Molchalin's characterization largely helps to reveal the image of the "past century." The character seeks to please all those in the highest circles. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with a brief description of the image of Molchalin according to the plan with quotes.
Position in society
Alexey Stepanovich Molchalin - Famusov's secretary. The hero works at Pavel Afanasyevich at home, having arrived to him from Tver. At the same time, Molchalin is listed in the Archives, where he got thanks to Famusov, who appreciates the helpfulness of the character. Despite the fact that Famusov promotes Molchalin up the career ladder, he does not want Aleksey Stepanovich to become the fiancé of his daughter Sophia, because Molchalin is not a rich and “rootless” person.
Ability to serve
The most striking feature of Molchalin is his desire to serve all people who occupy a high position in society. He understands that only flattery and pretense can help him move up the social ladder. Thanks to his main quality, Molchalin manages to receive ranks, as a result of which he achieved the status of a nobleman.
In the work, Chatsky correctly notes that Molchalin "will reach the degrees of the known, because nowadays they love the dumb." The protagonist, seeing the real essence of Molchalin, is sure of the following: "The Molchalins are blissful in the world." Analysis of this phrase suggests that Molchalin ("Woe from Wit") is a generalized image that personifies the society of the time of A.S. Griboyedov. Chatsky, speaking about Molchalin, says: "A husband-boy, a husband-servant, of the wife's pages - the high ideal of all Moscow husbands." It is Molchalin who becomes Sophia's ideal.
The main principle by which Molchalin lives is in his phrase "In my years one should not dare to have one's own judgment." The hero understands that he must please people and humiliate himself in front of them in order to be noticed. Molchalin's desire to "serve" became the reason for the desire to receive a high rank and a good position in society.
The hero is dependent on public opinion. Molchalin is silent, speaks only in order to compliment or praise a person from the highest circles. A.S. Griboyedov does not accidentally resort to the use of speaking surnames. The character, confident that "evil tongues are more terrible than a gun", seeks to reveal his essence as little as possible, because then those around him will be able to understand his true intentions, and he wants to get ranks as soon as possible. For this, as noted by Chatsky, Molchalin is ready to "stroke the pug in time" and "rub the card in time".
The protagonist evaluates this quality of Molchalin as stupidity and frivolity.
For the sake of his own advancement on the career ladder, Molchalin, who, according to Chatsky, "was lured by honors and nobility", is building a love relationship with Sophia Famusov's daughter. The hero has no real feeling of love for her. He only thinks that a possible marriage with the daughter of a famous person in society will help him realize his plans. And if with Sophia Molchalin behaves as a real man should behave in her ideas, then with the maid Lisa, as she herself notes, Molchalin is a rake. With Lisa, the hero is persistent and courageous. This shows the character's duplicity, his ability to hide passionate feelings and cheeky behavior behind the appearance of a polite and modest person. The servant assesses Molchalin negatively, comparing him to stone and ice.
Positive features
It should be noted that in the comedy "Woe from Wit" the characters are not strictly divided into negative and positive. All characters have a double rating. The hero's positive traits are his shyness and modesty. Molchalin does not speak badly of someone, he does not show his disdain for the people around him, as other representatives of the "past century" do. Molchalin independently achieves his own goals, despite the fact that these ways are arrogant and dishonorable. The hero is distinguished by his politeness and patience. Molchalin is difficult to lead to a scandal or any conflict. This calmness aroused Sophia's sympathy for the hero. She characterizes the hero as follows: "compliant, modest, quiet." Sophia calls Molchalin "the enemy of insolence." She is attracted by the fact that Molchalin has become a real friend of the entire family of Famusov. Sophia is sincerely in love with Alexei Stepanovich, not noticing his negative features. The text of the work shows that only when Sophia saw Molchalin's attraction to Lisa, she realized that he was a real scoundrel.
The work "Woe from Wit" by A.S. Griboyedova belongs to the genre of comedy, the events took place at the beginning of the 19th century, in which the author showed the images of the Moscow nobles. For the main theme of the work, one can single out the opposition of the present century and the past, the difficult change of old ideals to new ones. On the side of the last century there were a significant number of people in comedy, one of them was a young nobleman who did not yet have any ranks of Molchalin. His job was to serve influential people.
Molchalin himself was a poor nobleman, born in Tver. In the comedy, he lived in Famusov's house, who, in turn, took Molchalin as secretary. Molchalin falls in love with Famusov's daughter and secretly meets her. Famusov opposes such a relationship, because he believes that his daughter needs an influential husband with ranks. Although Molchalin does not meet these requirements, he has another quality that was appreciated by the inhabitants of the Famus house. He did his best to serve in every possible way, and this attracted attention. That is why he managed to get to the post of secretary, where business qualities are important, not honor.
In the work "Woe from Wit" the image of the protagonist can be called the standard behavior of a young nobleman in the environment. We see how he tries to serve, and if necessary, even humiliate himself in front of the influential guests of the Famusov house, all this is done with the expectation that they can be useful in life and further service. Molchalin even took it for granted to praise Khlestova's dog's coat. To describe the hero, a quote is suitable, which says that while "we are small in ranks", "we must depend on others." He believes that while you're young, you don't have to have an opinion.
Famusovskoe society was famous for the boasting trait, at every opportunity it was common to praise new successes, so was Molchalin. He was a frequent visitor to Princess Tatiana Yurievna. Although in character and behavior, Molchalin was the same as everyone from society, although he agreed with everyone and supported ideas, this did not stop him from being mean. For example, his love for Sophia was only a fiction and he went for it for his own benefit. In fact, he sincerely opens up when communicating with the maid Lisa, whom he liked. And then another character opens up to the reader, you see that there is duplicity in him, which means such a person is dangerous.
In his soul and heart there is not a drop of respect and warmth for Sophia. He takes a very risk when he begins to secretly see Famusov's daughter, because he was constantly in a state of fear that they would be noticed. This is the expression of cowardice. For Molchalin, an important role was played by the moment that he was worried about the opinion of others, and he was also afraid that others would think of him. This meanness and deceit are destroying him, because he begins to harm those with whom he has been surrounded for a long time. He remembered the words of his father, which read to please everyone without exception, which Molchalin followed. Based on this, we can draw a conclusion about the attitude of the hero to the description of the ideal of the past century, despite the fact that he is still young.
The author showed Molchalin as a worthy continuation and example of conservative nobles. Such a society is characterized by the fact that for them rank and money are in the first place, these two categories allow them to evaluate the rest. As already mentioned, Molchalin was cunning and two-faced, these are the two main qualities that describe the hero.
Griboyedov touched on a problem in comedy that is still relevant today. After all, there are many cases when there were the same people who did not see anything on their way and were ready to go through everything, for the sake of their goals. This topic will be relevant as long as there are people among us with the same values as those of Molchalin and his society.
Essay on the theme of Molchalin
The comedy "Woe from Wit", written by Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov in the period from 1822 to 1824, tells about the secular society and the life of those times. One of the central characters of the work is Alexey Stepanovich Molchalin, a man from the common people, striving for career growth.
Molchalin seems to be a decent young man who is distinguished by his kindness and modesty. But in fact, all these qualities are just a mask that the hero uses to achieve his goals. His dream is career, high rank and wealth. Respect among high society is the limit of its happiness. There are many different ways to achieve these goals. But Molchalin chooses the fastest and most negative one. He takes steps towards a dream through flattery, hypocrisy and duplicity. He does it so subtly and imperceptibly that many can envy.
The hero worked as a secretary for Famusov, a wealthy and respected man. He did all the work conscientiously, spoke kindly and carefully, which is why Famusov liked him. With the daughter of his master, Sophia, he treated even better and even dared to play a young man in love. Naturally, he does not feel any high feelings towards the girl. On the contrary, he despises her and builds relationships solely for his own benefit. Once guilty before a girl, he throws himself at her feet. The reason for this was far from remorse, but the fear of losing the trust of his master Famusov. Another person who was fortunate enough to hear from Molchalin lies was Khlestova. He kindly played cards with her and complimented her dog. In fact, people are very pleased with such behavior towards them. Molchalin showed hypocrisy and helpfulness in relation to everyone living in the house: from servants to bosses. This was the hero's plan, which he strictly adhered to.
Thus, Molchalin in Griboyedov's comedy is a negative character. The reader cannot see any positive features of the hero, but sees exclusively hypocrisy and a desire to achieve a dubious goal through dirty ways. With the help of this character, the author reveals a serious problem that exists today. People who strive for nothing high, but for fame and money, are ready to go over their heads and put on a mask of sincerity. Usually, having achieved their goals, such people live unhappily and lonely.
Option 3
In his comedy Woe from Wit, Griboyedov tells about the nobles of Moscow in the 19th century, it was then that society split into conservatives and those who were impressed by the ideas of the Decembrists. The main idea of the work is the opposition of the present century and the past century, the replacement of outdated ideals of the nobles with completely new ones.
In comedy, there are a huge number of supporters of the old ideals. Admirers of the old principles are weighty and significant people in society, such as the landowner Famusov, Colonel Skalozub, and the younger generation, which is simply forced to serve the "old people", also serve the old nobles. Molchalin is one of such young people who is forced to serve the old nobles with their orders.
Molchalin himself is a poor nobleman, born in Tver, he lives in the house of Famusov, who issued him with the rank of assertor and hired him as a serkrtar. Molchalin is also the lover of Famusov's daughter, but Famusov himself does not know about this. The father does not want to have such a son-in-law as Molchalin, because in Moscow it is customary to have rich relatives. Famusov appreciates in people the desire to serve him, and this is how Molchalin, with the help of his servility, gets such positions.
In this play, the image of Molchalin very accurately corresponds to the character of the command of a young, not strengthened nobleman in an influential society. Molchalin tries to curry favor with the distinguished guests in the house of Famusov as much as possible, because they can be useful for his further career growth. The young nobleman has sunk to the point that he begins to praise the fur of Khlestova's dog. He believes that the nobles of the lower ranks should thus earn the respect of their elders.
He, like all the characters in this comedy, considers it his duty to show off and be proud of his success in promotion. Molchalin is excellent at making connections with the people he needs who can help him in his service. Molchalin bears huge damage to the society in which he is. He also deceives Famusov's daughter, because he takes care of her only for the sake of serving her father. He is the kind of person who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal, and is capable of causing enormous damage to the society in which he is.
Almost every Russian poet in his works first of all tried to convey his feelings, emotions, love. That is why often every poem of poets is precisely their story. One of the famous Russian poets
In 1914, the work of A. Kuprin "The Pit" appeared in it, he raises the topic of venal love. This is the first writer who was not afraid to reveal the lives of women who sell their love.
The main character of the work is Grishka Chelkash, presented in the form of an experienced, dexterous and courageous thief.
Molchalin is one of the most memorable characters in the comedy Woe from Wit. He is endowed with a speaking surname. So, what is this character "silent" about?
We meet with Molchalin at the very beginning of the comedy, when we learn that they have mutual love with Sophia, the daughter of the owner of the house. However, in the future it becomes clear that the reciprocity of love exists only in the imagination of Sophia, and Molchalin himself is not as simple as it seems.
Molchalin's life position is most fully revealed during his dialogue with Chatsky ... "My father bequeathed to me: firstly, to please all people without exception - the Master, where I will live, the Chief, with whom I will serve, His servant, who cleans his dress, the Swiss, the janitor, to avoid evil, The janitor's dog, so that she is affectionate", - says Molchalin. Indeed, this character can always achieve what he wants precisely because of his ability to find an approach to people. His main goal (like any representative of the "Famus society") is to achieve a high position in society by any means. And here he, realizing that the daughter of Famusov is in love with him, so as not to offend her, plays a romantic and timid lover. He knows that Sophia reads French romance novels and therefore understands how he should appear in front of her. And it works: Sophia admires his complaisance, modesty, gentleness. He also behaves modestly under Famusov. During the ball, Molchalin tries with all his might to please Khryumina, knowing that she occupies a high position in society ( "Your spitz is a lovely spitz, no more than a thimble").
However, it is interesting to observe how his behavior changes with other people. Alone with the servant Lisa, he becomes rudely cheeky. With Chatsky, he talks politely and emphatically restrained, because he understands: Chatsky is an unwanted guest in this house and it is not profitable to show him respect. In addition, Molchalin is amazed that Chatsky does not know one noble lady - Tatyana Yurievna. This shows how important connections and reputation are for Molchalin (and how little they matter to Chatsky). Opposed to each other are also Chatsky's desire to prove to everyone that he is right and Molchalin's restraint ( "In my years one should not dare to have one's own judgments").
If Chatsky turned out to be an outcast in this society, then Molchalin feels like a fish in water here. It was not for nothing that Chatsky said: "The silent people are blissful in the world." Molchalin is a type of person who, unfortunately, is in demand in any society at any time. It is these people who often achieve a lot precisely because of their hypocrisy. Therefore, to the rather popular question of what will become of Molchalin after the scandal at the end of the work and the exposure, it is fashionable to give an affirmative answer: everything will be forgotten quite quickly and he will continue to live in Famusov's house as if nothing had happened.
A. Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" was created in 1824. Due to the incriminating content of the work, it was published only in 1833, and even then selectively. Only in 1862 a full-fledged comedy was released. In his work, the author wished to speak out about what had become painful for him for so many years of contemplating the hypocrisy and sycophancy of the people around him. The comedy "Woe from Wit" is a confrontation between an intelligent, thinking, with an active life position, an open and honest person with vile, vile, immoral people who care only about wealth and ranks.
General characteristics of A.S. Molchalin
Famusov's faithful dog, Sophia's heartfelt friend, a sycophant, a hypocrite, a rootless official, the main antagonist of Chatsky - this is who Alexei Stepanich Molchalin is. The characterization of the central character of the comedy shows a typical representative on whom the serf-bureaucratic morality had its corrupting influence. Since childhood, Molchalin was taught to cringe, to please everyone around: the boss, the owner, the butler, the janitor's dog, in the end, so that she would be affectionate.
The character of the character is fully revealed by the surname that speaks for itself. For the most part, Alexei Stepanich is silent, endures humiliation, shouts, even unjust reproaches. He perfectly understands that a rootless official cannot live in this callous and cynical society without the support of people in power, and therefore he pleases everyone around him, trying not to quarrel with anyone, to be good for everyone, and he does it perfectly. The author of the comedy is sad that society is teeming with such heroes, who know how, where necessary, to be silent, pet the dog of an influential lady, say a compliment, raise a handkerchief and for all this receive formal awards and ranks, in reality remaining servants.
Quotation characteristics of Molchalin
Famusov's secretary is characterized by different characters in the comedy: Chatsky, Sofia, Famusov, Liza. Someone speaks of him as a modest, handsome, quiet and timid person, ready to endure all humiliation and reproaches. Some heroes of the work guess about his low soul, and only a few see the true face of Molchalin.
Sophia sees in Alexei Stepanych an invented image: "ready to forget myself for others," "the enemy of insolence is always shy, timid." The girl thinks that Molchalin is behaving shyly, because he is modest by nature, not suspecting that this is just one of his masks. “When the priest serves for three years, he is often angry to no avail, but he will disarm with his silence, forgive from the kindness of his soul,” Alexei's slavish obedience speaks of his definite life position, which implies keeping quiet, enduring, but not getting involved in a scandal.
Molchalin reveals his true face to Liza: "Why are you and the young lady modest, but from the maid's rake?" Only her secretary tells about his true feelings for Sophia. Chatsky also guesses about the duplicity and pettiness of Alexei: “He will reach the degrees of the well-known, because nowadays they love the wordless”, “Who else will settle everything so peacefully! There he will stroke the pug in time, here he will rub the card at the right time ... ”A brief description of Molchalin shows that his silence is not at all a manifestation of stupidity. This is a well-thought-out plan for obtaining benefits.
Speech characteristics of Molchalin
The manner of conversation of Alexei Stepanych very well characterizes his inner appearance. Sycophantity, submissiveness, servility are the main characters, therefore diminutive words, self-deprecating intonations, exaggerated courtesy, obsequious tone can be traced in his speech. To please people who are richer and higher in rank, the hero adds the prefix "s" to the words. Molchalin is mostly silent, unnecessarily trying not to enter into a conversation. He shows his eloquence only in front of Lisa, in front of whom he can take off his mask and show his true face.
The attitude of the hero to Sophia
The ability to please helps in moving up the career ladder - this is exactly what Molchalin thinks. The characterization of the character suggests that he even started an affair with Sophia for the reason that she is the daughter of Famusov, and a close relative of the boss cannot be denied the fulfillment of whims. The girl herself invented a hero for herself and imposed her feelings on Alexei Stepanych, making him a platonic admirer. To please the lady, he is ready to abandon his native philistine dialect and communicate in the language of silent looks and gestures. Molchalin all night long silently sits beside Sophia, reading novels with her, only because he cannot refuse the boss's daughter. The hero himself not only does not love the girl, but also considers her a "deplorable bastard."
Comparative characteristics of the images of Molchalin and Famusov
The problem of bureaucracy is one of the main issues addressed in the comedy Woe From Wit. Molchalin's characterization gives the reader an idea of the new type of officials at the beginning of the 19th century. He and Famusov belong to the world of bureaucrats, but still they are not alike, because they belong to different centuries. Barin is an elderly rich man with an established opinion and a successful career. Alexey Stepanych is still young, so he goes to small officials and only climbs the career ladder.
In the 19th century, a new type of Russian bureaucrat emerged who rejected the commandments of the “fathers”. This is precisely what Molchalin's characterization shows. Woe from Wit is a story about a socio-political conflict that expresses the position of society. Be that as it may, but Molchalin still belongs to Famus' entourage, and just like his boss, he admires ranks and wealth.
Molchalin and Chatsky
Comparative characteristics of Molchalin and Chatsky show how different they are. Molchalin - Famusov's secretary, has no aristocratic origin, but has developed his own tactics, following which, he is building a reliable and comfortable future for himself. Once again, you can't get a word out of him, but he knows how to run on tiptoes, work with papers and appear at the right moment, and many like this. Silent, helpful, spineless people were valued in the era of Nicholas I, so someone like Molchalin awaited a brilliant career, awards for services to the homeland. He looks like a modest young man, he likes Sophia with his meekness and compliance, pleases Famusov with patience and silence, curses up with Khlestova and only the servant Liza shows his true face - vile, two-faced, cowardly.
Chatsky is the embodiment of the image of the Decembrists, a romantic nobleman who reveals the vices of serfdom. It is his antagonist that Molchalin is. The characterization of the hero shows that he embodies the features of an advanced thinking man of the early 19th century. Chatsky is convinced of his righteousness, therefore, without hesitation, he preaches new ideals, reveals the ignorance of the current rich, exposes their pseudo-patriotism, inhumanity, and hypocrisy. This is a freethinker who fell into a rotten society, and this is his misfortune.
Life principles of the hero
The Griboyedov hero Molchalin became the common designation for servility and meanness. The characterization of the character shows that from childhood Alexey Stepanych programmed in his head a plan for how to break out into people, make a career, and achieve a high rank. He walked along his road without turning to the sides. This person is absolutely indifferent to the feelings of other people, he will not lend a helping hand to anyone if it is unprofitable.
The main theme of the comedy
Throughout the comedy "Woe from Wit" the theme of bureaucracy, which was raised by many writers in the 19th century, is stretched. The bureaucratic apparatus of the state grew and turned into a serious machine that grinds up all the rebels and works in a way that suits it. Griboyedov in his work showed real people, his contemporaries. He set himself the goal of ridiculing certain features of a person, showing the tragedy of society of that era, and the writer did a great job.
The history of the creation of the comedy
Once a rumor spread throughout Moscow that Alexander Griboyedov University professor Thomas Evans, alarmed by this news, decided to visit the writer. In turn, Griboyedov told his interlocutor a story that happened to him at one of the balls. He was tired of the antics of society, praising some Frenchman, an ordinary talker, who did nothing remarkable. Griboyedov could not restrain himself and expressed to those around him everything he thought of them, and someone from the crowd shouted as if the writer was a little out of his mind. Alexander Sergeevich was offended and promised to create a comedy, the heroes of which would be those unlucky spiteful critics who called him crazy. This is how the work "Woe from Wit" was born.
Griboyedov, in his comedy Woe from Wit, created many characteristic characters. These images remain relevant today. One of these heroes is Molchalin. He is the brightest representative of the people who live in our time. Let's take a closer look at his character.
Molchalin is a poor young man from Tver, whom Famusov took into his service and gave the rank of collegiate assessor.
We can assume that Molchalin is a rootless person, probably from a bourgeois family. Famusov says this about him: "I warmed Bezrodny and brought him into my family."
I believe that Molchalin can be described as a cowardly and mean person. The most noticeable trait of his character is his silence - which is immediately evident from his last name. ("He is silent when he is scolded", "Not a word of freedom, and so the whole night goes by") He never expresses his own opinion, in communication he prefers short, fragmentary phrases. “In my years I shouldn't dare to have my own judgment,” says Molchalin. He seems to be afraid not to please his interlocutor with his remark. Molchalin lives according to the principle bequeathed to him by his father: "to please all people without exception." His servility goes beyond the bounds of morality. We see a sharp contrast to this mode of communication in the dialogue between Molchalin and Liza. He takes her for "his", so he is not afraid to openly express his opinion, to say what he thinks. To her, he talks about his frivolous intentions in relations with Sophia, claims that he loves her only "according to her position." He admits that he is using Sophia to his advantage. This describes him as a vicious, cowardly person who, trying to break out into people, makes his way through silent lies and servility. We learn about most of Molchalin's qualities from the remarks of other heroes. At first Sophia describes him as a wonderful mental organization of a person: "Molchalin is ready to forget himself for others", "The enemy of insolence is always shy, timid ...". From her words, you can clearly see how she loves him. Chatsky, on the other hand, treats Molchalin with the deepest contempt. He openly doubts his ability and does not believe that he can achieve anything. Chatsky considers Molchalin a fool, a “pitiful creature,” incapable of any deliberate action. But after Chatsky realizes that this is just a mask of Molchalin, that in fact he is a cunning and unprincipled person who knows how to achieve his goals. Chatsky says that Molchalin "will reach the degrees of the known, because nowadays they love the dumb." Molchalin also treats other characters of the comedy differently. With people above him in rank, he is helpful, does not dare say an extra word. With Chatsky, he allows himself not only to express his opinion, but also to give him advice. After all, Chatsky is not only the same age as Molchalin, but also has no ranks. Therefore, Molchalin sees no reason for his usual helpfulness in the presence of Chatsky. The attitude of other heroes towards Molchalin and his attitude towards them characterizes him as an immoral person who sees in others only ranks and titles, not taking into account the soul of a person.
Thus, Griboyedov created a negative, but interesting image for study in his comedy. Such silent liars also exist in modern society. And it is the duty of every person to eradicate in himself all those qualities that are in him, to develop in himself everything that is good, bright, and not base and false. Everyone should try not to be Molchalin.