The Master and Margarita. This is the first thing that comes to mind when they pronounce the name of Mikhail Bulgakov. This is due to the fame of the work, which raised the question of eternal values, such as good and evil, life and death, etc.
“The Master and Margarita” is an unusual novel, because the theme of love in it is mentioned only in the second part. It seems that the writer was trying to prepare the reader for the correct perception. Love story of the Master and Margarita it is a kind of challenge to the everyday routine, a protest against passivity, a desire to resist various circumstances.
In contrast to the Faust theme, Mikhail Bulgakov forces Margarita, and not the Master, to contact the devil and find himself in the world of black magic. It was Margarita, so cheerful and restless, who turned out to be the only character who ventured into a dangerous deal. To meet her lover, she was ready to risk anything. And so began the love story of the Master and Margarita.
Creating a novel
Work on the novel began around 1928. Initially, the work was called The Romance of the Devil. At that time, the novel did not even have the names of the Master and Margarita.
In 1930, the novel was burned by the hands of its author. Only a few drafts were left, in which there were full torn sheets.
After 2 years, Bulgakov decides to thoroughly return to his main work. Initially, the novel includes Margarita, and then the Master. After 5 years, the well-known name “Master and Margarita” appears.
In 1937, Mikhail Bulgakov rewrote the novel again. It takes about 6 months. Six notebooks written by him became the first complete handwritten novel. A few days later, the writer is already dictating his novel to the typewriter. Huge amounts of work were completed in less than a month. This is the story of writing. The Master and Margarita, the great novel, ends in the spring of 1939, when the author corrects the paragraph in the last chapter and dictates a new epilogue that has survived to this day.
Bulgakov later had new ideas, but there were no corrections.
The story of the Master and Margarita. Briefly about acquaintance
The meeting of the two lovers was quite unusual. Walking along the street, Margarita carried a bunch of rather strange flowers in her hands. But the Master was struck not by the bouquet, not by the beauty of Margarita, but by the endless loneliness in her eyes. At that moment, the girl asked the Master if he liked her flowers, but he replied that he preferred roses, and Margarita threw the bouquet into the ditch. Later, the Master will tell Ivan that the love between them broke out suddenly, comparing her with the killer in the alley. Love was really unexpected and was not designed for a happy ending - because the woman was married. The master at that time was working on a book that the editors did not accept. And it was important for him to find a person who could understand his work, feel his soul. It was Margarita who became that person, having shared all his feelings with the Master.
It becomes clear where the sadness in the eyes of the girl comes from after she confesses that she went out that day with yellow flowers to find her love, otherwise she would have been poisoned, because a life in which there is no love is joyless and empty. But the story of the Master and Margarita does not end there.
The origin of feeling
After meeting with her lover Margarita's eyes sparkle, the fire of passion and love burns in them. The master is next to her. Once, when she sewed a black hat to her beloved, she embroidered the yellow letter M on it. And from that moment, she began to call him Master, urging him on and foretelling him glory. Rereading the novel, she repeated the phrases that had sunk into her soul and concluded that her life was in that novel. But in him was the life of not only her, but also of the Master.
But the Master failed to print his novel, sharp criticism fell upon him. Fear filled his mind, a mental illness developed . Watching the grief of her beloved, Margarita also changed for the worse, turned pale, lost weight and did not laugh at all.
Once the Master threw the manuscript into the fire, but Margarita snatched out what was left of the oven, as if trying to preserve their feelings. But this did not happen, the Master disappeared. Margarita is left alone again. But the story of the novel “The Master and Margarita” was not finished. Once a black magician appeared in the city, the girl dreamed of a Master, and she realized that they would still see each other.
Woland's Appearance
For the first time he appears before Ivan the Homeless and Berlioz, who in conversation reject the divinity of Christ. Woland tries to prove that both God and the Devil exist in the world.
Woland's task is to extract the genius of the Master and the beautiful Margarita from Moscow. He and his retinue provoke unbelievable actions in Muscovites and convinces people that they will go unpunished, but then he himself punishes them.
Long-awaited meeting
That day, when Margarita had a dream, she met Azazello. It was he who hinted to her that a meeting with the Master is possible. But before her was a choice: to turn into a witch or never see a loved one. For a loving woman, this choice did not seem difficult, she was ready for anything, only to see her beloved. And as soon as Woland asked how he could help Margarita, she immediately asked for a meeting with the Master. At this moment, her lover appeared before her. It would seem that the goal has been achieved, the story of the Master and Margarita could end, but the connection with Satan does not end well.
Death of the Master and Margarita
It turned out that the Master was out of his mind, so the long-awaited date did not bring joy to Margarita. And then she proves to Wolanda that the Master is worthy to be cured, and asks Satan about it. Margarita Woland fulfills the request, and he and the Master again return to their basement, where they begin to dream about their future.
After that, the lovers drink the Falernian wine brought by Azazello, not knowing that it contains poison. They both die and fly away with Woland to another world. And although this ends the love story of the Master and Margarita, but love itself remains eternal!
Unusual love
The love story of the Master and Margarita is quite unusual. First of all, because Woland himself acts as an assistant to lovers.
The fact is that when love visited a
couple in love, events began to take shape quite differently than we would like. It turns out that the whole world is for the couple not to be happy. And it was at that moment that Woland appeared. The relationship of lovers depends on the book written by the Master. At the moment when he is trying to burn everything written, he still does not realize that the manuscripts are not burning, due to the fact that they are true. The master returns after Woland hands over the manuscript to Margarita.
The girl completely surrenders to the great feeling, and this is the biggest problem of love. The master and Margarita reached the highest level of spirituality, but Margarita had to give her soul to the Devil for this.
In this example, Bulgakov showed that each person should do his own destiny and not ask the higher powers for any help.
The work and its author
The master is considered an autobiographical hero. The age of the Master in the novel is about 40 years. Bulgakov was at the same age when he wrote this novel.
The author lived in Moscow on Bolshaya Sadovaya Street in the 10th house, in the 50th apartment, which became the prototype of the “bad apartment”. The music hall in Moscow served as the Variete Theater, which was located nearby the "bad apartment."
The second wife of the writer testified that their pet Fleushka was the prototype of the Hippo cat. The only thing that the author changed in the cat was the color: Flyushka was a gray cat, and the Hippo was black.
The phrase "Manuscripts do not burn" was repeatedly used by Bulgakov's favorite writer, Saltykov-Shchedrin.
The love story of the Master and Margarita has become a real work of art and will remain the subject of discussion for many centuries.