Mitrofan is an undergrowth, negative character in comedy, a young nobleman. He is very similar to his mother, Mrs. Prostakova, and brother Taras Skotinin. In Mitrofan, in Mrs. Prostakova, in Skotinin one can notice such character traits as greed and selfishness. Mitrofanushka knows that all power in the house belongs to his mother, who loves him and allows him to behave the way he wants. Mitrofan is lazy, does not like and does not know how to work and study, he only frolics, has fun and sits in the dovecote. It’s not so much the mama’s boy himself who influences those around him, as they influence him, trying to raise the little boy to be honest, educated person, and he matches his mother in everything. Mitrofan treats his servants very cruelly, insults them and generally does not consider them people:
Eremeevna. Yes, learn at least a little.
Mitrofan. Well, say another word, you old bastard! I’ll finish them off; I’ll complain to my mother again, so she’ll deign to give you a task like yesterday.
Mitrofan also has no respect for teachers. He strives only for his own personal benefit, and when he learns that Sophia has become the heiress of Starodum, he immediately intends to offer her his hand and heart, and the attitude towards Sophia in the Prostakovs’ house changes significantly in better side. And all this is only because of greed and cunning, and not because of the feat of the heart.
Mitrofan is depicted in the comedy “The Minor” very vividly, vitally, with many human vices, and Mrs. Prostakova simply dotes on her son:
Mrs. Prostakova. ... We don’t regret the last crumbs, just to teach our son everything. My Mitrofanushka doesn’t get up for days because of a book. My mother's heart. It’s a pity, it’s a pity, but just think: for that the child will be in any way... The groom is no matter what, but still the teachers go, he doesn’t waste an hour, and now the two are waiting in the hallway... My Mitrofanushka has no peace day or night.
The opposite of Mitrofan is Sophia, a young, kind, reasonable girl.
The main problem that led Fonvizin to create the image of Mitrofan is education to a small extent - serfdom (meaning in general relationships between people of different social status).
Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor” was staged in the theater in 1782. The historical prototype of the “Miscellaneous” was the title of a noble teenager who did not complete his studies. During the times of Fonvizin, hardships compulsory service increased at the same time as it weakened...
(based on the comedy by D. I. Fonvizin “The Minor”) The name of D. I. Fonvizin rightfully belongs to the number of names that make up the pride of Russian national culture. His comedy “The Minor” - the ideological and artistic pinnacle of creativity - has become one of the classic examples...
The famous comedy by D. I. Fonvizin “The Minor” is distinguished by its great social depth and sharp satirical orientation. In essence, this is where Russian social comedy begins. The play continues the traditions of classicism, but later...
Mitrofanushka (Prostakov Mitrofan) is the son of the landowners Prostakovs. It is considered an undergrowth because he is 16 years old and has not reached the age of majority. Following the tsar's decree, Mitrofanushka studies. But he does this with great reluctance. He is characterized by stupidity, ignorance and laziness...
The problem of raising children, the legacy destined for the country, played an important role in society in the old days and remains relevant to this day. Members of the Prostakov family are strangers to each other. They don't look like a strong, loving family at all. Mrs. Prostakova is rude...
. “A slack young man,” the son of Messrs. Prostakov. In Fonvizin’s time, a “minor” was a name given to a young man of the noble class who did not have a written certificate of education issued by a teacher. Such a young man could neither marry nor enter the service.
Before starting to work on Minor, Fonvizin spent a year and a half in France, where he became closely acquainted with the life of this country, studied the advanced doctrines of the Enlightenment, jurisprudence and philosophy.
The idea for the play came to the writer after returning to Russia, which took place in 1778. Fonvizin finished work on the play in 1782, spending about three years on it.
Biography
Mitrofanushka is the son of an unpleasant couple named Prostakovs. The hero's mother, a provincial noblewoman by birth, is an evil woman. He does whatever he wants, allows himself all sorts of atrocities towards serfs and courtyard servants. At the same time, she loves her son and is trying to make him comfortable in life by marrying Sophia, a girl with a decent inheritance.
Characters of the comedy "Minor" Sophia herself is in love with a young officer named Milon. This is a kind and well-behaved girl who was given an education, she has a guardian - an uncle who owns a large fortune. Prostakova has a brother named Taras Skotinin (this character is Mitrofanushka’s uncle). Skotinin, a pig lover, also wants to marry Sophia because of the inheritance.
Mitrofanushka's father is a weak and weak-willed man, uneducated, and cannot even read letters. He is under the thumb of his wife and thinks only about how to please her. An authoritarian wife can easily beat up Father Prostakov.
Mitrofanushka, just like his parents, did not want to study, but sought to get settled in life through marriage. The hero has teachers, including one former seminarian who teaches the hero to read and write in the Psalter, a retired sergeant who teaches arithmetic, and a former coachman, a German by birth and a noble smoker, posing as a scientist.
This rogue is hired to train the hero French and certain “sciences”, but does not fulfill his duties and only interferes with the work of other teachers. The mother is in fact not at all concerned with the upbringing and education of the hero, but only follows fashion trends in the society of that time. Mitrofanushka also has a nurse, who is called “Eremeevna”.
Sophia belongs to the Prostakov family distant relative. The girl grew up in Moscow and received a good upbringing, but after the death of her mother (her father died even earlier) she falls into the clutches of the Prostakovs. They “look after” the estate belonging to Sophia, while simultaneously robbing the heroine. The idea to marry the girl to Mitrofanushka is born in Prostakova’s head after a rich uncle appears on the horizon, who was thought to be dead, and at the same time a potential inheritance.
Due to her upcoming marriage, Mitrofanushka has a conflict with her uncle, Taras Skotinin, who is also thinking of marrying Sophia in order to get his hands on the pigs in the girl’s villages.
Sophia, meanwhile, meets with her long-time lover, the young officer Milon, and a rich uncle comes to pick up his niece from the Prostakovs. Prostakova is trying to flatter Sophia's uncle so that he agrees to Mitrofanushka's marriage to the girl. Uncle, however, is determined to take Sophia to Moscow the next morning.
The uncle gives the girl the opportunity to choose the groom herself, and she gives her hand to Milon, whom she knew back in her mother’s house. Having learned about this, Mitrofanushka’s mother hatches a conspiracy. The Prostakovs' people are trying to kidnap Sophia in order to force the girl to marry Mitrofanushka. Milon catches this scene and prevents the assassination attempt, after which the Prostakovs' estate and villages are confiscated from them by government decree. In the finale, the slacker Mitrofanushka is sent to serve.
This lifestyle and lack of proper education were common among children provincial nobility in those years, therefore Mitrofanushka is depicted in the play not as a special case of unsuccessful upbringing, but as an image of the era. The hero's appearance is not directly described in the play, but it can be assumed that Mitrofanushka looked like a typical representative of the provincial noble youth of that time.
The hero is not inclined to constructive activities, study, work or any meaningful activities. Chasing pigeons, having fun, eating too much, in a word, somehow killing time in simple entertainment - these are Mitrofanushka’s life goals, and the mother in every possible way encourages such behavior of the hero.
The characterization of the hero looks unpleasant - Mitrofanushka is greedy and stingy, rude, prone to intrigue, deception and fraud, like his mother. Prostakova loves her son, despite her characteristic cruelty towards other people, Mitrofanushka betrayed his mother, pushed her away when the mother tried to find support from the hero.
Mitrofanushka is essentially an egoist, she thinks exclusively about her own comfort, without being interested in her family. The hero’s attitude towards learning is quite clear - Mitrofanushka calls one of the teachers a “garrison rat”; any attempts to give the young man at least some knowledge are met with his complete reluctance to learn.
- Fonvizin wrote the play “The Minor” in the village of Strelino near Moscow.
- After the play became popular, the word “minor” became widespread in colloquial speech, and the name Mitrofanushka became associated with the image of an ignorant person and an ignoramus.
- On the pages of the magazine “Friend of Honest People, or Starodum,” a kind of literary game associated with the play. The magazine published a letter allegedly written by Sophia, the heroine of the play, where she complained about her lover Milon, a young officer who in the play prevented the kidnapping of the heroine. He allegedly married her, and then cheated on her with a certain “disdainful woman.” In the reply letter, Starodum, the heroine’s uncle, consoles her. In such a funny way, the play received a plot continuation.
The play "The Minor" - In the play, Sophia reads a book by a real-life author - the 18th-century French educator and theologian Francois Fenelon, who wrote the treatise “On the Education of Girls.” Starodum, Sophia's uncle, mentions the then famous novel by this author, “The Adventures of Telemachus.”
- Fonvizin had to spend several months to achieve production. They did not want to stage the play either in Moscow or St. Petersburg; the censors were frightened by the boldness of the remarks that the author allowed himself through the mouths of the characters. Volny was the first to decide to stage the play. Russian Theater in St. Petersburg. The success of the first production was deafening - “the audience applauded the play by throwing wallets.” After this, the play was staged many times, including in Moscow. The popularity of the comedy “The Minor” is evidenced by the appearance large quantity amateur and student productions.
- The role of Mrs. Prostakova was played by a writer, performing in student performances while studying at the Nezhin gymnasium.
- The image of Mitrofanushka is compared with the young officer and nobleman from Pushkin’s story “ Captain's daughter" Both heroes in their youth indulged in laziness and idleness, both got bad teachers who taught the heroes nothing, but Grinev, unlike Mitrofanushka, is shown as an honest and good-natured person.
Quotes
“And I, uncle, almost didn’t have dinner at all. Three slices of corned beef, and hearth slices, I don’t remember, five, I don’t remember, six.”
“The whole night I had such crap in my eyes.<...>either you, mother, or father.”
“I don’t want to study, I want to get married.”
“I myself, mother, am not one for clever people. Your brother is always better.”
“Door, which door? This? Adjective. Because it is attached to its place. Over there at the closet of the pole for a week the door has not yet been hung: so for now that is a noun.”
“As soon as I start to fall asleep, I see that you, mother, deign to beat father.”
Mitrofan Prostakov is one of the main characters in D.I. Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor.” From the list characters we learn that the title of the play refers to him. This was the official name given to nobles, mostly young people who had not received an education document and had not entered the service. At the same time, the word “minor” meant any minor nobleman.
Mitrofan is the son of provincial nobles, almost sixteen years old. One of the heroes of the comedy, the official Pravdin, characterizes his parents in this way: “I found the landowner a countless fool, and his wife a despicable fury, whose hellish disposition makes their whole house miserable.” Fonvizin used in the play speaking names and surnames: the name Mitrofan has in Greek meaning"resembling a mother" And indeed, as the plot develops, the reader becomes convinced that the son has inherited all the disgusting character traits from Prostakova, and it is she who is his main educator and example.
Mitrofan is stupid and ignorant: for the fourth year he sits over the book of hours, for the third year he cannot learn to count. Moreover, he cannot be called an enthusiastic student; he believes that with his “studies” he is doing everyone a great favor, and Prostakova herself, who sees only harm in education, asks him: “At least for the sake of appearance, learn.” She constantly explains to her son her life principles, among which greed and stinginess occupy not the least place. Therefore, the landowner calls arithmetic a “stupid science”, since according to the conditions of the problem it is necessary to divide the found money into three or calculate the increase in the teacher’s salary.
In relation to the teachers and Eremeevna, who dotes on him, Mitrofanushka shows rudeness and cruelty, calling them “garrison rat”, “old bastard”, threatening to complain to the ambulance about the mother’s reprisal. But as soon as his uncle Skotinin attacked him, he cowardly asks for protection from the old nurse who had been offended by him.
The little guy is lazy and spoiled, he uses every opportunity to get rid of his teachers and go chasing pigeons. All his base aspirations consist only of eating deliciously and a lot, not studying, but getting married. His father notices in him the Skotinins' family love for pigs.
Mitrofan is used to getting his way both with threats (“After all, the river is close here. I’ll dive, remember what my name was”) and clumsy flattery. His invention about the dream is comical: “All night such rubbish was creeping into my eyes... Yes, it was you, mother, then father... As soon as I started to fall asleep, I saw that you, mother, deigned to beat father... So I felt sorry for you... You, mother : You’re so tired beating your father.”
To achieve their goals, the Prostakovs do not hesitate to use any means. Together with his parents, Mitrofan first subserviently before Starodum in the hope of receiving an inheritance, and then is ready to marry his niece Sophia by force. When the kidnapping fails, he, like his mother, plans to take his anger out on the serfs.
Brought up in an atmosphere of malice and cruelty, Mitrofan grows up selfish, loving no one but himself, not even his mother, who indulges him in everything. Having lost power and therefore become unnecessary to Prostakova, who turned to his son for consolation, he pushes away with the words: “Let it go, mother, how you imposed yourself...”.
His stupidity and lack of education cause goodies comedy is ironic, and they perceive his hard-heartedness as a logical consequence of bad upbringing. The author himself shares the same opinion. In the comedy “The Minor,” Fonvizin expressed his educational ideals in the words of Pravdin and Starodum: “The direct dignity in a person is the soul... Without it, the most enlightened, clever woman is a pitiful creature... An ignoramus without a soul is a beast.” The image of Mitrofan became an instructive example of what evil ignorance leads to, and his name became a household name. More than one lazy person was frightened by the prospect of becoming like him.
Mitrofan is an undergrowth, a negative character in a comedy, a young nobleman. He is very similar to his mother, Mrs. Prostakova, and brother Taras Skotinin. In Mitrofan, in Mrs. Prostakova, in Skotinin one can notice such character traits as greed and selfishness. Mitrofanushka knows that all power in the house belongs to his mother, who loves him and allows him to behave the way he wants. Mitrofan is lazy, does not like and does not know how to work and study, he only frolics, has fun and sits in the dovecote. Not so much the mama's boy himself
He influences those around him as much as they influence him, trying to raise the teenager to be an honest, educated person, and he is like his mother in everything. Mitrofan treats his servants very cruelly, insults them and generally does not consider them people:
Eremeevna. Yes, learn at least a little.
Mitrofan. Well, say another word, you old bastard! I’ll finish them off; I’ll complain to my mother again, so she’ll deign to give you a task like yesterday.
Mitrofan also has no respect for teachers. He strives only for his own personal benefit, and when he learns that Sophia has become Starodum’s heir, he immediately intends to offer her his hand and heart, and the attitude towards Sophia in the Prostakovs’ house changes significantly for the better. And all this is only because of greed and cunning, and not because of the feat of the heart.
Mitrofan is depicted in the comedy “The Minor” very vividly, vitally, with many human vices, and Mrs. Prostakova simply dotes on her son:
Mrs. Prostakova. . We don’t regret the last crumbs, just to teach our son everything. My Mitrofanushka doesn’t get up for days because of a book. My mother's heart. Otherwise it’s a pity, it’s a pity, but just think: for that the kid will be damned. The groom doesn’t waste an hour, even though the teachers are coming, and now the two are waiting in the hallway. My Mitrofanushka has no peace either day or night.
The opposite of Mitrofan is Sophia, a young, kind, reasonable girl.
The main problem that led Fonvizin to create the image of Mitrofan is education to a small extent - serfdom (this generally refers to relationships between people of different social positions).
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Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor” is one of the best motivational works. With the help of the image of Mitrofan Prostakov, we can analyze and realize the destructiveness of limitless blindness. parental love and permissiveness.
Description of character
Mitrofan Prostakov is not distinguished by outstanding character qualities. In fact, this is shining example lack of education (in any sense of it) and bad manners.
Excessive parental care and permissiveness became the reason for the formation of a complex character.
At 15 years old, he is still considered a child - his parents forgive him a lot, citing the fact that he is a child and will outgrow it.
Parents spoil their son - they believe that adult life is full of difficulties, and therefore it is necessary to arrange the period of childhood in such a way that it is the least carefree.
As a result, Mitrofan grows up pampered and spoiled. However, he himself is not capable of good deeds or humanity - the young man constantly quarrels with peasants and teachers, is rude and cruel not only towards them, but also towards his parents.
Receiving neither punishment for his actions nor rebuff, he only becomes more convinced of the correctness of his actions and continues to become more and more bitter.
Mitrofan is not interested in anything other than marriage.
We invite you to read it, written by Denis Fonvizin.
He does not know how to find beauty and aesthetics in the world around him - nature, art. To some extent, he resembles an animal that is guided solely by basic instincts.
Mitrofan is a very lazy person, he likes the measured life of a parasite and sneak. He doesn't try to achieve anything in life. Although, if desired, he can develop himself. It is worth noting that in general he is a smart person - Mitrofan realizes that he is incredibly stupid, but does not see a problem in this - the world is full of stupid people, so he will be able to find worthy company for himself.
Attitude towards others
The story of Mitrofan Prostakov is a typical story about what happens when a person is guided by the motive of permissiveness and impunity from childhood. The young man’s parents are overwhelmed by excessive love for their son, which is extremely destructive for him both as an individual and as a unit interpersonal relationships, social communication.
Dear readers! We present to you which was written by Denis Fonvizin.
Mitrofan’s parents did not attach importance to the peculiarities of their son’s interaction with society, did not make adjustments and did not correct their son’s mistakes that arose in communicating with other people, which as a result resulted in an extremely unfavorable picture.
In Mitrofan’s mind, communication with a person begins with determining his position in society - if this is a significant, important person (aristocrat), then the young man tries to meet the minimum etiquette standards, which is true and this is difficult for him. Mitrofan does not stand on ceremony with ordinary people at all.
Mitrofan's disdainful, rude attitude towards teachers is common. The parents, again, do not interfere with their son, and therefore the situation develops into the level of interpersonal relationships in general. Mitrofan is allowed to be rude to other people (mostly these are people lower in social status, or those who are not able to fight back), while teachers and educators are forced to follow the rules of etiquette and treat their pupils courteously.
For example, it is common for young man it seems like an exclamation to the teacher in a similar way: “Give me the board, garrison rat! Ask what to write." As well as insulting addresses towards his nanny: “old bastard.”
As a result, a mother who madly loves her child also becomes the subject of rudeness. From time to time, Mitrofan reproaches his mother for being tired of her, blackmails her - he threatens to commit suicide, and on the whole successfully sums up his mother’s efforts: “You lured me in, blame yourself.”
Attitude to learning
While the bulk of the aristocracy tried to give the best education to their children, in the hope that this would allow their children to become successful in life, Mitrofan’s parents teach their child, because it is impossible not to teach - the decree issued by Peter I obliges all aristocrats to teach their children in arithmetic, grammar and God's word.
Image of Mitrofan Prostakov for modern reader does not seem entirely typical - in most cases, history and literature provide images of educated, although not always purposeful, aristocrats. The image of Prostakov seems out of the ordinary, however, if you think about it, you can come to the conclusion that this is not so. This fact is confirmed historical documents(decree of Peter I on the compulsory education of nobles) - if the situation with lack of education were not widespread, then it is unlikely that it would be reflected in official documents.
Mitrofan's parents are not educated people - their knowledge is based on life experience, in general, they do not see the point in education and consider science a necessary measure, a tribute to fashion. This attitude of the parents, in particular the mother, provoked a feeling of unnecessary education in the eyes of Mitrofan.
Prostakov’s parents were unable to convey to him the idea of the need for education and the prospects that open up for an educated person, and in fact they could not do this - Mitrofan’s mother considered education an evil, a necessity that must be experienced. From time to time, she adds fuel to the fire, voicing her true attitude towards studying: “my friend, at least study for show, so that his ears can reach him how hard you work!”
In other words, the mother in no way condemns her son for his negligent behavior in the field of education and training, which further convinces Mitrofan that this whole process is useless and unnecessary, and is carried out solely “for show.”
This attitude led to another problem - a strong negative attitude towards the learning process itself and towards the teachers.
Over several years of study, Mitrofan was unable to advance one iota and therefore he is still a “minor” - due to insufficient knowledge, the young man cannot obtain documents attesting to his education, but his parents are of little concern about this.
After four years of learning to read and write, Mitrofan still reads syllables, reading new texts still seems to be an unsolvable task for him, and things won’t be much better with those he already knows - Mitrofan constantly makes mistakes.
With arithmetic, things also do not look optimistic - after several years of study, Mitrofan only mastered counting to three.
The only thing where Mitrofan succeeded was French. His teacher, the German Vralman, speaks rather flatteringly about his student, but in this case the point is not in Mitrofan’s exceptional predisposition to learning languages, but in Vralman’s ability to deceive - Adam Adamovich not only successfully hides the true state of his student’s level of knowledge, but also deceives the Prostakovs, posing as a teacher - Vralman himself does not know French, but, taking advantage of the Prostakovs’ stupidity, he successfully creates the appearance.
As a result, Mitrofan finds himself hostage to the situation - on the one hand, his parents do not see the point in education, and are gradually instilling this position in their son. On the other hand, stupid, poorly educated teachers, due to their knowledge, cannot teach a young man anything. At a time when the situation with arithmetic and grammar teachers looks at the level of “difficult, but possible” - neither Kuteikin nor Tsyfirkin have exceptional knowledge, but they still have the bulk of knowledge, then the situation with Vralman looks completely catastrophic - man , who does not know French, teaches French.
Thus, Mitrofan Prostakov represents a person with an insignificant soul, petty desires limited to the carnal, animal satisfaction of his needs, who has reached the limit in his moral and spiritual development. Paradoxically, having the opportunity, Mitrofan does not strive to realize his potential, but, on the contrary, wastes his life in vain. He finds a certain charm in laziness and parasitism and does not consider this a flaw.
