In this article, we will consider in detail the work "Foreman" (Fonvizin). A summary and analysis of this comedy written in 1768 is presented below.
Summary
Ignatius Andreyevich, the foreman, and Akulina Timofeevna, his wife, want to marry their son Ivanushka to the daughter of Artamon Vlasyich (adviser). The girl's name is Sophia. The family of the foreman is visiting the adviser in the village. Talk about the wedding are future relatives. This scene opens his work "Foreman" Fonvizin. The summary of the conversation is as follows. Ivanushka has already visited Paris; he constantly inserts French words into his speech. This is not like his father. Ignaty Andreevich advises his son to “keep to work,” calls for reading the “military charter” and the “article”. Akulina Timofeevna is an economic woman who considers consumable notebooks to be the best reading. To the future son-in-law, the adviser recommends reading the decrees and the code. And his wife, Sophia's stepmother, Avdotya Potapyevna, prefers "amiable novels" to any other reading. Ivanushka completely agrees with her from the work "Foreman" (Fonvizin), a summary of which interests us. Sophia is not happy about the upcoming marriage. She considers her fiance a fool. On the contrary, her stepmother is delighted with him and his "Parisian" manners.
Conversation of future relatives
The conversation of future relatives is not glued. The foreman is interested only in military affairs, his wife is interested in the economy, while the adviser is only concerned with legal issues. And the counselor and Ivanushka find all these topics base. The conversation is interrupted due to the arrival of Dobrolyubov. The foreman with his wife, Sophia and the adviser go to meet him.
Declaration of love Ivanushka and counselors
A declaration of love continues its comedy "Foreman" Fonvizin. A summary of this scene is as follows. Ivanushka and the counselor are left alone. They find understanding quickly. Ivanushka scolds her parents, and her adviser spouses. The young man admits that he does not like Sophia, and he does not want to marry her. Ivan and Avdotya, guessing on the cards, are declared in love to each other. The counselor tells Ivanushka that Sophia loves Dobrolyubov for a long time and mutually.
Sophia's conversation with Dobrolyubov
When Dobrolyubov and the bride appear, Ivan and his counselor leave, leaving the lovers in private. Sophia realizes that feelings arose between her stepmother and Ivanushka. She also notes that her father looks with tenderness at the foreman, and the foreman admires the foreman. Only Dobrolyubov and Sophia love each other with a “good faith” love. However, the poverty of Dobrolyubov impedes this marriage. But he hopes that his wealth will increase when the trial is over.
Persistence Advisor
Sophia asks her father not to force her to marry Ivanushka. However, the adviser does not want to listen: the groom has “pretty villages”. Artamon Vlasyich says that the daughter should please in-law in all. The true reason for such stubbornness of the adviser is his love for the foreman. Artamon Vlasyich, having married his daughter to Ivanushka, will often be able to see relatives by Akulina Timofeevna.
Scene of a declaration of love to the foreman Artamon Vlasyich
A pious counselor is ashamed of his sinful love, but he cannot, at the sight of the foreman, tell her how he feels. The simple-minded woman, however, does not understand anything, since the adviser lulls his speech with a multitude of Church Slavonic expressions. When he kneels in front of Akulina Timofeevna, Ivan suddenly appears. Fonvizin (the comedy "The Foreman") describes how he applauds and laughs at the sight of this scene. A dumbfounded adviser comes out. The son explains to the team leader that Artamon Vlasyich is "amusing herself" with her.
A woman is furious. She wants to tell everything to her husband. However, the adviser tells Ivan that this secret cannot be divulged: if something is suspected by the foreman, he will immediately take his son and wife home. Avdotya Potapyevna and Ivan convince the team leader that this was only a joke of Ivan, the adviser did not "stumble". Believing, the woman calms down.
Ivan threatens to challenge his father to a duel
Counselor and Ivanushka gladly notice that they are “of the same nature”, “of the same taste” and “of the same mind”. However, the counselor still has a flaw in the eyes of a young man: she is Russian. Ivan hopes to make amends for this “misfortune” by taking his beloved to Paris. Avdotya Potapievna tells him that the foreman is in love with her. Ivanushka is getting excited: he is ready to challenge his own father to a duel. The brigadier enters. He wants to drive his son out of the room and talk in private with the counselor. However, together with Ivanushka, Avdotya Potapievna comes out.
The story of Ivanushka about France
The foreman scolds his son for "tomfoolery", as well as an addiction to French. The young man replies disrespectfully. Then Ignatius Andreevich threatens with beatings. The counselor, who appeared at this time, protects from his father's wrath of Ivan. She persuades her lover to talk about how he lived in France. Ivanushka says she has become more French than Russian. The team leader and adviser are delighted with the story, but the team leader is annoyed. Ivan leaves with annoyance at his father, and his mother follows him. The foreman expresses his love for the counselor. Since he uses military topics in his speech, a woman pretends that she cannot understand him.
The situation of Dobrolyubov and Sophia
Dobrolyubov tells the adviser that the trial has already ended and now he has 2 thousand souls. It turned out that the judges were bribe takers, so Dobrolyubov was forced to turn to “higher justice”. And finally, justice triumphed. Dobrolyubov asks the adviser for his daughter’s hands. The adviser is glad of this, but her husband doubts and does not give a definite answer.
Sophia and Dobrolyubov hope that their advisor will motivate them to agree to their marriage. At the sight of the foreman’s tears, lovers interrupt the conversation. It turns out that Akulin Timofeevna again scolded her husband. This is a man of a sharp temper who is heavy on hand. Once he pushed his wife as a joke so that the woman almost died.
Games
Dobrolyubov, Sophia, counselor and Ivanushka start a game of quadrille (card). The team leader does not know this fashionable game, so she is forced to just watch. The team leader and adviser play chess.
Spouse Igraty Andreyevich recalls the game of pigs. A woman, speaking about this fun to an adviser, takes away cards from players. Ivanushka is angry, the foreman takes another opportunity to scold his wife. The team leader is offended and leaves.
For the mistreatment of his wife, the foreman is accused of Artamon Vlasyich. In turn, Ignatius Andreyevich hints that an adviser is not indifferent to Ivanushka. However, Artamon does not believe this. The foreman is sure that there is no fool in the world who would have thought of falling in love with Akulina Timofeevna.
The brigadier persuades her son to marry. However, Ivan's parental example is not inspiring. In addition, he does not like the bride. Akulina Timofeevna says that choosing a married woman is the business of the parents, not the groom. She herself, for example, had never even spoken before the wedding with Ignatius Andreevich.
Details of Ivan's Past
Ivanushka and the counselor talk about their love, as well as about the danger that lies with them on the part of the foreman and adviser. Ivanushka talks about her education. It turns out that before traveling to France he was brought up by a French coachman, to whom he owes his love to this country.
Mystery is revealed
The foreman and adviser catch Ivanushka on his knees in front of the adviser. The mystery is revealed. Ignatius wants to beat his son, and the adviser intends to recover money from Ivan for dishonor. Those who entered Dobrolyubov, Sophia and the team leader immediately find out what happened. Sophia refuses to associate her fate with Ivan. The team leader and adviser agree.
Then the counselor and Ivan tell all the secrets that they know about. Ivanushka says that the adviser is in love with the foreman, and Avdotya - about the foreman’s love for her. Counselor and foreman break up in great anger. Ignaty Andreevich takes his family away. Ivan and the counselor touchingly say goodbye - the team leader and adviser barely get to separate them.
The adviser stays with his daughter and wife. Dobrolyubov again asks Sophia's hands. Avdotya Potapievna, Artamon Vlasyich and Sophia herself express their consent. These events end the comedy D.I. Fonvizina "Foreman". Its problems will be discussed below.
Time to create a work
The first comedy by Denis Ivanovich was born in 1769. During the great events that took place at that time in public life, Fonvizin (The Foreman) wrote his work. The history of its creation is closely connected with them. At that time, preparations were under way for the opening of the Commission, which was drafting a new bill - a code that was supposed to affect the entire nobility. Perhaps it was not by chance that it was precisely the noblemen Fonvizin ("Foreman") who made the main characters of his comedy. An analysis of the work shows that most of them, moreover, were negative characters.
Comedy characters
Through an almost vaudeville form in which all the heroes, except the team leader, flirt with each other, the unattractive qualities of the so-called "masters of life" suddenly appear. He calls into great doubt the merits of the homeland of the nobility of the nobility Fonvizin ("Foreman"). The main characters - nobles - are presented in it by no means in the best light. At the same time, arbitrariness in relation to serfs of the “noble estate” is shown in bright colors. Here, the stigma of shame falls not on criminals or robbers, but, at first glance, on decent citizens: a nobleman from the military, an official, and also a young man who is fond of French bullshit.
Performance Features
Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin “Brigadier” decided to put on the stage, using, first of all, the advice of Didro, who suggested “move the theater to the living room”. In one of the rooms of the adviser’s house, an action takes place. The viewers who watched the production were amazed at how believable and natural the characters looked in such an environment. The impression was that this was a real house, not a theater, and the audience was with the main characters in the same room.
Genre Traditions and Innovation
From the point of view of the genre, this work was created taking into account the classic traditions of high comedy D.I. Fonvizin. The Brigadier, a brief summary of which was discussed above, in the main features followed the tradition. This is evidenced, first of all, by the schematic character and the static action. However, he still allowed himself some deviation from the classics Denis Fonvizin. The "foreman" is proof of this. That is why Ivanushka, the son of the foreman, not claiming serious feelings due to the underdevelopment of nature, when parting at the end of the play, nevertheless showed something sincere. He could even be said to see for an instant, saying that if he had been brought up by a Russian who loved his nation, perhaps he would not have been. Denis Ivanovich used this retreat only to make the scene more believable, to bring it closer to reality. In his comedy, he did not limit himself to ridiculing and listing the unpleasant aspects of the life of nobles. The author, first of all, seeks to determine their premises, to reveal social predestination.
Moral issues raised by Fonvizin (“Team Leader”)
Analyzing the work, it should be noted that Fonvizin was interested in the question of why such people appear. The brigadier himself partially answered this in the work, regretting that he had not sent his son to the regiment, but allowed his wife to spoil him. This ignorant and rude character later realized the negative consequences of spoiling and fashionable education. It dawned on him only when he felt them on himself in full. The older generation (foreman and adviser) was typical of the nobility of the time. The bribery of government officials in Russia in the 18th century reached its zenith, so Empresses Elizaveta Petrovna (at the end of the reign) and Catherine II, who succeeded her in power, had to fight at the highest level. Both of them strongly opposed bribery in state structures.
According to Fonvizin, upbringing acts as a means that can cure all ailments that exist in society. Therefore, the primary task of our time should be the education of true nobles, which are in the comedies of Sophia and Dobrolyubov. These heroes are distinguished by education, intelligence, love for the fatherland, humanity, high morality, respect for their native language and culture, as well as awareness of their duty.
The influence of comedy on the further development of the genre
Fonvizin’s comedy “Foreman”, of course, could not but affect the further development of the genre as a whole. She provided future authors with many new opportunities for revealing the characters and images of their characters. Fonvizin's comedy "The Foreman" is a work in which the provisions of a whole new direction in drama were laid. Other playwright writers picked up the achievements of Denis Ivanovich and developed them even more. This was manifested especially vividly in the works of Sumarokov, in particular, in such a famous comedy as “Cuckold in Imagination”. The writer here brought to the stage the landlord provincial life, as well as Fonvizin (The Foreman). We will complete the analysis of the work on this - we have identified the most important points, you can supplement it yourself.