Kabanova, or as she is called - Kabanikha - one of the main characters in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm". Marfa Ignatievna is a wealthy merchant and also a widow. She has two children: son Tikhon and daughter Varvara. Her son Tikhon lives in her house with his wife Katerina.
The boar is presented as an evil, envious and hypocritical woman who, it would seem, hates everything around her. Her favourite hobby- is to read morality to the son and daughter, and she generally keeps Katherine in fear. One of its appearance is formidable and fearless.
It is not for nothing that the writer endows the head of the family with such a strange nickname. It completely conveys the character of the heroine. Assessing her actions, it is safe to call her heartless.
Her biggest offense is that she raised her son as a weak-willed and spineless person. He cannot take a step without asking her. Thus, he cannot and does not even try to protect his wife from the attacks of his mother-in-law. From the side of Kabanikhi, the reader sees ordinary jealousy for his own son.
Her image is contradictory: she believes in God, but does evil, gives alms, but offends her loved ones. She skillfully plays in front of others: pretends to be incomprehensible, calls herself old and haggard, but at the same time is determined to teach others.
Naturally, the image of Kabanova is the prototype of Catherine, her opposite. Although, there is still something in common between them. They both respect antiquity, but understand it differently. For the mother-in-law, antiquity is what should subjugate the youth. Her attitude suggests that old people should order, and young people should obey unquestioningly. Katerina has other ideas. For her, antiquity is love and care for one's neighbor, it is mercy and compassion not only for the elderly, but also for everyone around. Katerina is a victim of Kabanikha, who suffers bullying and abuse, while Varvara only pretends to listen to her mother, actually adhering only to her own views.
After reading the play, the reader realizes that it was Kabanikha who contributed to the death of Katerina. She threatened that she would take her own life, apparently running away from the attacks of her mother-in-law. Maybe Kabanikha did not want such an outcome, but the desire to break her daughter-in-law in any case prevailed. As a result, the Kabanova family is collapsing. The daughter blamed her mother for the death of Katerina and left home, while Tikhon falls into a binge.
Option 2
We all know dramatic play Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm", in which there is an interesting heroine - Kabanikha (Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova).
The boar is represented as a rich merchant's wife. Marfa Ignatievna is a long-widowed woman.
This woman can be described as a lover of showing her strength. Power and strength of mind are the main features of the image of Kabanikha.
Marfa Ignatievna demands obligatory obedience from everyone, including from relatives. She is almost always dissatisfied with them. Every day she scolds and educates them, she is especially unhappy with her son and Katerina. Kabanikh requires people to perform rituals and rites. She believes that family order is important to maintain at bay.
Kabanikha loves to do different things and the main interests are expressed in the implementation of established procedures.
Kabanikha and Katerina have a slight similarity in that both are not capable of reconciliation with weak character traits. The second similarity is expressed in religiosity, both revere it, while not believing in forgiveness. This is where the similarity of their character traits ends.
Differences in characters are expressed by the fact that she is spiritualized and a dreamer, the second lover of keeping order in trifles. For Katerina, love and will are in the first place, for Kabanikha, the fulfillment of orders.
The boar feels like a guardian of order, believing that with her death chaos will come in the world and at home. No one doubts that the lady has an imperious character, which she periodically shows to everyone.
Kabanikha herself, no matter how much she scolds her children for being disobedient, never complains about them. Therefore, when the daughter-in-law confesses openly in public, this is unacceptable for her and turns out to be a terrible blow to her pride, to which the son’s rebellion was added, in addition to these troubles, one more thing is added - the daughter’s escape from her home.
At the end of the play, the author shows the collapse of the imperious, at first glance, indestructible world of Kabanikha. It is a terrible blow for her that everything got out of control of the mistress. Of course, the reader does not sympathize with her, because this is her fault. What she deserved, she got.
In conclusion, I would like to note that the image of Marfa Ignatievna personifies the patriarchal way of life. She claims that it is not her business whether it is good or bad, but it must be observed.
The denouement of the play is tragic: Katerina dies, her son rebels, her daughter runs away from home. With all the events taking place in the play, the world of Kabanikha collapses, and so does she.
Composition on the theme of Kabanikh
One of the main characters in the work "Thunderstorm" is Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova. In the people, everyone called her Kabanikha. A wealthy merchant's wife and widow had two children, Varvara and Tikhon, who married Catherine. She was a typical older generation who loves to give instructions and lecture. For her, the most important priority in life was to observe the customs and orders established in society. She did not love her children, kept the whole house in fear, and often offended people.
The author of the play describes his heroine as a formidable, strict, evil, cruel and heartless woman. She did not neglect to show hypocrisy. In public, she tried to behave decently. She helped the poor, but at the same time offended her own children and her daughter-in-law Ekaterina. She often left everyone to pray to God. But that didn't help her live a holy life. Her children believed that the only way to survive in their mother's house was to learn how to cheat. Marfa Ignatievna preferred to keep her Son in fear. Often jealous of his young wife. In her instructions, she repeatedly repeated that young people should respect the elderly. In fact, she only had herself. It was not so important for her that others obeyed. She just liked to keep everyone at bay and feel like she had everything in her hands. Kabanikha strictly observed the traditions and forced the youth to do the same.
The heroine was a very stern woman. Often you could hear her scolding and criticizing everyone around. In her character one could observe despotism, which was the result of her blind trust in established customs. Her severity was also expressed in relation to her own daughter-in-law. She cut off every word of Catherine and made venomous remarks. She condemned her daughter-in-law for being kind to her husband. In her opinion, a woman should be so afraid of her husband that she feels like his work.
As a result, with her behavior and attitude to life, Kabanikha strangled all life around her. Her children were unhappy. The fate of each of them is not attractive to readers. Perhaps everyone who read the play wondered if it was worth being such a stern admirer of the traditions invented by man.
Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky wrote his play The Thunderstorm in 1859. In the center of the plot is a confrontation between generations. The older generation has always held on to the old customs, experiences and customs. They refused to understand the young. And those, on the contrary, never sought to follow the traditions established for centuries. Therefore, the elders tried to re-educate their will. This problem, which Ostrovsky described in his play, will forever remain significant as long as fathers and children exist. Parents want their children to be like them and follow their paths.
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According to I. A. Goncharov, A. N. Ostrovsky “donated a whole library of works of art to literature, created his own special world for the stage.” The world of Ostrovsky's works is amazing. He created large and solid characters, knew how to emphasize comic or dramatic properties in them, draw the reader's attention to the merits or vices of his characters.
The heroes of the play "Thunderstorm" - Savel Prokofievich Dikoy and Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova - deserve special attention.
Savel Prokofievich Wild - merchant, significant person in the city of Kalinov. Eloquent characteristics are given to him by the heroes of the play. “He belongs everywhere. He’s afraid, what, he’s someone! ” - says Kudryash about him. Wild, in fact, does not recognize anything but her own will. He does not care about the thoughts and feelings of other people. Cursing, humiliating, insulting Savel Prokofievich is worth nothing. With those around him, he behaves as if he had "lost the chain", and without this he "cannot breathe." “... You are a worm,” he says to Kuligi-nu. “If I want, I’ll have mercy, if I want, I’ll crush.”
The power of the Wild is the stronger, the weaker, the weaker the person. So Curly, for example, knows how to resist the Wild One. “...He is the word, and I am ten; spit, and go. No, I won’t become a slave to him, ”says Kudryash about his relationship with the merchant. Another man is Dikiy's nephew, Boris. “Boris Grigorievich got it as a sacrifice, so he rides on it,” people around notice. Wild is not embarrassed by the fact that Boris is an orphan and that he has no one closer to his uncle. The merchant realizes that the fate of his nephew is in his hands, and takes advantage of this. "Driven, beaten ...", Boris says with sorrow. The merchant is no less cruel to his employees: “With us, no one dares to utter a word about a salary, he scolds what the world is worth.” On someone else's slave labor and deceit, the unscrupulous Wild makes his fortune: "... I will not pay them for some penny ... and I make thousands of this ... ". However, sometimes an epiphany comes to the Wild, and he realizes that he is going too far: “After all, I know what I need to give, but I can’t do everything with kindness.”
Dikoi is a despot and tyrant in his family, “his own people cannot please him in any way”, “when he is offended by such a person whom he does not dare to scold; stay at home here!”
Not inferior to Wild and Kabanikha, a rich Kalinovskaya merchant's wife. The boar is a hypocrite, she does everything "under the guise of piety." Outwardly, she is very pious. However, as Kuligin notes, Kabanikha “clothes the poor, but ate the household completely.” The main object of her tyranny is her own son Tikhon. As an adult, a married man, he is completely at the mercy of his mother, does not have his own opinion, is afraid to argue with her. The boar "builds" his relationship with his wife, she directs his every deed, every word. Complete obedience is all she wants to see in her son. The power-hungry Kabanikha does not notice that under her yoke a cowardly, pitiful, weak-willed, irresponsible person has grown up. Having escaped for some time from the supervision of his mother, he chokes on freedom and drinks, because he does not know how to use freedom in another way. “... Not a single step out of your will,” he repeats to his mother, but “he himself thinks how he could break out as soon as possible.”
The boar is jealous of her son's daughter-in-law, constantly reproaches him with Katerina, "eating eats." “I already see that I am a hindrance to you,” she saws Tikhon. Kabanikha believes that the wife of her husband should be afraid, namely afraid, and not love and respect. In her opinion, the right relationship is built precisely on the suppression of one person by another, on humiliation, on lack of freedom. Indicative in this regard is the scene of Katerina's farewell to her husband, when all the words of Tikhon addressed to his wife are only a repetition of Kabanikh's instigations.
If Tikhon, crushed by her, suffers from Kabanikh since childhood, then the life of such a dreamy, poetic and whole nature as Katerina, in the house of a merchant, becomes completely unbearable. “Here that she married, that she was buried - it doesn’t matter,” Boris talks about this.
Constant pressure forces Kabanikh's daughter, Varvara, to adapt. “Do whatever you want, as long as it’s sewn and covered,” she argues.
Giving an assessment of the images of the "masters of life", N. Dobro-lyubov shows Diky and Kabanikha as tyrants, with their "constant suspicion, pinching and pickiness." According to the critic, "Thunderstorm" is the most decisive work Ostrovsky" in this play "the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought ... to the most tragic consequences ...".
The rich merchant's wife Kabanova is the guardian of the old foundations of life, a rude, imperious woman, constantly protesting against the movement of life forward. Extremely ignorant, she created for herself a whole world of beliefs and rules based on despotism, gross superstition, tyranny. She contrasts the old with everything new, sees order and goodness in the old, and only evil and nonsense in the new. She keeps her children in fear, makes them observe the ancient rites. In her family, the most natural aspirations and feelings are forbidden - children cannot take a step on their own in anything. They have no right to have their own mind and their own feeling. “What are you hanging around your neck, shameless! Don't say goodbye to your lover! - He is your husband - the head! Al order do not know? Bow down at your feet!" Kabanova shouts to Katerina, who is saying goodbye to her husband.
The boar surrounds himself with whoops, goes to church, gives alms to the poor, but at the same time eats at home. She seeks to preserve the old order in the family and does not recognize any right for young people. She is annoyed when young people contradict her and do not comply with ancient customs. Seeing her son on the road, she reprimands him for not bowing at her feet and not ordering his wife how to live without him, condemns her daughter-in-law for not lying on the porch and not “howling” to show her love for her husband.
She makes her son punish his wife, keep her in fear, as religion commands. According to her, one cannot live without fear, otherwise everything will turn into some kind of chaos. When the son objected: “But why be afraid? It’s enough for me that she loves me, ”the mother shouted:“ How, why be afraid? Yes, you're crazy, right? You will not be afraid, and even more so me. What is the order in the house will be? After all, you, tea, live with her in law? Ali, do you think the law means nothing? Yes, if you keep such stupid thoughts in your head, you would at least not chatter in front of her, but in front of your sister, in front of the girl; she, too, to get married: that way she will hear enough of your chatter, so after that the husband will thank us for science. You see what other mind you have, and you still want to live by your will.
For Kabanova, the dogma of antiquity is higher than living life. She constantly has the same moral instructions on her lips - do not live by your own will, observe the old days, read the elders. Although in her heart she is aware that time is taking its toll and it is no longer possible to force the young to live in the old way, but because of her egoism she could not reconcile herself to the idea that those orders that she loves and considers real will not be preserved.
“That's how old things are brought out,” says Kabanova. “I don’t want to go into another house. And if you go up, you will spit, but get out more quickly. What will happen, how the old people will die, how the light will stand, I don’t know. Well, at least it’s good that I don’t see anything. ”
And elsewhere she bitterly says:
“I know that my words are not to your liking, but what can you do, I am not a stranger to you ... I have long seen that you want freedom.”
Kabanova did not want to understand the demands of the younger generation, did not want to change the dogmas of antiquity, and thereby led to the tragic death of Katerina, pushed her son to drink and forced her daughter to flee from home. But this does not teach the despotic merchant's wife anything; even after the death of her daughter-in-law, she continues to insist on her own. She does not utter a word of reconciliation over the corpse of her daughter-in-law.
When Katerina died, she, true to her character, could only say with senile grumbling: “She has done little shame to us. It’s enough, it’s a sin to cry about her. ”
A powerful merchant who is afraid of everything new - such an image was created in the play "Thunderstorm". Like a real dictator, Kabanikha defends housebuilding and established habits. After all, everything new carries danger and the possibility of losing control over loved ones.
History of creation
The play "Thunderstorm" was first published in 1860. The writing of the writer's work was prompted by a personal drama, which was reflected in the work. In Kabanikha, Ostrovsky embodied the characteristics of a tyrant, despot and petty tyrant. The writer does not specifically describe the details of the heroine's appearance so that the reader can independently, only on the basis of inner peace character, created the image of a merchant.
Ostrovsky also does not indicate the exact age of the heroine. At the same time, Kabanikha relies on his own seniority and calls on the younger generation to respect:
“Don’t judge yourself older! They know more than you. Old people have signs of everything. An old man will not say a word to the wind.
The resulting image, as well as the work as a whole, caused fierce controversy among the writer's contemporaries. But, despite the different points of view, "Thunderstorm" became the anthem of the pre-reform public upsurge.
"Thunderstorm"
Marfa Ignatievna lives in the city of Kalinov, located on the banks of the Volga. The woman's husband died, leaving Kabanikha with their son Tikhon and daughter Varvara. In a provincial town, unpleasant rumors circulate about the merchant's wife. The woman is a real hypocrite. For strangers, Marfa Ignatievna gladly gives to the suffering, but the woman terrorizes close people.
A woman tells others to live according to outdated moral principles, which she violates daily. The heroine believes that children should not have their own opinions, they are obliged to honor their parents and unquestioningly listen to their mother.
Most of all goes to Tikhon's wife -. A young girl arouses hatred and jealousy in an elderly merchant's wife. The boar often reproaches his son that the young man loves his young wife more than his mother. The heroine spends time in moralizing, the hypocrisy of which is noticeable to others.
The conflict between the young daughter-in-law and the merchant's wife escalates with the departure of Tikhon. The head of the house, who sees affection as a sign of weakness, instructs his son to give his wife a severe scolding before leaving. A woman despises a man who sincerely loves Catherine. The merchant's wife considers her son too weak, so she suppresses the will of the young man with her own authority, turning the lives of Tikhon and Katerina into hell.
As soon as Tikhon leaves Kalinov, Kabanikha follows her daughter-in-law with redoubled attention. It does not escape the woman that changes are taking place with Catherine, therefore, at the moment Tikhon returns home, the merchant again presses on the young.
Katerina and Tikhon (frames from productions) When Katerina cannot stand the pressure and confesses to treason, Kabanikha is satisfied. The woman turned out to be right, free will in relation to his wife does not lead to anything good ending. Even after the death of her daughter-in-law, Kabanikha does not soften. Marfa Ignatievna does not allow her son to go in search of his wife. And when a body is found, he keeps Tikhon so that he does not even say goodbye to his wife.
Screen adaptations
In 1933, the film adaptation of The Thunderstorm was released, directed by Vladimir Petrov. The role of Kabanikh was played by Varvara Massalitinova. The film received an award at the Venice international festival how best movie presented to the public.
In 1977, Felix Glyamshin and Boris Babochkin filmed the television play "Thunderstorm" based on the work of the same name by Ostrovsky. The colorful film was liked by the viewers. The despotic merchant's wife was played by actress Olga Kharkova.
In 2017, the directors again turned to the writer's work. Andrey Moguchiy staged his own interpretation of The Thunderstorm. The TV show combines archaism and avant-garde. The image of Kabanikhi was embodied on stage People's Artist Russian Marina Ignatova.
- An analysis of the dialogues of the heroes of "Thunderstorm" allows us to conclude that Kabanikha was brought up in the Old Believer faith. Therefore, a woman rejects innovations, even the railway.
- In the theater, the merchant's wife is often portrayed old woman. Although the writer does not indicate the age of the heroine, the character is hardly more than 40 years old.
- Ostrovsky awarded Marfa Ignatievna speaking name and last name. “Marfa means “lady”, and the name Kabanova is common among the merchants. The woman received the nickname "Boar" for her stubbornness, which became famous among the inhabitants of the city.
Quotes
“They don’t really respect elders these days.”
“You won’t order anyone to speak: they won’t dare to face it, they will stand behind their backs.”
“Complete, complete, don’t worry! Sin! I have long seen that your wife is dearer to you than your mother. Since I got married, I don’t see the same love from you.”
“Why be afraid? Yes, you're crazy, right? You will not be afraid, and even more so me. What kind of order will this be in the house?
“If you want to listen to your mother, then when you get there, do as I ordered you.”
As is known, in classical works and fairy tales there are several types of heroes. In this article we will talk about a pair of antagonist - protagonist. This opposition will be considered on the example of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm". main character of this play, in other words, the protagonist is a young girl, Katerina Kabanova. She is opposed, that is, she is an antagonist, Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova. On the example of comparisons and analysis of actions, we will give more complete description Kabanikhi in the play "Thunderstorm".
Let's start with the list actors: Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova (Kabanikha) - an old merchant's wife, a widow. Her husband died, so the woman had to raise two children alone, manage the household and take care of business. Agree, it is quite difficult at the present time. Despite the fact that the nickname of the merchant's wife is indicated in brackets, the author never calls her that. The text contains replicas of Kabanova, not Kabanikha. By a similar technique the playwright wanted to emphasize that people call a woman that among themselves, but they personally address her with respect. That is, in fact, the inhabitants of Kalinov do not like this person, but they are afraid of him.
Initially, the reader learns about Marfa Ignatievna from the lips of Kuligin. A self-taught mechanic calls her "a hypocrite who ate all the household." Curly only confirms these words. Then a wanderer, Feklusha, appears on the stage. Her judgment about Kabanikh is just the opposite: a quote. As a result of this disagreement, additional interest in this character arises. Marfa Ignatievna appears on stage already in the first act, and the reader or viewer is given the opportunity to verify the veracity of Kuligin's words.
The boar is not happy with the way her son is behaving. She teaches him to live, despite the fact that the son is already an adult and has been married for a long time. Marfa Ignatievna shows herself as a grumpy domineering woman. Her sister-in-law Katerina behaves differently. In general, it is quite interesting to trace the similarities and differences of these characters throughout the play.
In theory, both Kabanikha and Katerina should love Tikhon. For one he is a son, for another he is a husband. However, neither Katya nor Marfa Ignatievna have true love for Tikhon. Katya pities her husband, but does not love him. And Kabanikha treats him like a guinea pig, as a creature on which you can vent your aggression and test methods of manipulation, hiding behind maternal love. Everyone knows that for every mother the most important thing is the happiness of her child. But Marfa Kabanova in The Thunderstorm is not at all interested in Tikhon's opinion. Through years of tyranny and dictatorship, she was able to accustom her son to the fact that the absence of her own point of view is quite normal. Even observing how carefully and, at some points, gently Tikhon treats Katerina, Kabanikha is constantly trying to destroy their relationship.
Many critics argued about the strength or weakness of Katerina's character, but no one doubted the strength of Kabanikh's character. It's for real Cruel person who tries to subjugate those around him. She would have to rule the state, otherwise she has to waste her “talents” on her family and a provincial town. Varvara, the daughter of Marfa Kabanova, has chosen pretense and lies as a way of coexisting with her domineering mother. Katerina, on the contrary, strongly opposes her mother-in-law. They seemed to take two positions, truth and lies, defending them. And in their conversations that Kabanikha should not categorically accuse Katya of mistakes and various sins, the struggle between light and darkness, truth and the “dark kingdom”, of which Kabanikha is a representative, emerges through the everyday background.
Katerina and Kabanikha are Orthodox Christians. But their faith is completely different. For Katerina, faith that comes from within is much more important. For her, the place of prayer is not important. The girl is pious, she sees the presence of God all over the world, and not just in the church building. The religiosity of Marfa Ignatievna can be called outward. For her, rituals and strict observance of the rules are important. But behind all this obsession with practical manipulation, faith itself disappears. It is also important for Kabanikhi to observe and maintain old traditions, despite the fact that many of them are already outdated: “You will not be afraid, and even more so. What is the order in the house will be? After all, you, tea, live with her in law. Ali, do you think the law means nothing? Yes, if you keep such stupid thoughts in your head, you would at least not chatter in front of her and in front of your sister, in front of the girl. The characterization of Kabanikha in Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm is impossible without mentioning her almost maniacal attention to detail. Tikhon, the son of Kabanova Sr., becomes an inveterate drunkard, the daughter of Varvara lies, walks with whomever she wants, and looks like she will run away from home, disgracing her family. But Marfa Ignatyevna is worried that they enter the threshold without bowing, not as her great-grandfathers taught. Her behavior resembles the behavior of the priestesses of a dying cult, who are trying with all their might to keep it alive with the help of external paraphernalia.
Katerina Kabanova was a somewhat suspicious girl: in the “prophecies” of the half-witted lady, she seemed to her own fate, and in the thunderstorm the girl saw the punishment of the Lord. The boar is too mercantile and mundane for that. She is closer to the material world, practicality and utility. Thunderstorm and thunder don’t scare Kabanova at all, she just doesn’t want to get wet. While the inhabitants of Kalinovo are talking about the raging elements, Kabanikha grumbles and expresses his dissatisfaction: “Look what kind of races he spread. There is so much to hear, nothing to say! The times have come, some teachers have appeared. If the old man thinks like that, what can you demand from the young!”, “Don’t judge yourself older! They know more than you. Old people have signs of everything. An old man will not say a word to the wind.
The image of Kabanikh in the play "Thunderstorm" can be called a kind of generalization, a conglomeration of negative human qualities. It is difficult to call her a woman, a mother, and a person in principle. Of course, she is far from the fools of the city of Foolov, but her desire to subdue and rule killed all human qualities in Marfa Ignatievna.
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