The comedy "Undergrowth" is a brilliant work by Fonvizin, in which the playwright portrayed bright, memorable characters whose names in modern literature and the era have become household names. One of the main images of the play is the mother of the undergrowth Mitrofanushka - Mrs. Prostakova. According to the plot of the work, the heroine belongs to negative characters. A rude, uneducated, cruel and mercenary woman from the first scene evokes a negative attitude, and in some places even ridicule from readers. However, the image itself is subtly psychological and requires detailed analysis.
The fate of Prostakova
In the play, upbringing and heredity almost completely determine the future character and inclinations of the individual. And the image of Prostakova in the comedy "Undergrowth" is no exception. The woman was brought up in a family of uneducated landowners, whose main value was material wealth - her father even died on a chest with money. Disrespect for others, cruelty towards the peasants and the willingness to do anything for the sake of profit Prostakov adopted from her parents. And the fact that there were eighteen children in the family and only two of them survived - the rest died due to oversight - is a real horror.
Perhaps if Prostakova married an educated and more active man, the shortcomings of her upbringing became less and less noticeable over time. However, she got a passive, stupid Prostakov as her husband, who finds it easier to hide behind the skirt of an active wife than to solve household issues on his own. The need to manage the whole village herself and the old landowner's upbringing made the woman even more cruel, despotic and rude, reinforcing all the negative qualities of her character.
Considering the life story of the heroine, the ambiguous characterization of Prostakova in "Undergrowth" is clarified before the reader. Mitrofan is the son of a woman, her only consolation and joy. However, neither he nor her husband appreciates Prostakova's efforts to manage the village. It is enough to recall the well-known scene when, at the end of the play, Mitrofan leaves his mother, and the husband can only reproach his son - Prostakov also stays away from her grief, not trying to console the woman. Even with all the grumpy character, Prostakov is sorry, because the closest people leave her.
Mitrofan's ingratitude: who is to blame?
As mentioned above, Mitrofan was Prostakova's only consolation. Excessive love of a woman raised a "mama's boy" out of him. Mitrofan is just as rude, cruel, stupid and greedy. At sixteen, he still resembles a small child who is naughty and runs around chasing pigeons instead of studying. On the one hand, excessive care and protection of the son from any worries of the real world may be associated with the tragic history of the family of Prostakova herself - one child is not eighteen. However, on the other hand, it was simply convenient for Prostakova that Mitrofan remained a big imbecile child.
As it becomes clear from the stage of the lesson in arithmetic, when a woman solves the tasks proposed by Tsyfirkin in her own way, the "own", landowner's wisdom of the owner is the main one for her. Without any education, Prostakova resolves any situation in search of personal gain. Obedient Mitrofan, who obeyed his mother in everything, should also have been a profitable investment. Prostakova does not even spend money on his education - after all, firstly, she herself lived perfectly without burdensome knowledge, and, secondly, she knows better what her son needs. Even marrying Sophia, first of all, would replenish the chests of the Prostakovs' village (recall that the young man does not even fully understand the essence of marriage - he is simply mentally and morally not mature enough yet).
The fact that in the final scene Mitrofan refuses his mother is undoubtedly the fault of Prostakova herself. The young man took over from her disrespect for relatives and the fact that you need to stick to someone who has money and power. That is why Mitrofan, without hesitation, agrees to serve with the new owner of the village of Pravdina. However, the main reason still lies in the general "malice" of the entire Skotinin family, as well as the stupidity and passivity of Prostakov, who could not become a worthy authority for his son.
Prostakova as a bearer of obsolete morality
In The Undergrowth, Mrs. Prostakova is contrasted with two characters - Starodum and Pravdin. Both men are carriers of humane educational ideas, contrasting with the outdated, landowner's foundations.
Starodum and Prostakova, according to the plot of the play, are the parents of young people, but their approach to education is completely different. A woman, as mentioned earlier, pampers her son and treats him like a child. She does not try to teach him something, on the contrary, even during the lesson she says that he will not need knowledge. Starodum, on the other hand, communicates with Sophia on an equal footing, shares his own experience with her, transfers his own knowledge and, most importantly, respects her personality.
Prostakova and Pravdin are contrasted as landowners, owners of large estates. The woman believes that beating her peasants, taking their last money from them, treating them like animals is quite normal. For her, the inability to punish the servants is as terrible as the fact that she lost her village. Pravdin is guided by new, enlightening ideas. He came to the village specifically to stop Prostakova's cruelty and let people work in peace. Through a comparison of two ideological directions, Fonvizin wanted to show how important and necessary reforms in the education of Russian society of that era were.
Fonvizin's innovation in the image of Prostakova
In "Undergrowth" Prostakov acts as an ambiguous character. On the one hand, she appears as a cruel, stupid, mercenary representative of the old nobility and landowner customs. On the other hand, we have before us a woman with a difficult fate, who at one moment loses everything that was valuable to her.
According to the canons of classic works, the exposure and punishment of negative characters in the final scene of the play should be fair and not cause sympathy. However, when at the end the woman loses absolutely everything, the reader feels sorry for her. The image of Prostakova in "Undergrowth" does not fit into the patterns and frames of classic heroes. The psychologism and non-standard depiction of the essentially prefabricated image (Prostakova is a reflection of the whole social layer of serf Russia in the 18th century) makes it innovative and interesting even for modern readers.
The above description of Prostakova will help students in grades 8 and 9 to reveal the image of Mitrofan's mother in their essay on the topic “Characteristics of Prostakova in the comedy “Undergrowth” by Fonvizin”
Artwork test
Prostakov, whose characteristics are the subject of this review, is a minor character in the well-known comedy by D. I. Fonvizin "Undergrowth". He is interesting in that he sets off the character traits of his wayward wife, who occupies a prominent place in the work. He is the father of the protagonist Mitrofanushka, and his personality partly explains the disposition of the young man, who is described by the author as a spoiled young man of a narrow mind.
Personality
When analyzing this play, special attention should be paid to the role that Prostakov plays in the development of the plot. The characterization of this hero will allow students to understand the lifestyle that this noble family led. Schoolchildren need to point out the character's last name, which from the very beginning gives readers a hint of what to expect from this person.
Indeed, Prostakov is very simple-hearted by nature, he almost never thinks about anything, allowing his wife to run the household and raise his son. He is timid and even downtrodden: anyone can be rude to him, for example, his wife is often rude to him and does not hesitate in expressions, allowing herself rather harsh, contemptuous and mocking remarks about her husband.
Hero Image
Prostakov, whose characterization must necessarily include an analysis of the degree of his education, judging by the reviews of others, is a man of a narrow mind. This explains the fact that his wife seized all power in the house and estate in her own hands. He does not have his own opinion, he completely provided his wife with a solution to domestic problems. The hero periodically emphasizes that he relies on her in everything, and this once again proves that she is the real mistress in the house.
Obviously, Fonvizin in this case plays on the contrast: a timid husband and a cruel wife. Prostakov, whose characterization is impossible without comparison with the image of his wife, under the pen of a talented playwright looks like her complete opposite. In general scenes, this difference between the characters is especially striking to the reader. The author created a comedy of situations in which each character is the bearer of some kind of shortcoming, and at the same time criticized the social reality of his contemporary time, when the landowners led an idle lifestyle.
Social overtones
The characterization of Prostakov should include an analysis of his social position: without this, it will be impossible to understand the author's idea. The fact is that Fonvizin created a work that was relevant for his time. Therefore, all of his characters are very recognizable, situations typical of Russian reality in the second half of the 18th century.
The hero is a nobleman, a landowner, i.e., a representative of that estate, which at the time in question was privileged and considered dominant. These people enjoyed all the privileges that the government gave them. Under Catherine II, they were exempted from compulsory military and civil service, which from now on became voluntary. Therefore, many remained in the countryside, on their estates, doing household chores or spending their time idly.
Mitrofanushka's father also belongs to the latter category. But Mrs. Prostakova took care of the house. The characteristic of this heroine shows the image of a cruel, but outstanding woman. She does housework and takes care of raising her son, while her husband does nothing at all. Rather, he resembles a child who also needs care and attention. So the author ridiculed many noble landowners who did not bother with any obligations and refused to serve. Therefore, the play turned out to be especially relevant, lively and recognizable.
Appearance
Prostakov's characterization should also include a brief overview of his behavior and appearance. Judging by the remarks of his wife and those around him, the hero looks like a confused and absent-minded person. He is inattentive, slow, sluggish. Often he cannot find an answer, stutters and finds words with difficulty. The hero is somewhat baggy, his clothes, judging by the comments of his wife, do not sit well on him.
Mrs. Prostakova, whose characterization reveals her as an imperious woman, but not devoid of some taste, takes care of the costume for her husband. Obviously, he has no sense of style, and he does not care at all how he looks in public and in society. The hero obviously doesn't have what she called good, social manners. He does not know how to receive guests according to etiquette and is only somewhat lost in the presence of outside visitors.
Hero Comparison
As a rule, the characterization of the Prostakovs does not cause great difficulties for students. "Undergrowth" is a play which, as mentioned above, is a comedy of positions and characters. All characters are revealed both through their own remarks and through the statements and comments of others. The Prostakovs were no exception in this regard. Despite the striking difference in their characters, both have one thing in common - this is their blind love for their son. Mitrofanushka's father, like his mother, understands all his shortcomings: laziness, stupidity and short-sightedness, but does not make any attempts to correct the young man. Perhaps this is the main mistake of both characters.
Spouses relationship
In the analysis of the play under consideration, the characterization of the Prostakovs occupies an important place. "Undergrowth" is a work in which the author convexly and vividly depicted representatives of the nobility, as well as the emerging intelligentsia. The protagonist's parents are quite recognizable by their relationship to each other, as well as to their son. Mrs. Prostakova does not respect her husband and does not perceive him as the owner of the estate. In turn, the latter puts up with the role assigned to him. However, this character is interesting because he says everything he thinks. Thus, the characterization of Prostakov from the comedy "Undergrowth" allows us to better understand the image of his wife, who occupies the main place in the whole work.
He is frank in his statements, naive and simple-hearted, which causes great irritation in his wife, who prefers to go to various tricks and tricks in order to achieve her goal. Often the reader sees what is happening through his eyes. He wants to believe, because he is so good-natured that he is incapable of lying.
>Characteristics of the heroes Undergrowth
Characteristics of the hero Prostakov
Prostakova is one of the main characters and the moving face in D. I. Fonvizin's play "Undergrowth". She is the mother of Mitrofanushka and the sister of Taras Skotinin. Prostakova participates in almost all the events of the play, since the action takes place in the house where she is the mistress. By position, she is a noblewoman, has serfs and is a typical example of a Russian landowner in the middle of the 18th century. It is distinguished by unscrupulousness, ignorance, illiteracy and the desire to control everything. The heroine's husband does not dare to argue with her. Such concepts as conscience and honor are alien to her. To achieve her goals, she is ready to go any tricks, including meanness and deceit. All that interests her is her personal well-being and the well-being of her son. For the sake of Mitrofanushka, she is ready to do anything. So, for example, having learned about the rich dowry of Sophia's pupil, she immediately decides to marry her son to her, despite the fact that it was originally decided to marry her to the brother of the landowner Taras Skotinin and, despite the protests of Sophia herself. Even when her plans fall apart, she still tries to secretly marry the young.
The play shows Prostakova's boundless and stupid love for her son, who is her only joy. Being illiterate herself, she tries to give him a decent education so as not to look worse than other landowners. To do this, she hires a German teacher. However, this is not done for the sake of the son being scientific, but for the sake of the capital's fashion. Also, in an attempt to eliminate her brother from the path of Mitrofanushka, she simply clings to his throat. The author clearly shows the reasons for this behavior of Prostakova. First of all, this is due to her inner ignorance and lack of education. The second reason has a social connotation and lies in the decree of Catherine II "On the Liberty of the Nobles". Thanks to this decree, the nobles of that time received full power over the serfs and were free to do whatever they wanted. Having shown the collapse of Prostakova and her plans at the end of the play, the author also emphasizes the collapse of the entire system.
- Miss Prostakova. The playwright portrays her vividly and realistically. Before us is a living face, we see Prostakova, we understand all her uncomplicated primitive psychology, we understand why and how the character of this “despicable fury”, as Pravdin calls her, has developed. The first thing that catches your eye when you read "Undergrowth", or see the production of this comedy, is the extraordinary rudeness of Ms. Prostakova: the first act begins with the fact that she scolds the tailor Trishka, calling him "cattle, thieves' mug and blockhead" . The same rudeness is visible in her words addressed to her husband, to her brother. But in the treatment of servants, not only rudeness is visible, but also inhuman cruelty. Upon learning that the girl Palashka fell ill, fell ill and was delirious, Prostakova exclaims: “Ah, she is a beast! Lies! Delirious, you bastard! Like she's noble!" She tells her husband to punish Trishka the tailor because, in her opinion, the caftan that he sewed for Mitrofan does not fit well. "Rogues! the thieves! scammers! beat everyone to death!" she shouts at the people. Prostakova considers ill-treatment of servants not only her right, but also her duty: “I manage everything myself, father,” she says to Pravdin, “from morning to evening, as if hanging by the tongue, I don’t rest my hands: I scold, then I fight, That's how the house holds up!" She completely ruined her serfs with dues, and she herself says this: “since we robbed everything that the peasants had, we can’t tear anything off.” Her brother, Skotinin, does the same with his peasants: “No matter how much the neighbors offended me, no matter how much damage they did,” he says, “I didn’t hit anyone with my forehead: and any loss, than to go after him, I’ll tear off their own peasants, so ends up in the water.
Heroes of "Undergrowth" Fonvizin
Brother and sister received the same education, which partly explains the roughness of their morals. Prostakova herself says that their father had eighteen brothers and sisters, but, except for her and her brother, they all “tried on”; it is clear that the children grew up without any supervision: “some of the dead were pulled out of the bath; three, having sipped milk from a copper pot, died; two of the Saint fell from the bell tower; but the ones who got to the ground weren’t standing by themselves…” The children weren’t taught anything at home. The father got angry when "kind people" persuaded him to send his son to school, and shouted: "I will curse the child who learns something from the infidels, and if it weren't for Skotinin, who wants to learn something."
In a conversation with Starodum, Prostakova completes a portrait of her father: “The dead father,” she says, “was a governor for fifteen years, and with that he deigned to die because he did not know how to read and write, but he knew how to earn and save enough. He used to always receive petitioners while sitting on an iron chest. After each, the chest will open and put something. At the same time, he was a great "economist", in other words, a miserly miser. “A dead man, light,” Prostakov ends his story, “lying on a chest with money, he died, so to speak, of hunger.” The example of such a father and the upbringing given to his children was reflected in the character and views of Prostakova.
Fonvizin. Undergrowth. Performance of the Maly Theater
However, agreeing with her father that “people live and lived without science,” Prostakova tries to give her son Mitrofanushka some kind of education. Following the requirements of the time, she even herself says to Mitrofan: "live for a century, learn for a century." She understands that now you won’t get big ranks without a diploma. Therefore, for the third year now, the seminarian Kuteikin has been teaching Mitrofan to read and write, the retired soldier Tsyfirkin - arithmetic, and the German Vralman, who enjoys special honor in the house, as a foreigner, all the sciences. Prostakova spares nothing in order to bring Mitrofanushka to the people, but, herself not understanding anything in the sciences, she interferes in the lessons, stupidly prevents teachers from doing their job and indulges Mitrofan's laziness.
Prostakova's insane love for her son is the only good feature of her character, although, in essence, this is a primitive, rude feeling; Prostakova herself compares her love for her son with the natural attachment of a dog to his puppy. But love for her son, whatever it may be, takes first place in all the actions and thoughts of Mrs. Prostakova. Mitrofan is the center and meaning of her life. For his sake, she is ready to commit a crime, trying to take Sophia away and forcibly marry her to Mitrofan. Therefore, when all her atrocities are revealed, when Pravdin takes custody of her estate for inhuman treatment of servants and threatens to bring her to justice, seeing that power and strength have been taken away from her, she rushes to her adored son: “You alone remained with me , my heart friend, Mitrofanushka! - And when Mitrofan, in response to this cry of her mother's heart, rudely pushes her away: "Yes, get rid of it, mother, how you imposed it!" - she can not stand her grief and with the words: “And you! And you're leaving me!" loses his senses. At this moment, one involuntarily feels sorry for Madame Prostakov; the author managed to portray her really, like a living person. Pointing to her, Starodum says the well-known final words of the comedy: “Here are worthy fruits of malevolence!”
Prostakov.
The ideological plan determined the composition of the characters of the "Undergrowth". The comedy depicts typical feudal landlords (Prostakovs, Skotinin), their serf servants (Eremeevna and Trishka), teachers (Tsyfirkin, Kuteikin and Vralman) and contrasts them with such advanced nobles as, according to Fonvizin, all Russian nobility should be: in the public service (Pravdin), in the field of economic activity (Starodum), in military service (Milon).
The image of Sophia, an intelligent and enlightened girl, contributes to a more complete disclosure of Prostakova's willfulness and ignorance; Sophia is connected with all the struggle that takes place in the "comedy".
The main face of the comedy is the landowner Prostakova. - rough and unbridled nature. She is impudent when she meets no resistance, and at the same time she is cowardly when she encounters strength. Merciless to those who are in her power, she humiliates herself, ready to wallow at her feet, begging for forgiveness from someone who is stronger than her (the scene with Pravdin at the end of the comedy), she is ignorant simpleton. She is hostile to enlightenment; from her point of view, education is superfluous: “Without the sciences, people live and lived,” she says. Only in obedience to necessity, wanting to "bring to the people" Mitrofan, she hires teachers for him, but she herself interferes with his teaching. In relations with people, she is guided only by rough calculation, personal gain. Such, for example, is her attitude towards Starodum and Sophia. For the sake of personal gain, she is even capable of committing a crime (an attempt to kidnap Sophia in order to forcibly marry her to Mitrofan).
Prostakova has no moral concepts: a sense of duty, philanthropy, a sense of human dignity.
A staunch inveterate serf-owner, she considers serfs to be her complete property: she can do whatever she pleases with them. No matter how hard her servants and peasants strain at work, they cannot please their ferocious owner. The illness of a serf infuriates her “Lies! Oh, she's a beast! Lies! As if noble!.. Delirious, beast! As if noble! Even Eremeevna, devoted to her, Mitrofan's nanny, who is trying in every possible way to please her, Prostakova calls nothing more than an "old witch", "a dog's daughter" and a "bad mug".
Prostakova believes that it is possible to manage the economy only with the help of swearing and beatings. She herself tells Pravdin about this, naively believing that the methods of her management are worthy of all praise: That's how the house is kept, my father. She completely robbed the peasants, squeezed everything she could out of them. “Since everything,” she lamented to her brother, “whatever the peasants had, we have taken away, we can’t rip anything off. Such a disaster!
Prostakova is despotic and rude not only in relation to the serfs. She does not put a dull, timid and weak-willed husband in anything and pushes him around as she wants. Teachers Mitrofan, Kuteika-nu and Tsyfirkin, do not pay salaries for a year.
Only Prostakova treats her son Mitrofan differently. She loves him, is tender to him) Caring for his happiness and well-being is the main content of her life. “One of my concerns, one of my joys is Mitrofanushka,” she says. She compares her motherly love to a dog's affection for her puppy. Therefore, her blind, unreasonable, ugly love for her son brings neither Mitrofan nor herself anything but harm.
The character of Prostakova, the degree of her mental development, the position of the landowner and the sovereign mistress in the house, the attitude towards the people around her - all this is expressively and vividly reflected in her speech.
So, she calls Trishka "a swindler, a thief, a slot, a thieves' mug, a blockhead", Eremeevna - a "beast". Her dismissive attitude towards her husband is expressed both in mockery of him: "You yourself are baggy, smart head," and in rude shouts: "Why are you so delirious today, my father?" "The whole century, sir, you walk, I weigh my ears." She calls her husband a "freak", "dead". But her speech becomes different in appeals to her son: “Mitrofanushka, my friend; my friend of the heart; son", etc.
At first, Prostakova treats Sophia roughly tyrannically: "No, ma'am, these are your inventions, in order to intimidate us with your uncle, so that we give you freedom." “Oh, mother! I know that you are a craftswoman, but dashing, I don’t really believe you. When she finds out that Sofya has become a rich heiress, the tone of her speech changes dramatically: “Congratulations, Sofyushka! Congratulations, my soul!
Prostakova's lack of culture is reflected in her use of vernacular: first - instead of the first, looking - instead of more, girls - instead of the girl.
But Prostakova is a landowner; in her midst, she also heard the speech of people of that time close to the literary language. Therefore, in her speech there are (albeit rarely) bookish-literary words and phrases, although somewhat distorted: “amorous writing”; “this is from the officer who was looking to marry you”; "I recommend you our dear guest, Mr. Pravdin"
Ingratiatingly, flatteringly, she turns to Starodum: “Our priceless guest! Would it really be necessary to meet our own father, on whom we have all hope, who we have alone, like gunpowder in the eye.
The image of Prostakova, vividly and truthfully drawn, acquires even greater persuasiveness, vitality, especially because Fonvizin shows the conditions under the influence of which her character was formed and took on such ugly forms. Prostakova grew up in a family characterized by extreme ignorance. Neither father nor mother gave her any education, did not instill any moral rules, did not lay anything good in her soul from childhood, but the conditions of serfdom - her position as the sovereign owner of serfs - influenced her even more strongly. Unrestrained by any moral foundations, full of consciousness of her unlimited power and impunity, she turned into an "inhuman mistress", a tyrant-fiend.