Russian literature of the 18th century

Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov

Biography

Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov, the most consistent of the classic writers, along with the practice of literary activity, managed to give theoretical basis classicism as literary direction, characteristic of Russia in the middle of the century. In literature, Sumarokov acted as a successor and at the same time antagonist of Lomonosov. In 1748, in his “Epistole on Poetry,” Sumarokov writes about Lomonosov: “He is the Malgerb of our countries; he is like Pindar.” Subsequently, Sumarokov recalled the time when he and Lomonosov were friends and daily interlocutors “and received sound advice from each other” (“On versification”). Then the literary, theoretical and personal enmity of the writers began.

A.P. Sumarokov is an outstanding playwright and poet of his time, passionately devoted to literary work, believing in the almighty power of the word addressed to reason. One of the most prolific and active writers XVIII c., he turned his literary creativity to the noble class. And his classicism was of a narrow class character, in contrast to the statewide and national character of Lomonosov’s classicism. In the fair words of Belinsky, “Sumarokov was excessively exalted by his contemporaries and excessively humiliated by our time.” At the same time, Sumarokov’s work was important milestone in the history of Russian development literary process XVIII century

Biography

Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov was born on November 14 (25), 1717 into an aristocratic, but by that time impoverished family. Having received the initial home education, Sumarokov in 1732, at the age of 14, entered the Land Noble Corps, open only to nobles. In this corps, which was obliged to graduate “chiefs” of military, civil and court service, Sumarokov received an excellent education and became familiar with literature and theater. General education subjects such as history, geography, legal sciences, languages, fencing and dancing. The building becomes the center of a new noble culture. Much time was devoted to literature and art. No wonder in the building in different times future writers studied: A. P. Sumarokov, M. M. Kheraskov, I. P. Elagin, A. A. Nartov and others. In 1759, a group of students and corps officers undertook the publication of the magazine “Idle Time, Used in Benefit” ", in which Sumarokov, who graduated from the corps in 1740, also collaborated. Literary interests also determined the fact that it was in the Noble Corps that the first Russian tragedy, written by Sumarokov, was performed and marked the beginning of the creation of the Russian dramatic repertoire. Already during his years of study, Sumarokov’s poetic talent was revealed. His first published works were two odes for the new year, 1740, published as a separate brochure. After completing the course of science, Sumarokov, despite his military service, which was mainly of a formal nature, devoted all his time to literature. He writes odes, elegies, songs, fables, and acts as a playwright, treating literature for the first time as a professional matter.

During his years of study in the corps, Sumarokov developed firm and lofty ideas about the dignity of a nobleman, about the need for public service to the fatherland, and formed ideal performances about noble honor and virtue. In the spirit of these ideals, he dreamed of educating a noble society, and he chose literature as a means for this. Sumarokov addressed the government on behalf of the noble community, on whom he focused his main attention. He becomes the ideologist of the noble class, the ideologist of the new nobility born of Peter the Great's time. A nobleman must serve for the benefit of society. And Sumarokov, in turn, protects the interests of the nobles. Seeing in the existing serfdom a completely natural and legalized phenomenon, Sumarokov at the same time opposed the excessive cruelty of the serf-owners, against the transformation of serfdom into slavery. “People should not be sold like cattle,” he stated in his comments on the “Order” of Catherine II. And at the same time, he was convinced that “peasant freedom is not only harmful to society, but also detrimental, and why it is detrimental does not need to be explained.” Recognizing the natural equality of people, he believed that it was upbringing and education that made nobles “the first members of society,” “sons of the fatherland”:

What's the difference between a gentleman and a peasant?

Both he and he are an animated lump of earth,

And if you don’t clear the mind of the lordly peasant,

So I don't see any difference.

("On Nobility")

The nobility, according to Sumarokov, occupying a privileged position in society, must be educated, enlightened, must prove their right to rule the “slaves of the fatherland,” i.e., peasants. In this regard, his programmatic poem was his satire “On Nobility”:

I bring this satire to you, nobleman!

I am writing to the first members of the fatherland.

The nobles know their duty quite well without me,

But many remember one nobility,

Not remembering that born from women and from ladies

Without exception, Adam is the forefather of all.

Are we nobles so that people can work?

Would we have devoured their works because of our nobility?

This satire repeats the main provisions of Cantemir's satire about the nobility of birth and the nobility of merit, about the natural equality of people. “Our honor does not lie in titles,” wrote Sumarokov, “he is the radiant one who shines with heart and mind, the excellent one who surpasses other people in dignity, the boyar who cares about the fatherland.” Sumarokov never managed to bring the nobility closer to the ideal he had conceived.

Being a monarchist and a supporter of enlightened absolutism, Sumarokov sharply opposed monarchs who, in his opinion, do not fulfill their duties to their subjects, forgetting that “we were born for you. And you were born for us.” Sumarokov never tired of reminding us of this in his odes and tragedies. Every now and then he becomes in opposition to the government.

Sumarokov's life, externally full of success and recognition, it turned out to be extremely difficult. Not seeing worthy representatives of his class among the nobles, he tirelessly denounces the cruel, unenlightened nobles, so far from the ideal he created. He ridicules them in fables and satires, denounces bribery and lawlessness of officials, favoritism at court. The noble society, which did not want to listen to Sumarokov, began to take revenge on the writer. Proud, irritable, accustomed to recognition of his literary successes by writers, Sumarokov, according to the recollections of his contemporaries, often lost his temper and could not restrain himself. Honest and straightforward, he did not let anyone down. “His indomitability and hysteria are proverbial. He jumped up, cursed, and ran away when he heard the landowners calling the serf servants “boorish tribe.” He reached the point of hysterics, defending his copyright from the encroachments of the Moscow commander-in-chief; he loudly cursed arbitrariness, bribes, and the savagery of society; the noble “society” took revenge on him, driving him crazy, mocking him.”

The name of Sumarokov is associated with the emergence of a permanent “Russian theater for the performance of tragedies and comedies,” the first director of which in 1756 was appointed by Elizabeth Sumarokov. Sumarokov saw in the theater an opportunity to fulfill an educational role in relation to the nobility. The creation of the theater depended largely on the appearance of Sumarokov's tragedies, which made up its repertoire. By the time the theater opened, Sumarokov was the author of five tragedies and three comedies. Contemporaries rightly called him “the founder of the Russian theater.” For five years he was in charge of the theater, where work was extremely difficult: there was no permanent premises, there was not enough money for productions, the actors and director did not receive salaries for months. Sumarokov wrote desperate letters to Shuvalov, entering into constant conflicts. An ardent lover of art and devoted to his work, Sumarokov was neither a sufficiently accommodating person nor a good administrator. In 1761 he had to leave the theater.

The last period of his life was especially difficult for Sumarokov. He moves to Moscow and continues to write a lot. At the end of the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, he joined the noble opposition, which succumbed to the liberal declarations of Catherine, who by all means went to power. The coup of 1762, which brought Catherine II to the throne, did not fulfill Sumarokov’s political hopes. He stands in opposition to the queen and creates politically acute tragedies “Dimitri the Pretender”, “Mstislav”. In the first tragedy, the plot is based on a sharp exposure of the despot monarch and a call for his overthrow. The nobility is still dissatisfied with the writer. He enjoys fame mainly in literary circles, but it cannot console Sumarokov. Harsh in his views and irreconcilable in his judgments, he alienates the empress. The persecution intensified when he, an aristocrat by birth, the ideologist of the nobility, violating all class prejudices, married a serf girl. The relatives of the first wife began a lawsuit against the writer, demanding the deprivation of the rights of his children from his second wife. The trial ended in favor of Sumarokov. However, bankrupt and entangled in debt, Sumarokov was forced to humiliate himself before the rich man Demidov, who drives him out of the house for an unpaid debt. There are rumors about him all over the city. The Commander-in-Chief of Moscow, Saltykov, organizes the failure of the Sinav and Truvor tragedy. A beggar, abandoned and ridiculed by everyone, Sumarokov sinks and begins to drink. In the poem "Complaint" he writes:

...I have little consolation that the glory will not fade,

Which the shadow will never feel.

What need do I have for my mind?

If only I carry crackers in my bag?

What an excellent writer I am honored for,

If there is nothing to drink or eat?

On October 11, 1777, after a short illness, Sumarokov died. There was not a ruble to bury the poet. According to the testimony of Pavel Ivanovich Sumarokov, the writer’s nephew, Sumarokov was “buried at his own expense by the actors of the Moscow theater” in the cemetery of the Donskoy Monastery.

Sumarokov was the first nobleman writer for whom literature became the main business of his life. It was impossible to live by literature at that time; this largely determined the severity of Sumarokov’s material hardships. In a petition addressed to Catherine II, Sumarokov wrote about his plight: “To all this main reason my love for poetry, for I relied on it and on verbal sciences, I cared not so much about ranks and about property, as about my muse.” Sumarokov himself was inclined to consider himself the founder of syllabic-tonic poetry, and in an article polemically directed against Lomonosov, “To the senseless rhymers,” he stated that when he began to write, “we did not yet have poets and there was no one to learn from. It was as if I was passing through a dense forest, hiding the dwelling of the muses from my eyes, without a guide...” This, of course, was far from the truth, but Sumarokov’s merits in the development of Russian poetry are undoubted.

If Trediakovsky discovered that Russian poetry should be tonic, and Lomonosov made a true reform, then Sumarokov gave examples of almost all types of tonic verse. Speaking as a playwright, poet, theorist, critic, Sumarokov believed that his literary activity was a service to society, a form of active participation in public life countries. He was a leading man of his time, a noble educator, whose work was highly valued by Radishchev and Novikov.

Sumarokov - theorist of classicism

A.P. Sumarokov, with his literary creativity, contributed to the establishment of classicism on Russian soil. He acted both as a theorist of classicism and as a writer who, in his literary practice, gave examples of the diverse genres provided for by the poetics of classicism. Sumarokov began by writing odes; the first two odes, dedicated to Anna Ioannovna, were published in 1740. In them, the aspiring poet imitated Trediakovsky. From the moment the odes of Lomonosov appeared, Sumarokov experienced a strong influence of his creative genius. However, the ode genre did not become dominant in the work of Sumarokov, who was destined to achieve fame as a great playwright and lyricist, the creator of love songs, idylls, elegies, and eclogues.

An important literary event was the two poetic epistles published in 1748 by Sumarokov - “On the Russian Language” and “On Poetry”, in which Sumarokov acted as a theorist of classicism. In the first, he talks about the need to enrich the literary language with timeless Church Slavonic words and avoid foreign words. In this he gets closer to Lomonosov. In “Epistole on Poetry” (1747), unlike Lomonosov, Sumarokov, theoretically substantiating the genres of classicism, asserts the equality of all genres, without giving preference to any of them:

Everything is praiseworthy: whether a drama, an eclogue or an ode -

Decide what your nature draws you to...

Subsequently, both of these epistles were revised and made up one - “Instructions for those who want to be writers,” published in 1774.

To Trediakovsky’s reproach for borrowing epistles from Boileau’s “The Art of Poetry,” Sumarokov replied that he “didn’t take the weight from Boileau,” meaning his understanding of the aesthetic code and independent development them separate genres. Nevertheless, Sumarokov does not deny his dependence on Boileau’s theory. “My epistle about poetry,” he says, “is all Boalov’s, and Boalo took it from Horace. No: Boalo did not take everything from Horace, and I did not take everything from Boalo..."

The beginning of Sumarokov’s dramatic activity also dates back to the 40s, for he considered theater to be the strongest means of educating the nobility. In his tragedies, one of the most characteristic genres of classicism, Sumarokov poses large, socially significant problems. Contemporaries highly appreciated this type of dramaturgy by Sumarokov, calling him “northern Racine,” the founder of the dramaturgy of Russian classicism.

Tragedies of Sumarokov

In the tragedies, Sumarokov’s political views were especially clearly manifested. He strove to create a harmonious society in which every member of society would know his duties and fulfill them honestly. He longed to return the “golden ages”, believing that they were possible under the existing social order, but for this it was necessary to eliminate the lawlessness and disorder that existed in the absolutist-noble monarchy. His tragedies were supposed to show what a true enlightened monarch should be like; they were supposed to educate the “first sons of the fatherland,” the nobility, arousing in them a sense of civic duty, love for the fatherland, and true nobility. Sumarokov never tired of convincing the monarchs that “we (subjects) were born for you, and you were born for us.” And although Sumarokov constantly repeats that “ monarchical rule“I don’t say despotic, there is the best,” he did not hesitate to harshly condemn monarchs who did not live up to the ideal he outlined. Standing in opposition to Elizabeth Petrovna, he soon understood the pseudo-enlightened absolutism of Catherine's reign and, while promoting the ideas of enlightened absolutism in his tragedies, at the same time exposed the despotism of the rule of monarchs. The tyranny-fighting tendencies in his tragedies sharply intensified towards the end of the 60s - early 70s, reflecting overall growth noble opposition to the regime of Catherine II. The socio-political pathos of Sumarokov's tragedies had a huge impact on the development of subsequent Russian tragedy, which retained its political orientation.

Over 28 years, Sumarokov wrote nine tragedies. The first group of tragedies, 1740-1750, are “Horev” (1747), “Hamlet” (1748), which was a free adaptation from the French prose translation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, “Sinav and Truvor” (1750), “Ariston” (1750 ), “Semira” (1751), “Dimiza” (1758), later revised and called “Yaropolk and Dimiza” (1768).

Sumarokov’s first tragedy, “Khorev,” was published in 1747. This is the playwright’s first experience; it only outlines the main provisions, motives, and situations that will develop later. The tragedy is addressed to Ancient Rus', however, the connection with ancient Russian history is very conventional, it is actually limited to names, however, it is important to note that, taking plots from his native history, Sumarokov considered them more effective in instilling the “virtue” of the nobility. This, undoubtedly, gave the most pronounced patriotic character to the playwright’s tragedies and was distinctive feature Russian classicism, for Western European drama was built primarily on ancient subjects.

In the tragedy “Khorev” the central character is Prince Kiy. His brother Khorev loves Osnelda, the daughter of Zavlokh, expelled from Kyiv by Prince Kiy. Osnelda reciprocates Khorev's feelings, but her love contradicts the duty of a daughter and a patriot. By order of Kiy, who wants to test Khorev’s devotion, the latter must march with an army against his beloved’s father. This is how the conflict between public and personal, between duty and passion, which is characteristic of Sumarokov’s subsequent tragedies, is defined.

The outcome is tragic, and Prince Kiy is to blame for it, having trusted the informer Stalver. In this first tragedy of Sumarokov there is not yet that clarity of the main idea, that rigor and integrity in construction that will be characteristic of his best tragedies, but the main collisions are outlined, and the moralistic, didactic orientation of the tragedy is decisive. A monarch who subordinates the voice of reason to the destructive passion that has gripped him becomes a tyrant for his subjects. The speeches of Khorev and Osnelda contained lessons of noble morality.

The next group of tragedies, in which tyrant-fighting motifs sounded most clearly, were written after a ten-year break: “Vysheslav” (1768), “Dimitri the Pretender” (1771), “Mstislav” (1774). However, in these tragedies, despite the more acute socio-political sound, the plot and compositional structure is subordinated to clarifying the main problem: the relationship of the royal power to its subjects and the subjects to this power. At the center of the tragedies is a monarch invested with power, his subjects - princes, nobles, representatives of a noble family, often subjects of the monarch - two lovers, but this love is undesirable, it is condemned by the law of honor and duty. Devotion to one’s feelings and one’s duty creates a tragic collision. Usually, the basis of a tragic collision is a violation of duty by a monarch who does not know how to control his passions and becomes a tyrant towards his subjects. In Sumarokov's tragedies, the monarch, unable to suppress his passion and attraction, has no right to rule others. And hence, in most tragedies, an important moment in the development of the plot is the action against the tyrant. This performance is successful if it is directed against despots (Hamlet, Demetrius the Pretender). In other cases, when the ruler turns out to be a reasonable monarch (“Semira”, “Vysheslav”) or a monarch who has repented of his actions (“Artistona”, “Mstislav”, etc.), the uprising ends in failure. It is characteristic that the triumph of Sumarokov’s didactic concept of morality leads to happy endings in tragedies (exception: “Sinav and Truvor” and “Horev”).

Creating models of behavior of a true monarch and a true subject, whose high feelings and thoughts were supposed to educate the Russian nobility, Sumarokov divides his heroes into positive and negative, virtuous and villains, who are revealed to the viewer primarily in their monologues. The action in tragedies is reduced to a minimum; the monologues of the characters are addressed to the audience and are an expression of certain ideas of the author.

The tragedy “Sinav and Truvor”, translated into French, received Voltaire’s approval. Sumarokov’s last tragedies “Vysheslav” (1768), “Dimitri the Pretender” (1771) and “Mstislav” (1774) were written at a time when the playwright was in disgrace and clearly saw that the Russian monarchy was despotic. Sumarokov's opposition to the government and his fight against favoritism were reflected in these tragedies, which were of a clearly political nature.

Sumarokov’s goal is to educate monarchs, pointing out their responsibilities towards their subjects:

He reigns the people to bliss

And leading the common benefit to perfection:

The orphan does not cry under his scepter,

The innocent are not afraid of anyone,

A flatterer does not bow at the feet of a nobleman.

The king is a judge equal to all and a father equal to all.

("Vysheslav")

Based on your ideal class monarchy, Sumarokov, with his characteristic passion and insolence, attacked those social phenomena and social forces that he regarded negatively. In his recent tragedies tyrant-fighting motives are intensifying. A monarch who is unable to establish order in the state and be the father of his subjects is worthy of contempt; he is a “vile idol”, an “enemy of the people” who must be overthrown from the throne (“Dimitri the Pretender”). Sumarokov started talking about “villains” on the throne. It is not for nothing that the tragedy “Dimitri the Pretender” was included in the collection of the best works of Russian literature, published in Paris in 1800. Its compilers explained the choice of this play by the fact that “its plot, almost revolutionary, is obviously in direct contradiction with the morals and political system of this countries: minor characters (Shuisky, Georgy, Parmen and Ksenia) give speeches about the rights of the people and the responsibilities of sovereigns.” The tragedy features the theme of the violent overthrow of a tyrant by the people. And although Sumarokov only means palace coup, and the concepts of “people”, “society”, “sons of the fatherland” are nobles, as P. N. Berkov rightly pointed out in his work about Sumarokov, nevertheless, the socio-political resonance of this tragedy was very strong.

Sumarokov's tragedies had enormous educational significance. The spectators sitting in the hall received moral lessons, listened to high words about duty, nobility, love for the Motherland, and learned to be indignant against tyranny. N.I. Novikov, the most prominent educator of the 18th century, wrote about Sumarokov: “... although he was the first Russian to begin writing tragedies according to all the rules theatrical arts, but succeeded so much in them that he earned the name of northern Racine.” It is characteristic that Sumarokov himself expressed dissatisfaction with the audience. In the preface to “Dimitri the Pretender,” complaining about the frivolity and indifference of the public, he wrote: “You who have traveled, who have been in Paris and London, tell me! Do they gnaw nuts there during the performance and, when the performance is at its peak, do they flog drunken coachmen who have quarreled among themselves, to the alarm of the entire stalls, boxes and theater?

Sumarokov's tragedies, designed for the education and upbringing of the noble class, had a wider resonance and a wider sphere of influence. The play "Dimitri the Pretender", according to contemporaries, was a "people's favorite" even in the 20s years XIX V. The socially progressive role of Sumarokov’s tragedies was great, and the type of classical tragedy he created for a long time remained a model followed by modern playwrights and playwrights of later times.

Comedies by Sumarokov

Sumarokov also had his say in the comedy genre. In his “Epistole on Poetry,” the playwright defines the social and educational function of comedy: “The property of comedy is to rule morality through mockery; /Mix and use is its direct charter.” By exposing human vices in a funny way, exposing them, comedy should thereby contribute to liberation from them. In “Epistol,” formulating the theory of the comedy genre, Sumarokov wrote that comedy should be separated from tragedy, on the one hand, and from farcical games, on the other:

For knowledgeable people don't write games:

To make people laugh without reason is a gift from a vile soul.

Separating comedy from folk games, Sumarokov nevertheless turned to the practice of folk theater in his comedies. His comedies are small in volume (from one to three acts), written in prose, they often lack a plot basis (this applies especially to Sumarokov’s first comedies), the comedies are characterized by farcical comedy, the characters are a clerk, a judge, a dandy and other characters noted Sumarokov in Russian life.

Imagine a soulless Podyachev in the order,

The judge that he will not understand what is written in the decree.

Imagine me a dandy who turns up his nose,

What a whole century thinks about the beauty of hair,

Who, as he thinks, was born for cupid,

To win over such a fool somewhere.

Striving to imitate primarily the French comedy of Moliere, Sumarokov was far from the comedies of Western classicism. A classical comedy should have consisted of five acts in verse (an example was Moliere’s comedy “The Misanthrope”), it should have compositional rigor, completeness, and obligatory observance of unities (of course, in Western comedy there were deviations from the classical model: he wrote comedies in prose and Moliere). Sumarokov’s imitation of French comedy and Italian interludes was reflected primarily in the borrowing of the characters’ conventional names: Erast, Dulizh, Dorant, Isabella, etc.

Sumarokov wrote twelve comedies, which, although they had a number of undoubted merits, were inferior in their ideological significance and artistic value to his tragedies.

He wrote the first comedies “Tresotinius”, “Monsters”, “An Empty Quarrel” in 1750. The next group of comedies appeared in the 60s: “Dowry by Deceit”, “Guardian”, “Poisonous”, “Reddy Man”, “Narcissus” , “Three Brothers Together,” and finally, in 1772, three more comedies were written - “Cuckold by Imagination,” “Mother and Daughter’s Companion,” and “The Screwtape.” Most often, Sumarokov's comedies served as a means of polemics for him, hence the pamphlet-like nature of most of them. Unlike tragedies, Sumarokov did not work on comedies for long. In his first comedies, each of the characters appearing on stage showed the audience his own vice, and the scenes were mechanically connected. In a small comedy there are many characters (in “Tresotinius” - 10, in “Monsters” - 11). The portraiture of the characters made it possible for contemporaries to find out who in reality served as the prototype for this or that character. Real faces, everyday details, negative phenomena of Russian life - all this gave Sumarokov’s comedies, despite the conventionality of the image, a connection with reality. Most strong point Sumarokov’s comedies were their language: bright, expressive, it is often colored with the features of a lively dialect. This manifested the writer’s desire to individualize the speech of the characters, which is especially characteristic of Sumarokov’s later comedies.

The polemical nature of the early comedies, often directed against enemies in the literary field, can be traced in the comedy-pamphlet “Tresotinius”, in which Trediakovsky was portrayed in an exaggerated and grotesque form as the main character - a pedantic scientist. A parody of Trediakovsky’s poems is heard in Tresotinius’s song:

Looking at your beauty, I was inflamed, hey!

Ah, may you spare me from my passion,

You torment me, Klymene, and you knocked me off my feet with an arrow.

The images created in the first comedies were of a conventional nature and were far from typical generalizations.

Despite the fact that the method of conventional depiction of characters is also characteristic of the second group of comedies, they nevertheless differ from the first in the greater depth and conditionality of the depiction of the main characters. The second group of comedies, written between 1764-1768, refers to comedies of character, when all the attention is focused on the main character, while other characters serve only to reveal the character traits of the main character. Thus, “The Guardian” is a comedy about the nobleman-usurer, swindler and hypocrite Stranger, “Poisonous” is about the slanderer Herostratus, “Narcissus” is a comedy about a narcissistic dandy. Other characters - positive characters, acting as reasoners. The most successful in Sumarokov's comedies are the images of negative heroes, in whose characters many satirical and everyday features are noticed, although their depiction is still far from creating a socially generalized type.

One of best comedies This period is the comedy "The Guardian", which focuses on the image of the prude, the miserly nobleman Stranger, fleecing the orphans who came under his care. The “original” of the Stranger was Sumarokov’s relative Buturlin. It is characteristic that he is also depicted as the central character in other comedies (“The Covetous Man,” “Dowry by Deception”). In the comedy “Guardian” Sumarokov does not show the bearer of one particular vice, but draws complex character. Before us is not only a miser who knows neither conscience nor pity, but also a bigot, an ignoramus, a libertine. With some similarities with Moliere's Tartuffe, Sumarokov creates a generalized conditional satirical image Russian vicious nobleman. Both speech characteristics and everyday details contribute to the revelation of character. The Stranger's speech is full of proverbs and sayings: “the purse is empty, the head is empty”, “what is honor if there is nothing to eat?”, “abuse does not hang at the gate”, “what is taken is holy.” In his sanctimonious repentance, the Stranger turns to God, peppering his speech with Church Slavonicisms: “Lord, I know that I am a rogue and a soulless person, and I have not the slightest love for you or my neighbor; I alone trust in your love for mankind, I cry to you: remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.”

The positive characters in Sumarokov's comedies lack vitality; they often act as sounding boards in comedies - such is Valery in the comedy "Guardian". The iconic names of negative characters, characteristic of classicism, also corresponded to moralizing purposes: Stranger, Kashchei, Herostratus.

The end of the 60s - 70s are characterized by the growth of opposition sentiments towards enlightened absolutism among the progressive nobility and the common intelligentsia. This was the time when Russian educational thought turned to posing the peasant question. More closely, socially meaningful in different genres Literature began to address the issue of the relationship between landowners and peasants. Attention to everyday life surrounding a person, the desire for a more complex psychological disclosure of characters in certain social conditions characteristic of the best dramatic works second half of the century. At this time (between 1766-1769), Fonvizin wrote the first everyday comedy from the life of the Russian provincial nobility, “The Brigadier,” the influence of which affected Sumarokov’s last comedies. Following Fonvizin’s “The Brigadier,” the best play in Sumarokov’s comedic work, “Cuckold by Imagination,” appeared, which, in turn, anticipated the appearance of Fonvizin’s “The Minor” (a certain commonality of situations and characters).

The writer focuses on the life of the provincial poor landowners, Vikul and Khavronya. Limited interests, ignorance, narrow-mindedness characterize them. At the same time, the characters in Sumarokov’s comedy are not one-sided. Making fun of the savagery and absurdity of these people, who talk only “about sowing, about reaping, about threshing, about chickens,” whose peasants walk around the world, Sumarokov also shows traits that evoke sympathy for them. Vikul and Khavronya touch with their mutual affection (here they anticipate Gogol’s “ Old world landowners"). “Cuckold by Imagination” is the pinnacle of Sumarokov’s comedic creativity.

Poetry of Sumarokov

Sumarokov’s diverse creativity was also manifested in the richness of poetic genres. Sumarokov sought to provide examples of all types of poetry provided for by the theory of classicism. He wrote odes, songs, elegies, eclogues, idylls, madrigals, epigrams, satires, and parables. In his poetry, two directions were fundamental - lyrical and satirical. He began writing love songs in the first decade of his creative activity. In the field of love lyrics, which enjoyed great success Among his contemporaries, Sumarokov made undoubted discoveries. His lyrics are addressed to man, to his natural weaknesses. Despite the still conventional depiction of the lyrical hero, in his songs Sumarokov strives to reveal inner world, the depth and sincerity of the feelings of the hero or heroine. His lyrics are distinguished by sincere simplicity, spontaneity, they are characterized by sincerity and clarity of expression. After the lyrics of Peter the Great's time, Sumarokov's lyrics made both in the field of content and in the field of technique of verse big step forward.

Here is an example of one of those love songs that created Sumarokov’s first fame:

Those hours disappeared when you were looking for me,

And all my joy has been taken away by you.

I see that you have become unfaithful to me now,

Against me, you have become completely different.

My moan and sadness are fierce,

Imagine

And remember those moments

How nice I was to you.

Look at the places where you met me,

They will bring back all the tenderness as a memory.

Where are my joys? Where has your passion gone?

They are gone and will never come back to me.

Another life has come;

But did I expect this?

A precious life is gone,

Hope and peace.

Sumarokov often uses the technique of antithesis to reveal

Sumarokov Alexander Petrovich was born in Moscow in 1717. He is known to contemporary readers as a poet and playwright.

Alexander Petrovich grew up in a family of nobles. He received his upbringing and initial education at home. At the age of 15 he entered the Land Noble Corps. Here his activity as a young poet begins.

Sumarokov is known to his fans as a writer of love songs that have received success and recognition from society. The poet uses themes in his lines interpersonal conflicts, which he later begins to use in his tragedies. The most famous of them: “Khorev” (1747), “Hamlet” (1748), “Sinav and Truvor” (1750). Poetic tragedies became an incentive for the playwright to create a theater in Russia, which was headed by Sumarokov himself.

During the reign of Catherine II, the popularity of Alexander Petrovich reached its full bloom. He has support in the circles of Novikov and Fonvizin. His works are aimed at ridiculing bribe-takers, landowners who brutally treated their serfs.

But in 1770, a conflict arose between Sumarokov and Saltykov. In this situation, the empress supported the poet, and he wrote her a mocking letter. This event had a negative impact on his literary position.

Throughout his life, the playwright wrote the most interesting works of comedy and tragedy. But in his dying years he somewhat lost his popularity, which contributed to the hobby bad habits. The consequence is the sudden death of Sumarokov in 1777.

The plot of a parent abandoning a child, who later takes revenge on him, has been known since ancient times. It may not be told explicitly, but also with free assumptions. Consider the stories where the father is predicted to die at the hands of his son, as a result of which the birth of children is not allowed or the sons must certainly be killed. Sumarokov is not so cruel towards the younger generation; he looks more negatively at the parents who must accept fair punishment. Fathers have always suffered before, and they cannot avoid such a fate in the comedy “The Guardian.”

The narrative proposed by Sumarokov seems confusing. The characters will not fully know who will face what fate. Even the culprits have no idea how close they are to death. It’s all the more interesting to listen to what’s happening on stage. Not to say that Sumarokov raised acute social problems, but to reflect modern realities he did it. And you don’t have to be a particularly talented writer to tell truthfully about what’s happening around you.

The main culprit has a telling name - the Stranger. You have to understand right away that he likes to take what belongs to others and not give it back. There is no need to reveal what exactly he has taken possession of, so as not to distract the viewer or reader from the action taking place before his eyes. Or it makes sense to talk about it, since, knowing about this circumstance, much in the plot will become clear immediately. However, if the author keeps this secret from everyone, including the characters, then let it remain so.

The action of “The Guardian” begins with the servant wanting to leave the master’s house. He has endured a lot before, but he cannot tolerate the theft of property dear to his heart. He is very upset to lose touch with the past, ultimately being left without everything that was his aspirations. In addition, another maid, who is a noblewoman by birth, does not respond to his advances. It is simply unbearable to continue living in such an environment.

Subsequently, it turns out that there was no malicious intent in the theft, the reason was the curiosity of another character who decided to figure out why the servant liked that thing, which, apparently, should not have anything to do with him. So that the servant does not get angry, he is offered another thing of equal value. But he, of course, will refuse, since he human dignity stands above vanity, not allowing him to exchange things that are valuable to his heart for things that are priceless to his heart. It was here that Sumarokov revealed the secret of the stolen item in order to further fill the action with additional details.

The offended servant, in addition to the stolen item, was offered a path to the nobility, starting with a clerk and ending with the rank of registrar, quite a nobleman. Apparently, there is Sumarokov’s sarcasm here, explaining how easy it has become to achieve a court rank without having anything to do with it from birth.

Separate from the main storyline describes the behavior of the Stranger, who believes that all issues can be resolved with the help of money. Even love can be bought, it is enough to offer the object of love the amount he requires. And how surprised the Stranger is when he receives a refusal. This businessman does not understand the importance of human feelings, which in reality cannot be bought. He is depressed by the need to pray to God, fully accepting and realizing his reality, as well as humbled to experience the torments of hell, since he has sinned enough during his life.

In addition to feelings, you cannot buy one more thing. It's about the law. If you have committed a violation, you will not be able to pay off. Sumarokov was sure of this, so he ensured that his last days were approaching for Chukhezhvat. The court will be harsh and will decide to apply the death penalty. That’s why the comedy turned out to be not at all funny, but rather full of dramatic events.

Additional tags: Sumarokov guardian criticism, analysis, reviews, review, book, Alexander Sumarokov analysis, review, book, content

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So, before us pass: a pedant-scientist (in “Tresotinius” there are three of them: Tresotinius himself, Xaxoximenius, Bobembius; in “Monsters” - this is Criticiondius); this is the “doctor” of Italian comedy; behind him comes a boastful warrior, lying about his unheard-of exploits, but in fact a coward (in “Tresotinius” Bramarbas); this is the “captain” of Italian comedy, going back to the “boastful soldier” Pyrgopolynics Plautus. Next are the clever servants Kimar in “Tresotinius” and “Empty Quarrel”, Harlequin in “Monsters”; this is "Harlequin" commedia dell'arte; finally - ideal lovers - Clarice and Dorant in Tresotinius, Infimena and Valere in Monsters. Characteristic of Sumarokov’s conventionally grotesque manner are the very names of the heroes of his first comedies, not Russian, but conventionally theatrical.

Lecture: Sumarokov's comedies. “guardian”, “cuckold by imagination”.

Mother - Daughter's Companion", "Crazy Woman" and "Cuckold by Imagination". The last of them was influenced by Fonvizin’s play “The Brigadier”.
In “The Cuckold,” two types of nobles are contrasted with each other: the educated, endowed with subtle feelings, Florisa and Count Cassander, and the ignorant, rude, primitive landowner Vikul and his wife Khavronya. This couple eats a lot, sleeps a lot, and plays cards out of boredom.

One of the scenes picturesquely conveys the features of the life of these landowners. On the occasion of the arrival of Count Cassandra, Khavronya orders a festive dinner from the butler.

Attention

This is done with passion, inspiration, and knowledge of the matter. An extensive list of dishes colorfully characterizes the inner interests of village gourmets.

Tragedies of Sumarokov. their political and educational orientation

His clerk in “Tresotinius” (only the intended image), in “Monsters” the sneaker Khabzey and the judges Dodon and Finist are included in common line his struggle with bureaucracy; his petitmeters, Frenchmaniacs, society dandies - Dulizh in “Monsters” and Dulizh in “An Empty Quarrel” - are included in the line of his struggle against the court “nobility”, against gallomania, for Russian culture, for native language. Sumarokov's comedies, even the first three of them, are peppered with literary and polemical attacks, allusions to Sumarokov himself and his enemies.

This especially applies to Tresotinius, the main character of which, which gives the comedy its name, is a pamphlet against Trediakovsky, unusually caricatured, but unambiguous. This is characteristic of Sumarokov’s entire comic style of this period; his comic masks do not rise to a broad social typology.

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Sumarokov's entire manner in these plays is conventionally grotesque. In "Monsters" a comic court hearing takes place on stage, and the judges are dressed like foreign judges - in large wigs, but in general they are not judges at all, and the trial itself takes place in a private house, and all this is a complete farce, and behind the ridiculousness of the scene It’s impossible to figure out how to understand it seriously.

Sumarokov loves farcical comedy - fights on stage, funny skirmishes between the characters. All this grotesque ridiculousness in his work largely depends on the tradition of the Italian comedy of masks.

The very composition of the comic characters of the first Sumarokov comedies is determined mainly by the composition of the stable masks of Italian folk comedy. These are traditional masks, the centuries-old tradition of which most often dates back to Roman comedy.

Sumarokov Alexander Petrovich

The best play on Sumarokov’s comedy TV, “Cuckold by Imagination” (3 acts), appeared after Fonvizin’s “The Brigadier” and anticipated the appearance of “The Minor” (commonality of situations, characters). The focus is on the life of the provincial poor landowners, Vikul and Khavronya.

Info

Limited interests, ignorance, narrow-mindedness characterize them. The characters are not one-sided. Making fun of the savagery, the absurdity of these people, cat.

Guardian

The comedy is built primarily on showing two characters - Vikul and Khavronya; the rest of the faces are traditional and abstract, although in the role of the dowry Floriza there is a psychological picture that is very unique. But Vikul and especially Khavronya are everyday figures who are important in the history of Russian comedy.
True, in both of these roles, and especially in the role of Khavronya, the influence of “The Brigadier” and, above all, the image of the foreman is noticeable. But Sumarokov managed to learn the lessons of his young rival so much that he was then able to give him something for his future great comedy.

“Cuckold by Imagination” has notes of “Undergrown.” First of all, the very circle depicted is the same life of the poor and wild landowner province; this is the same rough and colorful language of non-metropolitan landowners. Floriza is in the family of Vikul and Khavronya, like Sophia with the Prostakovs, although Floriza is not offended; in general, these two roles are correlated.

Khorev

Vikul was jealous of Khavronya (60 l) of the brilliant Count Cassander, a rich neighbor, cat. I loved Floriza. The dialogues are full of comedy, cat. Vikul reproaches Khavronya for infidelity, believing that she cuckolded him.

The speech characteristics of the characters help to recreate the appearance and morals of the provincial nobles. Their language is rich and expressive. It's not smoothed out, correct speech noble salons, and rough, colorful, peppered with proverbs and sayings, akin to the common language of the provincial nobility.

Valid persons: Vikul - a nobleman, Khavronya - his wife, Floriza - a poor noblewoman, Kasander - Count, Butler, Nisa - Khavronya's maid, Count Cassandra's huntsman. The Count is going to come to them for lunch, Khavronya is giving instructions, she knows Cassandra - they were sitting next to each other in the theater in Moscow. Vikula is jealous. The count marries Floriza, Khavronya gives way to Nisa.

Sumarokov comedy guardian summary

Sumarokov moves on to the type of so-called comedy of characters. In each play, the center of his attention is one image, and everything else is needed either to shade the central image, or to fictionalize the plot, which is still insignificant.

Thus, “The Guardian” is a play about a nobleman-usurer, a swindler and a hypocrite, the Stranger. This same image is the only one in “The Covetous Man” under the name of Kashchei, and it is the same one in “Dowry by Deception” under the name of Salidar.

“Poisonous” is a comedy about the slanderer Herostratus. “Narcissus” is a comedy about a narcissistic dandy; his name is Narcissus. Apart from the indicated central images, and there are three of them, there are no characters in all of Sumarokov’s comedies of 1764-1768; all other characters are positive heroes, barely animated copybooks. On the contrary, the central characters are drawn carefully, especially the triple image of the Stranger - Kashchei - Salidar.
A brave warrior, a virtuous monarch, Sinav, having learned about the love of Ilmena and Truvor, is unable to suppress the feeling of jealousy that gripped him. He forgets about his duty to govern his subjects for their good and becomes responsible for the deaths of Ilmena and Truvor. Realizing his involuntary “tyranny”, Sinav wants to commit suicide, but Gostomysl and the soldiers snatch the sword from his hands. Based on his ideal of a class monarchy, Sumarokov, with his characteristic passion and insolence, attacked those social phenomena and social forces that he regarded negatively.

In his latest tragedies, tyrant-fighting motives intensify. A monarch who is unable to establish order in the state and be the father of his subjects is worthy of contempt; he is an “enemy of the people” who must be overthrown from the throne.

(“Dimitri the Pretender”). Sumarokov's tragedies had enormous educational significance.
This can even be said about the role of Fatyuya, the village landowner (“An Empty Quarrel”), the most Russian and in everyday life so full-bodied that one can guess in it some features of the future Mitrofan Prostakov. Finally, Sumarokov’s early comedies are enlivened by their language, lively, sharp, cheeky in its unvarnishedness, very little subjected to the sublime vivisection of French classicism. Sumarokov's six comedies of 1764-1768 are noticeably different from the first three, although much of them is the same; the method of conventional depiction, the absence of life on stage, even most often conventional names remains the same: Sostrata, Nysa, Pasquin, Palemon, Dorant, Leander, Herostratus, Demiphon, Menedemos, Orontes, etc.; only in one comedy do the Tigrovs, their father, mother and daughter Olga, the three Radugina brothers, Yaroslav, Svyatoslav and Izyaslav (“Three Brothers Together”) appear. Meanwhile, the very structure of the plays has changed.
Sumarokov only conditionally maintains even unity. The time and place of action fit into the norm, but there is no unity of action, especially in the first plays. There is nothing to say about the nobility of tone of the French classical comedy; there is no trace of it in Sumarokov’s rough, semi-farcical plays. In Sumarokov’s first comedies, in fact, there is not even any real connecting plot. We will find in them, of course, the rudiment of a plot in the form of a couple in love, who at the end are married; but this rudiment love theme does not influence the course of action; or rather, there is, in fact, no action in comedy. Comedy consists of a series of more or less mechanically connected scenes; one after another, comic masks enter the theater; the characters representing the ridiculed vices, in a dialogue that does not move the action, show the public each their own vice.
When the catalog of vices and comic dialogues is exhausted, the play ends. The struggle for the heroine's hand does not unite even a small fraction of the themes and dialogues.

This construction of the play comes close to the construction of folk “square” sideshow games or nativity scenes, satirical scenes, and especially parsley comedy. It is characteristic that, in contrast to Sumarokov’s tragedies, in his first comedies, despite their small volume, there are a lot of characters; Thus, in “Tresotinius,” a comedy in one act, there are ten of them, in “Monsters” there are eleven.

If Sumarokov’s early comedies don’t happen on stage single action, then there is no real life, no life in them. Like a conventional interlude scene, the stage area of ​​“Tresotinius” or “Monsters” or “An Empty Quarrel” represents a conventional abstract place in which no one lives, but characters only appear to demonstrate their conventionally depicted shortcomings.

Sumarokov also had his say in the comedy genre. By exposing human vices in a funny way, exposing them, comedy should thereby contribute to liberation from them. Comedy must be separated from tragedy, on the one hand, and from farcical games, on the other. Sumarokov nevertheless turned to the practice of people. theater They are small in volume (1-3 acts), written in prose, and often lack a plot basis. (Let’s pray to Santa Nikolaus once again - how good it is that he will no longer be there J), characterized by farcical comedy, characters - clerk, judge, etc., note. Sumarokov in Russian. life. Trying to imitate the French. The comedies of Moliere and Sumarokov are far from the comedies of Western classicism (5 acts, in verse, compositional rigor, completeness, etc.). Imitation of the French comedy was reflected in the borrowing of character names: Erast, Isabella, etc.

Wrote 12 books, according to ideological significance and art. values ​​are lower than tragic. First com. – 1750 – “An Empty Quarrel” and others. In the 60s. – “Guardian” and others. In 1772 – “Cuckold by Imagination” and others. Com. served as a means of polemics - the pamphlet character of most of them. Unlike tr. over the room worked for a short time. In the first com. – each action the face showed the public its vice, the scenes were mechanically connected. In a small room. - a lot of actions. persons (10-11). Their portraiture made it possible for contemporaries to find out who in reality served as the prototype. Real persons, everyday details, negative phenomena Russian. life - gave the room, despite the conventionality of the image, a connection with reality. Bright, expressive language, often colored with the features of a lively dialect - the desire to individualize the speech of characters. Early com. directed against enemies in lit. field. The images had a conventional character and were far from typical generalizations.

Second group com. – com. characters are distinguished by greater depth and conditionality of the depiction of the main characters. All attention is focused on the main character, other actions. faces - to reveal character traits ch. hero, I suppose. characters, performance reasoners. The most successful images are denied. heroes, in the character of a cat. a lot of satire. and everyday traits.

One of the best com. this period - "Guardian"(com in 1 action), com. about the nobleman-usurer, swindler and hypocrite Stranger, fleecing orphans, cat. came under his care. The “original” of the Stranger is Sumarokov’s relative Buturlin. Sumarokov does not show the bearer of one vice, but draws a complex one. character Before us is a miser who does not know. no conscience, no pity, a bigot, an ignoramus, a libertine. Sumarokov creates a generalized conditional satyr. Russian image vicious nobleman. The disclosure of character is facilitated by speech character (speech is full of proverbs and sayings, in addressing God - Church Slavonicisms) and everyday life. details. Valery - put it down. the hero is a reasoner, devoid of vitality. Figurative names will be denied. characters (Stranger) – moralizing goals characteristic of classicism. Valid persons: Stranger (70 l) - nobleman, Sostrata - courtyard. daughter, Valery - lover of Sostrata, Nisa (17 years old) - noblewoman and servant of the Stranger, Pasquin - servant of the Stranger, Palemon - friend of Valery's late father, secretary, soldiers. The action takes place in St. Petersburg. One of his own stole a cross with his name from Pasquin. Sostrata admits to the theft. Pasquin – present name Valerian, brother of Valery, which turns out later. Pasquin loves Nysa, Stranger wants to marry her. The stranger prevents the marriage of Valery and Sostrata, because he does not follow either past or current fashion, he is smart, and it is difficult to deceive him. The stranger is afraid of God's judgment, repents, wants to go to Kyiv to atone for his sins. As a result, all the atrocities of the Stranger are revealed (he used to be a hypocrite so that they would not interfere with his getting rich), he is taken to trial, his estate goes to Valerian (Pasquin), everyone gets married, the power of the rulers is exposed, cat. they don't deserve her. “Lawlessness disappear, virtue flourish!” Lots of talk about the soul. The main thing: money solves everything. The stranger is a slacker and the servants are the same.

Con. 60's - 70's – the growth of opposition sentiments towards enlightened absolutism among the progressive nobility and the various intelligentsia. Placed peasant question, relationships between landowners and peasants. Attention to everyday life and surroundings. man, the desire for more complexity. psychologist. disclosure of characters in definition. social conditions. The best play in Sumarokov’s comedy TV "Cuckold by Imagination"(3 acts) appeared after Fonvizin’s “Brigadier” and anticipated the appearance of “Undergrowth” (commonality of situations, characters).

The focus is on the life of the provincial poor landowners, Vikul and Khavronya. Limited interests, ignorance, narrow-mindedness characterize them. The characters are not one-sided. Making fun of the savagery, the absurdity of these people, cat. they only talk about sowing (no, not our Megaseva, but it’s a pity, it would be interesting))), about reaping, about threshing, about chickens,” from the cat. peasants walk around the world (Havronya forces all the peasants to work, puts money aside for a rainy day), Sumarokov shows traits, a challenge. sympathy for them. Vikul and Khavronya touch you with their affection; they are kind to their pupil, the poor girl in the yard. clan Florise. The absurdity of Vikula and Khavronya’s life is emphasized by the plot of the comedy. Vikul was jealous of Khavronya (60 l) of the brilliant Count Cassander, a rich neighbor, cat. I loved Floriza. The dialogues are full of comedy, cat. Vikul reproaches Khavronya for infidelity, believing that she cuckolded him.

The speech characteristics of the characters help to recreate the appearance and morals of the provincial nobles.

Their language is rich and expressive. This is not the smooth, correct speech of noble salons, but rough, colorful, peppered with proverbs and sayings, akin to the common language of the provincial nobility.

Valid persons: Vikul - a nobleman, Khavronya - his wife, Floriza - a poor noblewoman, Kasander - Count, Butler, Nisa - Khavronya's maid, Count Cassandra's huntsman. The Count is going to come to them for lunch, Khavronya is giving instructions, she knows Cassandra - they were sitting next to each other in the theater in Moscow. Vikula is jealous. The count marries Floriza, Khavronya gives way to Nisa. The Count is ready to share everything with them.

A. P. Sumarokov

A. P. Sumarokov. Dramatic works. L., "Art", 1990

CHARACTERS

Stranger, nobleman. Sostrata, noble daughter. Valery, lover of Sostratin. Nisa, noblewoman and servant of Chuzhekhvatov. Pasquin, servant of the Strangers. Palemon, friend of Valeriev's late father. Secretary. Soldiers.

Action in St. Petersburg.

PHENOMENON I

Pasquin (one).

No, for the sake of all the treasures of the world, I will no longer stay in this filthy house. It is truly true that as the priest is, so is the parish. And could it be that the master was a slacker, and his servants were good people? They robbed me of everything, and finally they stole my cross. Of course, someone picked it up as promised. Sorry, Sostrata! I'm sorry, my beloved Nisa! I have come to leave you, although I don’t want to. The thieves here are so cunning that they can even steal a person’s soul. I need to get out of here while I’m alive, and then it will be too late, because a body that has no soul has legs that no longer walk.

SCENE II

Sostrata, Nysa and Pasquin.

Sostrata. Why are you talking here alone? Pasquin. And what I’m saying is that I don’t intend to serve in this house anymore. Nisa. And for what? Pasquin. And because the local people, having robbed me of everything, stole the cross from me this night. Sostrata. What was he like and how great was he? Pasquin. Small and golden. Sostrata. So I'll give you a gold one and a big one. Pasquin. My name and the year and day of my birth were carved on it. Sostrata. And I will order this to be cut out, and Pasquino’s name. Pasquin. This is not my actual name. Sostrata. How? Pasquin. My direct name is Valerian, because that’s what’s carved on my cross. Sostrata. Do you hear, Nisa? So this looks very much like the truth, but I didn’t consider it. Pasquin. I have never lied, and that the cross was stolen from me is true, just as it is true that I am Valerian, not Pasquin. Where were you supposed to see this? You haven’t seen my cross. Sostrata. How did they change your name? Pasquin. It is difficult to change a person's character, but it is easy to change a name. I knew people who were called clerks; after that they were given the names of registrars, then they began to be called secretaries, and then judges. They were given new names, but their morals remained the same. And the fact that I am Valerian and Pasquin may be because I am a twin. Yes, even though I don’t have two names from my father, and I was given another name after, I am still the same, and I have the same disposition, and, having my mother in my belly, I have an interlocutor, and to this day I cannot be without conversation, according to the proverb : like in the cradle, like in the grave; or better yet, I will say this about myself: as I came out of the belly, so will I go into the grave, only without a comrade. Temper very rarely changes. The servants of this house were thieves, they are thieves now, and they will continue to be thieves. Sostrata. Do you hear, Nisa? He is both Valerian and his double. Pasquin. Yes, and his cross was stolen. Sostrata. I already told you that I will give you another one instead of the stolen cross. Pasquin. All my well-being depended on that cross, but it will not depend on this. Nisa. How is this? Pasquin. The palmist told me that because of that cross I could be happy. Sostrata (Nise). This smells like truth. (Pasquin.). Only it wasn’t a palmist. Pasquin. Of course he's a palmist. Why would someone else know this? And if you don’t believe this, then I will show it to you and I will testify to it myself; and I sometimes see him in the house here. He visits your father and he entrusted me to his service, having persuaded me to go to the owner in whose house I grew up. Sostrata (Nise). I think this whole thing will be resolved today. Pasquin. It's hard to untie. The thieves of this house are very cunning, and they are as cunning in this as their master. With others they will find everything that belongs to others, but with them you will not find anything of your own. This is what they learned from the snitches. But I don’t want to live in this house anymore. Sostrata. I ask you to stay here a little longer. Nisa. And I ask you. Pasquin. Yes, if I had known that you would follow Valery, and you would follow me, I would have agreed to this. Sostrata. Just wait. Nisa. Just wait. Pasquin. No matter how you go, you will never be with me, and you will never be with Valery. Sostrata. Just wait. Nisa. Just wait. Pasquin (Make a joke). Let me kiss your hand in reassurance.

Sostrata gives him her hand.

SCENE III

Sostrata and Nysa.

Sostrata. Now, Nisa, isn’t my hope coming true? Nisa. Yes, perhaps, explain all this to me in detail. Sostrata. Listen. This slacker, with whom we now have the misfortune of living in the house, as when he was younger, seemed to be a kind man and with his cunning he transformed all his deceptions into virtue and crept into the hearts of many. The pretense of imperfectly penetrating people and those who reason about everything according to their hearts has more success than naked virtue; because virtue is rarely strengthened by cunning, although naked virtue is often harmful and, consequently, then it is somewhat, and sometimes even much more vicious. After my death, my father entrusted me to this villain, and despite all my wealth, I now endure need. Although your father was a meager man, he was nevertheless a nobleman; and after death from him you were entrusted to this rogue now as a servant in the house. In the same way as we entrusted him with Valery and his brother. Valery was fortunately given to be raised by a friend of his father, a wise and wealthy man, after whom he received an inheritance, and the rumor about Valerian is that it was stolen. Remembering how we were with him on the day of Valery’s birth, he told us that he was a twin, and what was carved on his cross when he was born, as proof of how old he was, and that such a faithful note to old women who are getting younger and they flirt, shamelessly taking ten years off of themselves, covering their wrinkles with whitewash and rouge, of course it wouldn’t be acceptable, and that the same cross was put on his brother, who was born with him. And now I accidentally saw such a cross on Pasquin and deliberately cut it off from him at night, partly thinking if he was already his brother, because one can hope from the Stranger of all idleness; and now this matter no longer looks like a mockery. And although I didn’t look at what was carved on his cross, the honor of this matter is not important, but I only have a little doubt. However, Pasquin has already said what is carved on his cross; and if this cross does not belong to him, then of course he received it from the one who received it from Valerian when he was little; and this creates great doubt about Valerianova’s death. We need to look into this matter. I’ll talk to Valery about this, and in the meantime I’ll see if it’s carved on the cross like Valery’s, or the same year and date, and if Pasquin said this about Valerian from hearsay. Nisa. What kind of profit would it be for our Alien Grabber if brother Valeriev were not there? Sostrata. That profit is for him so that, having lost him, he can take possession of his inheritance. And in the will it is written that if one of their brothers dies, he will be their heir for their upbringing and labors. Nisa. Why did he choose Valerian alone for this? Sostrata. He apparently left Valery because it would have been very suspicious to lose both of their lullabies, and of the two, the lot apparently fell on the smaller one. Nisa. We ended up with a pretty good executor!

PHENOMENA IV

The same goes for the Stranger.

Alien grabber. Vile, worthless, shabby, stingy! How long will it take me to teach you? I think that I will not have peace from you until my grave! Sostrata. What happened? Alien grabber. Pasquin's cross was stolen, and he complains and wants to leave the house. Sostrata. Theft, sir, is a common trade here, and it seems that you can already get used to this idleness of the local people and be less angry. Alien grabber. The point is not that they steal; let them steal without touching the master’s property and not from their own, so that little by little there would be more in the house; But to steal from your own is to move it from pocket to pocket and make noise, but it worries me. Let them steal, whoever is without sin and whoever is not a woman’s grandson. And at least out of weakness, you can quietly take it from your comrades, but you need to bury the ends so that they don’t think that you took your own. That’s what I teach them, but even if you teach a fool forever, you can’t teach him that way. Am I talking about this so that they don’t steal? They are not in hard labor; Why take away their will? Theft is not a great fault, because it is a passion common to human weakness. The first thing in the world is empty: your wallet is empty, your head is empty. Giving for Christ's sake is more saving than asking for Christ's sake. Honor yes honor! What honor is there if there is nothing to eat? Is there any honor when the belly is empty? The purse is empty, the belly is empty. Sostrata. Quite a moral lesson! Alien grabber. Of course it's a fair amount. So, according to you, is it better to act morally? Thinking about it, I saw how the honest in your opinion and the dishonest, but in my opinion, the reasonable and the insane were accepted. The dishonest one, in your opinion, has arrived, so he has a chair, and in a nice house at that: “Is everyone in good health? What is your hostess like? Children? Why are you so passionate: you don’t like us, you don’t invite us to your place?” And everyone knows that he got it from someone else’s and unrighteous people. And the children of an honest man came to beg for alms, whose father traveled to the kingdom of China and was in the Kamchatka state and wrote a story about this state. However, they read his fairy tale, and his children walk around the world; and his daughters have dyed bostrokes, and even those are patched. It’s a gift that their father was in the Kamchatka state, and for the reason that they drag around in dyed clothes, they are called Krashenin’s. Sostrata. And if this had reached the court, then perhaps the children of such people would stop wandering around the world. Alien grabber. And when someone has something of his own, he has no need whether the court knows about him or not. A pot of cabbage soup and a big one; and the pot cooks equally, whether bought or stolen. (Turn to Nisa.) That's right, Nisanka! What are you thinking? Nisa. I'm thinking about you, sir. Alien grabber. What's happened? Nisa. I, sir, do not dare to say this. Alien grabber. Speak, there is nothing; hard words break no bones. Nisa. I think that you are a robber and that you should be hanged. Alien grabber. That's where the road is. And what is lived sweetly is mine, according to the proverb: what is taken is holy. But this proverb is legal and was observed inviolably in the orders, unless now, according to the new law, it will be abandoned. Nisa. Where does the soul go, to hell? Alien grabber. Why torture yourself in advance; and then you can be saved when they begin to throw a noose. Yes, am I completely guilty of cheating? Because nothing is done without the will of God, and no hair falls from the head of a man without the will of God; So I’m going astray according to the will of God, according to the proverb: if it weren’t for God, then someone would help me. Sostrata. God does not help rogues and has given man the will to choose good and bad, promising reward for one and threatening punishment for the other. And whoever, against his holy conscience, does not obey the truth, then vainly trusts in God’s mercy. Alien grabber. Holy truth! What kind of saint is this? She’s not even in the calendar, so we don’t pray to her. And repentance cleanses all sins. I will repent two hours before death, and at the same gate I will enter the kingdom of heaven into which you also entered; and what is lived sweeter and more lively, as desired, is in profit. Sostrata. What happened to you that you became so shameless in your old age? I already know that you were not like that; and before this, everyone considered you a good person, as I heard. Why did you pretend before and try to seem like a kind person? Alien grabber. Have you heard the story about a certain Roman priest? Sostrata. No, sir. Alien grabber. Have you heard, Nisanka? Nisa. I, sir, don’t listen to such stories. Alien grabber. You will be in heaven. Nisa. Why not be? Does my salvation depend on this? Alien grabber. Why not? God cannot forgive a sinner without a priest, but you, too, are not without sin. You’re a young girl, so even if not in deed, in thought you will sin: there is only one God without sin, and we are all sinners. Nisa. All are sinners, sir, but not all are idle. Alien grabber. All are slackers, and I am the first of them. Nisa. Of course, so that you can pronounce this word more sincerely. Alien grabber. Yes, Nisanka. And read stories about priests; they forgive sins. Sostrata. They forgive in God's name, and not in their own; and they are only witnesses. Alien grabber. So, Nisanka, aren’t we all slackers? And God himself does not believe us without witnesses. Nisa. I, sir, did not study theology. Alien grabber. However, don’t despise priests. Nisa. I don't despise them anyway. Sostrata. How do you conclude this? A good person should have respect for the spiritual, because they teach us virtue and set examples. And only those who are unworthy of this name are despicable. Alien grabber. What are you saying? Are the spiritual ones despicable? Sostrata. Yes, sir, and not only spiritual ones, and those despicable sovereigns who are unworthy of this title. Some show us the path to temporary well-being, while others lead us to eternal well-being. Some execute people for the slightest weaknesses, while others curse them and, in various ways, taking away freedom, burden human nature. And this interpretation of mine cannot be repugnant to either just rulers or well-behaved spiritual ones. Alien grabber. Now, if I hadn’t ordered you to teach, you wouldn’t have such impudence and wouldn’t talk such nonsense. That’s not the point: have you heard of the Roman priest? Sostrata. I already told you that I haven’t heard. Alien grabber. In the Roman kingdom cathedral church he was a priest, a healthy man, but he always walked in a crouched position, so that he would appear more humble, and so that for such humility they would quickly make him a priest, because this place is profitable there, but young people are not elected there, I don’t know why. And as soon as he was chosen, he immediately straightened up and became as cheerful as you, telling the church clerks who asked him what reason his health suddenly gave him: I walked bending over because I was then looking for the key to the church; and now why should I writhe and look at the ground; I have already found this key. Sostrata. This is the story of Sixtus the Fifth. Alien grabber. There is no need for that, about the fifth or the tenth. Sostrata. What are you tying this story to? Alien grabber. Because I was a hypocrite before, so that they would believe me and not interfere with my getting rich. And now I’m already satisfied, so what do I need an honest name for?

PHENOMENA V

Same with Pasquin.

Pasquin. Valery has come, madam, to you. Alien grabber. In vain he fusses; she won’t see him as her husband, like her ears. Sostrata. At least I can see them in the mirror. (Leaves.) Alien grabber. And you, Nisanka, where are you going? Nisa. Where people go, I go too. Alien grabber. No, stay; I’ll talk to you about some need.

SCENE VI

Aliengrabber and Nysa.

Nisa. What kind of need is this, sir? Alien grabber. Do you know, Nisanka, with what care I raised you? Nisa. Yes, sir, I grew up in your house. Why this preface? Alien grabber. And that’s why I want to get married; and I will make this happiness for you and make you a sharer of my estate and my heart. Nisa. With such a marriage, the chickens will laugh; I am seventeen years old, and you are seventy. Alien grabber. Yes, I’m so cheerful that it’s impossible to be better, and I’ll put the young fellow in his belt. Nisa. You, sir, are as white as a harrier: please look in the mirror. Alien grabber. That's good: no whitehead powder. And if you need a black-headed or fair-haired husband, you can buy a wig. Nisa. And there are a lot of Frenchmen who are cleaning their heads outside. Alien grabber. Much for our sins. But they don’t take people out who would clean our heads inside. Nisa. Nowadays, sir, in everything they only try to focus on the surface, and think little about the importance; So that’s why we have so many empty-headed people. Alien grabber. And not only is my head, but also my purse is not empty, even though it is not elegant on the outside and is only made of high-quality canvas. From the outside it is not decorated in the French way, but it is good in it, according to the proverb that a hut is not red in its corners, but red in its pies. But this pie is filled not with porridge, but with gold and silver, and copper money is not in my mind. Let the madmen clearly see that copper money is not like gold and silver, and paying three percent when exchanging, they believe that copper money is the same as gold and silver, and that at the stated price all money is equal, no matter what. metal they are and whatever size they are. Nisa. However, sir, I will not marry you, even if you were richer than the Turkish Sultan. Alien grabber. Although you are cold towards me now, when you think more about my gold coins, you will certainly become heated.

SCENE VII

Nisa (alone).

Those people are worthy of respect whose hearts are warmed to love by money, and those feelings that are based on the love of money are noble.

SCENE VIII

Sostrata (alone).

Valery is coming to me, leave me, Nisa. (Nisa leaves.) O love, love! There is nothing more pleasant in the world than you when you agree with the desires of our hearts, and nothing is more painful when you resist their desires.

SCENE IX

Sostrata and Valery.

Sostrata. I haven’t seen you, Valery, for three whole days. Valery. Those three days seemed like weeks to me. Sostrata. I am sure that you love me as much as I love you, and I measure your love for yourself with my own heart. Valery. Happy is the lover whose love is equal to the love of his mistress. Sostrata. And the mistress for whom love quickly grows cold and forever fades away is unhappy. And even more unfortunate is the one who, for her sincere love, is deceived by her lover’s feigned love; after imaginary respect for the real, her deceiver is plunged into contempt and complains in vain about the misfortune and righteous punishment deserved by her imprudence. Valery. You see my true respect for you and do not doubt my loyalty. So what's the point of such speeches? Sostrata. They are so that I, reminding such stingy deceivers who spoil the most pleasant and noble passion and turn joy into barbarism, feel even more the joy that I have from you and in which I hope to soon ascend to the highest degree of my well-being, these most pleasant imagining moments every minute. Valery. O loving moments! precious minutes! Even the strictest philosophers cannot call you the vanity of the world. I love you, Sostrata, I love you with all my heart, with all my thoughts, with all my feeling: you are the most beautiful thing in nature to my eyes, you are the dearest thing in the world to my soul, my mind is filled with you, my eyes are tied to your eyes, blood My feelings are inflamed by you, my feelings are delighted, my thoughts are captivated by you; you are in my mind day and night, you never leave my memory: I fall asleep, thinking about you; I wake up, you are the first to meet my thoughts; You are also present in my sleepy dreams. The pleasant and every minute reminder of you fills every place with you and does not even decorate the paths I walk on; It seems to me that they are playing under my feet and sympathizing with the joy that my heart feels. When I imagine the joys you impatiently await, then in my delight I anticipate a consolation that seems beyond human participation. Sostrata. I, Valery, feel all this mutually, and only because of this sometimes does the spirit tremble in me, so that this prosperity of mine remains firmly and unshakably and so that it quickly comes to the crown of our flame, and even if it does come, it will never change.

PHENOMEN X

Stranger, Valery and Sostrata.

Alien grabber. Since my generation, I have never imagined this, that a woman could resist the love of such a man who has a lot of money, and this seems completely unnatural to me. Money is the most important thing in the world, and this is because a person can have it, and he was created in the image and likeness of God. Nature has two souls: the sun and money. God created the sun, and man created money, and that is why he is likened to the creator of the sunflower, so that in all the sunflower there is nothing more useful than the sun and money. Sostrata. What is this, sir? Alien grabber. We must quickly send for a doctor; Nisanka needs to be bled. Sostrata. Yes, she’s completely healthy: I’ve seen her now. Alien grabber. It’s a gift that you have now seen her, but she is in a severe fever and delirious, and her mind is completely damaged. Sostrata. How do you conclude this? Alien grabber. Because I want to marry her, but she won’t marry me. Valery (especially). It is he who needs to bleed, not her. Sostrata. It’s surprising, sir, that she won’t marry you. Alien grabber. Strange and incomprehensible. Valery. It’s strange and incomprehensible to me that she won’t marry you. However, it’s strange and incomprehensible to me why you don’t want to marry Sostrata to me. Sostrata. And you prefer to him many madmen whom you choose as my grooms. Alien grabber. If you force me to say this, then I will give you direct money. Those whom I choose are people either completely old mannered, or completely new mannered, and you, my friend, are neither this nor that, nor meat nor fish, and you do not follow any fashion, neither ancestral nor current. Valery. I follow, sir, only sincerity, common sense, simplicity of nature and decency of taste; and this fashion never changes, although not by everyone, but only by those who are worthy of the name of man. Alien grabber. However, the caftan on you was not made according to the simplicity of nature, your hair was not made according to the simplicity of nature, and nature did not even think about cuffs. Valery. I, sir, am not quick in this either, but in such trifles there is no reason to lag behind people; inventing fashions is a trifle, falling behind fashion is just as trivial. Why invent a dress when such an invention does not bring the slightest glory? And to lag behind fashion is only so that fools have a reason to laugh and annoy. Sostrata. This is not fashion, sir, in your mind, but for this you want to pass me off as some fool, so that you can deceive my husband and keep my estate, which belongs to me after my father. Alien grabber. Yes, you, my lord, don’t outweigh me, and it’s not true that I’m so old that I can neither get married nor endure a whip. Valery. Let's go, madam, to your rooms. Let him talk about this to someone else, and not to me; but I can’t hear it. Alien grabber. Ah, ah! Well done! It had not yet come to this, and he was already frightened; and although I am an old man, I can still endure fifty blows.

SCENE XI

Stranger (one).

I’m not afraid of the whip, but I’m afraid of eternal torment, and apparently I can’t escape it. O great God! It would be good to live in the world if you weren’t in it; We would not give an account of anything to anyone regarding secret matters, But now there is no way to hide from you. Why is the law so strict: don’t take someone else’s. Even having taken possession of someone else’s, I will not take someone else’s out of your world, so does it matter whether it belongs to one owner or another in the chests: the Lord’s land and all its fulfillment. (Kneels down.) Great God! Do not go into court with your servant! I repent before you with all my heart and with the sincerity of my soul. Forgive me my sin, but do not demand from me that I give back what I unlawfully appropriated for myself, for this is above humanity. We know, Lord, that I am a rogue and a soulless person, and I have not the slightest love for you or for my neighbor. However, trusting in your love for mankind, I cry to you: remember me, Lord, in your kingdom. Save me, God, whether I want it or not! Even if you save us from deeds, there is no grace and a gift, but a greater duty. Even if you save a righteous man, it’s nothing great, and even if you have mercy on a pure man, it’s nothing marvelous: for they are worthy of your mercy, but surprise your mercy on me, a rogue!

SCENE XII

Stranger and Pasquin.

Pasquin. Of course, sir, the end of the world will soon take place. Alien grabber. Why? Pasquin. But because you repent. Alien grabber. How not to repent, Paskvinushka, eternal torment is no joke. Pasquin. And when she is not a joke, there is no need to joke with her. Alien grabber. If God were merciful, there would be no need for any torment. Pasquin. Listen, sir: if there were such a merciful shepherd whose dogs would gnaw at his sheep every day, and he would only stroke his dogs, would his sheep say that this shepherd is a merciful man? Alien grabber. You bend everything to punishment. Pasquin. Bad deeds themselves bend to punishment. What would you do if I stole a hundred rubles? Alien grabber. From whom? Pasquin. No matter who has it, it's all the same. Alien grabber. If you had stolen from me, I would have given you to the gallows; and if it weren’t for me, I wouldn’t have said a word to you; What do I care about other people? But I’m not robbing God, so why should he interfere in other people’s affairs? Is there even a little justice here? Pasquin. It is clear, sir, that you have repented considerably. Alien grabber. And he also imposed penance on himself. Pasquin. Which one? Alien grabber. To Monday. Pasquin. Dear Sir! Let me become a rhymer for this moment. Alien grabber. Yes, you didn’t study this. Pasquin. There is such a fashion in Rus' that those who work around this science are those who know little about literacy. Alien grabber. Well, what's your rhyme? Pasquin. It's better not to be lazy than to be lazy on Monday. Alien grabber. Are you scolding me? Pasquin. Dear Sir, poets say not what they want, but what the rhyme tells them to say. Alien grabber. This is a stupid science when it forces you to say what the rhyme says, and not what you should. And beyond this penance of mine, I want to visit Kyiv. About Kyiv, Kyiv, the Holy City of Kyiv! Have mercy on me, your unworthy servant. I’ll go there on foot from St. Petersburg itself, Pasquin. Pasquin. God doesn’t care whether someone came to prayer or arrived. Alien grabber. However, walking is more difficult. Pasquin. And if you crawl there, it will be even more difficult. Alien grabber. But from now on you won’t be able to crawl to Kyiv even in three years. Pasquin. Why do you need to go there? Alien grabber. I am a most sinful man, and iniquity exceeds my head; So, no longer trusting in God’s mercy, although I repent, I will ask the saints of God to put in a word for me. Pasquin. Believe me, dear sir, that not a single saint of God will stand up for you, because they, following God’s example, do not like unkind people. Alien grabber. I will appease them: I will burn three pounds of wax. Pasquin. Unless your heart is cleansed, you will not appease God with anything, although you will burn three hundred beehives of wax with honey and bees. Alien grabber. You are raving like a bastard, but I am preaching like a son of the church. Pasquin. Why do you, sir, go to Kyiv in your old age? Stay here and pray: the same God is here, who is in Kyiv. Alien grabber. There the place is consecrated, and not like here; Yes, the local city also has a German name. Tell me, Pasquin, why is this city called in German? Pasquin. I really don’t know this. Alien grabber. So, Pasquin, going to Kyiv is difficult, though. It's a pity for the legs, but even more so for the soul. Pasquin. The soul is to blame, but the feet will be punished.

SCENE XIII

Pasquin (one).

Unhappy are the feet of the man whose soul is bad. This is how the priest whose wife is good is so unhappy: he will cheat on his priest, and away with his priest’s crap; and from this it is clear that the skufia is much more respectable than the order: cuckolds do not wear skufia, but they do wear orders.

SCENE XIV

Pasquin and Nisa.

Nisa. I don’t know how Valery and the Stranger will end up. Now they are both at Sostrata’s and sent me away, they want to talk in private. However, as can be seen from the beginning of their speeches, they will not agree because it does not even occur to Sostrata to give up her property to the Stranger, and she does not intend to give up what belongs to him. Pasquin. But he won’t want to marry you to me and won’t want to keep your property when he himself has fallen in love with you. I am pleased, Nisanka, that you despise his wealth, but I am not pleased that you despise me. Nisa. I am a noble daughter; So I can’t marry you until you become a nobleman. Pasquin. Yes, I will never be a nobleman. Nobility is given for special services to the fatherland. Nisa. What is the service for the fatherland? Become a clerk and reach the rank of registrar, and you will become a nobleman. Pasquin. Are they nobles? Nisa. Why not the nobles; they are given swords and officer ranks. Pasquin. This is why noble valets also have registrar ranks; and they carry swords? Nisa. Certainly. And therefore, I think that they also have officer and noble dignity. Pasquin. But who favors them as officers and nobles? Nisa. Those who give them swords. Whoever can give a sword can become an officer or a nobleman. Pasquin. Is there any decree for this? Nisa. Of course there is. How could anyone dare to give swords or allow them to be worn without a decree? Pasquin. So I’d rather become a valet than a clerk: it’s better to suddenly receive a rank than to continue to serve. But I would rather learn how to curl my hair than write, because the science of hair curling is perfect here and you can find quite a lot of teachers. But it is difficult to learn to write well, because such teachers are much rare; but I have never heard of one. And without learning to write well, you won’t get the rank of registrar without benefactors. Nisa. If only such people were ordained as registrars who can write well, there would not be a single registrar in Rus'. Not a single registrar can write: I heard about this from Valery, and he is considered a very knowledgeable person. And although they will hire you as a valet, you will not receive a sword, for the sake of the fact that you are under our law, and according to our law, carrying a sword for the master’s servant is a grave and mortal sin. So only valets of other faiths in Russia carry swords. Pasquin. So it’s clear that I can’t sew on swords and you can’t come after me when Russian hair curlers are not allowed to wear swords. But I won’t become a clerk, even if I could get a sword. It is better to have a noble heart than noble iron, just as it is better to have an excellent mind than an excellent rank, although people are respected not by their minds, but by their ranks. Nisa. I myself hate nobility, which is just a name, but what can I do? A noble's daughter cannot marry someone other than a nobleman; she will be despised. However, as soon as your cross is found, you will receive nobility, I assure you: and I am not saying this without reason. Pasquin. My cross cannot be found. Nisa. How did they steal it from you? Were you drunk and fell asleep? Pasquin. I never get drunk, knowing that a drunkard is the most worthless person and is almost not considered among the good people. Nisa. Why did you fall into such a deep sleep? Pasquin. Because I didn’t sleep the whole night and fell asleep almost in the light. Without sleeping the whole night like this, when you fall asleep, of course you will sleep soundly. Nisa. Have you read the book? Pasquin. As if you can read books in this city? Nisa. Why is it not possible? Pasquin. Because here all day long, from morning to night, drunkards tear their throats and roar through the streets like bears in the forest, despite the fact that this is the capital city and that this is not tolerated in any Russian city except Moscow and St. Petersburg, and even here , and in Moscow twenty years ago it was not important. And another reason why the hearing, and therefore the soul, has no peace all day long, is that many owners have become too skilled at shipbuilding and cut up frozen barges, although they can be sawed, saving the sense of neighboring hearing from undeserved punishment. Nisa. Well, what a restlessness at night; Even those schools in which the mob is taught to drink are locked at night; And they don’t cut wood at night either? Pasquin. And at night, throughout the city, both on the streets and in the courtyards, dogs bark, although this was not much the case twenty years ago. And our neighbor has a bass player chained in his yard, who endlessly amuses his tender ears and torments the ears of his neighbors, who are reluctant to listen to his music. It was this bass player that worried me more than any other night. And then the bell started ringing. Nisa. The ringing of bells serves the glory of God. Pasquin. But I thought that it serves to disturb human beings and amuse the bell-ringers. I truly did not know this until this time. That's it, Nisanka; a century to live, a century to learn. Well, when it’s for the glory of God, you could only call during the day, but at night, why do they call? If in order for God to be glorified at all hours, then it would be necessary to ring at all hours. And the night, I think, was ordained by God for this purpose, so that man could have rest: so the will of God determined silence, and not knocking, for rest. Nisa. I really don’t know this. I’ll ask my spiritual father about this, and he even knows Latin. Pasquin. Do the bell towers really ring in Latin?

SCENE XV

Valery, Sostrata, Nysa and Pasquin.

Valery. Your participation was revealed: you are brother Valeriev, you are my brother. I proclaim to you your race, I proclaim to you your joy and I rejoice with you. Pasquin. Am I not seeing a dream? What is it? Explain to me. Sostrata. All this will be explained to you today, and I removed your cross from you: Valery has the same cross; it is true that you are a double. And your cross is not the only one that assures us of this. Your whole business has been unraveled, why are you Valerian and brother Valeriev, and not Pasquin and not a slave. Pasquin. What happened? Nisa. It is clear that everything has happened that I expected with extreme desire, and that everything that hindered the union of our hearts has been resolved. Pasquin. I see that I am ascending to the very top of my well-being; the nobility of my heart is associated with a noble name. Valery, revered by me more than all those nobles whom I saw in my life and from whom I, not knowing any science, daily refined my mind and purified my heart, my brother. The beautiful Sostrata will be my daughter-in-law. And you, dear Nisa, possess me forever, if I am worthy of your possession. O Nisa! Nisa! You are dearer to me than the light of my eyes, I will not exchange you for all earthly treasures and all human happiness. Nisa. Your new condition increases my hope, but nothing can increase my love for you. Sostrata is a witness to my secret sighs for you, the dark nights are a witness to my heavy groans for you, and my bed, a witness to my bitter tears for you, is repeatedly watered by them. All those obstacles that tormented my heart are ending, Sostrata, all those obstacles are ending. Valery. I'm in a hurry now, Sostrata. Tell them what's going on.

SCENE XVI

Sostrata,Nisaand Pasquin.

Sostrata. Palemon, a friend of Valeriev's late father, writes that the case was examined by the board of justice based on his report, with which he clearly proved how the Stranger, having taken Valeriev's twin brother out of the cradle, was given to strangers by some old woman; who was also interrogated, like those who accepted the baby and knew about him, whose son he was. And how they, having come to poverty, gave their adopted son from a small house to others, who did not adopt him, but only out of sheer love for mankind grew and, having grown up, released him for their own food and who were also interrogated, like the nurse who gave him fed. And that it is necessary to announce this to Valerian and the Stranger in order to change their fortunes: the first to gain, and the other to lose, a noble name. Pasquin. O pleasant hours! Nisa. O joyful moments! Sostrata. O blessed day! Day of our common well-being! Day of retribution for lawlessness and virtue! Stay alone, I don’t want to disturb you from anticipating your future joy.

SCENE XVII

Nisa and Pasquin.

Nisa. I give you my hand, Valerian, and with this hand I give you my heart. I say that I will be faithful to you until death, and I don’t swear. An oath does not nail a slacker to virtue, but a good man is nailed to it with just one word: this one does not irritate humanity, and that one irritates the deity; This one doesn’t even call on a person to confirm his good intentions, knowing that they believe him even without guarantees, and that vile reptile even dares to call the almighty God from heaven to cover up his deception as a surety. Pasquin. And I, following your example, do not swear to you, Nisa, however, even without an oath, I will maintain my loyalty to you until the grave. There is nothing greater than God in heaven and nothing greater than justice on earth. And evildoers do not attack virtues with anything other than the name of God and the form of justice, although all laws, both Divine and human, are set against mere idlers. O people, people! What advantage do you have in virtue over brutes? I would rather live with fierce beasts in dark and impenetrable forests than with fierce people in the most magnificent palaces. And with you, my dear Nisa, I am ready to live in any place: everywhere is heaven for me, where you are with me. Nisa. Even the hut where you will be with me will seem like a royal house to me.

SCENE XVIII

Stranger, Nysa and Pasquin.

Alien grabber. What, Nisanka, have you come to your senses? Nisa. In what, sir! Alien grabber. And that, madam, is for you to marry me. Nisa. I, sir, have already told you that I will not marry you. Alien grabber. So you didn’t imagine the chervonets: what kind of appearance do they have, what kind of radiance and what attractive power do they have? Nisa. No, sir. Alien grabber. No imperials? Nisa. I, sir, even in my poverty do not have this meanness, so that I can console myself with the imagination of money. Alien grabber. O great and almighty God! How do you hear such soul-destroying speeches and tolerate such lawlessness? I am amazed at your long-suffering. Pasquin. And I, sir, am surprised that God tolerates such great iniquity. Nisa. I, sir, am not an icon and am not glorified by miracles, and I do not need your gold and silver. But it seems to me that although it is good for those who, out of zeal, decorate holy and justly revered icons with gold and silver, and especially those who show God’s wisdom the signs of Him who created heaven and earth with His wisdom, it is even better to nail your heart to God than a piece of gold or silver for his icon. Alien grabber. Silver and gold, Nisanka, can be applied to an icon, although it’s not in the mind, but you can’t apply the heart to God, when it’s not in the mind. But I, to speak between us behind my cell, have no zeal for God, and I sincerely admit this to you, as a good person and an Orthodox Christian. And you, my little ruble, my little gold, my little imperial, I will take for myself and by force; It is better to take away a person’s will and save him than to leave it to him to perish. But young people never need to be given freedom, because they do not yet know what is useful for them and what is harmful. Nisa. No, sir, you cannot marry me by force. Pasquin. This, sir, does not happen. Alien grabber. And you, my friend, don’t care about this. I have long noticed that you are dragging after her, so get out of the yard: go, go, and so that your spirit is not here. Get out, get out of the yard, get out, worthless.

SCENE XIX

Stranger, Valery, Palemon, Nysa and Pasquin.

Pasquin. Here, Nisa, this is the palmist who predicted to me that I would be happy on the cross, and who entrusted me with the service in this house, and they are driving me out just because you don’t want to love the old man. There would be old people without servants if they kicked their people out of their houses because women didn’t like their young men. Valery. This is not a palmist, but a friend of ours, Valerian, father, returning to me my brother, and to you your breed. Alien grabber. What are you raving about? The Last Judgment has not yet come, and there is no resurrection of the dead: but this baby you are talking about is already twenty-two years old since he died. And if he had been resurrected, he would have been resurrected the way he died - as a two-year-old baby, and not like a pestle: people don’t grow up in the next world. Palemon. The Last Judgment is upon you, but the resurrection of the dead has already come to him. Alien grabber. Do you remember that Christ rose on a weekday; so our resurrection from the dead will be on the same day, and today is Friday. Of course, you were full of meat when you forgot that today is Friday. Palemon. No need to know what day it is. Alien grabber. And if I cheated, so did you, then knowing why I hesitated and remained silent for so long? And if I am a rogue, so are you. Palemon. At the same time I announced this to Count Taxpayer. However, you remember this, that you, having learned about this, took ten thousand from Valerian’s money to Mr. Count; So it was said to me at hand that if I even hint about when, I won’t find a place for myself in Kamchatka. Alien grabber. So you would hit him with your forehead. Palemon. I would have had great success if I had started hitting him with my brow. Now he is no longer in the world, and justice has been resumed, so I put this matter into action. Alien grabber. Praise the dream when it comes true. Palemon. This dream has already come true. Alien grabber. How can you prove this matter? Palemon. To many. And the first proof is this: come in here, old lady.

PHENOMENON XX

The same and the Old Woman.

Palemon. Do you know this person? Old woman. I see it bad, my dear; I'm already in my eighth decade. (Puts on glasses and looks at Stranger.) Oh, precious gentleman, how you have turned grey... I wouldn’t have recognized you, if only you hadn’t given a damn in my face, if I hadn’t seen you in your house. Alien grabber. I haven’t seen you, old woman, since I was a child, and I don’t know who you are. Old woman. Do you remember, good sir, how you gave me your brainchild? Alien grabber. You're out of your mind, old woman. This never happened. Old woman. AND! darling! As if it never happened. The pullet also told me about this brainchild later, as if she had breastfed him and that he was the master’s son. And he truly resembled the master’s son, like a apple of apple. She told the person to whom I gave it about this; Yes, of course, where does the master’s son come from? But you wouldn’t give up your son; and the snake does not devour its own wombs, and that this was the master’s son, we did not believe it, even though she was in the house where I took the baby, and told all the ins and outs about him. Alien grabber. You've gone crazy, old woman. Old woman. I have trouble hearing, boyar. Outlaw (shouts to her). WITH you're crazy. Old woman. My father, I don’t have to live for two centuries, so I must remember death, and I am telling the very real truth. And you, boyars, just like us, are dying, so you too must remember death. Valery. Enough, old lady, go with God.

SCENE XXI

The same, except for the Old Woman.

Alien grabber. All three of you are rogues, and you should all be hanged. Valery. No, sir, you are the rogue, not us, and it is you who should be hanged, not us. Good people are not hanged anywhere, but thieves, robbers and robbers, according to all laws, both divine and human, are hanged in all enlightened and philanthropic nations. And if it were otherwise, good people would not be happy with the security in the world. And the less the lawless perish from justice, the more the innocent perish from the lawless.

THE LAST PHENOMENON

Stranger, Valery, Valerian, S ostrat, N and sa, Palemon, Secretary and two soldiers.

Secretary. By decision of the State College of Justice, by the approval of the Governing Senate and by the Highest Command, it was established to describe your estate and that which actually belongs to you, to give to Valerian, having settled the settlement for guardianship, and to collect from his heirs the money that you donated to the late Count Taxpayer with all interests according to the decrees, and from now on, take you under guard for the sake of inflicting the execution due to you according to the laws, for revenge on the truth and for aversion through fear from an atrocity that is intolerable in an honest and prosperous society. Alien grabber. Yes, this matter is not quite over yet. Secretary. It's completely over. Alien grabber. I was never tortured, but I should have been tortured three times, and if I had not endured three tortures, then they should have accused me. Secretary. Feel free to go. Alien grabber. The frost is creeping up my skin. The end of the world has come. I'm dying! I'm dying! I'm burning! I'm drowning! Help! I'm dying! I'm going to hell! I'm suffering! I suffer, I suffer! Secretary (to the soldiers). Take it. Alien grabber. Be you, my villains, cursed both in this world and in the future.

The secretary leaves and the Stranger is taken out.

Valery. Disappear, lawlessness, and prosper, virtue! And you, love, the dearest joy in human life, rooted in our hearts and delighting us with your beautiful flowers, let us taste your sweet fruits!

The end of comedy

Notes

CONVENTIONAL ABBREVIATIONS

Archive repositories

GPB - State Public Library named after. M. E. Saltykova-Shchedrin. Department of Manuscripts (Leningrad) IRLI - Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Manuscript department (Leningrad)

Printed sources

Berkov -- Berkov P. N. History of Russian comedy of the 18th century. L., 1977 Izbr. -- Sumarokov A.P. Selected works [Introduction. article, preparation of text and notes. P. N. Berkova]. L., 1957 (Poet's Library. Large series. 2nd ed.) Izvestia - Izvestia of the Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences. T. XII, book. 2. St. Petersburg, 1907 Letters - Letters from Russian writers of the 18th century. L., 1980 PSVS -- Complete collection all works in verse and prose of the late actual state councilor, Knight of the Order of St. Anne and Leipzig Academic Assembly member Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov. Part I-X. M., 1781--1782 Collection - Collection of materials for the history of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in the 18th century. [Published by A. A. Kunik]. St. Petersburg, 1865, part II Semennikov - Semennikov V.P. Materials for the history of Russian literature and for the dictionary of writers of the era of Catherine II. St. Petersburg, 1914 Synopsis - Gisel Innocent. Synopsis, or a brief description of the beginning of the Slovenian people, the first Kyiv princes, and the life of the holy, noble and great prince Vladimir... 4th ed. St. Petersburg, 1746 This collection of dramatic works by A.P. Sumarokov is offered to the reader’s attention and includes thirteen plays. The five tragedies, seven comedies and one drama selected for this publication do not exhaust everything that was created by Sumarokov for the stage. The published works are intended to give an idea of ​​his dramatic heritage in the context of the formation of the Russian classical repertoire theater XVIII V. and show the evolution of Sumarokov’s interpretation of dramatic genres on different stages creative path. The main selection criteria were the ideological and artistic originality of the plays and their typicality for the Sumarokov dramatic system as a whole. Many of Sumarokov's plays appeared in print even before they were staged or shortly after. Moreover, the playwright constantly strived to improve the text of his plays, bringing them closer to the requirements of the time and the tastes of the audience. In 1768, he radically revised almost all of the dramatic works he had created since 1747 and at the same time published most of them in a corrected form. This second edition of the early plays became canonical, and in this form they were placed by N. I. Novikov in the corresponding (3-6) volumes of the Complete Collection of All Works in Poetry and Prose of the Late Actual State Councilor, Order of St. Anne, prepared by him after the death of the writer Knight and Leipzig Scientific Assembly member Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov" (parts I-X. M., 1781-1782). The second edition (M., 1787) repeated the first. N.I. Novikov printed the texts of plays from manuscripts he received from the playwright’s relatives, as well as from the latest lifetime editions of Sumarokov’s works. Therefore, Novikov’s “Complete collection of all works in verse and prose...” by A.P. Sumarokov remains today the most authoritative and accessible source of texts of the playwright’s works. In preparing this collection, we also relied on this publication. In particular, the texts of all published comedies by Sumarokov, his drama "The Hermit", as well as two tragedies ("Sinav and Truvor" and "Artistona") were taken by us from the corresponding volumes of the named publication. IN Soviet era Sumarokov's dramatic works were republished extremely rarely. Individual plays, often presented in abbreviated form, were included in university "reading books on Russian XVIII literature century." Essentially, the first scientific publication of this period was a one-volume work prepared by P. N. Berkov: Sumarokov A. P. Selected Works. L., 1957 (Poet's Library. Large series), including three tragedies: "Horev", "Semira " and "Dimitri the Pretender". In the collection "Russian Comedy and Comic Opera of the 18th Century" (L., 1950) P. N. Berkov published the first edition of the comedy "An Empty Quarrel" ("A Quarrel Between a Husband and His Wife"). Finally, in The collection “Russian Drama of the 18th Century” (M., 1986), recently released by the Sovremennik publishing house, prepared by G. N. Moiseeva and G. A. Andreeva, included the tragedy of A. P. Sumarokov “Dimitri the Pretender.” This exhausts the number of modern ones. editions of Sumarokov's dramatic works. The proposed book will give the general reader an opportunity to become more deeply and fully acquainted with the dramatic heritage of Sumarokov and the Russian theatrical repertoire of the 18th century. Of particular importance when publishing texts of the 18th century is their alignment with the current spelling standards. The system of spelling and punctuation during Sumarokov’s time was quite different from modern requirements. This concerned the most diverse aspects of morphological paradigmatics: the spelling of case endings of nouns, adjectives, participles, demonstrative, possessive and personal pronouns, endings of adverbs and verbs with a reflexive particle -sya (for example: crown - instead of crown, shoulder - shoulders; dragia - dear, from here - from here, from whom, from whom, praise - more praiseworthy, quickly - get married, etc.). Sound combinations in prefixes, suffixes and roots were also written differently individual words(for example: I’m collecting - instead of collecting, restlessness - anxiety, conspiracy - conspiracy, marriage - marriage, sad - sad, happiness - happiness, better - better, soldier - soldier, sertse - heart, late - late, yupka - skirt, etc.). The writing of the conjunctive particles not, nor, whether, with in combination with a meaningful word also had its own specifics. The norm of written language of the 18th century. was considered separate writing particles with pronouns and verbs (for example: nothing - instead of nothing, is there - if, with everything - at all, without climbing - it’s impossible, nor how - in any way, etc.). In the majority similar cases the spelling of words was brought into line with modern spelling standards. True, sometimes it seemed advisable to preserve outdated forms of spelling. This point was already pointed out at one time by P. N. Berkov in the above-mentioned publication “Selected Works” by A. P. Sumarokov, regarding the reproduction of the text of tragedies. The specificity of the verse structure of tragedies sometimes dictated the need to preserve outdated orthoepic forms in spelling. This concerned those cases where modernization of spelling could lead to a disruption of verse rhythm or affect the rhyming endings of verses. Here are examples of the preservation of such stylistically justified archaic spelling: “And this calamitous pain of mourning blood...”; or: “You are going against the one you love...”; or: “The silence of the people’s border will be interrupted...”, as well as examples of rhyme pairs: I want - I will convert, anger - delete, love - blood, I will soften - I will return, etc. Sometimes modernizing old spelling norms can lead to distorted understanding of the author’s thought contained in the phrase, as we see, for example, in the following verse from the tragedy “Horev”: “Open the gates of my dear prison for me,” where the adjective refers to last word, although in pronunciation it may be interpreted as referring to the word "gate". And there are a sufficient number of such examples in plays. In general, when publishing the texts of tragedies, we were guided by the textual principles adopted in the indicated edition of selected works by A.P. Sumarokov, carried out by P.N. Berkov in 1957. Slightly different principles were adopted when publishing the texts of Sumarokov’s comedies. The specifics of this genre determined the focus on maximally preserving the vernacular element of the language of comic characters. Only this approach makes it possible to convey to the modern reader the flavor of the everyday speech of people of that era. This applies, in particular, to the transmission of certain forms of endings of nouns, adjectives, gerunds, reflecting the old norms of speech practice, such as: two days, bribes, rubles, speeches, saint, having taken out, edakay, having come, etc.; or to the preservation of the specific sound of individual words, as was customary in spoken language XVIII century, for example: by name, doubtful, opposition, shameless, genvarya, frightened, go, want, hug, etc. We also tried to completely preserve the vernacular vowel foreign words, adopted in the 18th century. in Russian, as well as dialectisms such as: clevicorty, intermecia, otleportovat, enaral, proviyant; now, three times, sabe, tabe, pochal, syudy, vit, etc. Words, the meaning of which may be incomprehensible to the modern reader, are included in the “Dictionary of obsolete and foreign words and expressions” attached at the end. We also have to face certain difficulties when it comes to lighting. stage fate Sumarokov's plays. Undoubtedly, Sumarokov's tragedies and comedies were played in the second half of the 18th century. quite widely, entering the repertoire of most Russian troupes of that time. But information about the activities of even the court theater, not to mention the performances of serf theaters and free Russian troupes, is generally fragmentary. Therefore, the surviving data on the productions of Sumarokov’s plays do not guarantee complete knowledge about the stage life of a particular play. We tried to make maximum use of all sources of such information available to modern theater studies. When preparing the publication, in particular when working on the commentaries, the research of other researchers in this area was taken into account: P. N. Berkov, V. N. Vsevolodsky-Gerngross, B. A. Aseev, T. M. Elnitskaya, G. Z. Mordison , to which appropriate references are given in the text of the notes.

For the first time - Guardian. Comedy by Alexander Sumarokov. St. Petersburg, 1765. According to P. N. Berkov, when publishing the comedy, Sumarokov made some amendments to the original text (see: Berkov, pp. 88-89). Included in PSVS (Part V, p. 1-54; 2nd ed. M., 1787, p. 1-48). There is no information about the performances of the comedy. P. N. Berkov connects this with the attacks against Catherine’s policies in the text of the play (see: Berkov, pp. 88-89). P. 366. ...this matter is still not important... - this matter is still not important. P. 367. ...whose father traveled to the kingdom of Kitachet and was in the Kamchatka state and wrote a story about this state. -- This refers to S.P. Krasheninnikov (1711-1755), Russian geographer, explorer of Kamchatka, who wrote the book “Description of the Land of Kamchatka,” which was published after the author’s death in 1756. P. 368. ...what is taken, that's holy. And this proverb is legal and was observed inviolably in orders, unless now, according to the New Code, it will be abandoned. -- According to P. N. Berkov, the phrase is a later insertion into the text of the comedy (see: Berkov, p. 89), since it contains a hint of the convening of the Commission to draft the New Code of 1767. It is not even in the calendar -- calendar - a monthly, chronological, month-by-month list of Christian saints indicating the days to which their commemoration is dated. P. 369. ...and not only spiritual ones, but also those despicable sovereigns who are unworthy of this title. - P. N. Berkov sees in this remark of the maid Sostrata the playwright’s hidden attack against the policies of Catherine II (see: Berkov, pp. 88-89). In the Roman kingdom, the cathedral church had a priest... - Aliengrave retells a historical anecdote about the Roman Pope Sixtus V. Sumarokov apparently drew this information from N. N. Kurganov’s “Pismovnik” (St. Petersburg, 1765), where this The story is placed in the "Intricate Stories" section. P. 371. ...from end-to-end canvas. - That is, from rough homespun canvas. P. 378. Become a clerk and achieve the rank of registrar, and you will become a nobleman. -- See note. to s. 350.

Dictionary of obsolete and foreign words and expressions