Fighting Mtsyri with a leopard is a key episode in the poem, in addition, it is most famous and studied. The scene has been repeatedly illustrated by artists. It is worth recalling the work of N. Dubovsky, O. Pasternak, as well as engravings, which were made by F. Konstantinov.
Mtsyri: fight with a leopard - analysis
For literary critics and critics who have studied this poem, the analysis of this episode is of great importance. Fighting Mtsyri with a leopard reveals the main character traits of the hero, so he is the key to understanding the work. In a short poem, the episode of interest to us takes four stanzas, from 16 to 19. Allocating so much space for him, as well as placing the stage in the middle of the work, Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov emphasizes the compositional significance of the episode.
At first, the leopard is described in detail. It is important to note that the characterization of the beast is given by the hero without hostility and fear, on the contrary, the young man Mtsyri is mesmerized by the strength and beauty of the predator. The author uses many comparisons, says that the eyes of the leopard glow like lights, the coat is cast in silver. In a dark forest under the moonlight, it resembles an animated fairy tale, one of the old legends, possibly told once to a child by his sisters and mother.
Beast
Considering the battle of Mtsyri with the leopard, it should be noted that the predator, like the main character, enjoys the night, he plays cheerfully. All definitions related to the beast in the poem describe him as a child, which he is, because we have before us a child of nature. The leopard symbolizes the power of the earth, for which both the animal and man are equally necessary elements.
Battle
Both participants in the battle are equally beautiful, worthy of life and free. For Mtsyri, a battle with a leopard is a test of his forces, which are not properly used in the monastery. The “Hand of fate” of the hero led in a different way. He used to consider himself weak, suitable only for fasting and prayer. However, after defeating a predator, he proudly opens up new opportunities in himself. Thanks to the many verbs that indicate the imminent change of action that the author uses, you can fully imagine the incredibly mesmerizing battle of Mtsyri with a leopard: eventful and dynamic.
The mood is most accurately conveyed by the words: “jerked”, “managed”, “rushed”. Throughout the scene, anxiety for the main character does not die out. However, Mtsyri wins, overcoming not the leopard, but the forces of fate and nature, hostile against the young man. No matter how dark the forest, the hero will not abandon his desire to return to his homeland.