Sophia and Mitrofan Sophia and Prostakova
Fonvizin's work "Undergrowth" was written in the era of the reign of Catherine II, when the issues of social relations, upbringing and education of young people were especially relevant. In the play, the author not only raises the acute problems of contemporary society, but also illustrates the ideological concept with vivid collective images. One of these characters in comedy is Sophia. Fonvizin's "Undergrowth" is, first of all, a classic comedy that illuminates the enlightening ideas of humanism.
In the image of Sophia, the author portrayed a perfect example of a Russian woman of the Enlightenment - educated, smart, short, kind and modest. The girl respects her parents, treats older and more authoritative people with respect, is open to receiving true moral guidelines.
According to the plot of the play, Sophia had a difficult fate. Even at a young age, the girl's father died, and half a year before the events described in the work, her mother. Since her uncle, Starodum, was in the service in Siberia, Sophia, by the will of fate, falls into the care of the rude, cruel and stupid Prostakova.
The landowner is going to give the girl away without
She is led to marry her brother Skotinin. However, the news about Sophia's inheritance radically changes Prostakova's plans - the woman decides to woo her underage son Mitrofan in order to receive her share of the inheritance. The apogee of the marriage story is the kidnapping of Sophia on the orders of the landowner, while the issue of the girl’s marriage has already been resolved - Starodum approved Sophia’s choice to marry the honest and kind Milon.
However, the ending of the comedy is happy for the girl - she remains with her loved one.
In "Undergrowth" the central characters are Sophia and Mitrofan. In addition to the fact that both of them are the youngest images of the play, the heroes also appear in the play as antipodes. Sofya is an orphan who has to take care of herself, while Mitrofan is a spoiled sissy.
The girl strives for knowledge, takes her future seriously, develops as a person with her own opinion, while the young man is a weak-willed, stupid, obeying Prostakov in everything and an infantile character.
In the play, the author pays special attention to the issue of education of each of the characters, pointing out that good, correct education is the basis for the development of a strong independent personality. This becomes clear when analyzing the images of Sophia and Mitrofan within the storyline. The girl was brought up in an enlightened noble family, where the most important value was respect and love for parents, good manners, honesty, justice and mercy to those in need, which formed the basis of Sophia's virtuous nature.
Mitrofan, on the other hand, was brought up by the despotic, cruel, deceitful Prostakova and weak-willed Prostakov, having adopted all the negative traits from them. In comedy, Sophia is a symbol of purity, modesty, inner beauty and virtue.
She is just such a person, whom Starodum speaks of in his instructions, and whom the author himself admires.
The image of Sophia in "Undergrowth" is also opposed to the second main female image of the play - Prostakova. The girl and the landowner personify two diametrically opposed views on the role of women in the family and society. Prostakova does not love and does not respect her husband, she can scold him or even hit him - the wedding itself for her was more of an opportunity to get a large household into her possession. For Sophia, marriage is an important thoughtful step, the union of two people who love and respect each other, fully accomplished and congenial personalities.
The girl has long loved Milon, remains faithful to him, while the young man serves his homeland, is honest and open before him. In marriage, for Sophia, not material wealth is important, but warm relationships, well-being and understanding.
Prostakova acts as the bearer of the values and foundations of the long-obsolete “Domostroy”, according to the norms of which a woman does not need to be educated, understand high matters and talk about serious things, instead, she should only deal with housekeeping and children, mired in daily household routine. The image of Sophia is innovative for Russian literature, as it embodies new, enlightening views on the role of women in society. In the work, she acts as the bearer of true wisdom, kindness, honesty, cordiality and human warmth.
The reader is presented not with a peasant woman or a cook, but with an educated girl who has her own views and opinions. A comparative description of Sophia in "Undergrowth" makes it clear that in her image Fonvizin portrayed his own ideal of a renewed, enlightened, harmonious personality of enlightenment.
As several centuries ago, and in our time, Sophia remains a model of the best human qualities. This image teaches modern readers to listen to their own hearts, to be honest and kind to others, revealing the brightest sides of their personality.
(No Ratings Yet)
Sophia is one of the main positive characters in Fonvizin's play "Undergrowth". She is Starodum's niece, left an orphan. In his absence, the Prostakovs manage the estate. They look after Sophia and at the same time rob her. Upon learning that the girl has a rich inheritance, they begin to fight for her hand and heart. However, the girl has a lover named Milon, to whom she remains faithful.
By nature, Sophia is prudent and virtuous. She is endowed with a sharp mind, wisdom and a kind heart. Also, she is characterized by meekness and respect for elders. The girl comes from a kind of honest nobles who gave her a good upbringing and education. Unlike Prostakova, she believes that wealth should be obtained through labor. The main storyline of the play is formed around the courtship of Mitrofanushka, Skotinin and Milon to Sophia. Prostakova, in pursuit of profit, is making every effort to get her son Mitrofan to marry Sophia. However, the girl boldly defends her love for Milo. In this, she is supported by other positive characters of the play. Grouping around her, they help Sophia to free herself from the annoying guardianship of the Prostakovs and reunite with her beloved.
At the end of the comedy, Prostakova's plans to kidnap the girl collapse. Even after that, Sophia does not hold a grudge against her and forgives her.
Sophia is the central character of the play, around whom the main events of the play revolve: an unexpected inheritance, the appearance of the girl's uncle, a kidnapping plan and three suitors fighting each other.
The heroine is well educated, she is left without parents early and ends up in the house of the Prostakovs, who are trying to take over her small inheritance. Knowing that Sophia has a fiancé Milon, Prostakova is trying to marry her off to her brother Skotinin in order to finally seize the girl's fortune.
When the landowner finds out that Sofya is a rich heiress, she decides to marry her to Mitrofan. Previously, without ceremony in dealing with an orphan, now Prostakova is amiable and courteous. Realizing that her plans are not destined to come true, the landowner plots the kidnapping of the heroine and a forced marriage. However, Starodum, Milon and Pravdin manage to prevent this deceit.
Sophia in Greek means wisdom. The girl has the wisdom of the mind and the sensitivity of the heart. At the end of the play, she forgives Prostakov and rushes to her aid herself.
Despite the attacks of Prostakova and Skotinin, Sophia remains faithful to her fiancé. At the same time, she is ready to obey the will of her uncle when he says that he has in mind a suitable party for her. The fact is that she infinitely trusts her uncle, asks for his advice and rules to follow.
Sophia talks a lot about life values. For her, conscience and heart are inextricably linked - the calmness of one directly depends on the contentment of the other, and for this it is necessary to strictly observe the rules of virtue.
She wants to receive respect from those whom she respects, seeks to prevent bad thoughts about herself.
It is also important for her the concept of honestly earning one's fortune and the conviction that being born in a noble family does not make a person noble.
In the image of Sophia, modest and well-mannered, D.I. Fonvizin outlined his feminine ideal. The main principle of family life for her is Starodum's words of instruction that the head of the family should be a husband who obeys reason, and the wife is obliged to obey him in everything. Only then will the family be strong and happy.
The image of Sophia Fonvizin seeks to make alive and mobile. This is reflected in the refined language of the heroine, she is no stranger to jokes and even manipulation of people - she can easily make her lover jealous.
Sophia, brought up by Starodum, is directly opposed to Mitrofanushka, who was greatly influenced by Prostakova. Sophia's mind is inversely proportional to the stupidity of the undergrowth.
The girl relies on her uncle in everything, is grateful to him for the advice that he shared with her, and Mitrofan renounces her mother at the most difficult moment of her life.
The heroine is kind, appreciates the honesty and decency of others, and Mitrofan is cruel, only strength and wealth attract his attention.
Sophia is also opposed to Prostakova. The landowner believes that a woman should not learn to read and write, that marriage for her is only a means to achieve a goal and her own well-being. She does not put her husband in anything, she even beats him. And for Sophia, marriage is a union of loving hearts, based on respect and mutual understanding.
Fonvizin's work touches on the topical issues of contemporary society, among which one can single out the problem of social relations, issues of upbringing and education of the younger generation.
As a contrast to ignoramuses and idlers, there is a bright, collective image of a young girl endowed with the best qualities of a real Russian woman. We are talking about one of the main characters of the novel, around which a whirlpool of passions swirled, associated with her dowry.
The image and characterization of Sophia in the comedy "Undergrowth" gives the reader a complete picture of what girls were like in the Enlightenment. She is a positive character of the work and serves as a worthy example to follow.
The name of the heroine is fully consistent with her appearance and character. Translated from Greek, Sophia means “wise”, “reasonable”.
Orphan. The girl, still a small child, lost her father. The mother died a few months before the events described. The uncle became the guardian. During his absence, the Prostakov family took over the care of the girl, who did not have warm feelings for the relative.
Sophia noblewoman. Outwardly, a rather pretty person. “You combine perfection in yourself of both sexes ....” “God gave you all the amenities of your sex ...”
She received a good education and upbringing. Reasonable and wise beyond her years. Loves French literature. Patient and gentle by nature. She has a good heart. A girl can forgive even those who offended her.
At the end of the comedy, when Prostakova's plans collapsed and the marriage did not take place, Sophia did not hold a grudge against her aunt, releasing past grievances from her heart, and when her son refused Prostakova, the girl was the first to rush to calm her down. Responsive. Honest. “I see in you the heart of an honest person ...”. Not capable of betrayal. Knows how to be faithful.
Sophia has a fiancé. Officer Milon.
Young people love each other and dream of starting a family. For those six months that they did not see each other, their feelings did not weaken. Milon all this time was looking for his beloved, which the Prostakovs took away and hid from him, and Sophia remained faithful to him and waited for him to come and pick her up. Marriage is very important to her.
Unlike Prostakova, who believes that marriage should be calculated, the girl is sure that the main thing in marriage is love and mutual respect.
Consider the opinions of elders. He listens to the advice of his uncle, who loves to instruct his niece on the right path. Sociable. Likes to talk about serious topics. Knows how to joke and play a trick on loved ones. Sharp on the tongue.
Sofia is a rich bride. It was the girl's dowry that served as a bone of contention between Mitrofan and Skotinin, who wanted to get rich for free at someone else's expense.
The character of Sophia was conceived by Fonvizin to oppose Mitrofan.
A girl who is positive in all respects and her complete opposite is the master's son, an ignoramus and mediocrity, who completely lacks normal, human qualities.
Due to the fact that the girl has real friends, she manages to avoid an unsuccessful marriage and escape from the clutches of Prostakova to freedom, forgetting everything that happens to her like a bad dream.
Sophia is the key character in Denis Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth", the intrigue of the play is built around her. The unexpected inheritance of the girl, the arrival of her uncle Starodum, the failed kidnapping and three suitors at once, who compete with each other, form the basis of the plot.
Sophia received a good education, was brought up in a family of deeply decent and noble people. She became an orphan early.
Since her uncle Starodum lives in distant Siberia, Mrs. Prostakova, as a relative, takes Sophia into her house and manages her small inheritance.
Without a twinge of conscience, she robs the ward and seeks to marry her to her brother in order to finally take over all the girl's property.
Prostakova knows that Sophia has a fiancé - officer Milon. Young people love each other, but this imperious landowner does not care at all. She was not accustomed to let go of even a small benefit. Prostakova manages to cover her tracks in such a way that Milon searches in vain for six months until she accidentally meets her in this house.
Upon learning that Sophia has become a rich heiress, the landowner decides to marry her to her son.
Now she courts the girl in every possible way, behaves kindly and considerately, although before she did not stand on ceremony with the orphan.
When Prostakova's plans collapse, she plots the insidious kidnapping of Sophia in order to pass her off as Mitrofan by force. All the positive characters of the play stand up for the girl and save her from a cruel fate.
It was no coincidence that Fonvizin called his heroine Sophia, which in Greek means "wisdom". The girl is quite smart and reasonable. She also has a wise and kind heart. Sofya forgives Prostakov for the offenses caused, and in the final scene she is the first to rush to the aid of the landowner.
The girl is faithful to her fiancé Milon and does not succumb to the persuasion of the Skotinins, although she does not openly protest.
When Milon tries to blame the girl for this fact, Sophia explains that at that time she was in the complete power of Prostakova, it would be stupid to annoy the evil relative in vain.
When Sophia is dragged by force to the crown, the prudent girl does not look like a frightened sheep. She fights back and calls for help.
At the same time, the girl is ready to submit to the will of her uncle when choosing a groom: “Uncle! Do not doubt my obedience." Sofya deeply respects Starodum, appreciates his advice. She is reading a French book on the education of girls and asks: "Give me the rules that I must follow."
Sophia's reasoning about moral values is interesting. She believes that the heart is enough only when the conscience is calm, strictly observing the rules of virtue, a person can achieve happiness.
The girl strives to win the respect of worthy people and at the same time worries that the unworthy will become embittered when they find out about her unwillingness to communicate with them. She wants to avoid any bad thoughts about herself and believes that wealth should be earned honestly, and being born into a noble family does not make a person noble.
After talking with his niece, Starodum is delighted with her honesty and understanding of true human qualities.
In the image of a patient, modest and meek heroine, Denis Fonvizin probably portrayed his ideal woman. Starodum teaches Sophia that she should not only be a friend to her husband, but also follow him in everything: “It is necessary, my friend, that your husband obey reason, and you your husband, and both will be completely prosperous.” The girl sincerely agrees with her uncle.
Everyone is captivated by the lively character of Sophia. She can joke and even make her lover jealous. Her language is refined and bookish, which adds to the contrast with the rude and ignorant statements of the Skotinins.
In the image of Sophia, the author presented to us the result of the correct principles of raising Starodum, as opposed to Mitrofanushka, who was raised by Prostakova. These two characters are exactly the opposite. As far as the girl is smart, so the son of the landowner is stupid.
Sofya is grateful to her guardian, while Mitrofan pushes her mother away when she needs support.
The girl is always kind and merciful, appreciates honesty and decency in people, a minor is very often cruel and selfish, respects only strength and wealth.
Contrasted in comedy and two main female images: Sophia and Prostakova. The despotic landowner personifies outdated ideas about the role of women in society.
She believes that a decent girl should not be able to read, be interested in many things. Marriage for Prostakova is a means of obtaining power and material wealth. She does not put her husband in anything, she even beats him.
Marriage for the young heroine is a union of two hearts, sealed with mutual respect and understanding.
To this day, the image of Sophia remains the embodiment of the best human qualities.
Based on the work: "Undergrowth"
According to the writer: Fonvizin Denis Ivanovich
Fonvizin's contemporaries highly valued The Undergrowth, he delighted them not only with his amazing language, the clarity of the author's civic position, and the innovation of form and content.
By genre, this work is a classic comedy, it complies with the requirements of the “three unities” inherent in classicism (place, time, action), the heroes are divided into positive and negative, each of the heroes has his own role (“resonator”, “villain”, etc.). however, it also contains deviations from the requirements of the classic aesthetics, and serious deviations.
So, the comedy was only supposed to amuse, it could not be interpreted ambiguously, there could not be ambiguity in it - and if we recall “Undergrowth”, then we cannot help but admit that, raising the most important social issues of his time in the work, the author resolves them by means, far from comical: for example, in the finale of the work, when, it would seem, “the vice is punished,” the viewer cannot help but sympathize with Mrs. Prostakova, who is rudely and cruelly repelled by the ungrateful Mitrofanushka, preoccupied with her own fate: “Get off, mother, how imposed ... ”- and the tragic element imperiously invades the comedy, which was unacceptable .. And with the “unity of action”, everything is also not so simple in comedy, it has too many storylines that do not “work” in any way to resolve the main conflict, but create a broad social background that determines the characters of the actors. Finally, Fonvizin's innovation also affected the language of the comedy "Undergrowth", the speech of the characters is very individualized, it contains folklorisms, vernacular, and high style (Starodum, Pravdin), which also violates the classic canons of creating speech characteristics of characters. It is possible, summing up, to conclude that Fonvizin’s comedy “Undergrowth” became a truly innovative work for its time, the author pushed the boundaries of the aesthetics of classicism, subordinating it to the solution of the task set before him: to angrily ridicule the vices of his contemporary society, to rid him of “malice” ”, capable of destroying both the human soul and public morality.
Let us analyze the system of images of the comedy "Undergrowth", which, as required by the aesthetics of classicism, represents two directly opposite "camps" - positive and negative characters.
Here you can also notice a certain deviation from the canons, it manifests itself in the fact that it carries a duality, it is almost impossible to attribute them purely to positive or purely negative characters. Let us recall one of Mitrofanushka's teachers, Kuteikin.
On the one hand, he suffers humiliation from Mrs. Prostakova and his student, on the other hand, he does not mind, if the opportunity arises, “to snatch his piece”, for which he is ridiculed.
Or “Mitrofan’s mother” Eremeevna: the hostess vilifies and humiliates her in every possible way, she dutifully endures, but, forgetting herself, rushes to protect Mitrofanushka from her uncle, and does this not only out of fear of punishment ...
As already noted, Fonvizin innovatively depicts his main character, Mrs. Prostakova. From the very first scenes of the comedy, we have before us a despot who does not want to reckon with anyone or anything.
She rudely imposes her will on everyone, suppresses and humiliates not only the serfs, but also her husband (how can one not recall Mitrofan’s “dream in the hand” about how “mother” beats “father”? ..), she tyrannizes Sophia, she wants to force her to marry first his brother Taras Skotinin, and then, when it turns out that Sophia is now a rich bride, for his son.
Being herself an ignorant and uncultured person (with what pride she declares: “Read it yourself! No, madam, I, thank God, have not been brought up like that.
I can receive letters, but I always order someone else to read them!), she despises education, although she tries to teach her son, but she does it only because she wants to ensure his future, and what is the value of Mitrofan’s “education”, as it is presented in comedy? True, his mother is convinced: “Believe me, father, that, of course, that is nonsense, which Mitrofanushka does not know” ...
Cunning and resourcefulness are inherent in Mrs. Prostakova, she stubbornly stands her ground and is convinced that “we will take our own” - and is ready to commit a crime, kidnap Sophia and, against her will, marry a man from the “Skotinin family”.
When she meets a rebuff, she simultaneously tries to beg for forgiveness and promises punishment to those of her people, due to whose mistake the “enterprise” fell through, in which Mitrofanushka is ready to actively support her: “To be taken for people?”
Striking is the “transformation” of Mrs. Prostakova, who just on her knees humbly begged to forgive her, and, having received a petition, “jumping up from her knees”, promises with fervor: “Well! Now I will give dawn to the canals to my people. Now I'm going to take them all one by one. Now I'm trying to figure out who let her out of her hands.
No, scammers! No, thieves! I won’t forgive a century, I won’t forgive this mockery.” How much voluptuousness is in this triple “now”, and how truly scary it becomes from her request: “Give me a period of at least three days (Aside) I would let myself know ...”.
However, as already noted, there is a certain duality in the image of Prostakova. She deeply and devotedly loves her son, is ready for anything for him.
Is she guilty of the fact that she compares her love for him with the love of a dog for puppies “Have you heard that a bitch gave out her puppies?”? After all, we must not forget that she is from the Skotinin-Priplodin family, where such semi-animal love was the only possible one, how could she be otherwise? So she disfigures Mitrofan’s soul with her blind love, her son pleases her in every possible way, and she is happy that he “loves” her ... Until he throws her away from him, because now he does not need her, and even those people who have just condemned Mrs. Prostakova sympathize with her in her maternal grief ...
The image of Mitrofan created by Fonvizin is also not quite traditional. The "underage" who likes to be "small", who diligently takes advantage of his mother's attitude towards himself, is not so simple and stupid as it might seem at first glance.
He has learned to use his parents' love for himself for his own benefit, he knows well how to achieve his goal, he is convinced that he has the right to everything he wants.
Mitrofanushka's egoism is the driving force behind his actions, but the hero also has cruelty (remember his remark about "people"), and resourcefulness (which is worth his reasoning about the "door"), and lordly contempt for people, including his mother, from whom he seeks help and protection on occasion. And his attitude to education is so dismissive only because he does not see any real benefit from it.
Probably, when he "serves", he - if it will be profitable - will change his attitude towards education, potentially he is ready for anything: "According to me, where they are told." Consequently, the image of Mitrofan in the comedy "Undergrowth" also has a certain psychologism, as well as the image of Prostakova, which is Fonvizin's innovative approach to creating negative images that were supposed to be only "villains".
In creating positive images, the playwright is more traditional. Each of them is an expression of a certain idea, and as part of the approval of this idea, an image-character is created.
Practically positive images are devoid of individual features, these are images-ideas inherent in classicism; Sophia, Milon, Starodum, Pravdin are not living people, but exponents of a “certain type of consciousness”, they represent an advanced system of views for their time on relations between spouses, social structure, the essence of the human personality and human dignity.
At the time of Fonvizin, the image of Starodum in the comedy "Undergrowth" evoked special sympathy among the audience.
Already in the very “speaking” name of the character, the author emphasized the opposition of “the current century to the past century”: in Starodum they saw a person of the era of Peter I, when “In that century, the courtiers were warriors, but the warriors were not courtiers” Starodum’s thoughts about education, about the ways in which a person can achieve fame and prosperity, about how a sovereign should be evoked a warm response from a significant part of the audience, who shared the advanced convictions of the author of the comedy, while the fact that he not only proclaimed these advanced ideas caused special sympathy for the image of the hero - according to the play it turned out that with his own life he proved the correctness and advantageousness of such behavior for a person. The image of Starodum was the ideological center around which the positive heroes of the comedy united, who opposed the dominance of morality by the Skotinins-Prostakovs.
Pravdin, a state official, embodies the idea of statehood, which protects the interests of education, the people, which seeks to actively change life for the better.
Guardianship of the Prostakova estate, which Pravdin appoints by the will of the Empress, inspires hope that the ruler of Russia is able to defend those of her subjects who need this protection most, and the decisiveness with which Pravdin carries out transformations should have convinced the viewer, that the supreme power is interested in improving the life of the people. But how then to understand the words of Starodum in response to Pravdin's call to serve at court: "It is in vain to call a doctor to the sick is incurable"? It is likely that the System was behind Pravdin, which confirmed its unwillingness and inability to carry out real transformations, and Starodum represented himself, an individual person in the play, and explained why the image of Starodum was perceived by the audience with much more sympathy than the image of the “ideal official” .
The love story of Milon and Sophia is a typically classic love story of two noble heroes, each of whom is distinguished by high moral qualities, which is why their relationship looks so artificial, although, against the background of the “Skotinin’s” attitude towards the same Sophia (“My friend, my heart! if now, without seeing anything, I have a special peck for each pig, then I’ll find a light for my wife”) she really is an example of a high sense of moral, educated, worthy young people, opposed to the “fertility” of negative heroes.
Pushkin called Fonvizin "a bold ruler of satire", and the comedy "Undergrowth", which we analyzed, fully confirms this assessment of the writer's work.
In it, the author's position of Fonvizin is expressed quite unambiguously, the writer defends the ideas of enlightened absolutism, he does it extremely talentedly, creating convincing artistic images, significantly expanding the scope of the aesthetics of classicism, innovatively approaching the plot of the work, to creating images-characters, some of which are not simply represents the expression of certain socio-political ideas, but has a pronounced psychological individuality, expresses the inconsistency of human nature. All this explains the great importance of Fonvizin's work and the comedy "Undergrowth" for Russian literature of the 18th century, the success of the work among contemporaries and its significant influence on the subsequent development of Russian dramaturgy.
In "Undergrowth" the central characters are Sophia and Mitrofan. In addition to the fact that both of them are the youngest images of the play, the heroes also appear in the play as antipodes.
The image of Sophia in "Undergrowth" is also opposed to the second main female image of the play - Prostakova. The girl and the landowner personify two diametrically opposed views on the role of women in the family and society.
Prostakova acts as the bearer of the values and foundations of the long-obsolete Domostroy, according to the norms of which a woman does not need to be educated, understand high matters and talk about serious things, instead, she should only deal with housekeeping and children, mired in daily household routine. The image of Sophia is innovative for Russian literature, as it embodies new, enlightening views on the role of women in society. In the work, she acts as the bearer of true wisdom, kindness, honesty, cordiality and human warmth. The reader is presented not with a peasant woman or a cook, but with an educated girl who has her own views and opinions. A comparative description of Sophia in The Undergrowth makes it clear that in her image Fonvizin portrayed his own ideal of a renewed, enlightened, harmonious personality of enlightenment.
Fonvizin's work "Undergrowth" was written during the reign of Catherine II, when the issues of social relations, upbringing and education of young people were especially relevant. In the play, the author not only raises the acute problems of contemporary society, but also illustrates the ideological concept with vivid collective images. One of these characters in comedy is Sophia.
Fonvizin's "Undergrowth" is, first of all, a classic comedy that illuminates the enlightening ideas of humanism. In the image of Sophia, the author portrayed a perfect example of a Russian woman of the Enlightenment - educated, smart, short, kind and modest.
The girl respects her parents, treats older and more authoritative people with respect, is open to receiving true moral guidelines.
According to the plot of the play, Sophia had a difficult fate. Even at a young age, the girl's father died, and half a year before the events described in the work, her mother.
Since her uncle, Starodum, was
while serving in Siberia, Sophia, by the will of fate, falls into the care of the rude, cruel and stupid Prostakova. The landowner is going to marry the girl without her knowledge to her brother Skotinin.
However, the news about Sophia's inheritance radically changes Prostakova's plans - the woman decides to woo her underage son Mitrofan in order to receive her share of the inheritance.
The apogee of the marriage story is the kidnapping of Sophia on the orders of the landowner, while the issue of the girl’s marriage has already been resolved - Starodum approved Sophia’s choice to marry the honest and kind Milon. However, the ending of the comedy is happy for the girl - she remains with her loved one.
In "Undergrowth" the central characters are Sophia and Mitrofan. In addition to the fact that both of them are the youngest images of the play, the heroes also appear in the play as antipodes.
Sofya is an orphan who has to take care of herself, while Mitrofan is a spoiled sissy.
The girl strives for knowledge, takes her future seriously, develops as a person with her own opinion, while the young man is a weak-willed, stupid, obeying Prostakov in everything and an infantile character.
In the play, the author pays special attention to the issue of education of each of the characters, pointing out that good, correct education is the basis for the development of a strong independent personality. This becomes clear when analyzing the images of Sophia and Mitrofan within the storyline.
The girl was brought up in an enlightened noble family, where the most important value was respect and love for parents, good manners, honesty, justice and mercy to those in need, which formed the basis of Sophia's virtuous nature.
Mitrofan, on the other hand, was brought up by the despotic, cruel, deceitful Prostakova and weak-willed Prostakov, having adopted all the negative traits from them. In comedy, Sophia is a symbol of purity, modesty, inner beauty and virtue.
She is just such a person, whom Starodum speaks of in his instructions, and whom the author himself admires.
The image of Sophia in "Undergrowth" is also opposed to the second main female image of the play - Prostakova. The girl and the landowner personify two diametrically opposed views on the role of women in the family and society.
Prostakova does not love and does not respect her husband, she can scold him or even hit him - the wedding itself for her was more of an opportunity to get a large household into her possession. For Sophia, marriage is an important thoughtful step, the union of two people who love and respect each other, fully accomplished and congenial personalities.
The girl has long loved Milon, remains faithful to him, while the young man serves his homeland, is honest and open before him. In marriage, for Sophia, not material wealth is important, but warm relationships, well-being and understanding.
Prostakova acts as the bearer of the values and foundations of the long-obsolete “Domostroy”, according to the norms of which a woman does not need to be educated, understand high matters and talk about serious things, instead, she should only deal with housekeeping and children, mired in daily household routine. The image of Sophia is innovative for Russian literature, as it embodies new, enlightening views on the role of women in society. In the work, she acts as the bearer of true wisdom, kindness, honesty, cordiality and human warmth. The reader is presented not with a peasant woman or a cook, but with an educated girl who has her own views and opinions. A comparative description of Sophia in "Undergrowth" makes it clear that in her image Fonvizin portrayed his own ideal of a renewed, enlightened, harmonious personality of enlightenment.
As several centuries ago, and in our time, Sophia remains a model of the best human qualities. This image teaches modern readers to listen to their own hearts, to be honest and kind to others, revealing the brightest sides of their personality.
One of the brightest and most memorable positive images in Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth" is an orphan girl of noble origin Sophia. Like all the characters in this work, the heroine has a “speaking” name, because Sophia in Greek means wisdom, reasonableness.
The key character of the comedy is a girl - the niece of an old nobleman and retired officer Starodum, who was left an orphan early and fell under the care of the greedy, prudent and cunning Prostakovs. They forcibly kept her at their place, slowly shamelessly robbed (appropriated the income from the estate), and when they learned that she was a rich heiress, they also wanted to forcibly marry her to the prudent and cruel Skotinin, and then to the narrow-minded, lazy and spoiled son Mitrofanushka. However, the courageous and quick-witted girl rebuffs them and remains faithful to her betrothed officer Milon, to whom she is engaged. With the help of other positive comedy characters, she defends her right to love and reunites with her lover.
Sophia is an honest and decent girl from a kind of noble nobles who received a decent education (she reads smart French books) and a good upbringing (obedient and short with elders) and has some savings left to her by her late parents. Unlike the greedy Prostakovs, who like to get hold of freebies, an honest girl believes that honor and wealth never get just like that, they must be earned with work and diligence, and nobility comes from a person’s soul, and is not inherited by noble parents. It is also very important for her to be respected in a society of worthy people, although at the same time she is afraid to upset or anger those with whom she does not want to communicate.
In addition, she is distinguished by a sharp mind and prudence, a sense of humor, kindness, cordiality and spiritual sensitivity. With meekness and patience, she endures the insults inflicted on her, and in the finale she generously forgives the Prostakovs and does not harbor evil on them.
An orphan who was left without love and care early, Sophia knows how to truly appreciate kindness and be grateful for the help she has received. She highly appreciates for the kindness and cordiality of her uncle Starodum, the only closest relative she has left, who takes an active part in her fate, but lives far away in Siberia and cannot immediately come to the aid of her niece, who fell into the hands of the cruel and prudent Prostakova, who wants seize all the property and income of an orphan. Sophia humbly and with deep respect accepts his choice of a man suitable for her as a wife and is ready to obey him implicitly, because she highly appreciates his mind and advice, which she accepts as a direct guide to action.
The noble Sophia remains faithful to her chosen one Milon to the end, although she does not openly protest against the vile plans of the guardian Prostakova to kidnap and marry her either to her brother or to her son. She does not do this, realizing that she is completely in the power of an absurd and ignorant tyrant, who is very dangerous to anger. When it comes to the fact that Sophia is forcibly dragged to the crown, she discards all reasonable arguments and resists, screams and rests with all her might.
According to literary critics, Fonvizin, in the image of a meek, obedient, but at the same time wise and reasonable Sophia, created his own image of an ideal woman. Her lively character, mocking and sharp mind, refined "bookish" speeches (in comparison with the rough and vulgar style of the Prostakovs) bribe everyone around and will surely arouse the sympathy and support of readers.
The female image of Sophia and Mrs. Prostakova are bright opposites and antagonists. As far as the first is smart and educated, appreciates the opinion of the future husband and is ready to follow him in everything, so the second is stupid and limited, despotic and capricious, does not put her husband in anything and considers marriage not as a union of two loving hearts, but as a means of enrichment. Until now, the heroine of the comedy "Undergrowth", written at the end of the 18th century, sweet and wise Sophia is considered one of the most successful incarnations of the best female qualities in Russian classical literature.
Fonvizin's work "Undergrowth" was written during the reign of Catherine II, when the issues of social relations, upbringing and education of young people were especially relevant. In the play, the author not only raises the acute problems of contemporary society, but also illustrates the ideological concept with vivid collective images. One of these characters in comedy is Sophia. Fonvizin's "Undergrowth" is, first of all, a classic comedy that illuminates the enlightening ideas of humanism. In the image of Sophia, the author portrayed a perfect example of a Russian woman of the Enlightenment - educated, smart, short, kind and modest. The girl respects her parents, treats older and more authoritative people with respect, is open to receiving true moral guidelines.
According to the plot of the play, Sophia had a difficult fate. Even at a young age, the girl's father died, and half a year before the events described in the work, her mother. Since her uncle, Starodum, was in the service in Siberia, Sophia, by the will of fate, falls into the care of the rude, cruel and stupid Prostakova. The landowner is going to marry the girl without her knowledge to her brother Skotinin. However, the news about Sophia's inheritance radically changes Prostakova's plans - the woman decides to woo her underage son Mitrofan in order to receive her share of the inheritance. The apogee of the marriage story is the kidnapping of Sophia on the orders of the landowner, while the issue of the girl’s marriage has already been resolved - Starodum approved Sophia’s choice to marry the honest and kind Milon. However, the ending of the comedy is happy for the girl - she remains with her loved one.
In "Undergrowth" the central characters are Sophia and Mitrofan. In addition to the fact that both of them are the youngest images of the play, the heroes also appear in the play as antipodes. Sofya is an orphan who has to take care of herself, while Mitrofan is a spoiled sissy. The girl strives for knowledge, takes her future seriously, develops as a person with her own opinion, while the young man is a weak-willed, stupid, obeying Prostakov in everything and an infantile character.
In the play, the author pays special attention to the issue of education of each of the characters, pointing out that good, correct education is the basis for the development of a strong independent personality. This becomes clear when analyzing the images of Sophia and Mitrofan within the storyline. The girl was brought up in an enlightened noble family, where the most important value was respect and love for parents, good manners, honesty, justice and mercy to those in need, which formed the basis of Sophia's virtuous nature. Mitrofan, on the other hand, was brought up by the despotic, cruel, deceitful Prostakova and weak-willed Prostakov, having adopted all the negative traits from them. In comedy, Sophia is a symbol of purity, modesty, inner beauty and virtue. She is just such a person, whom Starodum speaks of in his instructions, and whom the author himself admires.
The image of Sophia in "Undergrowth" is also opposed to the second main female image of the play - Prostakova. The girl and the landowner personify two diametrically opposed views on the role of women in the family and society. Prostakova does not love and does not respect her husband, she can scold him or even hit him - the wedding itself for her was more of an opportunity to get a large household into her possession. For Sophia, marriage is an important thoughtful step, the union of two people who love and respect each other, fully accomplished and congenial personalities. The girl has long loved Milon, remains faithful to him, while the young man serves his homeland, is honest and open before him. In marriage, for Sophia, not material wealth is important, but warm relationships, well-being and understanding.
Prostakova acts as the bearer of the values and foundations of the long-obsolete Domostroy, according to the norms of which a woman does not need to be educated, understand high matters and talk about serious things, instead, she should only deal with housekeeping and children, mired in daily household routine. The image of Sophia is innovative for Russian literature, as it embodies new, enlightening views on the role of women in society. In the work, she acts as the bearer of true wisdom, kindness, honesty, cordiality and human warmth. The reader is presented not with a peasant woman or a cook, but with an educated girl who has her own views and opinions. A comparative description of Sophia in The Undergrowth makes it clear that in her image Fonvizin portrayed his own ideal of a renewed, enlightened, harmonious personality of enlightenment.
