Sleeping Sophia

Comedy heroine A.S. Griboedova“Woe from Wit” Sophia, to hide her confusion over sudden appearance his father, Famusov, makes excuses, tells his dream about love - a possible dream, psychologically justified, but clearly fictitious:

“Tell you a dream: then you will understand...

Let me... see... first

Flowery meadow; and I was looking for grass,

Some, I don’t remember in reality.

Suddenly a nice person, one of those we

We'll see - it's like we've known each other forever,

He appeared here with me; and insinuating and smart,

But timid... You know, who is born in poverty...

Famusov only responds to last words: “Oh, mother, don’t finish the blow! Anyone who is poor is not a match for you.”

Sophia continues:

“Then everything disappeared: both the meadow and the heavens.

We are in a dark room. To complete the miracle.

The floor opened - and you are from there,

Pale as death, and hair on end!

Then the doors opened with a bang,

Some are not people or animals,

We were separated - and they tortured the one sitting with me.

It’s like he’s dearer to me than all the treasures,

I want to go to him - you bring with you:

We are accompanied by groans, roars, laughter, whistles of monsters,

He shouts after him."

The dream is a talented invention, but Sophia doesn’t know it, she knows it Griboyedov. In this dream - the real state of the heroine, the recognition of her lover, the background - a meadow, flowers, and the hero himself - from sentimental novels that girls of that time read. Moreover, the “dream” turned out to be prophetic.

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Characteristics of Sophia: not an angel, but a woman

Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov is one of the Russian literary geniuses of the early 19th century, who passed away too early (he tragically died in the diplomatic service at the age of 34). Nobleman, versatile educated person Having built a brilliant career in the diplomatic field, Griboyedov managed to write very little. The Peru of this talented writer was subject to translations from foreign languages, drama, prose and poetry, and among his works the most famous was the play in verse “Woe from Wit”, the writing of which was completed in 1824. The main ideas of the play include the irreconcilable opposition of two worldviews - adherents of the old, ossified way of life and young love of freedom . Among the many images, the main character, Sofya Famusova, stands out. It is full of contradictions and ambiguous. There is some understatement in it. Such is Sophia’s characterization (“Woe from Wit” does not elevate anyone to an ideal), that the girl cannot be unambiguously classified as a purely positive hero. Not stupid, according to the author himself, but not yet intelligent. The situation forces her to play the role of a liar, lie to her father and dodge in order to hide her feelings for the man whom he considers unworthy of her hand. A young seventeen-year-old charmer, she has enough willpower to have her own views on things, sometimes completely contrary to the foundations of her environment.

If for Sophia’s father, Famusov, the opinion of society is above all, then the girl herself allows herself to speak contemptuously about assessments from strangers. Sometimes it seems that the main characteristics of Sophia in the comedy “Woe from Wit” are the desire for freedom from the imposed will, passion for a different, independent life and naive purity of thoughts. Like every young girl, she wants the love and devotion of a worthy man, which she sees in her father’s secretary, Molchalin. Having created an ideal image of her lover in her imagination, she does not notice the discrepancy between her fantasies and reality. She does not want to notice the feelings of Alexander Chatsky, who is in love with her and shares many of her aspirations, close to her in spirit. Someone who, against the backdrop of her surroundings - her father, Colonel Skalozub, Molchalin and others - may seem like a breath of clean air during a time of suffocation.

Famus Society

Her love for Molchalin is also a unique characteristic of Sophia. “Woe from Wit” shows him as a kind of antipode to the main character, Chatsky. A quiet, modest, silent person “on his own mind.” But in her eyes he looks like a romantic hero. The girl's passionate nature helps her convince herself of the exclusivity of this mediocre man. At the same time, Chatsky, who embodies the spirit of love of freedom, honesty, directness and rejection of the old mores of society and their adherents, seems rude and evil to Sophia.

Sergei Yursky as Chatsky, Tatyana Doronina as Sophia

The girl does not understand that she herself is in many ways similar to him. She is also not concerned about the opinion of the crowd, she allows herself to be spontaneous, not to restrain her feelings for the sake of society and to show her emotional impulses in front of strangers. A certain confidence in the correctness of one’s actions and feelings is another characteristic of Sophia. “Woe from Wit” still does not fully reveal the character of the heroine (even A.S. Pushkin expressed the opinion that this image was written “unclearly”). Possessing a lively mind and an exalted nature, Sophia does not have sufficient steadfastness in her convictions and the fortitude to defend them.

Goncharov viewed the images of Sofia Famusova and Pushkin’s Tatyana Larina as similar in many ways. Indeed, the characterization of Sophia (“Woe from Wit”) and Tatiana (“Eugene Onegin”), in the intoxication of love, forgot about everything and wandered around the house, as if in a fit of sleepwalking, is indicative. Both heroines are ready to open their feelings with childish simplicity and spontaneity.

As the play “Woe from Wit” progresses, the characterization of Sophia in the eyes of the reader changes. From a naive and kind girl, she turns into a slanderer and a person ready, for the sake of petty vindictiveness, to destroy Chatsky’s authority in the eyes of his acquaintances. Thus, she loses his respect and destroys warm feelings. Her punishment is Molchalin’s infidelity and shame in the eyes of society.

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The dream that Sophia talks about in her monologue plays an important role in revealing the heroine’s mental torment. She is in love with Molchalin, her father’s secretary, but Famusov wants to marry her to another rich Skalozub, and even says: “Whoever is poor is not a match for you.” This is what Sophia’s torment is based on. The author shows how strong the main character’s feelings for Molchalin are through a dream, when describing which she uses such figurative and expressive means as epithets: “flowery meadow”, “dark room”, comparison: “pale as death, and hair on end”, rhetorical exclamations: “and hair stands on end!”, “he shouts after him!” Thus, sleep plays an important role in revealing state of mind and the experiences of the main character.

S2- In what works of Russian literature do the characters see dreams and how can they be correlated with Sophia’s dream?

In order to reveal inner world characters, some Russian writers used the heroes' dreams. Just as in A.S. Griboedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit,” A.S. Pushkin and M. Bulgakov addressed dreams in their works. Tatyana's dream in the novel “Eugene Onegin” (A.S. Pushkin) is a symbolic episode. It helps to understand the depth of the heroine’s experiences, her emotions and fears (“And Tanya woke up in horror”). The dream of Pontius Pilate in the novel “The Master and Margarita” (M. Bulgakov) also plays a key role in revealing the spiritual qualities of the procurator. He sees Yeshua and walks next to him and the dog Banga along the lunar road, in a dream main character repents of the execution of Ga-Notsri (“He will do anything to save a completely innocent crazy dreamer from execution”). The dreams of Pontius Pilate and Tatiana can be correlated with Sophia’s dream - they reveal the characters from the other side (the inner world), they help to understand the emotions and experiences of the characters.

S5- Why did Sophia choose the inconspicuous Molchalin over the brilliant Chatsky?

The comedy in verse “Woe from Wit” by A.S. Griboyedov, who combines in it the traditions of classicism and romanticism, is one of the most striking works in the author’s work. The play is based on a love conflict associated with the Sophia-Molchalin-Chatsky storyline. Chatsky returns to his beloved Sophia, whom he has not seen for 3 years. However, during his absence the girl changed. She is offended by Chatsky because he abandoned her, left and “didn’t write three words", and is in love with Father Molchalin's secretary.

So why did Sophia choose the inconspicuous Molchalin over the brilliant Chatsky? There are a number of objective and subjective reasons for this. The first include Chatsky’s long absence, at a time when Molchalin was constantly nearby. In one of the remarks, the heroine expressed her opinion on this matter: “He thought highly of himself... The desire to wander attacked him, ah! If someone loves someone, why travel so far?” Also, objective reasons include the fact that Molchalin in such a society was easier to love than Chatsky. Compliance, modesty, silence, and the ability to serve could help to survive in such an environment. And intelligence, freethinking, any word spoken against the foundations doomed Chatsky to failure in Famus society. As the hero said: “Silent people dominate the world.”

One of the brightest subjective reasons is Sophia’s passion for novels. “French books make her sleepless” (Famusov). The Servant Lover is an “ideal novel”, as if from French books. Chatsky humiliates the heroine’s chosen one, thereby causing her displeasure, and then she starts a rumor about his madness.

By showing the love conflict, the author reveals the characters' characters (Sophia, Chatsky, Molchalin). The ending of the play is dramatic - having learned the truth, the characters understand their mistakes, but it is already too late. Although Sophia preferred the inconspicuous Molchalin to the brilliant Chatsky, she was disappointed in this choice due to the fact that her lover turned out to be a scoundrel.

Related information:

1. In what case is unjust enrichment not subject to return and what is the judicial practice on relevant disputes?

Identify the functional significance of Sophia’s dream.

Remember what the functions of sleep are in a literary work. Show that most often the characters' dreams serve as psychological characteristics, anticipate future events, and are perceived as a metaphor for life. Dreams are associated with the movement of the plot and philosophical and aesthetic problems. Note that a dream in literature is both a subject of description, an artistic device, and a special means of understanding the world.

Next, identify the functional significance of Sophia’s dream. Make sure that the heroine’s dream is an improvisation, it is invented, fictitious. Determine in what specific situation this improvisation is born. Remember that Famusov almost found his daughter alone with Molchalin early in the morning on the eve of Chatsky’s arrival. Therefore, with her story, Sophia seeks to distract her father’s attention, divert suspicion from her lover, etc. At the same time, she hints at her feelings for someone who was “born in poverty,” trying to figure out Famusov’s potential attitude towards this.

Describe the main dream images of Sophia (“flowery

meadow”, “heaven”, “dark room”, “some kind of non-people and non-animals”, etc.) and show how the heroine’s inner world is reflected in them, her dreams of happiness with a “nice person” and awareness of inevitable obstacles on the way to their implementation.

Think about whether Sophia’s dream can be called “prophetic.” Explain why literary scholars call it a “reverse” dream.

Summing up your thoughts, draw a conclusion about the high semantic and aesthetic significance of Sophia’s dream.

Glossary:

• Sophia's dream in grief from madness
• Sophia's dream in grief analysis
• functional significance of Sophia's dream

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I.A. Goncharov wrote about the comedy “Woe from Wit” that it is “a picture of morals, and a gallery of living types, and an ever-burning, sharp satire,” which presents noble Moscow in the 10-20s of the 19th century. According to Goncharov, each of the main characters of the comedy experiences “its own million torments.” Sophia also survives him.

Raised by Famusov and Madame Rosier in accordance with the rules of raising Moscow young ladies, Sophia was taught “dancing, singing, tenderness, and sighs.” Her tastes and ideas about the world around her were formed under the influence of French sentimental novels. She imagines herself as the heroine of a novel, so she has a poor understanding of people. S. rejects the love of the overly sarcastic Chatsky. She does not want to become the wife of the stupid, rude, but rich Skalozub and chooses Molchalin. Molchalin plays the role of a platonic lover in front of S. and can sublimely remain silent until dawn alone with his beloved. S. gives preference to Molchalin because he finds in him many virtues necessary for “a boy-husband, a servant-husband, one of a wife’s pages.” She likes that Molchalin is shy, compliant, and respectful.

Meanwhile, S. is smart and resourceful. She gives the right characteristics to those around her. In Skalozub she sees a stupid, narrow-minded soldier who “can never utter a smart word,” who can only talk about “fruits and rows,” “about buttonholes and edgings.” She can’t even imagine herself as the wife of such a man: “I don’t care whether he’s in the water or not.” In her father, Sophia sees a grumpy old man who does not stand on ceremony with his subordinates and servants. Yes, and S. evaluates Molchalin’s qualities correctly, but, blinded by love for him, does not want to notice his pretense..

Sophia is resourceful like a woman. She skillfully distracts her father’s attention from Molchalin’s presence in the living room in the early hours of the morning. To disguise her fainting and fear after Molchalin's fall from his horse, she finds truthful explanations, declaring that she is very sensitive to the misfortunes of others. Wanting to punish Chatsky for his caustic attitude towards Molchalin, it is Sophia who spreads the rumor about Chatsky's madness. The romantic, sentimental mask is now torn off from Sophia and the face of an irritated, vindictive Moscow young lady is revealed.

But retribution awaits S., too, because her love intoxication has dissipated. She witnessed the betrayal of Molchalin, who spoke insultingly about her and flirted with Lisa. This deals a blow to S.’s pride, and her vengeful nature is revealed again. “I’ll tell my father the whole truth,” she decides with annoyance. This once again proves that her love for Molchalin was not real, but bookish, invented, but this love makes her go through her “millions of torments.”

Depressed by the need to constantly hide from her father, who is simply cheating on her common sense. The situation itself deprives her of the opportunity to reason: “What do I care about? Who do I care about? About them? About the whole universe?” From the very beginning you can sympathize with Sophia. But there is as much freedom in choosing it as there is predetermination. She chose and fell in love with a convenient man: soft, quiet and resigned (this is how he appears...

They were once united. It is this combination of the openness of the protagonist and the closedness of the heroine that creates additional tension in their conflict. Leads to a completely special tension in their relationship, as if smoldering under the “crust” of the external form of communication. Let's continue the conversation about the first meeting between Chatsky and Sophia. In the same calmly ironic series, following the Frenchman Guillaume, Chatsky mentions...

Conceived and executed as close to Chatsky. Critics N.K. Piksanov and I.A. Goncharov compare Sofya Famusova with Tatyana Larina. Her dream is extremely important for understanding the image of the heroine. The dream told by Sophia contains, as it were, a formula for her soul and a unique program of action. Here, for the first time, Sophia herself names those traits of her personality that Goncharov appreciated so highly. Sophia's dream is significant for...

Prepare for every hour, Pass us past all sorrows, And the lordly anger, and the lordly love. These lines reveal the main thing in Lisa’s character, and they are correlated with folk proverbs about lordly caress. So, Sophia and Lisa open the first act of the comedy “Woe from Wit”. Who are they? Sophia is a young lady, the daughter of a rich Moscow gentleman. Lisa is a servant, a serf girl, taken from the village. ...

Whether she really has no idea about the motivating reasons for Famus’s indignation (“I can’t explain your anger in any way” - 1, 19) or realized that he wants to hide something wrong, but she finds a successful move to justify herself:

And I rushed here as fast as I could (1, 19).

And thereby leads Famusov into complete confusion. And then it’s not difficult, knowing your father’s habits, to intrigue him with an unusual dream. All that remains is to come up with this dream...

“The whole effect of this story,” notes B.V. Tomashevsky, “lies in the fact that the plot of the dream is invented as the story goes on. Hence the uncertain discontinuity of the first verse" ( Tomashevsky B. V. Poem "Woe from Wit." P. 221). The word “grass”, highlighted in a separate line, is obviously the semantic key to this monologue. Analyzing the metric of the beginning of the monologue, E. A. Maimin writes: “In the third verse there is one foot; According to the law of rhythmic inertia, the “missing” feet must somehow, at least to some extent, be compensated; as a result, instead of the missing feet, a rhythmic pause naturally arises, which precedes

the word "grass". But this pause is due only to the meter. It turns out to be very appropriate and expressive in terms of meaning. She matches internal state Sophia: she’s inventing, for this very reason she thinks and involuntarily pauses, she still doesn’t know what exactly she was “looking for.” But as soon as she thought of it, as soon as she uttered the word “grass,” psychological release sets in, and the pace of her speech immediately accelerates. This acceleration, conditioned psychologically, is also justified metrically; justified by the need to pronounce a phrase segment equal to five feet in a different, shorter “rhythmic impulse”” (Creativity. pp. 82–83).

In turn, the rhythmic and psychological motivation of this line is subordinated to the meaning of the story. Sophia doesn’t just come up with a certain plot: she puts it together from separate “episodes” drawn from a dream book.

Let us turn to the book, probably well known to both Sophia and Famusov: “New, complete and detailed dream book, meaning a lengthy interpretation and explanation of each dream, and what other dream book has not existed in the Russian language until now; with the introduction of old women to funny philosophy, selected from the works of many foreign and skillful men in the science of divination, Varlaam and John Konigsberg, arranged in alphabetical order" (St. Petersburg, 1818). Let's find the word "grass" in this book. It turns out that not everything is simple with her - what matters is what she is like:

“Seeing green grass in a dream is a sign of health.

Seeing withered grass in a dream means illness.

To see grass that is cut but not yet collected in a dream, according to some, is a dream that foreshadows death for the one who sees it, for it grows only from the earth, and not from living bodies.”

That is, having finally found the plot after the first confused lines, Sophia finds herself at a crossroads: which of the turns (joyful, sad or tragic) of this plot to choose. First she tries the first of them, especially since, as the Dream Book says, “meadows seen in a dream are a good sign, promising all kinds of well-being.”

“Seeing darkness in a dream is a sign foreshadowing a complaint.

A prison seen in a dream threatens deception, obstacles, or illness.

Our ancestors, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, who appeared in our dreams, mean care and sadness about old and past affairs. If they appear cheerful and friendly to us in a dream, it means that these affairs will receive the end we desire. But if they are gloomy and angry, then we should be wary of the opposite.

To see monsters in a dream, such as do not exist in nature, means vain and empty hope.

Fighting with fierce beasts is a happy and prosperous dream for the poor; it promises them wealth and the dependence of many people on them. Through this dream, the rich are foreshadowed by dishonor and shame from people of low rank. Often this dream means illness, for just as we receive wounds, ulcers and scars from wild animals, so illnesses torment us..."

However, there was also a literary example of a story told by Sophia. The motif of sleep in Russian literature varied in different ways in the poetry of Zhukovsky.

Therefore, Griboyedov allows Famusov, who listened to his daughter’s improvisation, to repeat slightly paraphrased lines from Zhukovsky’s ballad “Svetlana”: “There are great miracles here, / There are very few warehouses” (Famusov, perhaps, has not read Zhukovsky, - G. jokes, bringing Famusov’s maxim with fashionable verses).