The image and characteristics of Mitrofanushka in Fonvizin's "Undergrowth": description of Mitrofan Prostakov. Characteristics of the hero Mitrofan from the comedy Fonvizin Undergrowth Mother's name Mitrofanushka from undergrowth
Mitrofan is an undersized, negative character in a comedy, a young nobleman. He is very similar to his mother, Mrs. Prostakova, brother Taras Skotinin. In Mitrofan, in Mrs. Prostakova, in Skotinin, one can notice such character traits as greed and greed. Mitrofanushka knows that all power in the house belongs to his mother, who loves him and allows him to behave as he wants. Mitrofan is lazy, does not like and does not know how to work and study, he only frolics, has fun and sits on the dovecote. Not so much the sissy himself influences those around him, but they influence him, trying to raise the undergrowth as an honest, educated person, and he fits his mother in everything. Mitrofan treats the servants very cruelly, insults them and generally does not consider them to be people:
Eremeevna. Yes, learn a little.
Mitrofan. 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.
Mitrofan also has no respect for teachers. He strives only for his own personal benefit, and when he finds out that Sophia has become the heiress of Starodum, he immediately intends to offer her a hand and heart, and the attitude towards Sophia in the Prostakovs' house changes significantly for the better. And all this is only because of greed and cunning, and not because of a feat of the heart.
Mitrofan is depicted in the comedy "Undergrowth" very vividly, vitally, with many human vices, and Mrs. Prostakova simply does not have a soul in her son:
Ms Prostakova. ... We do not regret the last crumbs, if only to teach our son everything. My Mitrofanushka does not get up for days because of the book. Motherly my heart. It’s a pity, a pity, but you’ll think: for that there will be a kid anywhere ... The groom is for anyone, but still the teachers go, he doesn’t lose an hour, and now two people are waiting in the hallway ... My Mitrofanushka has no rest day or night.
The opposite of Mitrofan is Sophia, a young, kind, sensible girl.
The main problem that led Fonvizin to create the image of Mitrofan is education to a small extent - serfdom (in general, relations between people of different social status are implied).
The comedy "Undergrowth" by Fonvizin was staged at the theater in 1782. The historical prototype of "Undergrowth" was the title of a noble teenager who did not complete his studies. During the time of Fonvizin, the burdens of compulsory service increased at the same time as the weakening ...
(Based on D. I. Fonvizin’s comedy “Undergrowth”) The name of D. I. Fonvizin rightfully belongs to the number of names that make up the pride of Russian national culture. His comedy "Undergrowth" - the ideological and artistic pinnacle of creativity - has become one of the classic examples ...
The famous comedy of D. I. Fonvizin "Undergrowth" is distinguished by great social depth and a sharp satirical orientation. In essence, Russian social comedy begins with her. The play continues the traditions of classicism, but later,...
Mitrofanushka (Prostakov Mitrofan) is the son of the landowners Prostakovs. He is considered undersized, tk. He is 16 years old and has not reached the age of majority. Observing the decree of the king, Mitrofanushka studies. But he does it with great reluctance. He is stupid, ignorant and lazy...
The problem of raising children, the heritage prepared for the country, played an important role in society in the old days and remains relevant to this day. Members of the Prostakov family are strangers to each other. They don't look like a strong, loving family at all. Mrs. Prostakova is rude,...
Mitrofanushka is the son of the landowners Prostakovs and one of the main negative characters in the comedy "Undergrowth". As a minor teenager, he is a prominent representative of the youth of the nobility and one of the many "undersized" who inhabited Russia in the 18th century. By nature, he is rude and cruel, does not want to study or serve, does not put his father in anything and, using his mother's boundless love, manipulates her as he wishes. He is distinguished by dullness, ignorance and laziness, which indicates his resemblance to his mother. He openly mocks serfs and teachers. On the one hand, he seems to be a tyrant, on the other hand, the author also shows his slavish behavior, instilled in him by the entire Prostakov-Skotinin family and the serf nanny Eremeevna.
When all Prostakova's plans to marry him to a wealthy pupil Sofya collapse and he has to prepare for military service, he resignedly asks for forgiveness and accepts his sentence. Using this character as an example, the author of the play tries to show the ignorance of the nobles of that time, as well as the social degradation in the country. Thanks to the image of Mitrofanushka, the word "undergrowth" has become a household word. Subsequently, so began to call people stupid and ignorant.
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 protagonist is a 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 relatives, Mitrofan Prostakov is still a 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 comedy.
Through the image of Mitrofan, one of the main negative characters, 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.
Mitrofan Terentyevich Prostakov (Mitrofanushka) - undergrowth, son of landowners Prostakov, 15 years old. The name "Mitrofan" means in Greek "manifested by his mother", "similar to his mother." It has become a household word for a stupid and arrogant ignorant sissy. Yaroslavl old-timers considered the prototype of the image of M. a certain barchuk who lived in the vicinity of Yaroslavl, as reported by L. N. Trefolev.
Fonvizin's comedy is a play about an undergrowth, about his monstrous upbringing, which turns a teenager into a cruel and lazy creature. The word "undergrowth" before Fonvizin's comedy did not carry negative semantics. Undergrowths were called teenagers under the age of fifteen, that is, the age determined by Peter I for entry into the service. In 1736, the period of stay in the "undergrowth" was extended to twenty years. The decree on the freedom of the nobility abolished the mandatory term of service and granted the nobles the right to serve or not to serve, but confirmed the compulsory education introduced under Peter I. Prostakova follows the law, although she does not approve of it. She also knows that many, including those in her family, circumvent the law. M. has been studying for four years, but Prostakova wants to keep him with her for ten years.
The plot of the comedy is based on the fact that Prostakova wants to marry the poor pupil Sophia for her brother Skotinin, but then, having learned about 10,000 rubles, the heiress of which Starodum made Sophia, decides not to miss the rich heiress. Skoti-nin doesn't want to give in. On this basis, between M. and Skotinin, between Prostakova and Skotinin, enmity arises, turning into ugly quarrels. M., set up by his mother, demands collusion, declaring: “The hour of my will has come. I don't want to study, I want to get married." But Prostakova understands that first you need to get the consent of Starodum. And for this it is necessary that M. appear in a favorable light: “While he is resting, my friend, at least for the sake of appearance, learn, so that it comes to his ears how you work, Mitrofanushka.” For her part, Prostakova in every possible way praises M.'s diligence, successes and her parental care for him, and although she knows for sure that M. has not learned anything, she nevertheless arranges an “exam” and encourages Starodum to evaluate the successes of her son (case 4, yavl. VIII). The lack of motivation for this scene (it is hardly appropriate to tempt fate and present the son in a bad light; it is also unclear how the illiterate Prostakova could appreciate M.'s knowledge and the pedagogical efforts of his teachers) is obvious; but it is important for Fonvizin to show that the ignorant landowner herself becomes a victim of her own deceit and sets a trap for her son. After this farcical comedy scene, Prostakova, confident that she will push her brother back by force, and realizing that M. could not stand the test and comparison with Milon, decides to forcibly marry M. to Sophia; instructs him to get up at six o'clock, put "three servants in Sophia's bedroom, and two in the hallway to help" (d. 4, yavl. IX). To this M. replies: "Everything will be done." When Prostakova’s “conspiracy” fails, M., at first ready, after her mother, “to be taken for people” (d. 5, fig. III), then humbly asks for forgiveness, and then rudely pushes her mother away: “Get off, mother, how imposed itself” (case 5, yavl. last). Completely bewildered and having lost power over people, he now has to go through a new school of education (“Go serve,” Pravdin tells him), which he accepts with slavish obedience: “According to me, where they are told.” These last words of M. become a kind of illustration to the words of Starodum: “Well, what can come out of Mitrofanushka for the fatherland, for which ignorant parents also pay money to ignorant teachers? How many noble fathers who entrust the moral upbringing of their son to their serf slave! Fifteen years later, instead of one slave, two come out, an old uncle and a young master ”(d. 5, yavl. I).
The struggle for the hand of Sophia, making up the plot of the comedy, puts M. in the center of action. As one of the "imaginary" suitors, M. with his figure connects two worlds - the ignorant nobles, tyrants, the world of "malice" and the enlightened nobles, the world of good morals. These "camps" are extremely alienated from each other. Prostakova, Skotinin cannot understand Starodum, Pravdin and Milon (Prostakova says to Starodum in complete bewilderment: “God knows how you judge you now” - d. 4, phenom. VIII; M. cannot understand , which the same characters demand of him), and Sofya, Pravdin, Milon and Starodum perceive M. and his relatives with open contempt. The reason for this is a different upbringing. The natural nature of M. is distorted by upbringing, and therefore he is in sharp contradiction with the norms of behavior of a nobleman and with ethical ideas about a good-natured and enlightened person.
The author's attitude to M., as well as to other negative characters, is expressed in the form of a "monologue" self-exposure of the hero and in the replicas of positive characters. The rudeness of vocabulary betrays in him hardness of heart and evil will; ignorance of the soul leads to laziness, empty pursuits (chasing pigeons), gluttony. M. is the same tyrant at home as Prostakova. Like Prostakova, she does not consider her father, seeing him as an empty place, and treats teachers in every possible way. At the same time, he holds Prostakov in his hands and threatens to commit suicide if she does not protect him from Skotinin (“To wind here and the river is close. Dive, so remember your name” - d. 2, yavl. VI). M. knows neither love, nor pity, nor simple gratitude; in this respect he surpassed his mother. Prostakova lives for her son, M. for herself. Ignorance can progress from generation to generation; coarseness of feelings is reduced to purely animal instincts. Prostakov remarks with surprise: “It’s strange, brother, how relatives can resemble relatives. Our Mitrofanushka looks like an uncle. And he is a pig hunter from childhood, just like you. As he was for another three years, it used to happen, when he saw a pig, he would tremble with joy ”(d. 1, yavl. V). In the fight scene, Skotinin calls M. "damned ingot." With all his behavior and speeches, M. justifies the words of Starodum: “An ignoramus without a soul is a beast” (d. 3, yavl. I).
According to Starodum, there are three types of people: an enlightened smart girl; unenlightened, but possessing a soul; unenlightened and soulless. M., Prostakova and Skotinin belong to the latter variety. They seem to grow claws (see the scene of Skotinin’s quarrel with M. and the words of Eremeevna, as well as the fight between Prostakova and Skotinin, in which M.’s mother “pierced” Skotinin’s scruff), bearish strength appears (Skotinin says to Prostakova: “It will come to breaking , I will bend, so you will crack" - d. 3, yavl. III). Comparisons are taken from the animal world: “Have you heard that a bitch gave out her puppies?” Worse, M. stopped in its development and is then only capable of regression. Sophia says to Milon: “Although he is sixteen years old, he has already reached the last degree of his perfection and will not go far” (d. 2, yavl. II). The absence of family and cultural traditions turned into a triumph of "malice", and M. breaks even those "animal" ties that united him with his kindred circle.
In the face of M. Fonvizin brought out a peculiar type of tyrant slave: he is a slave of low passions, which turned him into a tyrant. The “slave” upbringing of M. in the narrow sense is connected with the “mother” Eremeevna, in the broad sense - with the world of the Prostakovs and Skotinins. In both cases, dishonorable concepts were instilled in M.: in the first, because Eremeevna was a serf, in the second, because the concepts of honor were perverted.
The image of M. (and the very concept of "undergrowth") became a household word. However, the educational idea of the mechanistic dependence of human behavior on his upbringing was subsequently overcome. In The Captain's Daughter by Pushkin, Petrusha Grinev receives an education similar to M., but develops independently and behaves like an honest nobleman. Pushkin sees in M. something radical, Russian, charming, and with the help of the epigraph (“Mitrofan for me”) raises the narrator - and partly the characters - of “Belkin's Tales” to the hero of “Undergrowth”. The name "Mitrofan" is found in Lermontov ("Tambov Treasurer"). The satirical development of the image is given in the novel by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “Lords of Tashkent”.
Prostakova is the wife of Terenty Prostakov, mother of Mitrofan and sister of Taras Skotinin. The surname indicates both the simplicity, ignorance, lack of education of the heroine, and the fact that she falls into a mess.
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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 spoil their son - they believe that adult life is 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.
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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.
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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 this is a significant, important person (an aristocrat), then the young man tries to meet the minimum etiquette standards, which is true and this 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 for an educated person, and 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.