As was customary in classicism, the heroes of the comedy “The Minor” are clearly divided into negative and positive. However, the most memorable and striking are the negative characters, despite their despotism and ignorance: Mrs. Prostakova, her brother Taras Skotinin and Mitrofan himself. They are interesting and ambiguous. It is with them that comic situations are associated, full of humor, and bright liveliness of dialogues.

Positive characters do not cause such bright emotions, although they are resonators reflecting author's position. Educated, endowed with only positive traits, they are ideal - they cannot commit lawlessness, lies and cruelty are alien to them.

Negative heroes

Mrs. Prostakova

History of upbringing and education I grew up in a family characterized by extreme ignorance. She didn't receive any education. I have not learned any moral rules since childhood. There is nothing good in her soul. Serfdom has a strong influence: her position as the sovereign owner of the serfs.

Main character traitsRough, unbridled, ignorant. If she doesn't meet resistance, she becomes arrogant. But if she comes across force, she becomes cowardly.

Attitude towards other people In relation to people, she is guided by rough calculation and personal gain. She is merciless to those who are in her power. She is ready to humiliate herself in front of those on whom she depends, who turn out to be stronger than her.

Attitude to educationEducation is unnecessary: ​​“People live and have lived without science.”

Prostakova as a landowner A convinced serf woman, she considers serfs to be her complete property. Always dissatisfied with her serfs. She is outraged even by the illness of a serf girl. She robbed the peasants: “Since we took away everything that the peasants had, we can no longer rip off anything. Such a disaster!

Attitude towards family and friends She is despotic and rude towards her husband, she pushes him around, does not value him at all.

Attitude towards her son, Mitrofanushka, loves him, is tender towards him. Caring for his happiness and well-being is the content of her life. Blind, unreasonable, ugly love for his son does not bring anything good to either Mitrofan or Prostakova herself.

Peculiarities of speechAbout Trishka: “Fraud, thief, cattle, thief’s mug, idiot”; turning to her husband: “Why are you so spoiled today, my father?”, “All your life, sir, you’ve been walking with your ears open”; addressing Mitrofanushka: “Mitrofanushka, my friend; my dear friend; son".

Doesn't have any moral concepts: she lacks a sense of duty, love of humanity, and a sense of human dignity.

Mitrofan

(translated from Greek as “revealing his mother”)

About upbringing and education Accustomed to idleness, accustomed to nourishing and plentiful food, free time spends in the dovecote.

Main character traits A spoiled “mama’s boy” who grew up and developed in an ignorant environment of serfdom landed nobility. Not devoid of cunning and intelligence by nature, but at the same time rude and capricious.

Attitude towards other people Does not respect other people. He calls Eremeevna (the nanny) “an old bastard” and threatens her with severe punishment; doesn’t talk to teachers, but “barks” (as Tsyfirkin puts it).

Attitude towards enlightenment Mental development is extremely low, he has an insurmountable aversion to work and learning.

Attitude towards family and close people Mitrofan does not know love for anyone, even for those closest to him - his mother, father, nanny.

Peculiarities of speech Expressed in monosyllables, his language contains many colloquialisms, words and phrases borrowed from servants. The tone of his speech is capricious, dismissive, and sometimes rude.

The name Mitrofanushka became a household name. This is what they call young people who know nothing and don’t want to know anything.

Skotinin - Prostakova's brother

About upbringing and education He grew up in a family that was extremely hostile to education: “Don’t be the Skotinin who wants to learn something.”

Main character traits: Ignorant, mentally undeveloped, greedy.

Attitude towards other people This is a ferocious serf owner who knows how to “rip off” the quitrent from his serf peasants, and there are no obstacles for him in this activity.

The main interest in life is Animal Farm, breeding pigs. Only pigs arouse affection and warm feelings in him, only towards them does he show warmth and care.

Attitude towards family and friends For the sake of the opportunity to marry profitably (he finds out about Sophia’s condition), he is ready to destroy his rival - Mitrofan’s own nephew.

Peculiarities of speech Inexpressive speech of an uneducated person, often uses rude expressions; in his speech there are words borrowed from servants.

This is a typical representative of small feudal landowners with all their shortcomings.

Teacher of Russian and Church Slavonic. The half-educated seminarian “was afraid of the abyss of wisdom.” In his own way, he is cunning and greedy.

A history teacher. German, former coachman. He becomes a teacher because he was unable to find a position as a coachman. An ignorant person who cannot teach his student anything.

The teachers make no effort to teach Mitrofan anything. They often indulge their student's laziness. To some extent, they, using Mrs. Prostakova’s ignorance and lack of education, deceive her, realizing that she will not be able to check the results of their work.

Eremeevna - Mitrofan's nanny

What place does she occupy in Prostakova’s house, her distinctive features? She has been serving in the Prostakov-Skotinin house for more than 40 years. Selflessly devoted to her masters, slavishly attached to their home.

Relation to Mitrofan Without sparing himself, Mitrofan protects himself: “I will die on the spot, but I will not give up the child. Show up, sir, just kindly show up. I’ll scratch out those thorns.”

What Eremeevna has become over the many years of serf service. She has a highly developed sense of duty, but no sense of human dignity. There is not only hatred for one’s inhuman oppressors, but even protest. He lives in constant fear, trembles before his mistress.

For her loyalty and devotion, Eremeevna receives only beatings and hears only such addresses as “beast”, “dog’s daughter”, “old witch”, “old bastard”. Eremeevna's fate is tragic, because she will never be appreciated by her masters, will never receive gratitude for her loyalty.

Positive heroes

Starodum

About the meaning of the name A person who thinks in the old way, giving preference to the priorities of the previous (Petrine) era, preserving traditions and wisdom, accumulated experience.

Education StarodumAn ​​enlightened and progressive person. Brought up in the spirit of Peter's time, the thoughts, morals and activities of the people of that time are closer and more acceptable to him.

The hero's civic position is a patriot: for him, honest and useful service to the Fatherland is the first and sacred duty of a nobleman. Demands to limit the arbitrariness of the feudal landowners: “It is unlawful to oppress one’s own kind through slavery.”

Attitude to other people A person is assessed by his service to the Fatherland, by the benefit that a person brings in this service: “I calculate the degree of nobility by the number of deeds that the great gentleman has done for the Fatherland... without noble deeds, a noble state is nothing.”

What qualities does he honor as human virtues? An ardent defender of humanity and enlightenment.

The hero’s reflections on education He attaches more value to moral education than to education: “The mind, if it is only the mind, is the most trifle... Good behavior gives direct value to the mind. Without him clever man- a monster. Science in a depraved man is a fierce weapon to do evil.”

What traits in people cause the hero’s just indignation? Inertness, savagery, malevolence, inhumanity.

“Having a heart, have a soul - and you will be a man at all times.”

Pravdin, Milon, Sophia

PravdinHonest, impeccable official. An auditor with the right to take custody of estates from cruel landowners.

Milon, a faithful officer to his duty, is patriotic.

SophiaAn educated, modest, prudent girl. Brought up in the spirit of respect and honor for elders.

The purpose of these heroes in comedy, on the one hand, is to prove the correctness of Starodum’s views, and on the other hand, to highlight the evil nature and lack of education of such landowners as the Prostakovs-Skotinins.

Speech characteristics of the heroes of the comedy “Minor”

The first thing a modern reader of the comedy “Minor” pays attention to is the names of the characters. “Talking” surnames immediately establish the reader’s (viewer’s) attitude towards their owners. He ceases to be a more or less objective witness to the unfolding action; he psychologically already becomes a participant in it. The opportunity to evaluate the heroes and their actions was taken away from him. From the very beginning, from the names of the characters, the reader was told where the negative characters were and where the positive ones were. And the reader’s role comes down to seeing and remembering the ideal to which one must strive.

The characters can be divided into three groups: negative (Prostakovs, Mitrofan, Skotinin), positive (Pravdin, Milon, Sophia, Starodum), the third group includes all the other characters - these are mainly servants and teachers. Negative characters and their servants are characterized by common people colloquial. The Skotinins' vocabulary consists mainly of words used in the barnyard. This is well shown by the speech of Skotinin - Uncle Mitrofan. It is all filled with words: pig, piglets, barn. The idea of ​​life also begins and ends with the barnyard. He compares his life with the life of his pigs. For example: “I want to have my own piglets,” “if I have... a special barn for each pig, then I’ll find a little one for my wife.” And he’s proud of it: “Well, I’ll be a son of a pig if...” Lexicon his sister Mrs. Prostakova is a little more diverse due to the fact that her husband is a “countless fool” and she has to do everything herself. But Skotinin’s roots are also evident in her speech. Favorite curse word: “cattle”. To show that Prostakova is not far behind her brother in development, Fonvizin sometimes denies her basic logic. For example, such phrases: “Since we took away everything that the peasants had, we can no longer rip off anything,” “So is it really necessary to be like a tailor in order to be able to sew a caftan well?” And, drawing conclusions from what has been said, Prostakova finishes the phrase: “What a bestial reasoning.”

All that can be said about her husband is that he is a man of few words and does not open his mouth without his wife’s instructions. But this characterizes him as a “countless fool,” a weak-willed husband who fell under the heel of his wife. Mitrofanushka is also a man of few words, although unlike his father he has freedom of speech. Skotinin’s roots are manifested in his inventiveness of curse words: “old bastard”, “garrison rat”.

Servants and teachers have in their speech characteristic features classes and parts of society to which they belong. Eremeevna’s speech is constant excuses and desires to please. Teachers: Tsyfirkin is a retired sergeant, Kuteikin is a sexton from Pokrov. And with their speech they show their belonging: one to the military, the other to church ministers.

Greetings:

Kuteikin: “Peace to the Lord’s house and many summers to the children and household.”

Tsyfirkin: “We wish your honor to live a hundred years, yes twenty...”

Saying goodbye:

Kuteikin: “Will you command us to go home?”

Tsyfirkin: “Where should we go, your honor?”

They swear:

Kuteikin: “Even now they whisper to me, if only I’m sinning by stabbing me!”

Tsyfirkin: “I would let myself have my ear taken, if only I could train this parasite like a soldier!.. What a brat!”

All characters, except the positive ones, have very colorful and emotionally charged speech. You may not understand the meaning of words, but the meaning of what is said is always clear.

For example:

• - I'll get you there
• - I have my own grips too sharp

The speech of the positive heroes is not so bright. All four of them lack colloquial, colloquial phrases in their speech. This is bookish speech, the speech of educated people of that time, which practically does not express emotions. You understand the meaning of what is said from the direct meaning of the words. For the rest of the characters, the meaning can be grasped in the very dynamics of speech.

Milon's speech is almost impossible to distinguish from Pravdin's speech. It is also very difficult to tell anything about Sophia based on her speech. An educated, well-behaved young lady, as Starodum would call her, sensitive to the advice and instructions of her beloved uncle. Starodum’s speech is completely determined by the fact that the author put his moral program into the mouth of this hero: rules, principles, moral laws, by which a “curious person” should live. Starodum's monologues are structured in this way: Starodum first tells a story from his life, and then draws a moral. This is, for example, the conversation between Starodum and Pravdivy. And Starodum’s conversation with Sophia is a set of rules, and “...every word will be engraved into the heart.”

As a result, it turns out that the speech negative hero characterizes himself, and speech positive hero used by the author to express his thoughts. A person is depicted three-dimensionally, an ideal is depicted in a plane.

Denis Fonvizin’s immortal comedy “The Minor” is an outstanding work of Russian literature of the 18th century. Bold satire and truthfully described reality are the main components of this writer’s skill. Centuries later, every now and then modern society heated debates emerge about the main character of the play, Mitrofanushka. Who is he: a victim of improper upbringing or a vivid example of the moral decay of society?

The comedy “Brigadier” written by Fonvizin, which had a stunning success in St. Petersburg, became the basis of one of the world’s greatest literary monuments. After its publication, the writer did not return to drama for more than ten years, devoting himself more and more to state issues and tasks. However, the thought of creating a new book excited the author’s imagination. Let’s not hide the fact that, according to scientists, the first note related to “The Minor” was started back in the 1770s, long before its publication.

After a trip to France in 1778. The playwright had an exact plan for writing the future work. Interesting fact— initially Mitrofanushka was Ivanushka, which naturally spoke of the similarity of the two comedies (Ivan was a character in “The Brigadier”). In 1781 the play was completed. Of course, a production of this type meant coverage of one of the most problematic issues of the noble society of that time. However, despite the risk, Fonvizin became the direct “instigator” of the literary revolution. The premiere was postponed due to the empress's hostility to any kind of satire, but it still took place on September 24, 1782.

Genre of the work

COMEDY is a type of drama in which the moment of effective conflict is specifically resolved. It has a number of signs:

1. does not entail the death of one representative of the warring parties;
2. aimed at “nothing” goals;
3. the narrative is lively and vivid.

Also in Fonvizin’s work, a satirical orientation is obvious. This means that the author set himself the task of ridiculing social vices. This is an attempt to disguise life problems under the mask of a smile.

“Minor” is a work built according to the laws of classicism. One story line, one location, and all events take place within 24 hours. However, this concept is also consistent with realism, as they say individual items and places of action. Besides, characters They are very reminiscent of real landowners from the outback, ridiculed and condemned by the playwright. Fonvizin added something new to classicism - merciless and sharp humor.

What is the work about?

The plot of Denis Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor” revolves around a family of landowners who are completely mired in immorality and tyranny. Children became like their rude and narrow-minded parents, and their sense of morality suffered as a result. Sixteen-year-old Mitrofanushka is trying his best to finish his studies, but he lacks the desire and ability. The mother looks at this carelessly, she does not care whether her son will develop. She prefers that everything remain as it is; any progress is alien to her.

The Prostakovs “sheltered” a distant relative, the orphan Sophia, who differs from the rest of the family not only in her outlook on life, but also in her good manners. Sophia is the heiress of a large estate, which Mitrofanushka’s uncle, Skotinin, who is a great hunter, “looks” at. Marriage is the only one affordable way to take over Sophia's household, so the relatives around her are trying to persuade her into an advantageous marriage.

Starodum, Sophia’s uncle, sends his niece a letter. Prostakova is terribly dissatisfied with this “trick” of her relative, who was considered dead in Siberia. The deceit and arrogance inherent in her nature is manifested in the accusation of a “deceptive” letter, supposedly “amorous”. Illiterate landowners will soon learn the true content of the message, resorting to the help of the guest Pravdin. He reveals to the whole family the truth about the Siberian inheritance he left, which gives him as much as ten thousand in annual income.

It was then that Prostakova came up with an idea - to marry Sophia to Mitrofanushka in order to appropriate the inheritance for herself. However, officer Milon, walking through the village with soldiers, “bursts” into her plans. He met with his old friend Pravdin, who, as it turned out, is a member of the vicegerental board. His plans include observing landowners mistreating their people.

Milon speaks of his long-standing love for a sweet person who was transported to an unknown place due to the death of a relative. Suddenly he meets Sophia - she is that same girl. The heroine talks about her future marriage with the undersized Mitrofanushka, from which the groom “flashes up” like a spark, but then gradually “weakens” with detailed story about "narrowed".

Sophia's uncle has arrived. Having met Milon, he accepts Sophia’s choice, while inquiring about the “correctness” of her decision. At the same time, the Prostakovs' estate was transferred to state custody due to cruel treatment of the peasants. Seeking support, the mother hugs Mitrofanushka. But the Son did not intend to be polite and polite, he was rude, causing the venerable matron to faint. Waking up, she laments: “I am completely lost.” And Starodum, pointing at her, says, “These are the worthy fruits of evil!”

The main characters and their characteristics

Pravdin, Sophia, Starodum and Milon are representatives of the so-called “new” time, the Age of Enlightenment. The moral components of their souls are nothing more than goodness, love, thirst for knowledge and compassion. The Prostakovs, Skotinin and Mitrofan are representatives of the “old” nobility, where the cult of material well-being, rudeness and ignorance flourish.

• The minor Mitrofan is a young man whose ignorance, stupidity and inability to adequately analyze the situation do not allow him to become an active and reasonable representative of the noble community. “I don’t want to study, but I want to get married” - life motto, which fully reflects the character young man, not taking anything seriously.
• Sophia is an educated, kind girl who becomes a black sheep in a society of envious and greedy people.
• Prostakova is a cunning, careless, rude woman with many shortcomings and a lack of love and respect for all living things, except for her beloved son Mitrofanushka. Prostakova’s upbringing is only a confirmation of the persistence of conservatism, which does not allow the Russian nobility to develop.
• Starodum raises “his little blood” in a different way - Sophia is no longer for him Small child, but a formed member of society. He gives the girl freedom of choice, thereby teaching her the right basics life. In it, Fonvizin portrays the type of personality that has gone through all the “ups” and downs,” becoming not only a “worthy parent,” but also an undoubted example for the future generation.
• Skotinin, just like everyone else, is an example of “ speaking surname" The man whose inner essence more like some kind of rude, uncouth cattle than like a well-bred person.

Theme of the work

• The education of the “new” nobility is the main theme of the comedy. “Undergrowth” is a kind of allusion to “disappearing” moral principles in people who are afraid of change. Landowners raise their offspring the old fashioned way, without paying due attention to their education. But those who were not taught, but were only spoiled or intimidated, will not be able to take care of either their family or Russia.
• Family theme. Family is social institution, on which personality development depends. Despite Prostakova’s rudeness and disrespect towards all residents, she cherishes her beloved son, who does not at all appreciate her care or her love. This behavior is a typical example of ingratitude, which is a consequence of spoiling and parental adoration. The landowner does not understand that her son sees her treatment of other people and repeats it. Thus, the weather in the house determines the character of the young man and his shortcomings. Fonvizin emphasizes the importance of maintaining warmth, tenderness and respect in the family towards all its members. Only then will children be respectful and parents worthy of respect.
• The theme of freedom of choice. The “new” stage is Starodum’s relationship with Sophia. Starodum gives her freedom of choice, without limiting her with his beliefs, which can affect her worldview, thereby cultivating in her the ideal of a noble future.

Main problems

• The main problem of the work is the consequences of improper upbringing. The Prostakov family is a family tree that has its roots in the distant past of the nobility. This is what the landowners boast about, not realizing that the glory of their ancestors does not add to their dignity. But class pride has clouded their minds, they do not want to move forward and achieve new achievements, they think that everything will always be as before. That’s why they don’t realize the need for education; in their world, enslaved by stereotypes, it really isn’t needed. Mitrofanushka will also sit in the village all her life and live off the labor of her serfs.
• The problem of serfdom. The moral and intellectual decay of the nobility under serfdom is an absolutely logical result of the tsar’s unjust policies. The landowners have become completely lazy; they don’t need to work to support themselves. The managers and peasants will do everything for them. With such a social system, the nobles have no incentive to work and get an education.
• The problem of greed. The thirst for material well-being blocks access to morality. Prostakovs are fixated on money and power, they don’t care whether their child is happy, for them happiness is synonymous with wealth.
• The problem of ignorance. Stupidity deprives the heroes of spirituality; their world is too limited and tied to the material side of life. They are not interested in anything other than primitive physical pleasures, because they don’t know anything else at all. Fonvizin saw the true " human form“only in the person who was raised by literate people, and not half-educated sextons.

Comedy idea

Fonvizin was a person, so he did not accept rudeness, ignorance and cruelty. He professed the belief that man is born " blank slate“Therefore, only upbringing and education can make him a moral, virtuous and intelligent citizen who will benefit the fatherland. Thus, chanting the ideals of humanism - main idea"Undergrown." A young man who obeys the call of goodness, intelligence and justice is a true nobleman! If he is brought up in the spirit of Prostakova, then he will never go beyond the narrow confines of his limitations and will not understand the beauty and versatility of the world in which he lives. He will not be able to work for the good of society and will not leave anything significant behind.

At the end of the comedy, the author speaks of the triumph of “retribution”: Prostakova loses the estate and the respect of her own son, raised in accordance with her spiritual and physical ideals. This is the price to pay for miseducation and ignorance.

What does it teach?

Denis Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor,” first of all, teaches respect for one’s neighbors. The sixteen-year-old young man Mitrofanushka did not perceive the care of either his mother or his uncle at all; he took it for granted as a fact: “Why, uncle, have you eaten too much henbane? Yes, I don’t know why you deigned to attack me.” The natural result of rough treatment in the home is the ending where the son pushes away his loving mother.

The lessons of the comedy “Minor” do not end there. It is not so much respect as ignorance that shows people in the position they are carefully trying to hide. Stupidity and ignorance hover in the comedy like a bird over a nest, they envelop the village, thereby not letting the residents out of their own shackles. The author cruelly punishes the Prostakovs for their narrow-mindedness, depriving them of their property and the very opportunity to continue their idle lifestyle. Thus, everyone needs to learn, because even the most stable position in society can easily be lost if you are an uneducated person.

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The work of D. I. Fonvizin “Minor” was shown positive features character that every conscientious citizen of the state must have.

Fonvizin endowed the character Starodum with this character in the written play. This is a hero with a big heart, an honest, sympathetic and merciful character. There are no episodes in the comedy when Starodum speaks unflatteringly about someone, steals or deceives. On the contrary, his calmness and poise are always with him. Starodum does not throw his words to the wind, gives practical advice, makes good conclusions and at the same time has a sense of humor - he laughs and jokes.

Characters who have similar character traits: Sophia – Starodum’s niece; Milon - military man, Sophia's fiancé; Pravdin is a member of the city council. Together they represent an example of a law-abiding citizen.

The author showed the Prostakov family of petty nobles as the opposite of these characters. The head of this family is Mrs. Prostakova - a greedy, rude and deceitful woman. It’s not for nothing that Fonvizin calls her Fury, the avenger goddess of the ancient Romans. She loves only one person - her son, Mitrofan, who is lazy by nature, he is distinguished by illiteracy and uncultured behavior, it is not for nothing that his name means “like a mother.”

When talking about Prostakov Sr., one can easily say that life makes him happy only when his wife does not get angry at him. It is clearly visible in the work that he is trying in every possible way to please her and does not have his own opinion. Another negative character is Skotinin - brother Prostakova. For this man great value have a pig than people. He intends to marry Sophia when he learned that she has a rich inheritance.

Drawing conclusions, we can divide the characters of this work into two halves - good, represented by Starodum, Milon, Sophia, and evil - which is represented by the Prostakov and Skotinin families.

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In Russia: statesmen, nobles, serf owners, servants, self-proclaimed fashionable teachers. The main characters: the ignorant Mitrofanushka himself and his mother, the 18th-century lady-serf-owner - Mrs. Prostakova, who controls everything and everyone - in her hands is the household with courtyard servants, who she does not consider as people, and her own husband, whom, without hesitation, she can beat, and raising her son Mitrofan - in fact, she is not burdened with his upbringing and education, but only diligently fulfills the fashionable conventions of society and her position in it: “I scold, then I fight, that’s how the house holds together.”

A minor is a young nobleman who has not received a written certificate of training from his teacher. Minors were not accepted into the service, they were not given the so-called. coronal memorials - documents permitting marriage.

Encyclopedic YouTube

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  Fonvizin’s idea was formed at the end of 1778 after returning from France, where he spent about a year and a half getting acquainted with jurisprudence, philosophy and social life a country that gave the world advanced educational doctrines. Work on the “minor” will take the writer about three years and will be completed in 1782. There is also a text, presumably from the early 1760s, on the same topic and with the same title, but with different characters and plot (the so-called “Early “Undergrown””); it is unknown whether this play belongs to the young Fonvizin or to some of his anonymous predecessors.

  Characters

  • Prostakov- head of the family. The person himself is “small” and weak. He tries to please his wife in everything: “Before your eyes, mine see nothing,” he says at the beginning of the work, when she asks about the caftan. Loves his son. “At least I love him, as a parent should, he’s a smart child, he’s a sensible child, he’s funny, he’s an entertainer; sometimes I am beside myself with him and with joy I truly do not believe that he is my son.” Can't read. When he is asked to read the letter sent to Sophia, he only replies: “It’s tricky.”
  • Mrs. Prostakova- his wife, the main negative character of the play. He loves his son very much and strives to marry him to Sophia after he learns about her inheritance. She is a noblewoman, which is why she believes that everything is allowed to her.
  • Mitrofan- their son, a runt. Quite a slack boy.
  • Eremeevna- “mother” (that is, nurse) of Mitrofan.
  • Pravdin- a government official called upon to understand the affairs of the Prostakovs. He learns about Prostakova’s atrocities, as well as the fact that she is robbing Sophia. With the help of Starodum and Milon, he incriminates Prostakova and takes away her estate in favor of the state.
  • Starodum- Sophia's uncle and guardian. It was because of his condition that Prostakova tried to marry Mitrofan to Sophia.
  • Sophia- Starodum’s niece, an honest, decent, educated and kind girl.
  • Milo- a young officer, Sophia’s lover, it was he who prevented her kidnapping.
  • Skotinin- brother of Mrs. Prostakova. He wants to marry Sophia. Loves pigs.
  • Kuteikin- former seminarian, teacher of Mitrofan.
  • Tsyfirkin- retired sergeant, teacher of Mitrofan.
  • Vralman- a German, a former coachman, but pretends to be a scientist. Hired to teach Mitrofan “French and all sciences,” but in fact he does not teach anything, but only interferes with other teachers.
  • Trishka- self-taught tailor.
  • Prostakov's servant.
  • Starodum's valet.

  Productions

  The production of "The Minor" was associated with many difficulties. Having been refused in St. Petersburg, the playwright went to Moscow in May 1782 with the actor I. A. Dmitrevsky. But here, too, failure awaits him: the “Moscow Russian theater censor,” frightened by the boldness of many of the lines, does not allow the comedy to go on stage.

  A few months later, Fonvizin still managed to “break through” the production of the comedy: on September 24, 1782, the premiere took place in St. Petersburg (Free Russian Theater, also known as the Karl Knieper Theater), where the role of Starodum was played by I. A. Dmitrevsky himself, Pravdina by K. I Gamburov, Tsyfirkina - A. M. Krutitsky, Skotinina - S. E. Rakhmanov. About the extraordinary success of the play “The Minor” during its first production on stage in Volny Russian Theater on Tsaritsyn Meadow, the unknown author of the “Dramatic Dictionary” testified: “The theater was incomparably filled, and the audience applauded the play by throwing purses.”

  The success of "Minor" was enormous. It was staged by university students on their stage. Many amateur productions appeared.

  In 1926, director Grigory Roshal made the film “Lords of the Skotinins” based on it.

  The meaning of comedy

  Fonvizin's comedy was read and studied by all subsequent generations - from Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov to our time. The meaning of the play is enduring:

  • “Everything in this comedy seems to be a monstrous caricature of everything Russian. And yet there is nothing caricatured about it: everything was taken alive from nature...” (N.V. Gogol).
  • “His fools are very funny and disgusting, but this is because they are not creations of fantasy, but too faithful lists from nature” (V. G. Belinsky) (quote: Study of the comedy “Minor”).

  However, Catherine II understood the freedom-loving significance of the work, which dared to offend state and social foundations. “After the publication of a number of satirical works in 1783, Fonvizin’s attempts to publish anything in print were suppressed by the empress herself. In the last decade of her reign, Catherine II openly followed the path of cruel reaction, of which Fonvizin also became a victim. Despite serious illness, he was eager for activity. In 1788, he decided to publish the magazine “Friend of Honest People, or Starodum,” received permission and began to prepare material, but by order of Catherine, the magazine was banned. Shortly before his death, Fonvizin asked Catherine for permission to publish a translation of Tacitus, but permission was not given.” He played the role of Prostakova in student performances.

• Thanks to “Nedoroslya” the name Mitrofanushka, like the word itself undergrowth, has become a household word for an ignorant, ignorant or half-educated person.
• The work was written in the village of Strelino (now Solnechnogorsk district of the Moscow region).
• In the materials for the magazine “Friend of Honest People, or Starodum” there are two letters that represent a plot continuation of “The Minor”: a letter from Sophia to Starodum with a complaint that Milon married her and soon cheated on her, falling in love with a “contemptuous woman”, and reply letter from Starodum, comforting his niece.