception and falsehood, of resourcefulness and opportunism.

She talks about her desire to fly several times. With this, Ostrovsky emphasizes the romantic sublimity of Katerina’s soul. She would like to become a bird, flying wherever she wants: “Why don’t people fly!.. Why don’t people fly like birds? You know, sometimes I feel like I'm a bird. When you stand on a mountain, you feel the urge to fly. That’s how I would run up, raise my arms and fly,” she says to Varvara, Tikhon’s sister, “how playful I was!” And yours has completely withered...” Harsh reality returns the heroine to the world of the Kabanovs and the Wild. Here you need to lie, quietly do what you want, outwardly observing the rules of decency. Varvara, who grew up in the house, perfectly mastered this science. Varvara is the complete opposite of Katerina. She is not superstitious, is not afraid of thunderstorms, and does not consider strict adherence to established customs obligatory. Katerina is disgusted by this behavior.

Therefore, in a merciless world where Wild and Boars reign, her life turns out to be unbearable, impossible and ends so tragically. Katerina’s protest against Kabanikha is a struggle of the bright, pure, human against the darkness of lies and cruelty of the “dark kingdom”. Katerina has a very unique character: she is God-fearing and rebellious at the same time. For her, this is not suicide, but liberation from the hardships of life and hopelessness.

2.4.2. The situation is different in the drama “Dowry”. The main character Larisa is not a simple girl from a bourgeois environment, she is an educated, cultured, thinking girl. She received a noble upbringing and, unlike Katerina, grew up in conditions where the weak are humiliated and where the strongest survive. Her character does not have the integrity that Katerina has. Therefore, Larisa does not strive, and cannot, realize her dreams and desires. She is oppressed by poverty and low status. Larisa does not accept the world in which she lives. She wants to get out of it at any cost.

For Larisa’s mother, a widow with three daughters, the ostentatious grace and nobility of family life is not a normal state, but a decoration for arranging profitable marriages for her daughters. For her, flattery and cunning are the main principles of communication with rich people visiting the house. Larisa is the youngest daughter, the last one left in the house, and her mother needs to get rid of her, without even claiming great luck. All this puts the extraordinary girl in a difficult situation. Around Larisa is a motley and dubious crowd of admirers and contenders for her hand, among whom there are quite a few “rabble of all sorts.” Life in her house is like a “bazaar” or a “gypsy camp.” The heroine is forced not only to endure the falsehood, cunning, and hypocrisy that surrounds her, but also to take part in them.

Larisa becomes a victim of the noble splendor and irresistibility of Sergei Sergeevich Paratov. She sees in him the “ideal man”, a man whom one cannot disobey, one cannot help but trust. Larisa does not see the insignificance and pettiness of his nature. Having lost hope of happiness with Sergei Sergeevich, Larisa is ready to marry anyone who will take her away from a house that looks like a fair. She doesn’t like Karandyshev, doesn’t even respect him, but she hopes for him. But there is no nobility in this world. Larisa soon realized this. “I am a thing,” she tells Karandyshev. Realizing this, Larisa wants to sell herself at a higher price. The heroine is overcome by internal contradictions. She is ashamed of her thoughts, wants a clean and honest life, but does not see the way there. She wants to die and doesn’t have the strength, so Larisa takes Karandyshev’s shot as a blessing, liberation from the oppression of unsolvable problems. The death of the heroine is a worthy departure from life.

2.5. A. Ostrovsky's plays are full of various symbolism. First of all, these are symbols associated with the natural world: forest, thunderstorm, river, bird, flight. The names of the characters also play a very important role in the plays, most often names of ancient origin: ancient Greek and Roman.

2.5.1. Female names in Ostrovsky's plays are very bizarre, but the name of the main character almost always extremely accurately characterizes her role in the plot and fate. Larisa means “seagull” in Greek, Katerina means “pure”. Larisa is a victim of Paratov’s trade pirate deals: he sells “birds” - “Swallow” (steamboat) and then Larisa - a seagull. Katerina is a victim of her purity, her religiosity, she could not bear the splitting of her soul, because she loved not her husband, and cruelly punished herself for it. It is interesting that Kharita and Martha (in “The Dowry” and in “The Thunderstorm”) are both Ignatievna, that is, “ignorant” or, in scientific terms, “ignoring”. They stand, as it were, on the sidelines of the tragedy of Larisa and Katerina, although both of them are certainly to blame (not directly, but indirectly) for the death of their daughter and daughter-in-law.

2.5.2. Paratov is both a parade and a pirate. Also, of course, the comparison of Paratov with a “paraty” beast, that is, powerful, predatory, strong and merciless, suggests itself. His predatory behavior in the play is best characterized by this surname.

There is no need to comment on the names of Dikoy and Kabanov. And Tikhon is Kabanov, no matter how “quiet” he is. So Katerina rushes about in this dark forest among animal-like creatures. She chose Boris almost unconsciously, the only difference between him and Tikhon was his name (Boris is “fighter” in Bulgarian).

Wild, headstrong characters, except for the Wild One, are represented in the play by Varvara (she is a pagan, a “barbarian,” not a Christian and behaves accordingly).

Kuligin, in addition to the well-known associations with Kulibinsh, also evokes the impression of something small, defenseless: in this terrible swamp he is a sandpiper - a bird and nothing more. He praises Kalinov like a sandpiper praises his swamp.

Larisa in “Dowry” is not surrounded by “animals”. Mokiy is “blasphemous”, Vasily is “king”, Julius is, of course, Julius Caesar, and also Kapitonich, that is, living with his head (kaput - head), and perhaps striving to be in charge.

And finally, Kharita - the mother of three daughters - is associated with the Kharites, the goddesses of youth and beauty, of which there were three, but she also destroys them (remember the terrible fate of the other two sisters - one married a sharper, the other was stabbed to death by her Caucasian husband).

3.1. “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry” are Ostrovsky’s best plays, which showed the reader and viewer the hitherto unknown world of the merchants with its passions and pain, sorrows and joys. This world stepped onto the stage of the Russian theater, showing the depth and diversity of natures, unbridled and rich in passions, petty and cruel, kind and noble, but weak, unable to stand up for themselves.

Women's images, created by the playwright, took their rightful place in classical Russian literature.

3.2. Katerina and Larisa have different upbringings, different tempers, different ages, but they are united by the desire to love and be loved, to find understanding, in a word, to become happy. And each one goes towards this goal, overcoming the obstacles created by the foundations of society. For Katerina, money still does not matter; she is ready to follow Boris on foot, if only he agrees to take her with him. Larisa is poisoned by the glitter of gold and does not want to vegetate with her pitiful and poor husband.

Katerina cannot connect with her loved one and finds a way out in death.

Larisa's situation is more complicated. She became disillusioned with her loved one and stopped believing in the existence of love and happiness. Realizing that she is surrounded by lies and deception, Larisa sees two ways out of this situation: either the search for material values, or death. And given the circumstances, she chooses the first. But the author does not want to see her as an ordinary dependent woman, and she leaves this life.

3.3. The characters of the main characters are very similar. These are natures who live by the mind of the heart, dream of happiness and love, and idealize the world. But the play “Dowry” was created in a different socio-political environment than “The Thunderstorm”. The playwright's hopes for the correction of society and the human race raise sincere doubts, which is why the endings of these plays differ significantly. If after the death of Katerina the world of the “dark kingdom” realizes its guilt, and Tikhon challenges his mother, blaming her for the death of his wife, then the murder of Larisa Ogudalova does not cause a similar resonance. The author deliberately emphasizes the indifference of others; the scene of the heroine's death is voiced by the singing of a gypsy choir.

3.4. Revealing the meaning of names and surnames in Ostrovsky's plays helps to comprehend both the plot and the main images. Although surnames and names cannot be called “speaking” in this case, since this is a feature of the plays of classicism, they are speaking in the broad - symbolic - sense of the word.