In the work of the Russian poet and prose writer M.Yu. Lermontov's poem as a genre, as well as the theme of the Caucasus, has always occupied a special place. “Mtsyri” is a work written already in adulthood and embodying the best experience of a romantic author, who has more than once glorified the majestic nature of the mountains and created the image of an indomitable and freedom-loving hero.
The difficult story of the creation of the poem “Mtsyri” by Lermontov has always been of interest to readers. Moreover, its plot helps to understand the ideals and moral beliefs of the author himself. To some extent, the confession of the hero can be considered a way of expressing the thoughts and hopes that tormented the poet in difficult times for Russia.
How did the idea of the poem “Mtsyri” arise?
The history of the creation of the work goes back to the youth of Lermontov. At the age of seventeen, he left a note in which he noted that he would like to devote one of his creations to a peer languishing in the monastery (he was associated with the prison with the poet) and dreaming of finding freedom. Lermontov himself wrote that the most difficult thing for him at that moment was the choice of ideals. While they were not fully understood by the author’s passionate nature, the work did not succeed. Everything that was possible to write (these are the poems of the 30s “Confession” and “Boyar Orsha”) was not what the young man dreamed of.
The story of the creation of the poem "Mtsyri" Lermontov: chronology
The novice hero had kindred images in the poet's earlier works. In 1830, the poem Confession was written. It was based on the monologue of a young hermit Spaniard who fell into a prison monastery. A hero sentenced to death does not regret his fate at all. On the contrary, he rebels against cruel laws and shows a willingness to fight for human love. He told the old monk about his unfulfilled dreams and aspirations - the plot basis of “Mtsyri” is already guessed in this.
A little later, the story of the creation of the story "Mtsyri" gets its development. In the mid-30s, Lermontov wrote another poem - “Boyar Orsha”. The action takes place in the terrible years of the reign of Ivan the Terrible. The life story of the main character Arseny directly echoes the fate of the Spaniard, and some lines of their fiery speeches are almost completely repeated. In the new poem, the plot becomes more complex and includes the story of the miserable love of a simple serf and the daughter of a noble nobleman. Later, the main ideas of these works (by the way, Lermontov never published them) will be embodied in the story about Mtsyri, which allows us to talk about their direct relationship.
Thus, years passed before the youthful idea of M.Yu. Lermontova was embodied in the plot of the famous romantic poem. So the story of the creation of the work "Mtsyri" covered several years of the author.
Traveling the Georgian Military Highway
Another impetus for the implementation of the plan for the poet was the first link. In 1837, M.Yu. Lermontov, following the place of "imprisonment", drove past one of the Caucasian monasteries in Mtskheta (the capital of Georgia was called in the old days). Here he met with an already elderly monk, with whose image the history of the creation of Mtsyri is now associated. Lermontov, according to P. Viskovatov, after the conversation, remembered his old dream.
Bary (as the minister of the monastery was called in Georgia) told the sad story of his own life. Once upon a time, still a six-year-old boy, he was captured and brought by a Russian general (according to Lermontov-Ermolov) to these parts. One of the novices of the Javari monastery treated the child with sympathy and left him with him. The prisoner at first tried to protest, even made an escape, almost ending in his death. However, over time, he completely reconciled with his fate and forever remained to live among the monks. It was this story that inspired Lermontov to write a new story about a freedom-loving and rebellious hero. So the fate of the old beri and the story of the creation of the poem "Mtsyri" turned into one.
Work on the work
Returning from the Caucasus, the poet returned to his long-standing plan and organically combined it with the story he had heard. The wild and beautiful Caucasian nature, or rather the vicinity of the Javari monastery, located near the confluence of two mighty rivers, the Kura and Aragva, was most suitable as a background (a feature of romantic poems) for unfolding events. I also remembered Georgian folklore works (for example, the legend of the wild leopard) heard by Lermontov on previous trips to the Caucasus. It was they who influenced significantly the character of Mtsyri. The story of the creation of the poem, therefore, was increasingly tied to the well-known features of life in the Caucasus and the personal impressions left from repeated visits to these places. As a result, the text of a romantic poem was born pretty soon: the author’s note on her manuscript was preserved, indicating the day the work was completed: August 5, 1839. And the next year, the work was published in a collection with poems by the poet.
The publication
The story of the creation of the poem “Mtsyri” also includes the story of S. Aksakov about how in May 1840 the poet personally read the chapter “Fighting with a leopard” in the name of the writer N.V. Gogol. The writer himself was not present at the evening, but talked with the guests there. According to him, the new "brainchild" of Lermontov was greeted with enthusiasm and caused a lively response.
Other memories of his acquaintance with the poem were left by A.N. Ants. He wrote that in 1839 he visited Tsarskoye Selo, where the poet was at that moment. One evening, he visited Lermontov, who was in an excited state and read from start to finish a new “magnificent” poem called “Mtsyri”.
The formation of the plot basis
Processing the story heard and correlating it with the ideological concept of the work is also the story of the creation of “Mtsyri”. Lermontov did not immediately come up with such a name. In a draft version of the poem was called "Bery." As you work and implement the creative idea, the title of the work has changed. The word "bery" in translation into Russian means "monk". But the hero of Lermontov has not yet passed the ceremony of tonsure, so the “Mtsyri” was more suitable for his name. In addition, in the Georgian language this word had another meaning - a stranger, a man alone, without relatives and friends. This fully characterizes the main character of the poem.
Call of the passionate soul
The fates of the old man from Javari, who spoke with the poet, and the young men from the poem developed differently - this was a fundamentally author's approach. The first reconciled with his fate and lived in the monastery to old age. The second wants in any way to gain freedom. In his pursuit, he is not afraid to oppose the unfamiliar, but so close to him natural world. She is a symbol of free life for Mtsyri.
The story of the creation of the poem includes a similar transformation of the life of a young captive - the image of the old man to a greater extent determined the spirit of a hero born in the Caucasus.
Why Mtsyri is dying
The ending of the poem is tragic. Mtsyri, so anxious to find unity with nature, perishes. According to the laws of romanticism, the hero does not find unity with either the monks living near him for several years and the monks who wish him well, or with the natural elements of nature. The first strangers to Mtsyri in spirit. The latter prevail over the monastic education of the hero.
The ideological concept of “Mtsyri”, the history of the creation of the poem testify to the rebellious spirit of the poet himself, suffocating in the atmosphere of soullessness that reigned in Russia in the 30s of the 19th century. This is his dream of a "gigantic nature", striving for struggle and ready to go in its pursuit to the end.