Kondraty Fedorovich Ryleev is an outstanding Russian poet, member of the Decembrist movement and public figure. This man was distinguished by exceptional honesty, sincerity and selflessness, not allowing anyone to tarnish the title of revolutionary. Decency and a high level of morality of the poet are reflected in the images of the heroes of his own creations. Among them, it is worth noting the work of Ryleev "Voinarovsky."
Biography and revolutionary activities
In the life of the outstanding poet, there were many difficult situations and tragic moments that, most likely, made him grow up early. The works of Kondraty Fedorovich Ryleyev, who was born at the end of the XVIII century - September 18, 1795 in the village of Batovo, St. Petersburg province, are penetrated through with a warlike spirit, the struggle for justice.
The worldview views of young Kondraty were formed during his training in the Cadet Petersburg Corps from 1801 to 1814. In this educational institution, the boy was determined by his father - an army officer. By the way, the parent of little Kondraty could hardly be called exemplary: Fyodor Ryleyev was famous for his craving for alcohol, careless squandering, a passion for gambling and a wild lifestyle. During the training, the first works of Kondraty Fedorovich Ryleev appeared.
The military service of the cadet took place abroad, in France. Returning to his homeland in 1818, the young man decided to devote himself to creativity. Two years later, Ryleyev finished work on the famous ode "To the temporary worker." In the same year, Kondraty Fedorovich married Natalya Tevyasheva - the daughter of wealthy Ukrainian landowners. Despite the impoverished position of the groom, Natalya's parents did not interfere with the marriage and adopted the son-in-law, turning a blind eye to his unenviable financial situation.
A year later, Ryleyev had to enter the civil service. His place of work in 1821 was first the St. Petersburg Criminal Chamber, and three years later - the Russian-American company, where he served as ruler of the office. Ryleyev was not going to give up creativity and stop work on creating another poem, so he joined the Free Society of Lovers of Russian Literature, and for two years (1823-1824) published the magazine "Polar Star" together with Alexander Bestuzhev. In the same period, Kondraty Fedorovich joined the ranks of the Northern Decembrist society, which radically changed his political views and played a fatal role in his future life.
If earlier Ryleyev was a staunch supporter of the constitutional-monarchical system, then from the moment he joined the ranks of society, he began to adhere to other principles of state management - republican. The poet was blinded by revolutionary ideas, which naturally led to fatal consequences. Ryleyev became one of the leaders of the uprising, shortly before which he participated in the duel as a second, where both duelists died. Perhaps what happened was a kind of sign of fate, a warning signal. However, Ryleev did not doubt his innocence, and therefore did not intend to retreat.
The completely logical outcome of the suppressed revolutionary uprising was the detention of all instigators and other persons involved. In prison, Ryleyev behaved courageously and with dignity, trying to justify his associates. Kondraty Fedorovich hoped for imperial mercy, but the sentence was harsh. In July 1826, rioters, including comrades Kondraty Ryleev P. Pestel, A. A. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, M. Kakhovsky and N. Muravyov, were sentenced to hang. During the execution, the rope broke, and Ryleyev fell. The second attempt at strangulation was the execution of a death sentence. There is still no official data on the exact burial place of Ryleev’s remains.
Interesting facts from the life of the poet
Parents have long wondered what to name the newborn boy. The church minister advised giving the child the same name as the first person he met. So they did: a retired military man met on the way. This man subsequently became the godfather for Kondraty Fedorovich.
The boy was the fifth child in the family, but became the only one who did not die in infancy. Once in childhood, according to the stories of his mother, Ryleyev became very ill. Only the parental prayers helped the child recover. According to family tradition, little Kondratius was visited by an angel who healed the baby, but predicted a tragic death at a young age.
From early childhood, Ryleev spent all his free time with a book in his hands. My father believed that spending money on buying fiction did not make sense, so the books with which the future poet was really interested in literature appeared during his studies in the cadet corps. The first work of Ryleyev, saturated with fiery patriotism, was written in 1813, while studying in St. Petersburg. Ode, dedicated to the death of Kutuzov, topped his personal list of works.
Kondraty Ryleyev had two children: a son who died before he was one year old and a daughter, Anastasia. Subsequently, it was thanks to Anastasia that the world learned about her father’s creative talent.
What is the poem "Voinarovsky" written about
K.F. Ryleyev in 1823 completed work on the thought “Death of Yermak,” and after this work he proceeded to write the following. This time, according to the author’s idea, the plot was based on the story of one of the participants in the conspiracy against Peter I - Andrei Voinarovsky, the nephew of Hetman Mazepa.
The creation of the author’s poem was prompted by an event related to the journey of the historiographer Miller to Eastern Siberia in the 40s of the 18th century. Allegedly, the historian then met with Voinarovsky, who talked about how he trusted the treacherous and hypocritical hetman. Mazepa deceived Andrei’s nephew, disguised his evil thoughts as intentions to carry out “good” deeds for the good of his homeland.
The main character of the poem “Voinarovsky” Kondraty Fedorovich represents the readership as a fighter for human freedoms and an opponent of any manifestations of autocracy. At the same time, Ryleyev is not interested in the true reasons that served as the impetus for Mazepa's betrayal. The poet tries to convey historical truthfulness to readers, attaching great importance to the details, the smallest details. In his poem, Ryleyev described the Siberian territories, customs and nature, accurately reproduced the ethnographic, folklore and everyday nuances of that time.
This event, which Ryleyev put in the storyline, was not chosen by chance. In addition, the author here deliberately separated from the hero, as he tried to emphasize the scale and drama of the personal fate of the characters. An in-depth analysis of the “Voinarovsky” Ryleyev allows us to understand how successfully the author managed to achieve a demonstration of a hero with an extraordinary, purposeful and strong-willed personality against the background of vivid historical battles.
In comparison with the thoughts of the poet’s writings preceding Voinarovsky, the poem is romantic in nature. In addition, the narrative element is reinforced in it. Despite the fact that the main character here is separated from Ryleev, it is Mazepa’s nephew who presents the author’s ideas with readers. Many literary critics believe that Voinarovsky’s personality in the poem is too idealized. If we consider the actions of the hero in the plane of real history, it would be wrong to consider him nothing but a traitor. He supported Mazepa, desired the separation of Ukraine from Russia and went over to the side of the enemies of Emperor Peter I.
general description
The storyline of the work boils down to a narrative of how the freedom-loving and rebellious spirit of Andrei Voinarovsky brought him to political exile. Being far from his native land, he begins to analyze his life, doubting the correctness of his previous actions, which leads the main character to complete bewilderment. The dramatic nature of the poem “Voinarovsky” lies in the fact that Mazepa’s associate was never able to figure out himself to the end and understand whose interests he actually served.
Even when viewing the summary of “Voynarovsky” by Ryleyev, it becomes clear that the main character, desiring to overthrow the tyrant from the throne, was subordinate to Mazepa's ideas in everything. But over time, as he eventually admitted, he acted recklessly, not assuming the consequences and not knowing the true intentions of the hetman. Andrei could not distinguish between the true motives of Mazepa, who consciously went to outright betrayal. There was no malicious intent in Voinarovsky's motives, but the reckless execution of the hetman's orders made him a traitor in the eyes of his own people. The main character never managed to comprehend the real motives of the betrayal act of the Ukrainian hetman.
Thus, the patriotic Voynarovsky became hostage to his own mistakes. Mazepa’s apostasy, known from the history of that period, prevented Ryleyev from completing the work with a fair, logical ending — the punishment for betrayal.
In the brief content of “Voynarovsky” by Kondraty Fedorovich Ryleyev, it is quite difficult to convey the emotional mood of the protagonist, to be imbued with his feelings and mental torment. Therefore, anyone who would like to get acquainted with this poem in depth is recommended to read the work in its entirety, in the original edition.
The image of the protagonist
"Voinar" Ryleyev presents to readers in different ways. On the one hand, the protagonist is portrayed as honest, unsuspecting of Mazepa’s vile intentions. Andrei cannot be held responsible for the secret intentions of the hetman, since they were not known to him. But on the other hand, Voinarovsky is a participant in an unjust social movement that betrayed the people and the emperor, and only being exiled, he was able to think about the real state of things. Only in conclusion did the hetman’s comrade understand that he was just a toy in the hands of Mazepa, and not his companion and comrade.
The double image helps the reader to understand that the exile is at a crossroads. In this sense, a comparison with the heroes of Ryleev’s thoughts will be appropriate. Voinarovsky, unlike them languishing in prison, could not maintain the integrity of his personality, as he doubted the correctness of the once just cause, was not convinced of justice. By the way, the main character was dying, being lost and forgotten, not having hope for popular memory and respect.
The freedom-loving poems of the poem "Voinarovsky" carry the direct idea of the work. Andrei was completely faithful to the idea, passion, but he did not know the true meaning of the rebel movement, of which he was a participant. Political exile became a completely logical and logical destiny for a person who connected his life with a traitor hetman.
Despite the fact that literary scholars attribute Voynarovsky to romantic works, the love story is muffled here. Ryleyev creates a poetic image of his wife Andrei, who went through all of Siberia to find her husband. Many lines in the poem are devoted to the sincerity and dedication of the beloved woman. But nevertheless, to the fore Ryleyev put forward socio-political motives, the civic position of the heroes.
What is the drama of the poem
The hero of this work is a fighter against autocracy and tyranny, but at the same time there is no doubt in his genuine love of freedom. Complicated life circumstances forced the man to appreciate the entire life path traveled. That is why the conflict in the poem "Voynarovsky" consists in combining two incongruous images - a freedom-loving fighter, who carries his cross with his head held high, and a martyr, pondering and analyzing his misconduct. Andrei accepts his suffering, adhering to the same convictions in exile as in freedom. Voinarovsky is a strong, unbroken person who considers suicide a weakness. His choice is to bear responsibility to the end, no matter how unbearable.
The soul of Voinarovsky cries around his native land. He is devoted to dreams of the well-being of the fatherland, his native people, and wants to see him happy. One of the features of Ryleyev’s poem “Voinarovsky” is that the doubts and hesitation of the protagonist practically permeate all parts of the work. First of all, they affect the hostile attitude of Mazepa to the Russian Tsar. Until his last breath, Andrei is pondering about who, nevertheless, the people found in Peter I - a hostile ruler or friend? The main character suffers from his own misunderstanding of the secret intentions of the hetman and the meaning of his life. On the one hand, if Mazepa’s actions were driven only by vanity, selfishness and a desire for power, then, on this basis, Voinarovsky made a mistake and is a traitor. On the other hand, if the hetman is still a hero, then the victim of Voinarovsky is not in vain, which means that the life of the associate was not in vain.
Monologues by Andrei Voynarovsky
The protagonist shares all the memories of the past and arguments about the correctness of past actions with the historian Miller. That is why the predominant part of Ryleyev’s poem “Voynarovsky” consists of the main hero’s monologues. He describes paintings, events, individual episodes, meetings with only one goal - to justify himself, find an explanation for his actions, evaluate the true state of mind and his own experiences.
In attempts to affirm selflessness and purity of thoughts, to prove comradely fidelity and devotion to society, Ryleev contrasts the image of the hero with doubts about Mazepa’s wrongness. This also prompts the author to reveal the identity of Andrei in a different light, not keeping silent about his weaknesses and soul-filled civic passion. The paradox is that Voinarovsky does not understand the essence of the historical events of which he was a direct participant. In his monologues, he repeatedly repeats about error, calls himself "blind."
Passing the summary of the poem “Voinarovsky”, it is necessary to mention the conversation between Andrey and the hetman Mazepa. The main character himself calls this conversation "fatal", because it was after her that troubles fell on Voynarovsky's lot. Andrei is perplexed by the opened temper, meanness and cunning of the “leader”, but at the same time, as already mentioned, he remains unknown about the real motives for Mazepa’s betrayal. Ryleyev decided not to make any assumptions about this. The only emphasis on this is the description of vivid episodes that pop up in Andrei’s memory, confirming his doubts in every possible way. And although Voinarovsky never knew the truth, he finally realized that he was acting not for the good of the people.
Paying lines to the last days of Mazepa's life, Andrei recalls how hetman was tormented by remorse. Until the last seconds before his eyes stood the images of the victims who died through his fault - Kochubey, Sparks. Mazepa confessed that on the day of the execution of the innocent, he, seeing the executioner, trembled with fear, terror filled his soul. Voinarovsky, immersed in memories that he called "vague thoughts", struggled with a misunderstanding of what had happened.
Contrary to the monologues of the protagonist, Ryleyev managed not to distort historical facts. Although the poet shows hidden sympathy for the rebel and patriot, the poem is not without a sober look: a firm civic stand and unquestioning submission to the hetman led to defeat.
What did the author want to convey
It is entirely possible that by creating “Voinarovsky” Ryleyev wanted to warn about the true meaning of social activity, thereby saying that the benefit of citizens depends not only on the leader’s desire, his activity and willingness to sacrifice himself to the right cause if necessary, but also on the true meaning and understanding the motives of the social movement. The paradox is that soon the author of the poem will have to face a real situation in life, which will make it possible to reflect on personal errors and to understand whether his subjective aspirations and goals coincided with the declared sense of the revolutionary movement to which he joined.
However, the artistic assignment contradicts the content of the poem “Voinarovsky” and the above conclusion. The main goal of Ryleyev was to create an image that allows you to remove the burden of historical responsibility and personal guilt from the shoulders of the hero. Kondraty Fedorovich managed to achieve this by endowing Voinarovsky with selflessness and personal honesty. In the eyes of the reader, Andrei is still an implacable fighter against tyranny.
But if Voinarovsky is not guilty, as planned by the author, then who is responsible for the betrayal? Ryleyev transferred the blame to the vicissitudes of fate, its unforeseen and sometimes unfair laws. The analysis of the poem “Voinarovsky” literally reveals the essence of the content: it is a struggle of patriotic people with the tyranny of power and autocracy. For this reason, Tsar Peter I, the Ukrainian hetman Mazepa and his nephew Voinarovsky were portrayed biased and one-sided. In the poem of Ryleyev, the emperor got exclusively the role of a tyrant, and the traitor Mazepa and Voinarovsky - freedom lovers who oppose despotism. Along with this, the essence of the actual conflict, known from history, was immeasurably more complicated. Hetman and Voinarovsky acted consciously and in fact were not guided by civic valor.
According to many historians, in the work “Voinarovsky” the main character is undeservedly attributed to exalted qualities that have no relation to him: patriotism, the struggle for truth and justice. Given the romantic nature of the poem, this mismatch remained unresolved.
Analysis of the Voynarovsky genre
Ryleyev showed a certain independence in the construction of his poem. The composition and composition of “Voinarovsky”, external techniques have imprints of a romantic manner of presentation. Despite the fact that the work was created in the form of confession, nothing prevented Ryleyev from building a unique compositional basis for the creation, which was originally planned to be written in the epic genre. It is not surprising that in the poem “Voinarovsky” the breaks in the plot line characteristic of a romantic work are not visible.
The installation of the work, according to contemporary literary critics, is propaganda. A simple perception of the poem is facilitated by a narrative style of presentation, the prevailing simple sentences that do not contain motley metaphors, verbose phrases. Ryleyev successfully departed from a depressed-oppressed mood to reveal the truth of life. The poem was revived with the help of elements of folklore, a detailed description of Siberian life, the way of life of the people, natural conditions - all this made the poem popular with a wide range of readers.
In a short message to A. A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, A. Pushkin gave his assessment of Voynarovsky to Ryleev. The great Russian writer noted that this poem surpassed previous creations (thoughts). Pushkin liked Ryleyev’s syllable - he called it “matured” and “full of life”.
What role did the poem play in Russian literature
Kondraty Fedorovich Ryleev is one of the authors convinced that the poet’s vocation is to actively invade life, improve it and fight for equality and justice. Ryleyevsky revolutionary civil pathos found its continuation in the lyric poems of Lermontov, Polezhaev and Ogarev, in the revolutionary ideas of Nekrasov. In simple words, Kondraty Fedorovich managed to create a positive image for the negative hero, endowing Voinarovsky with exemplary patriotism, courage, and love of freedom.
The literary personality of Ryleyev is attractive to many admirers of poetry. He perceived his creative talent as a service to civil society for the common good. During his life, the works of Ryleyev were popular, however, after the tragic death, the poet's name was erased from literature for several decades to come. The poems of the revolutionary again saw the light in 1872 thanks to the efforts of the daughter of Anastasia.