. "A slack young man", the son of Messrs. Prostakov. "Undergrowth" in the time of Fonvizin was a young man of the nobility who did not have a written certificate of education issued by a teacher. Such a young man could neither marry nor enter the service.
Before starting work on The Undergrowth, Fonvizin spent a year and a half in France, where he became closely acquainted with the life of this country, studied the advanced doctrines of the Enlightenment, jurisprudence and philosophy.
The idea of the play came to the writer after returning to Russia, which took place in 1778. Fonvizin completed work on the play in 1782, having spent about three years on it.
Biography
Mitrofanushka is the son of an unpleasant couple named Prostakovs. The hero's mother, a provincial noblewoman by birth, is an evil woman. He does what he wants, allows himself all sorts of atrocities in relation to serfs and yard servants. At the same time, he loves his son and tries to arrange him in life by marrying Sophia, a girl with a decent inheritance.
Characters of the comedy "Undergrowth" Sophia herself is in love with a young officer named Milon. This is a kind and well-behaved girl who was educated, she has a guardian - an uncle who owns a large fortune. Prostakova has a brother named Taras Skotinin (this character is Mitrofanushka's uncle). Skotinin, a lover of pigs, also wants to marry Sofya because of the inheritance.
Mitrofanushka's father is a weak and weak-willed person, he is not educated, he cannot even read letters. He is under the heel of his wife and thinks only about how to please her. An authoritarian wife can easily beat Prostakov's father.
Mitrofanushka, like his parents, did not want to study, but sought to settle in life through marriage. The hero has teachers, among them one former seminarian who teaches the hero to read and write from the Psalter, a retired sergeant who teaches arithmetic, and a former coachman, a German by birth and a noble smoker, posing as a scientist.
This rogue is hired to teach the hero French and some "sciences", but he does not fulfill his duties and only interferes with the work of other teachers. In fact, the mother is not at all concerned with the upbringing and education of the hero, but only follows fashion trends in the society of that time. Mitrofanushka also has a nurse, who is called "Eremeevna".
Sophia is a distant relative of the Prostakov family. The girl grew up in Moscow and received a good upbringing, but after the death of her mother (her father died even earlier), she falls into the clutches of the Prostakovs. Those "keep an eye" on the estate belonging to Sophia, at the same time robbing the heroine. The idea to marry the girl to Mitrofanushka is born in Prostakova's head after a rich uncle appears on the horizon, who was considered dead, and at the same time a potential inheritance.
On the basis of the upcoming marriage, Mitrofanushka has a conflict with her uncle, Taras Skotinin, who also thinks of marrying Sofya in order to get his hands on the pigs in the villages belonging to the girl.
Sophia, meanwhile, meets with her longtime lover, the young officer Milon, and the rich uncle comes to pick up his niece from the Prostakovs. Prostakova is trying to flatter Uncle Sophia so that he agrees to Mitrofanushka's marriage to a girl. Uncle, however, is determined to take Sophia to Moscow the very next morning.
The uncle gives the girl the opportunity to choose the groom herself, and she gives her hand to Milon, whom she knew in her mother's house. Upon learning of this, Mitrofanushka's mother plots. The Prostakovs' people are trying to steal Sophia in order to marry the girl with Mitrofanushka by force. Milon catches this scene and prevents the assassination attempt, after which the estate and villages of the Prostakovs are confiscated from them by government decree. At the end of the idler, Mitrofanushka is sent to the service.
A similar way of life and the lack of a sensible education were common among the children of the provincial nobility in those years, so Mitrofanushka is not depicted in the play as special case bad upbringing but as an image of the era. The appearance of the hero is not directly described in the play, but it can be assumed that Mitrofanushka looked like a typical representative of the provincial noble youth of that time.
The hero is not inclined to constructive activities, study, work and any meaningful activities. Chasing pigeons, messing around, overeating, in a word, somehow killing time in simple entertainment - these are life goals Mitrofanushki, and the mother strongly encourages such behavior of the hero.
The characterization of the hero looks unpleasant - Mitrofanushka is greedy and stingy, rude, prone to intrigue, deceit and fraud, like her mother. Prostakova loves her son, despite her inherent cruelty to other people, Mitrofanushka betrayed her mother, pushed her away when her mother tried to find support from the hero.
Mitrofanushka is essentially an egoist, thinking exclusively about his own comfort, not being interested in his relatives. The hero’s attitude to learning is quite unambiguous - Mitrofanushka calls one of the teachers a “garrison rat”, any attempts to give the young man at least some knowledge run into a complete unwillingness to learn.
- Fonvizin wrote the play "Undergrowth" in the village of Strelino near Moscow.
- After the play became popular, the word "undergrowth" became widespread in colloquial speech, and the name Mitrofanushka became associated with the image of an ignorant person and an ignoramus.
- A kind of literary game associated with the play. The magazine published a letter allegedly written by Sophia, the heroine of the play, where she complained about her lover Milon, a young officer who in the play prevented the kidnapping of the heroine. He allegedly married her, and then cheated with some "contemptuous woman." In a response letter, Starodum, the heroine's uncle, consoles her. In such a funny way, the play received a plot continuation.
The play "Undergrowth" - In the play, Sophia reads a book by a real-life author, the 18th-century French educator and theologian Francois Fenelon, who wrote the treatise On the Education of Girls. Starodum, Sophia's uncle, mentions the famous novel of that time by this author, The Adventures of Telemachus.
- Fonvizin had to spend several months to achieve the production. They did not want to stage the play either in Moscow or in St. Petersburg, the censors were frightened by the boldness of the remarks that the author allowed himself through the mouths of the characters. Volny was the first to decide to stage the play. Russian Theater In Petersburg. The success of the first production was deafening - "the audience applauded the play by throwing wallets." After that, the play was staged many times, including in Moscow. The popularity of the comedy "Undergrowth" is evidenced by the appearance of a large number of amateur and student productions.
- The role of Mrs. Prostakova was played by the writer, performing in student performances while studying at the Nizhyn gymnasium.
- The image of Mitrofanushka is compared with - a young officer and a nobleman from Pushkin's story " Captain's daughter". Both heroes indulged in laziness and idleness in their youth, both got bad teachers who did not teach the heroes anything, but Grinev, unlike Mitrofanushka, is shown as an honest and good-natured person.
Quotes
“And I, uncle, almost did not have supper at all. Three slices of corned beef, yes hearth, I don’t remember, five, I don’t remember, six.
“The whole night such rubbish climbed into my eyes.<...>then you, mother, then father.
"I don't want to study, I want to get married."
“I myself, mother, am not a fan of smart girls. Your brother is always better."
“Door, which door? This? Adjective. Because it is attached to its place. Over there, by the closet, the door has not been hung for six weeks: so that one is still a noun.
“As soon as I start to fall asleep, then I see that you, mother, deign to beat the father.”
The play by Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin is a comedy about the undersized Mitrofanushka (from the Greek “similar to his mother”), about the vices of his upbringing, which turns the young man into a spoiled and stupid creature. Previously, there was nothing bad in this word, and only over time it became a household word. In those days, minors were called teenagers who had not reached the age of fifteen, which was necessary for entry into the service.
The decree on the freedom of the nobility, signed by Peter I, gave the nobles the right to choose: to serve or not to serve. But one way or another, training became mandatory. Mrs. Prostakova tries to follow the law, but wants to keep her son “with her” for another ten years: “While Mitrofan is still underage, while he should be married; and there, in a dozen years, when he enters, God forbid, into the service, endure everything.
Being the only son of the landowners Prostakovs, Mitrofan Terentyevich lives with his parents at the age of sixteen, not knowing worries. The domineering mother decides everything for him: whom to marry, whom to kiss on the hand.
Characteristics of the hero
(Comedy illustration. Artist T.N. Kasterina, 1981)
Our main character- spoiled Sissy who behaves as he pleases. However, the undivided love of his mother turned him not only into an egoist, but also into a skilled manipulator. He does not recognize his father at all and does not put him in anything, because he does not indulge his whims. Mitrofan does not like his uncle and is rude in every possible way.
Prostakov throughout the play enjoys home comfort and idleness, instead of serving. Nothing worries him, well, except for tasty and plentiful food and fun.
Mitrofanushka has neither life goals nor lofty aspirations. He also has no desire to study, which he “gave” for four whole years, but he could not learn to read and write or arithmetic. It is understandable, because Prostakov never lived with his own mind, and the caring mother did not want to "torment the child with study", hiring teachers only because it was customary in noble families.
It is curious that Mitrofan is also characterized by a certain self-criticism: he is aware that he is lazy and stupid. However, this fact does not upset him at all.
Cruelty towards his teachers and servants was the norm for him, because he was narcissistic and arrogant, as well as Mrs. Prostakova, who also did not consider anyone's opinion, except her own. The young man's nanny, Eremeevna, suffered a lot from him. Mitrofan constantly complained to his mother about the poor woman and they stopped paying her salary.
The whole plot is built around the plan of Mitrofanushka's sudden marriage to the poor orphan Sophia, who (suddenly!) turns out to be a rich heiress. Following the mother's instructions, the hero eventually betrays her: "Yes, get rid of you, mother, how you imposed yourself."
The image of the hero in the work
For his family, Mitrofan Prostakov is still Small child- even in his presence, they talk about him in this way, calling him either a child or a child - and Mitrofanushka shamelessly uses this throughout the entire comedy.
Through the image of Mitrofan, one of the main bad guys, the author shows the degradation of the nobility of that time. Ignorance and rudeness, stupidity and apathy are just the tip of the iceberg of the problems of improper upbringing and permissiveness.
Mommy's minion, whose life is burdened with class vices, causes laughter through tears: "Although he is 16 years old, he has already reached the last degree of his perfection and will not go far." He is the slave of his mother, he is her own tyrant. His heart does not know love, pity and compassion.
Thanks to the image created by Fonvizin, the word "undergrowth" in our time is called ignorant and stupid people.
One of the main characters of the comedy "Undergrowth" by Fonvizin is Prostakov Mitrofan Terentyevich, the noble son of the Prostakovs.The name Mitrofan means “similar”, similar to the mother. Maybe with this name Mrs. Prostakova wanted to show that her son is a reflection of Prostakova herself.
Mitrofanushka was sixteen years old, but his mother did not want to part with her child and wanted to keep her until the age of twenty-six, not letting him go to work.
Mrs. Prostakova herself was stupid, insolent, impolite, and therefore did not listen to anyone's opinion.
“While Mitrofan is still in the undergrowth, while he is to be married; and there, in ten years, when he enters, God forbid, into the service, endure everything.
Mitrofanushka himself has no purpose in life, he only loved to eat, mess around and chase pigeons: “I’ll run to the dovecote now, so maybe either ...” To which his mother replied: “Go, frolic, Mitrofanushka.”
Mitrofan did not want to study, his mother hired teachers for him only because it was necessary in noble families, and not so that her son would learn the mind - the mind. As he told his mother: “Listen, mother. I amuse you. I will learn; just make sure it's the last one. The hour of my will has come. I don’t want to study, I want to get married” And Mrs. Prostakova always echoed him: “It’s very nice for me that Mitrofanushka doesn’t like to step forward, With his mind, let him sweep far, and God forbid! Only you are tormented, and everything, I see, is emptiness. Don't study this stupid science!"
The worst qualities of character, the most backward views on science characterize such young nobles as Mitrofan. He is also unusually lazy.
Mrs. Prostakova herself did not look for a soul in Mitrofanushka. Fonvizin understood the unreasonableness of her blind, animal love for her offspring, Mitrofan, a love that, in essence, destroys her son. Mitrofan ate himself to the point of colic in his stomach, and his mother tried to persuade him to eat more. The nanny said: “He already ate five buns, mother.” To which Prostakova replied: “So you feel sorry for the sixth, you beast.” These words show concern for the son. She tried to provide him with a carefree future, decided to marry him to a rich wife. If someone offends her son, she immediately comes to the defense. Mitrofanushka was one of her consolations.
Mitrofan treated his mother with disdain: “Yes! Just look what a task is from uncle: and there from his fists and for the watch book ”What, what do you want to do? Come to your senses, darling!” “Vit here and the river is close. I’ll dive, and remember your name.” “Dead! God is dead with you!”: these words prove that he does not love at all and he does not feel sorry for his own mother at all, Mitrofan does not respect her and plays on her feelings. And when Prostakova, who has lost power, rushes to her son with the words: You are the only one left with me, my heartfelt friend, Mitrofanushka! ". And in response he hears a heartless: “Yes, get rid of you, mother, how you imposed yourself.” “The whole night such rubbish climbed into my eyes.” “What kind of rubbish Mitrofanushka?”. “Yes, then you, mother, then father.”
Prostakov was afraid of his wife and in her presence he spoke of his son as follows: “At least, I love him as a parent, this is a smart child, that is a reasonable, amusing, entertainer; sometimes I am beside myself with joy, I myself truly do not believe that he is my son, ”and added, looking at his wife:“ In your eyes, mine do not see anything.
Taras Skotinin, looking at everything that was happening, repeated: “Well, Mitrofanushka, I see you are a mother’s son, not a father!” And Mitrofan turned to his uncle: “What are you, uncle, overeating with henbane? Get out, uncle, get out."
Mitrofan was always rude to his mother and snapped at her. Although Eremeevna did not receive a penny for raising a minor, she tried to teach him good things, defended him from his uncle: “I will die on the spot, but I will not give the child away. Sunsya, sir, just show yourself if you please. I'll scratch out those thorns." I tried to make a decent person out of him: “Yes, teach at least a little.” “Well, say another word, you old bastard! I'll finish them off; I will again complain to my mother, so she will deign to give you a task in yesterday's way. Of all the teachers, only the German Adam Adamych Vralman praised Mitrofanushka, and even then because of the fact that Prostakov was not angry with him and scolded. The rest of the teachers openly scolded him. For example, Tsyfirkin: “Your nobility is always idle toil, if you please.” And Mitrofan snapped: “Well! Come on board, garrison rat! Get your asses back." “All asses, your honor. We’ll be left with tasks a century behind. ” Mitrofan's dictionary is small and poor. “Shoot them with Yeremeevna too”: this is how he spoke about his teachers and nanny.
Mitrofan was ill-bred, a rude, spoiled child, whom everyone around obeyed and obeyed, he also had freedom of speech in the house. Mitrofan was sure that the people around him should help him, give advice. Mitrofan had an inflated self-esteem.
No matter how smart and hardworking a person is, there is a particle of such Mitrofanushka in him. Every person is sometimes lazy. There are also people who try to live only at the expense of their parents, without doing anything themselves. Of course, many depend on the upbringing of children by parents.
To people like Mitrofan, I am neither good nor bad. I just try to avoid talking to people like that. In general, I think that such people should try to help with their difficulties and problems. We need to reason with him, make him learn. If such a person does not want to improve himself, studies and studies, but, on the contrary, remains stupid and spoiled, treats his elders disrespectfully, then for the rest of his life he will remain undersized and ignorant.
Mitrofan Prostakov is one of the main characters in D.I. Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth". From the list actors we learn that it is to him that the title of the play refers. So the nobles were officially called, mostly young, who did not receive a document on education and did not enter the service. At the same time, the word "undergrowth" meant any minor nobleman.
Mitrofan is the almost sixteen-year-old son of provincial nobles. One of the heroes of the comedy - the official Pravdin - characterizes his parents in this way: "I found the landowner an innumerable fool, and his wife a wicked fury, to whom the hellish temper makes misfortune of their whole house." Fonvizin used in the play speaking names and surnames: the name Mitrofan has in Greek meaning"mother-like" Indeed, as the plot develops, the reader is convinced that the son inherited all the disgusting traits of character from Prostakova, and it is she who is his main educator and example.
Mitrofan is stupid and ignorant: for the fourth year he sits over the book of hours, for the third year he cannot learn to count. In addition, he cannot be called a cheerful student, he believes that with his “occupations” he does everyone a great favor, and Prostakova herself, who sees only harm in enlightenment, asks him: “You at least learn for the sake of it.” She constantly tells her son her life principles, among which not the last place is occupied by greed and stinginess. Therefore, the landowner calls arithmetic "stupid science", since according to the condition of the problem, it is necessary to divide the money found by three or calculate an increase in the teacher's salary.
In relation to the teachers and the soul of Eremeevna, who does not have a soul in him, Mitrofanushka shows rudeness and cruelty, calling them "garrison rat", "old grunt", threatening to complain to the ambulance about the massacre of his mother. But as soon as his uncle Skotinin pounced on him, he cowardly asks for protection from the old nurse offended by him.
The undergrowth is lazy and spoiled, uses every opportunity to get rid of the teachers and go chasing pigeons. All his base aspirations are only to eat tasty and a lot, not to study, but to get married. His father notices in him the Skotinins' family love for pigs.
Mitrofan is used to getting his way both with threats (“After all, the river is close here. I’ll dive in, so remember what your name was”), and with clumsy flattery. His fiction about the dream is comical: “The whole night such rubbish climbed into my eyes ... Yes, then you, mother, then father ... As soon as I start to fall asleep, I see that you, mother, deign to beat the father ... So I felt sorry ... You, mother : you are so tired, beating the father.
To achieve their goals, the Prostakovs do not shun any means. Together with his parents, Mitrofan first grovels before Starodum in the hope of receiving an inheritance, and then is ready to marry his niece Sophia by force. When the kidnapping fails, he, like his mother, is going to take out his anger on the serfs.
Brought up in an atmosphere of malevolence and cruelty, Mitrofan grows up selfish, not loving anyone but himself, even his mother indulging him in everything. Having lost power and therefore becoming unnecessary to Prostakov, who turned to her son for consolation, he repels with the words: “Yes, get rid of it, mother, as it was imposed ...”.
His stupidity and ignorance cause goodies comedy irony, and they perceive his cruelty as a logical consequence of bad education. The author himself is of the same opinion. In the comedy "Undergrowth" Fonvizin expressed his educational ideals in the words of Pravdin and Starodum: "Direct dignity in a person is a soul ... Without it, the most enlightened smart girl is a miserable creature ... An ignoramus without a soul is a beast." The image of Mitrofan has become an instructive example of what evil ignorance leads to, and his name has become a household name. More than one lazy person was frightened by the prospect of becoming like him.
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Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth" is one of the best motivational works. With the help of the image of Mitrofan Prostakov, we can analyze and realize all the destructiveness of boundless blind parental love and permissiveness.
Character Description
Mitrofan Prostakov is not distinguished by outstanding qualities of character. In fact, this is a vivid example of ignorance (in any sense of it) and bad manners.
Excessive guardianship on the part of parents and permissiveness became the reason for the formation of a complex character.
At the age of 15, he is still considered a child - his parents forgive him a lot, motivating him with the fact that he is a child and will outgrow it.
Parents pamper their son - they believe that adulthood full of difficulties, and therefore it is necessary to arrange the period of childhood in such a way that it is the least carefree.
As a result, Mitrofan grows pampered and spoiled. However, he himself is not capable of good deeds or humanity - the young man constantly swears with peasants and teachers, is rude and cruel not only towards them, but also towards his parents.
Receiving no punishment for his actions, no rebuff, he only becomes more convinced of the correctness of his actions and continues to become more and more hardened.
Mitrofan is not interested in anything but marriage.
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with which Denis Fonvizin wrote.
He does not know how to find beauty and aesthetics in the world around him - nature, art. To some extent, he resembles an animal that is guided solely by basic instincts.
Mitrofan is a very lazy person, he likes the measured life of a parasite and sneak. He is not trying to achieve anything in life. Although, if desired, he can develop himself. It is worth noting that in general he is a smart person - Mitrofan realizes that he is incredibly stupid, but does not see this as a problem - the world is full of stupid people, so he can find a decent company for himself.
Attitude towards others
The story of Mitrofan Prostakov is a typical story about what happens when a person is guided by the motive of permissiveness and impunity from childhood. The young man's parents are overwhelmed with excessive love for their son, which is extremely destructive for him both as a person and as a unit of interpersonal relations, social communication.
Dear readers! We offer you which was written by Denis Fonvizin.
Mitrofan's parents did not attach importance to the peculiarities of their son's interaction with society, did not make adjustments and did not correct the son's mistakes that arose in communication with other people, which resulted in an extremely unfavorable picture.
In Mitrofan's mind, communication with a person begins with determining his position in society - if it is significant, important person(aristocrat), then the young man is trying to meet the minimum etiquette standards, which is true and it is difficult for him. With a simple person, Mitrofan does not stand on ceremony at all.
Mitrofan's dismissive, rude attitude towards teachers is a common thing. Parents, again, do not interfere with their son, and therefore the situation develops into the plane of interpersonal relations as a whole. Mitrofan is allowed to be rude to other people (mostly people who are lower in social status, or those who are unable to fight back), while teachers and educators are forced to follow the rules of etiquette and treat their pupil politely.
So, for example, it is common for a young man to exclaim to a teacher in a similar way: “Give me a board, garrison rat! Ask what to write. As, however, and insulting appeals in the direction of his nanny: "old hrychovka."
As a result, a mother who is madly in love with her child also becomes the subject of rudeness. From time to time, Mitrofan reproaches his mother for being tired of her, blackmails her - he threatens to commit suicide, and on the whole successfully sums up his mother's efforts: "You lured me, blame yourself."
Attitude towards learning
While the bulk of the aristocracy tried to give the best education to their children, in the hope that this would allow their children to become successful in life, Mitrofan's parents teach their child, because it is impossible not to learn - the decree issued by Peter I obliges all aristocrats to teach their children in arithmetic, grammar, and the word of God.
The image of Mitrofan Prostakov for the modern reader seems not quite typical - in most cases, history and literature provide images of educated, although not always purposeful, aristocrats. The image of Prostakov seems out of the ordinary, however, if you think about it, you can come to the conclusion that this is not so. This fact is confirmed by historical documents (the decree of Peter I on the compulsory education of the nobles) - if the situation with ignorance were not common, then it would hardly have found its reflection in official documents.
Mitrofan's parents are not educated people - their knowledge is based on life experience, in general, they do not see the point in education and consider science a forced measure, a tribute to fashion. This attitude of the parents, in particular the mother, provoked a feeling of the uselessness of education in the eyes of Mitrofan.
Prostakov's parents could not convey to him the idea of the need for education and the prospects that open up before an educated person, but in fact they could not do it - Mitrofan's mother considered education an evil, a necessity that must be experienced. From time to time she adds fuel to the fire, voicing her true attitude to learning: “My friend, at least for the sake of appearance, study so that it comes to his ears how you work!”.
In other words, the mother in no way condemns her son for his negligent behavior in the field of education and training, which further convinces Mitrofan that this whole process is useless and unnecessary, and is carried out exclusively “for show”.
This attitude led to another problem - a violent negative attitude towards the learning process itself and towards teachers.
For several years of study, Mitrofan could not advance one iota, and therefore he still walks in “undergrowth” - due to insufficient knowledge, the young man cannot receive documents proving his education, but his parents are of little concern.
For four years of learning to read and write, Mitrofan still reads by syllables, reading new texts for him still seems to be an unsolvable task, and with those already familiar, things are not going to be much better - Mitrofan constantly makes mistakes.
With arithmetic, things also do not look optimistic - for several years of study, Mitrofan mastered only counting up to three.
The only place where Mitrofan excelled was in French. His teacher, the German Vralman, speaks rather flatteringly about his student, but in this case the matter is not in Mitrofan's exceptional predisposition to learning languages, but in Vralman's ability to deceive - Adam Adamovich not only successfully hides the true position of the level of knowledge of his student, but also deceives the Prostakovs, posing as a teacher - Vralman himself does not know French, but, taking advantage of the stupidity of the Prostakovs, he successfully creates an appearance.
As a result, Mitrofan turns out to be a hostage of the situation - on the one hand, his parents do not see the point in education, and gradually instill this position in their son. On the other hand, stupid, poorly educated teachers, by virtue of their knowledge, cannot teach a young man anything. At a time when the situation with teachers of arithmetic and grammar looks at the level of "difficult, but possible" - neither Kuteikin nor Tsyfirkin have exceptional knowledge, but they still have the bulk of knowledge, the situation with Vralman looks completely catastrophic - a man who doesn't know French, teaches French.
Thus, Mitrofan Prostakov is a person with an insignificant soul, petty desires, limited to the carnal, animal satisfaction of his needs, who has reached the limit in his moral and spiritual development. Paradoxically, having the opportunity, Mitrofan does not seek to realize his potential, but, on the contrary, burns his life in vain. He finds a certain charm in laziness and parasitism and does not consider this a flaw.