What is the meaning of the name “Woe from Wit” by Griboedov’s comedy

Griboedov’s comedy called “Woe from Wit” is a work that does not need special efforts in order to revive it and make it modern. On the one hand, his characters can often be found in everyday life, and on the other, their experiences are sometimes present in the reality of many readers.

What is the uniqueness of "Woe from Wit"? The meaning of this comedy is not killed by time! And this is one of the unique cases in the history of not only Russian, but also world literature. Years have no power over this creation. Over the past two hundred years, several generations succeeding each other have been able to discover the new meaning of the comedy "Woe from Wit."

The unique creation of Alexander Sergeevich

The very name of the comedy affects those life circumstances that almost every reader has to experience from time to time. The contrast of mind and stupidity is very important for any person. Indeed, at each stage of their growing up, people constantly gain experience, become wiser, and develop. What is the meaning of the name? “Woe from Wit” relies precisely on those events that occur with any person in reality.

Such a contrast is one of the most important dramatic collisions that exists in world literature. And the idea that the mind is a dangerous property of the human body is affected by many authors in their works. But only Griboedov conveys the meaning of the work “Woe from Wit” in a comedic form.

Theater art during the time of Alexander Sergeevich

Comedy at the time of this outstanding writer represented a rather important part of life, since the entertainment of most nobles was concentrated around theatrical art. In Moscow at that time there were more than twenty house temples of Melpomene.

Tickets were not sold there, but only close friends and relatives came. And along with balls and holidays, such home performances were an important part of everyday life and daily life of all educated people of Russia.

The combination of funny and serious is a technique that helps to reveal the meaning of the work “Woe from Wit” in a completely special light. Firstly, Alexander Sergeevich wanted to create a work that was supposed to diversify leisure and free time for people of his society, and secondly, he wanted to show what worried everyone individually.

Bitterness mixed with fun. A laugh filled with tears. It is such a paradoxical combination that gives rise not only to a moment of insight, but also conveys the meaning of the comedy "Woe from Wit." This happens when the protagonist realizes that many people perceive his mind as insanity.

Balagan language used in the book

How did the readers and contemporaries of Alexander Sergeyevich perceive the meaning of the name “Woe from Wit”? To imagine this, one must take into account historical factors and the writing style of this creation.

At the time of writing Griboedov’s comedy, booths or fair performances were very popular, where the border between the stage of the theater and the auditorium in which the audience was located became conditional. And the actor, who is on stage, often made improvised actions.

It was in this language of street productions that Alexander Sergeyevich tried to convey the meaning of the work “Woe from Wit”. For each character in his creation, the reader could recognize the person whom he met in life. Several guesses and legends about prototypes of heroes are connected with this.

Legends of creating a unique creation

There is a legend that the author began to write his work after he ran into the audience in one of the salons of secular society. But Chatsky’s monologues are, in essence, his own speeches when he came into conflict with others.

Another version says that the source is the story of Chaadayev, declared crazy. And many more speculations have a right to exist. The thing is that in the comedy the plot is built in such a way that any projection on existing life will be confirmed in real facts.

On the stage, everyone can find out what is happening to him or his acquaintances in everyday life, and even draw a parallel with some characters. This is the power of the comedy "Woe from Wit."

The meaning of the story about the life of Famusov is to show a typical representative of the nobility of his time. He submits to public opinion, and does not express his own point of view.

Chatsky, on the contrary, is constantly trying to fight with the surrounding morals. Many other characters also often resemble people around them. This constant possibility of transition from stage circumstances to real ones is an integral feature of the comedy of Alexander Sergeyevich Griboedov.

The story of the comedy

Not only the meaning of the name is important - “Woe from Wit” - but also the main task of the work, which is to identify the causes of human stupidity by laughing. The goal of Alexander Sergeyevich is not an image of characters, but a direct expression of those feelings that his stage characters carry with them.

Griboedov's comedy was redone countless times. This was done so that the work could be read by one person, depicting all the characters in their faces. This form of the play lasted up to one thousand eight hundred and thirty-third years, that is, until the comedy was staged on the stage.

The content of "Woe from Wit" (short). The meaning of the work

Why is censorship so stubborn for several decades struggled with comedy, not allowing it to be staged not only in the imperial theater, but also as a home performance. Too much seditious and reprehensible in Chatsky's ridicule was seen by editors and did not allow the creation of Alexander Sergeyevich to print. Very easily, the characters judged what was happening at that time in the country.

In this regard, a rather paradoxical situation has been created. Comedy was banned for full print publication by censors. Therefore, today there are a huge number of handwritten copies.

In almost every noble family there was a text of this work, hand-written. It was used for home productions or for simple reading. And censorship was well aware of this state of affairs. But comedy still continued to be banned.

At first glance, the content of the work is fairly straightforward. All the action takes place in Famusov’s house, where the main character Chatsky appears, who has been absent from the city for a long time. His visit immediately caused a lot of negative emotions, both from the side of his long-time friend Sophia, and her father.

As new comedy characters appear, the reader not only sees their diverse characters, but also constantly hears the sharp judgments of the young Chatsky in relation to each of the guests of Famusov’s home. Visitors to this house try to exalt the owner of the estate and morals prevailing around.

The young man is full of modern views and not only tries to defend his own point of view, but also to reach out to the rest of the characters in the comedy. Unfortunately, he remains incomprehensible, and all his judgments are taken categorically by Famusov’s society, which leads to a grand scandal at the end of the play.

The main character of the work of Alexander Sergeevich

In order to understand not only the meaning of the name - “Woe from Wit” - but also its entire storyline, it is enough to pay attention to the monologues of the main character - Chatsky - and evaluate them. It is in them that there are those plastic images that Alexander Sergeevich wanted to convey. He expresses the feelings and views that interest his generation.

All phrases in the comedy of Griboedov are built in such a way that they create the appearance of a dialogue between the actor and the audience. And the main point is not what the character says, but exactly how he does it. This is of great importance for understanding any dramatic plot. In any dialogue or monologue "Woe from Wit" you can find both signs of the character’s mind and signs of stupidity. And even the greatness of the mind, which is characteristic of the sages.

And it is quite obvious that Chatsky is not a mouthpiece of the author’s idea, but an independent hero. And Alexander Sergeyevich Griboedov is a person who nourished him with thoughts and feelings. The author and the character are not unity among themselves. Therefore, the meaning of comedy for each reader will be different, depending on his perception of the surrounding reality.

The collapse of hopes and illusions

What is the meaning of the finale? "Woe from Wit" consists of unexpected discoveries of the main characters. For some it is a drama in personal relationships, but for others it is the collapse of their own illusions and ideals. For example, for Chatsky, who tried to enter the battle with the outside world, the conservatism of society, which is not going to accept the new political and social views of the character, was a tragic discovery.

And, despite the fact that Chatsky was expelled from this circle, which did not want to change anything in his usual way of life, this man with his innovative ideas was still able to break a significant gap in the consciousness of society. But, unfortunately, like all pioneers, it was not understood, rejected and expelled.

The most remarkable work that Alexander Griboedov created is "Woe from Wit." The meaning of this comedy is to describe to the reader the living and real types of people with their real problems, conflicts not only personal but also social. Thanks to this, comedy not only became popular among contemporaries of the author, but also continues to remain relevant for many generations.