In 1808, the world of romantic horrors opened in Russia. The plot of the ballad "Lyudmila" contains an interesting legend. Along with living characters, the work contains the dead and invisible power. The summary and theme of the poem will be retold by the material presented.
German folklore
Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky - one of the best Russian poets. He was the founder of Russian romanticism, which in his works acquired a completely different look. The works of the author immediately gained fame due to the exceptional style. The writer had already tried to compose ballads, but not one of them was universally recognized. However, this work became a kind of experiment, which turned out to be successful.
Readers especially like the ballad Lyudmila. Zhukovsky wrote it in 1808. The author took as a basis the work “Lenore”, which was written by the German poet Gottfried August Burger. His work was created on the foundation of folklore, where stories about a girl marrying a dead man were not uncommon. The initial task of the German was to reproduce his native life and traditions. However, the Russian poet was not going to simply translate someone else's work into his native language. Vasily Andreyevich tried to convey the plot through Russian motifs.
The plot of history
Based on the German source, it is very easy to analyze Zhukovsky’s ballad. Lyudmila in the original work bore the name of Lenore. The author transfers the scene to the Slavic lands. Time doesn't matter. By reading the ballad, the audience can easily imagine events because they are not tied to specific years.
The main character is a girl. The plot begins with a young woman waiting for her beloved, who is fighting in a distant land. Standing at a crossroads and looking for a soldier, Lyudmila thinks: perhaps her beloved forgot her, cheated on her, or even worse - died. Then an army appears on the horizon. It goes home with a victory. However, among the soldiers there is no her beloved.
The ballad “Lyudmila” begins with these events. The summary of the first part and the acquaintance of readers with the main character catches up with alarming feelings.
Two-way dialogue
With grief and sadness, the beauty goes home, saying that you can’t love twice. She is ready to die. A dismal young lady is met by an alarmed mother, and asks what happened. The girl replies that God forgot about her and does not wish her happiness. Lyudmila curses the Lord and says that he is not merciful.
To this, her mother replies to her that the Almighty knows what he is doing and if he sent suffering, therefore, it should be so. But the daughter declares that the prayers and requests that she repeated before the icons had no strength and were fruitless. There will be no more joy in life - Lyudmila is sure. The ballad is full of pain and despair. But an elderly woman reports that suffering is not eternal, and those who survive it have a direct road to paradise. In turn, hell awaits those who disobey fate. However, the daughter does not agree, she is sure that she will find happiness with her beloved everywhere. The girl continued to curse God.
Long road
Night fell and everyone fell asleep. When midnight struck, a horseman appeared in the valley. Suddenly, someone went to the house and started talking. Lyudmila immediately recognized the voice of her beloved. The guy asked if his beloved was sleeping, whether he was crying because of him, and perhaps already forgot about grief. When the sad girl saw the groom, she thought that God took pity on her. So the main characters of the ballad "Lyudmila" met.
The soldier said he needed to go. They saddled the horse and began the journey. The man noted that the road is very long and can not be delayed. On the way, the rider spoke about his house. His new home in Lithuania. The house is cramped, shot down from six boards, and above it stands a cross. However, the girl is not afraid of a dead friend. She is happy that a loved one is nearby.
The month was already hiding, and dawn came to the earth when the couple reached the place. The young lady examined everything around. It was a cemetery with coffins and crosses, and in the middle stood a church. The horse brought the girl to the grave. There the coffin opened, and her lover was waiting for her - dead and cold. Not such an end was waiting for Lyudmila. The ballad came to a climax.
Tragic ending
Instead of a cozy house, the girl received a grave, and her fiancé received a corpse. Once a beautiful and lively person turned into a cold blue body. His hands were folded in a cross, his eyes blurred. Suddenly the dead man got up and beckoned the girl with his finger. He also said that henceforth their house is cold and damp earth. With a stone, the girl fell into the coffin. Other dead people rose from the graves and said that God hears absolutely everything that people say and think. He is fair and punished the young lady for reproaches.
So ends the ballad "Lyudmila". The summary partially conveys the emotions that the work evokes.
The main character did not obey her mother and continued to curse fate, therefore, heaven fulfilled a terrible request. The girl’s death was terrible and tragic. Beauty did not expect such an end. In the finale of the work, the author leaves no room for an alternative. The finish is clear and understandable. The girl paid for her lawless thoughts and reproaches.
Dualism of thought
The author made sure that each hero had his own clear character. His characters throughout the work have a position that they adhere to. An analysis of Zhukovsky’s ballad “Lyudmila” is best started with a description of the main characters.
The image of a girl is a kind of symbol of disobedience to fate. The heroine cannot perceive that the beloved has died, and prefers to go with him to the grave. Because of her blindness through the mountain, the young lady herself brings disaster. In one of the dialogs, the beauty notes that without a sweet paradise, there is no paradise, and with a young man she will be fine anywhere. At first it seems to the reader that the girl is very strong, because she does not want to put up with the loss. However, it soon becomes clear that in fact it is driven by weakness. The damsel is not capable of experiencing trouble and struggling with difficulties.
The theme of the ballad "Lyudmila" revolves around religion and the relationship of man and the Lord. If a girl puts her own desires above heavenly will, then her mother is the actual opponent in this situation. The old woman is on the side of God and believes that this suffering is a kind of stage that must be experienced.
Invisible characters
Another hero of the ballad is Lyudmila's beloved. He is a soldier who died in a foreign land. But unlike mother and daughter, this character does not have his own character. He is only a weapon in the hands of God. The love story of young people is not mentioned, but their feelings are very strong, because the girl is killed for a very long time due to the death of the groom. The soldier appears as a ghost, which leads Lyudmila to a different world. He does the will of heaven. In fact, that person whom the girl loved was gone.
The genre of Zhukovsky’s ballad “Lyudmila” is romanticism. This style is characterized by the theme of man and fate. The author introduced another character to the work, which he hid behind the details. The fourth hero is God. He was the creator of these events. Also, the Almighty, following the conversations and curses of the girl, decided to fulfill his desire and forever connect her with his beloved.
The young lady liked it or not, it is difficult to reason. However, the author clearly indicates that the blame for everything that happened in the finale is the meaningless words of people.
Mystical character
From the first lines, the master of the word does not give hope for happiness. Pessimistic mood is strengthened by verbal turns. For example, the part where the girl talks about her own death is extremely emotional. Without a beloved, she does not want to live, and she asks the earth to step aside and form a grave.
Constantly keeps the reader in suspense ballad "Lyudmila". Zhukovsky repeatedly turned to similar dark topics in his works. Also often the author used mystical details. This work is not without the presence of otherworldly forces. The main character conducts conversations with God, discusses her own death. Another significant point - Lyudmila meets with her late groom. When lovers fall into a gloomy cemetery, the girl sees the grave of her beloved. Zhukovsky clearly describes the deceased. His image is scary and terrible. Beauty falls dead in the coffin of a loved one. In general, the story is tragic, but also to some extent instructive.
The role of the image of nature in the work
It immediately becomes clear to the reader that he will not know happiness without his beloved Lyudmila. The ballad is constantly in suspense. The author achieved this effect thanks to the images of nature. When the girl shared her grief with her mother, the day was already ending. Vasily Andreyevich attached special significance to this event. He noted that the sun had set behind the mountains, and the valleys and groves were crumbling. For a month, it hid, then peeked out from behind the clouds, and the shadows were long and scary. The forests in his poems are dense, the mirrors of the water are tragically shaky and cold, and the sky is clad in sadness.
Nature also supports a sad mood when she travels to a foreign land with her beloved Lyudmila. The ballad is shrouded in mysticism, which the reader feels even through the lines. The leaves are noisy, a whistle is heard in the wilderness and the movement of shadows is felt. The writer also uses comparisons. For example, the whisper of grass is very similar to the voice of the dead.
Vasily Andreevich throughout the work perfectly supports one note of feelings. His poem is full of sadness and longing. The reader is involuntarily imbued with mystic energy.