Sofia Pavlovna Famusova is a complex character, her image is complex and multifaceted. Nature endowed the girl with good qualities. She is smart, has a strong character, proud, independent and at the same time dreamy, with a hot, passionate heart. The author, describing the heroine, makes it possible to see all these features through her language and behavior. A. A. Yablochkina, People's Artist of the USSR, who is considered one of the best actresses who played the role of Sophia, said that it was speech that revealed this image.
Griboyedov shows the reader that this seventeen-year-old girl matured early, left without a mother. She behaves like a full-fledged mistress, mistress in the house, she is used to the fact that everyone obeys her. Therefore, in communicating with her, imperious notes are immediately heard in her voice, her independence is visible. Sophia is not so simple, the author endowed her with a special character: vengeful, mocking, tenacious. In her speech, one can notice something from the serfs with whom she often has to deal, as well as from French ladies, French books.
The heroine of "Woe from Wit" often mentions various emotional experiences, that someone pretends to be in love, and someone sighs from the depths of his soul. The extraordinary mind of the girl allows her to make accurate generalizing statements, for example, that happy hours are not observed.
Sophia was brought up under the supervision of French governesses, and therefore her speech is replete with gallicisms. But at the same time, her language is full of vernacular, characteristic of ordinary peasants.
However, all the positive natural inclinations of the girl could not be revealed in the Famus society. On the contrary, a false approach in education led to the fact that Sophia became a representative of the views accepted here, got used to hypocrisy and lies. In the critical article "A Million of Torments" I. A. Goncharov reveals this difficult image. He says that Sophia combines good natural inclinations and lies, a sharp mind and the absence of any convictions, moral blindness. And these are not just personal vices of the character, but common features of all the people of her circle. In fact, something tender, hot, dreamy is hidden in her soul, and everything else is nurtured by upbringing.
Sophia's life experience, judgments about people were made up of numerous observations of the life of those people who belong to her circle. She learned a lot of interesting things from sentimental French novels - they were incredibly popular among girls in a noble society. It was this literature, sentimental and romantic, that contributed to the development of the girl's daydreaming and sensitivity. Reading such novels, she drew in her imagination a hero who was supposed to be a humble and sensitive person. That's why the girl paid attention to Molchalin, because by his behavior, by some character traits, he reminded her of those very heroes from the French books she had read. Goncharov points to another important circumstance that influenced her passion for Molchalin. This is a craving for patronage, helping a loved one, so modest, not daring to utter a word and raise his eyes. This is a desire to elevate him, to make him equal to himself, to his circle, to give him all the rights. Of course, Sophia liked in this situation to feel like the main one, the ruler, the patroness, who makes her slave happy. And yet, she cannot be blamed for this, since at that time the husband-boy and the husband-servant were considered the ideal spouse of the capital, she could not find others in Famusov's house.
In the image of Sophia Goncharov, he saw the makings of a strong character, a lively mind, tenderness, feminine softness, passion, which was clamped, closed in her nature by a false upbringing, the social foundations of her circle. Chatsky loved in the girl precisely the good qualities of her nature, and therefore, after a three-year absence, it was especially unpleasant and painful for him to see that she had turned into a typical lady of the Famus circle. However, Sophia also experiences a spiritual tragedy when she overhears the dialogue between Lisa and Molchalin - a loved one appears before her in a true light. As Goncharov notes, she is even worse off than Chatsky himself.
THE IMAGE OF SOPHIA IN A. S. GRIBOYEDOV'S COMEDY "Woe From Wit".
“Griboyedov belongs to the most powerful manifestations of the Russian spirit,” Belinsky once said. Tragically dead thirty-four years old, Griboedov did not create, undoubtedly, everything that he could accomplish according to his creative powers. He was not destined to realize numerous creative ideas, striking in their wide scope and depth. A brilliant poet and thinker, he remained in history as the author of one famous work. But Pushkin said: "Griboedov has done his part: he has already written Woe from Wit." These words contain recognition of Griboedov's great historical service to Russian literature.
In "Woe from Wit" Griboyedov put forward the main social and ideological theme of his turning point - the theme of irreconcilable hostility between the defenders of the old, bone life and supporters of a new worldview, a new free life.
There are many actors in the comedy - positive and negative, but I want to dwell on the main character - Sofya Famusova. This girl does not belong to the good, mi to the bad. Griboedov unequivocally wrote: "The girl herself is not stupid." Still not such that the author could unconditionally call her smart, but it is also impossible to classify her as a fool. Otherwise, we will begin to contradict the author's will, which is primarily expressed in the very text of the play. Although it is the text that can put the reader in some difficulty. So, for example, when Pushkin first got acquainted with Griboyedov's play, the image of Sophia seemed to him inscribed "not clearly."
I want to try to understand her character. It is very complex in itself. In Sophia, “good instincts with lies” are complexly intertwined. She has to dodge and lie in order not to give out her love to her close-minded father. She is forced to hide her feelings not only because of her fear of her father; it hurts her when in things that are poetic and beautiful for her they see only harsh prose. Chatsky's love for Sophia will help us understand one truth: the character of the heroine is in some important way to match the main positive character of the whole comedy. At seventeen, she not only “bloomed charmingly,” as Chatsky says about her, but also shows an enviable independence of opinion, unthinkable for people like Molchalin, Skalozub, or even her father. It is enough to compare Famusov’s “what will Princess Marya Aleksevna say”, Molhollin’s “after all, you must depend on others” and Sophia’s remark: “What is rumor to me? Whoever wants, so judges. This statement is not just "words". The heroine is guided by them literally at every step: both when she receives Molchalin in her room, and when she
in the eyes of Skalozub and Chatsky, he runs with a cry to Osip: “Ah! My God! fell, killed! - and she herself falls unconscious, not thinking about the impression of others.
Sophia is absolutely confident in herself, in her actions, in her feelings. Although in all this, perhaps, that immediacy, the unspoiled nature of her nature, which allows us to compare her with Pushkin's Tatyana Larina, plays a significant role. But there is also a significant difference between them. Tetyana embodies the ideal character of the Russian woman, as Pushkin imagines her. Possessing the highest positive qualities of the soul, she loves an outstanding person, worthy of her in a number of qualities; Sophia's chosen one, unfortunately, is different, but this is only visible to us and Chatsky. Sophia, blinded by Molchalin's courtship, sees only the good in him. .
At the first meeting of Sophia with Chatsky, she does not show the same interest in him, she is cold and not affectionate. This puzzled and even upset Chatsky a little. In vain did he try to insert into the conversation the witticisms that had previously amused Sophia so much. They only led to an even more indifferent and slightly spiteful answer from Sophia: “Did it happen by mistake, in sadness, that you said good things about someone?” Until the end of the play, Sophia keeps her proud opinion about Chatsky: “Not a man is a snake.” The next meetings of Sophia and Chatsky differ little from each other. But in act 3, Chatsky decides to "pretend once in a lifetime" and begins to praise Molchalin in front of Sophia. Sophia managed to get rid of Chatsky's obsessive questions, but she herself gets carried away and completely withdraws into her feelings, again completely without thinking about the consequences, which once again proves to us the firmness of her character. To Chatsky’s question: “Why did you recognize him so briefly?”, She replies: “I didn’t try! God brought us together." This is enough for Chatsky to finally understand who Sophia is in love with.
The heroine draws a full-length portrait of Molchalin, giving it the most iridescent color, perhaps hoping in her soul to reconcile not only herself, but also others with this love. But Chatsky naturally does not want to listen to Sophia. For him, Molchalin is a person who is not worthy of respect, and even more so the love of a girl like Sophia. We involuntarily think: what attracted Sophia to Molchalin? Perhaps his appearance or a deep way of thinking? Of course not. The boredom that reigns in the Famusovs' house is primarily reflected in the girl's young quivering heart. The soul of a young and beautiful Sophia is filled with a romantic expectation of love, she, like all girls of her age, wants to be loved and love herself. Having unraveled Sophia's secret aspirations, Molchalin is nearby, he lives in the house. A young man of not bad appearance, moderately educated, vividly enters into the role of a lover and enchanted. Compliments, courtship, the constant presence of Molchalin nearby do their job. A girl falls in love without being able to choose or compare.
The heroine, of course, is the hardest at the end. She realizes that she has been playing the game all this time. A game, but with real feelings. Sophia begins to see clearly and understands that her own house is full of deceptions and intrigues. It is at this moment that all Chatsky's previous words begin to seem fair to her. Perhaps in the future our heroine will marry and live happily without needing anything. But this emotional drama is forever a heavy imprint of youth in her heart.
In comedy A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit" presents the customs of the Moscow nobles of the early 19th century. The author shows the clash between the conservative views of the feudal landlords and the progressive views of the younger generation of nobles who began to appear in society. This clash is presented in the form of a struggle between two camps: the “past century”, which protects its mercantile interests and personal comfort, and the “present century”, striving to improve the structure of society through the manifestation of true citizenship. However, there are characters in the play who cannot be unambiguously attributed to any of the opposing sides. This is the image of Sophia in the comedy "Woe from Wit".
Sophia's opposition to the Famus society
Sofya Famusova is one of the most complex characters in the work of A.S. Griboyedov. The characterization of Sophia in the comedy "Woe from Wit" is contradictory, because on the one hand, she is the only person close in spirit to Chatsky, the main character of the comedy. On the other hand, it is Sophia who turns out to be the cause of Chatsky's suffering and his expulsion from Famus society.
The protagonist of the comedy is not without reason in love with this girl. Now let Sophia call their youthful love childish, nevertheless, she once attracted Chatsky with her natural mind, strong character, and independence from other people's opinions. And he was nice to her for the same reasons.
From the first pages of the comedy, we learn that Sophia received a good education, loves to spend time reading books, which causes the anger of her father. After all, he believes that “in reading, the use is not great,” and “learning is the plague.” And this is the first discrepancy in the comedy "Woe from Wit" of the image of Sophia with the images of the nobles of the "past century".
Sophia's passion for Molchalin is also natural. She, as a fan of French novels, saw in the modesty and laconicism of this man the features of a romantic hero. Sophia does not suspect that she has become a victim of deceit by a two-faced person who is next to her only for personal gain.
In her relationship with Molchalin, Sofya Famusova shows such character traits that none of the representatives of the "past century", including her father, would ever dare to show. If Molchalin is mortally afraid to make public this connection to society, since “evil tongues are worse than a gun,” then Sophia is not afraid of the opinion of the world. She follows the dictates of her heart: “What is the rumor to me? Whoever wants, so judges. This position makes her related to Chatsky.
Features that bring Sophia closer to the Famus society
However, Sophia is the daughter of her father. She was brought up in a society where only rank and money are valued. The atmosphere in which she grew up certainly had an impact on her.
Sophia in the comedy "Woe from Wit" chose Molchalin not only because she saw positive qualities in him. The fact is that in the Famus society, women rule not only in society, but also in the family. It is worth remembering a couple of Goriches at a ball in Famusov's house. Platon Mikhailovich, whom Chatsky knew as an active, active military man, under the influence of his wife, turned into a weak-willed creature. Natalya Dmitrievna decides everything for him, gives answers for him, disposing of him like a thing.
It is obvious that Sophia, wanting to dominate her husband, chose Molchalin as her future husband. This hero corresponds to the ideal of a husband in the society of the Moscow nobles: "A husband-boy, a husband-servant, from the wife's pages - the high ideal of all Moscow men."
The tragedy of Sofia Famusova
In the comedy Woe from Wit, Sophia is the most tragic character. More suffering falls to her lot than even Chatsky's.
Firstly, Sophia, possessing by nature determination, courage, intelligence, is forced to be a hostage to the society in which she was born. The heroine cannot afford to surrender to feelings, regardless of the opinions of others. She was brought up among the conservative nobility and will live according to the laws dictated by them.
Secondly, the appearance of Chatsky threatens her personal happiness with Molchalin. After the arrival of Chatsky, the heroine is in constant tension and is forced to defend her lover from the caustic attacks of the protagonist. It is the desire to save your love, to protect Molchalin from ridicule, that pushes Sophia to spread gossip about Chatsky's madness: “Ah, Chatsky! Do you like to dress everyone up as jesters, would you like to try on yourself? However, Sophia turned out to be capable of such an act only because of the strong influence of the society in which she lives and with which she gradually merges.
Thirdly, in the comedy there is a cruel destruction of the image of Molchalin that has developed in Sophia's head when she hears his conversation with the maid Liza. Her main tragedy lies in the fact that she fell in love with a scoundrel who played the role of her lover only because it could be beneficial for him to receive the next rank or award. In addition, the exposure of Molchalin takes place in the presence of Chatsky, which hurts Sophia as a woman even more.
conclusions
Thus, the characterization of Sophia in the comedy "Woe from Wit" shows that this girl is in many ways opposed to her father and the entire noble society. She is not afraid to stand against the light, protecting her love.
However, this same love makes Sophia defend herself from Chatsky, with whom she is so close in spirit. It is with the words of Sophia that Chatsky is blackened in society and expelled from it.
If all the other heroes of the play, with the exception of Chatsky, participate only in social conflict, protect their comfort and their usual way of life, then Sophia is forced to fight for her feelings. “She, of course, is harder than everyone else, even harder than Chatsky, and she gets her “million torments”,” wrote I.A. Goncharov about Sophia. Unfortunately, in the finale it turns out that the heroine's struggle for the right to love was in vain, because Molchalin turns out to be an unworthy person.
But even with someone like Chatsky, Sophia would not have found happiness. Most likely, she will choose as her husband a man who corresponds to the ideals of the Moscow nobility. The strong character of Sophia needs realization, which will become possible with her husband, who allows him to command and lead himself.
Sofya Famusova is the most complex and controversial character in Griboyedov's comedy Woe from Wit. The characteristics of Sophia, the disclosure of her image and the description of the role in the comedy will be useful to grade 9 when preparing materials for an essay on the theme of the image of Sophia in the comedy "Woe from Wit"
Artwork test
Sophia Famustova is the daughter of a wealthy landowner, Pavel. A young beauty "of marriageable age", not just entering the light of high society, but originally born in it. To be more precise: in a family holding a secular society. Sophia is young and beautiful - these are her main distinguishing features. She is trained in all proper manners and conducts the standard girlish duties around the house: she reads French writers aloud, plays the piano, and receives guests with a smile and kindly in her father's house. The young lady was raised without maternal warmth (Pavel was widowed early), however, she is not deprived of care and attention. From childhood, a magnificent nanny was assigned to her, replacing her native person.
Sophia loves her father and named brother, Chatsky. By blood, they are not related to each other, but Famusov raised Chatsky at his home, replacing his untimely departed parents. The fact that Chatsky is crazy about Sofia and his feelings are far from related, the reader will learn from the comedy a little later. As for Sophia herself, it is worth noting that the girl is far from being stupid, not a coward, however, with self-determination, the young lady is really not going smoothly. Although, such behavior can be easily justified by adolescence and, of course, the influence of society, which gave Sophia a comfortable life that does not know real experiences.
Characteristics of the heroine
(Sophia. Artist P. Sokolov, 1866)
Sophia, in spite of her direct relation to the secular society, living in “famustovism”, has her own personal opinion and does not want to merge with the public. The first opposition to everything that happens around is seen in her stubborn love for self-improvement. Sofia Pavlovna - loves to read, which incredibly irritates her father. He is indignant at Sonechka's craving to re-read French literature, he considers this an incomprehensible, empty occupation, especially for a young lady.
Further, the defense against the general opinion goes much deeper: “What is the rumor to me?” Sophia speaks about their secret relationship with Molchalin. At a time when a young man frantically weighs all the pros and cons, the young Famustova shamelessly spends evenings and nights with him on secret dates, knowing full well that such relationships put a stigma on her reputation. In the century described in a comedy by Griboyedov himself, such communication between a man and a woman was considered tantamount to a rash, riotous life on the part of a girl from a family with a loud last name.
(The role of Sophia, artist of the USSR Vera Ershova "Woe from Wit", 1939)
However, no matter how her soul strives for isolation and liberation from human opinion, Sophia rationally stops her heartfelt choice. Molchalin - not because she is in love, but because it is calmer and more profitable than with the blackened Chatsky, who loves her from an early age. Sympathy - sympathy, and the rank was originally to her face, and that was used for its intended purpose.
The image of the heroine in the work
(Anna Snatkina as Sofia Famusova, One Actor Theater - project by E. Rozhdestvenskaya)
Sophia is not an evil character. Moderately open, moderately naive and oh, how good. At 18, she became an almost perfect wife and woman, not deprived of intelligence and quick wits.
Its main role in Griboyedov's work is to show that it is difficult to get away from the general opinion in a small circle. And it doesn't matter: 10 people - neighbors in your house make up this very "public opinion" or, defending your personal opinion, you will have to go against the established iron system of those who need rank, money and the mask of the most ideal person.
Sophia herself, a “front-line comrade” and beloved girlfriend of Chatsky, could not overcome the desire to live in comfort. There is no certainty that Sophia was afraid of rumors or difficulties with gossip. Most likely, this is not fuss and fear, but a thoughtful choice, with an application for a long and happy future, concerning, first of all, herself, and then everyone who stood closer.
The image of Sophia (A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit")
The only character, to some extent close to Chatsky, is Sofia Pavlovna Famusova. Griboyedov wrote about her: "The girl herself is not stupid, she prefers a fool to a smart person ..." This character embodies a complex character, the author has left satire and farce here. He presented the female character of great strength and depth. Sophia was "unlucky" in criticism for quite a long time. Even Pushkin considered this image a failure of the author: "Sophia is inscribed indistinctly ...". And only Goncharov in "A Million of Torments" in 1871 for the first time understood and appreciated this character and his role in the play.
Sophia has a dramatic face, she is a character in a domestic drama, not a social comedy. She - like her antagonist Chatsky - is a passionate person, living with a strong and real feeling. And even if the object of her passion is miserable and pitiful (the heroine does not know about this, but the audience knows) - this does not make the situation funny, on the contrary, it deepens its drama. Sophia is driven by love. This is the most important thing in her, it forms the line of her behavior. The world for her is divided in two: Molchalin and everyone else. When there is no chosen one, all thoughts are only about a quick meeting; she may be present on stage, but in fact - her whole soul is directed towards Molchalin. Sophia embodied the power of the first feeling. But at the same time, her love is joyless and not free. She is well aware that the chosen one will never be accepted by her father. The thought of this overshadows life, Sophia is already internally ready for the fight. The feeling so overwhelms the soul that she confesses her love to seemingly completely random people: first to the maid Lisa, and then to the most inappropriate person in this situation - Chatsky. Sophia is so in love and at the same time depressed by the need to constantly hide from her father that her common sense simply changes. The situation itself makes it impossible for her to reason: "But what do I care about whom? before them? before the whole universe?" The heroine, as it seems to her, treats the chosen one sensibly and critically: "Of course, he does not have this mind, // What a genius for others, but for others a plague, // Which is quick, brilliant and soon opposes ... // Yes, such Will the mind make the family happy?" Sophia's "woe from wit", "woe from love" of Sophia lies in the fact that she chose and fell in love with a person in her view of the wonderful: soft, quiet and resigned (this is how Molchalin appears in her stories-characteristics), without seeing his true appearance . He's a scoundrel. Sofya Molchalina will open this quality in the finale of the comedy. In the finale, when she becomes an unwitting witness to Molchalin's "courtship" of Lisa, when the "veil fell off", she is struck to the very heart, she is destroyed - this is one of the most dramatic moments of the whole play.
How did it happen that a smart and deep girl not only preferred Chatsky a scoundrel, a soulless careerist Molchalin, but also committed a betrayal by spreading a rumor about the madness of a person who loves her? In "Woe from Wit" there is an exhaustive definition of women's education of that time, given by Famusov:
We take vagabonds both to the house and by tickets,
To teach our daughters everything, everything -
And dancing! and foam! and tenderness! and sigh!
As if we are preparing buffoons for their wives.
In this angry remark, the answers to the main questions of education are clearly formulated: who teaches, what and why. And it's not that Sophia and her contemporaries were uneducated: they knew not so little. The point is different: the entire system of women's education had the ultimate goal of giving the girl the necessary knowledge and skills for a successful secular career, that is, for a successful marriage. Sophia builds her life according to generally accepted patterns. On the one hand, books bring her up - those same French novels from which "she can't sleep." It reads sentimental stories of unequal love between a poor and rootless youth and a rich, noble girl (or vice versa). He admires their loyalty, devotion, readiness to sacrifice everything in the name of feeling. Molchalin in her eyes looks like a romantic hero:
He takes his hand, shakes his heart,
Breathe from the depths of your soul
Not a free word, and so the whole night passes,
Hand in hand, and the eye does not take my eyes off me.
This is how lovers behave in the pages of French novels. Let's remember that even Pushkin's Tatiana Larina "imagined the heroine of her beloved creators" and at the dawn of her tragic love for Onegin saw either Grandison or Lovlas in her chosen one! But Sophia does not see the difference between romantic fiction and life, does not know how to distinguish a true feeling from a fake. She loves. But her chosen one is only "serving his duty": "And now I take the form of a lover // To please the daughter of such a person ...". And if Sophia had not accidentally overheard Molchalin's conversation with Lisa, she would have remained confident in his virtues.
On the other hand, Sophia unconsciously builds her life in accordance with generally accepted morality. In comedy, the system of female images is presented in such a way that we see, as it were, the entire life path of a secular lady: from girlhood to old age. Here is Sophia, surrounded by six Tugoukhovsky princesses: young ladies of marriageable age, "at the threshold" of a secular career. Here is Natalya Dmitrievna Gorich - a young lady who has recently married. She takes the first steps, overcomes the initial stages of a secular career: pushes her husband around, guides his opinions and "adjusts" to the judgments of the world. And here are the ladies who form the "opinion of the world": Princess Tugoukhovskaya, Khlestova, Tatyana Yurievna and Marya Aleksevna. And, finally, the result of the life of a secular lady is the comic mask of the countess grandmother: "Once upon a time, I fell into the grave." This unfortunate creature, almost crumbling on the move, is an indispensable attribute of the ballroom ... Such is the successful, prosperous path of a secular lady, which any young lady strives to accomplish - and Sophia too: marriage, the role of a judge in secular living rooms, respect for others - and so on until the moment when "from the ball to the grave." And Chatsky is not suitable for this path, but Molchalin is just an ideal!
"You will make peace with him, mature in thought," Sofya Chatsky contemptuously throws. And he is not so far from the truth: one way or another, but next to Sophia, most likely it will be precisely "a husband-boy, a husband-servant from the wife's pages." Sophia, of course, is an extraordinary nature: passionate, deep, selfless. But all her best qualities have received a terrible, ugly development - that is why the image of the main character of "Woe from Wit" is truly dramatic.
The best analysis of the image of Sophia belongs to I. Goncharov. In the article "A Million of Torments" he compared her with Pushkin's Tatyana Larina, showed her strength and weakness. And most importantly, he appreciated in it all the advantages of a realistic character. One characteristic deserves special attention: "This is a mixture of good instincts with lies, a lively mind with the absence of any hint of ideas and convictions, confusion of concepts, mental and moral blindness - all this does not have the character of personal vices in her, but appears as common features of her circle".
Bibliography
Monakhova O.P., Malkhazova M.V. Russian literature of the 19th century. Part 1. - M.-1994
