Denis Fonvizin is one of the most talented playwrights in Russia who lived in the era of Catherine II. His everyday comedy "Undergrowth" is still popular. The theaters in which the play is staged are always full of spectators. The work is studied at school, children write an essay on literature. "Undergrowth" is known for comic characters whose prototypes were the nobles who lived in the Catherine era.
Creativity D. Fonvizin
D. Fonvizin - playwright, writer, publicist and translator - was born in 1745. The comedy "Undergrowth" became a vivid work, thanks to which he gained literary fame after his death. However, it is by no means his only creation.
D. Fonvizin wrote “The Discourse on the Form of State Government Demolished in Russia”, where he addressed the problem of the Russian nobility. The "top" of society, longing for power and money, was under the protection of the empress. When Catherine became aware of the contents of this work, she ordered the writer to be removed from service and a ban on the printing of his works.
D. Fonvizin was engaged in translations, one of the famous works is Tacitus. Her Catherine also banned publishing.
Having lost the rights to print his works, D. Fonvizin fell ill, his literary activity stopped, except for reflections on European life in letters from abroad and "Reasoning on Indispensable State Laws". If you write an essay on the topic "The young as a representative of the nobility", then the main idea can be expressed in one sentence: Fonvizin wanted the abolition of serfdom.
Summary of the comedy "Undergrowth"
The work tells about the boy Mitrofan, who should go to the army. But his mother, Mrs. Prostakova, raised him as a "sissy" and did not want to let go of her. In the house of the Prostakovs also lives the girl Sofia, who was brought up. Prostakova’s brother, Skotinin, wants to marry her in order to get her village and raise pigs. Sophia loves Milon.
Soon Sophia arrives a letter in which she speaks of her inheritance. Now Prostakova wants to marry her to Mitrofanushka, because Sophia is a rich bride. The image of Prostakova, a woman of authoritarian, uneducated and scandalous, can be widely disclosed if we write an essay on literature. The undergrowth, of which Mitrofan is, is constantly engaged with teachers and is rude to his nanny Yeremeyevna. He is not ready for adulthood.
In the end, Sophia's uncle, Starodum, arrives at the house, who takes her with him from the Prostaks. Sophia is getting married to Milon.
Characters of the comedy "Undergrowth"
Amazing images of the comedy Fonvizin "Undergrowth". The playwright uses speaking surnames. So, Starodum means a person with outdated, formerly once relevant views of the world. Pravdin is a character who fights for the truth. The name Mitrofan in translation means "like a mother." Prostakova is a simple, near-by woman. Skotinin is a person related to livestock (this character loves pigs). In the essay on the theme "Undergrowth", you should definitely include the image of Sophia - an honest, chaste girl who fell into the hands of greedy ignoramuses.
In the comedy "Undergrowth" there are also characters who play a secondary role in the work. This is the nanny Mitrofanushka Yeremeyevna, whom Prostakova does not even pay her salary, because she believes that Yeremeyevna owes the family what she lives and eats at their expense.
It is worth paying attention to the thoughts of Starodum. He discusses how it was before, saying that earlier the rank was given not for the fact that a person is a nobleman, but for his services to the state, and this was truly fair.
The problems of the comedy "Undergrowth"
To write an essay on the work of Fonvizin “Undergrowth”, you need to know what thoughts the author wanted to convey to the reader. First of all, this is the problem of the low level of morality of the nobility. Greed, meanness, selfishness - these are the vices that corrupt the nobility. Society, instead of punishing these people for their tyranny, gives them power.
The second problem concerns education. The school program for the study of this play, and then the essay on the work of Fonvizin's "Undergrowth" is not complete without coverage of this problem. Mitrofanushka is a spoiled, ill-adapted youth who will one day become a man. However, Prostakova still considers him a little boy, who is harmful to study and physical labor. It is worth noting that his teachers - Kuteikin and Tsyferkin - are also uneducated people, but Prostakova does not even know how to read about it.
An essay on the work of Fonvizin “Undergrowth” on the theme “Image of Mitrofan”
Mitrofan, the spoiled son of Mrs. Prostakova, should go to the army by age. However, his mother, who takes care of him too much, does not allow him into the army. Mitrofan himself is happy about this: he is happy to chase pigeons, sleep until noon and eat. He does not want to study. This character has the famous catchphrase: "I do not want to study, I want to get married."
Mitrofan is very lazy and therefore practically untrained: he does not even know the basic elements of arithmetic. He is dismissive of Prostakova, sometimes she annoys him with her guardianship. At the end of the comedy, when everyone leaves Prostakov, she rushes to her beloved son for support, to which she hears the evil: "Yes, get rid of you ..."
Do not forget that Mitrofan also has a father who obeys his wife in everything and has no personal opinion. He has practically nothing to do with raising his son, although a male hand would not hurt Mitrofan.
Mitrofan, a spoiled noble son, has an overestimated self-esteem. He is not adapted to independent life. Everyone in the house obeys him, indulges his whims, but the reader sees that this will not lead to anything good.
There were many such people as Mitrofanushka Prostakov in the 18th century. Perhaps his image is exaggerated, but this was done so that the vices of the younger generation of the nobility were noticeable against the background of current events, were striking. The image of Mitrofanushka has become a household name, now it is called lazy people.
Mitrofanushki is not a problem of one family, it is a problem of Russia as a whole.
The essay on the work of Fonvizin "The Undergrowth" can be written not only in the image of this hero - everyone can be characterized. All of them are unique in their own way.