One of the outstanding futurists is Vladimir Mayakovsky. He wrote his first major work in 1915. It is called "Cloud in Pants."
Mayakovsky’s work is different from the work of other poets. Not everyone is able to understand what he wants to say through his poetry. What does Mayakovsky's “Cloud in Pants” convey to readers in his major work? The summary and analysis of the tetraptich in this article will help you understand this poem. So, let's move on to the work.
Mayakovsky's “Cloud in Pants”: in brief: about love and creativity
The tetraptich begins with an introduction. In it, the poet discusses how people and he relate to love. He says to himself that he is not pampered, his heart is like that of a twenty-two year old. The poet reports: he can turn himself out of love because of love.
In the first part, he tells the story of how he was waiting for the girl Maria. Time passed, the poet frowned: she still did not come. When the girl appeared to him, she announced that she was getting married. The poet tells what he experienced from such a message. Mayakovsky is outwardly calm, but his heart burns with fire.
In the second part, the poet talks about the pangs of creativity. He says he used to think that writing is easy. However, becoming a poet, Mayakovsky realized how difficult it is to be a creator. He burns out human souls with a word, tells them the truth. All this is not easy for him. However, he is ready to give his bloodied soul to poetry.
Mayakovsky V.V. “Cloud in pants”, summary: continued
In the third part, the poet talks about life, the regime. Through the words of the character Burlyuk Mayakovsky conveys his thought: it is good when the soul is wrapped up. But he does not hide his feelings, thoughts. The author of the poet Severyanin scolds for writing “gray” verses, wondering if the lines come out elegantly from him. Mayakovsky believes that it is necessary to convey his thoughts roughly and clearly. He scolds the system for killing rebels. He calls himself the thirteenth apostle.
In the fourth part, the poet asks Mary. He promises not to cheat on her and protect her. But she doesn’t let him in. The poet says his soul is wounded, like a dog's paw moved. He turns to God, invites him to have fun: get wine and girls. Says he used to be an angel. He asks why God did not give the opportunity to kiss and not experience heartache. He threatens the angels with a knife, but around silence, the universe is sleeping.
Analysis of the work
We examined what Mayakovsky's “Cloud in Pants” says in his work. The summary describes all 4 parts.
Mayakovsky addresses several topics that are topical for him. This is unrequited love, creativity, political regime, religion. In each part, he addresses one of the topics. But one goes through the whole work. This is the theme of unrequited love, loneliness, the poet’s heartache.
Why did he call his work “Cloud in Pants”? This phrase is found in the introduction. The fact is that initially his triptych was called the “Thirteenth Apostle”, but he did not come to censorship. Because of these events, an introduction appeared with such content and a headline. Thus the poet says something like this: if you want me to be gentle, like a cloud in my pants, then I will be him.
Censorship did not like much in Mayakovsky’s work, so he had to remove and change something. Nevertheless, the content of the tetraptich turned out to be very relevant: the poet was able to touch on important topics, convey his vision to readers and listeners. Mayakovsky managed not to lose his style.
Conclusion
He ridiculed the philistine life, shared his heartache, cursed the political system and religion in his work Mayakovsky “Cloud in Pants”. The summary showed us that, despite the tough style, the poet has a soft soul, is able to experience and love. He is against the reality that surrounds him, but cannot do anything about it. The poet threatens with a knife, but he is not allowed in, there is silence around him. Mayakovsky “Cloud in Pants” showed this hopelessness in his major work. The summary also showed us how strong the spirit of the poet is, since he alone went against everything that surrounded him.