Why Pontius Pilate maintains the image of a cruel person. Analysis of the chapter “Pontius Pilate” from the novel by M.A. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"

PONTIUS PILATE - central character M. A. Bulgakov's novel "The Master and Margarita" (1928-1940). The son of the astrologer king, the cruel procurator of Judea, horseman P. P., nicknamed the Golden Spear, appears at the beginning of the 2nd chapter "in a white cloak with a bloody lining, shuffling cavalry gait”, coming to the forefront of the plot, where he will be invisibly present until its complete completion, until the last phrase of the epilogue. This presence of his is due to the main plot event that connects the narrative: the novel composed by the Master is written about him, Pilate the Pontic. The hero's hero acts simultaneously as character"antique" chapters forming a "novel within a novel". The two Pilates, “literary” and “historical,” do not differ in any way from each other; they constitute a single image, objectified in the narrative. "

Literary” P.P., created by the Master, is not the fruit of artistic imagination; it is “guessed” as it actually was, and therefore completely coincides with the “historical” one that Baland talks about in a conversation with Berlioz and Ivan Bezdomny at the Patriarch’s Ponds. The identity of both Pilates is confirmed by Woland himself, the only living witness who was present incognito in the palace of Herod the Great during P.P.’s conversation with Yeshua Ha-Nozri, who knows about, for example, how the procurator tried to “save” Judas from Kiriath, who heard the answer with his own ears Pilate to Levi Matthew's question about the murderer of Judas: “I did it.” At the end of the novel, releasing his hero, the Master simultaneously frees the “biblical” Pilate, who has been tormented by the pangs of conscience for two thousand years. In the process of creating the image, P. P. Bulgakov used several sources. The first in importance were the canonical gospels, in which the writer gleaned the main plot circumstances: P.P. does not find guilt in the actions and words of Jesus (Luke, 23:5; John, 18:38), tries to save him (John, 19:12), Pilate is under pressure from the high priests and the excited they are the people screaming “Crucify him!”, and, finally, the final decision on execution is made by the procurator out of fear of Caesar: “The Jews shouted: “If you let Him go, you are not a friend of Caesar”” (John 19:12). The probable source of the image was the book of the German historian G. A. Muller “Pontius Pilate, the fifth procurator of Judea, and the judge of Jesus of Nazareth” (1888). Here P. P., as in the novel, is called the fifth procurator: other authors believe his sixth. literary source became the book of the English theologian F. W. Farrar “The Life of Jesus Christ” (1874, Russian translation 1885). In the chapter “Jesus Christ before Pilate” Farrar described the “Roman contempt” of the hegemon for the Jews and spoke of his “cowardly compliance.” I got the last moment from Bulgakov special meaning. In the writer’s field of vision there were also legends associated with P.P. Bulgakov could read about one of them in “ Encyclopedic Dictionary"Brockhaus and Efron. On Good Friday, on a mountain hill in the Swiss Alps called Pilate, the ghost of the procurator appears and washes his hands, trying in vain to clear himself of complicity in the crime. The location may be associated with this legend last chapter- a rocky peak where the Master meets P.P. and absolves him of his sin. As for plot motives, composed by Bulgakov himself, then this is the involvement of the procurator in the murder of Judas. According to the gospels, he hanged himself. Considering the image of P.P. from the point of view of literary genealogy, one can point to the traces of Agasfer. There are grounds for comparisons with the image of Pushkin’s Boris Godunov: the motif of a stain on the conscience that appeared by chance and became the cause of mental torment, so painful that “I’m glad to run, but there’s nowhere.” Among Bulgakov’s heroes there is no other character comparable in scale to P.P. , although some of its features can be caught in Khludov ("Running"), in Louis ("The Cabal of the Holy One"). In Bulgakov's novel, P. P. personifies the collision of hierarchical power, limitless in relation to everything inferior and completely defenseless, unarmed before. which is above. This makes the hegemon of Rome socially cowardly. Latest topics What is more striking is that cowardice is shown by a man who is courageous, firm and cruel by nature. If cowardice is generally the worst of vices (the words of Yeshua Ha-Nozri), then in the strong it is also shameful. This is the main idea of ​​the writer in reading the image of Pontius Pilate, a hero who covered himself with historical shame.

Pontius Pilate in Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita” is the character of the Master, that is, the hero of a novel within a novel, which at the end of the work converge with one common denouement. The story of the Procurator, who sent the wandering philosopher Yeshua Ha-Nozri, preaching love, to death, was written by the Master and paid for his courage in choosing the theme for the work.

Loneliness is the price of a high position in society

In the novel "The Master and Margarita" the image of Pontius Pilate is one of the most controversial and tragic characters. The fifth procurator of Judea arrived in Yershalaim for service from Rome. His job was to judge the criminals of the city, which he hated.

Meeting a loved one

The Master's novel describes one trial in which Yeshua, nicknamed Ha-Nozri, appeared, accused of inciting people to destroy the temple of the existing government. In the dialogue between the accused and the procurator of Judea, tension reigns at first. This strange thinker calls the hegemon a good man, and also claims that evil people does not exist, but there are only unhappy ones. This fact angers Pilate. He was not used to being perceived without fear as the procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, distinguished by his pride and emphasized self-esteem. He regarded such treatment as disrespect for his person.

However, over time, Pilate and Yeshua begin to sympathize with each other. But having heard unacceptable speeches, with which he agreed in the depths of his soul, the procurator became furious and announced a decision on the death sentence. Career and status outweighed sympathy for the kind and fearless guy on the scales of Pilate's judicial justice. Maybe this was a manifestation of cowardice, and not great power?

Pilate's vanity was dealt a blow. After all, some rogue is spiritually richer and happier than him. He was simply afraid to recognize the simple philosophy of goodness and love that the young prophet carried. In making his decision, Pontius Pilate was guided not by his heart or even common sense, but only by unverified facts and anger due to wounded pride. He sentenced Yeshua to death based on a report from a certain Judas from Kiriath. When imposing the sentence, the procurator believed that he would be able to save the Messiah. After all, on the eve of the Passover holiday, the Jewish high priest has the right to acquit one of the defendants.

Remorse and futile attempts to correct the mistake

The three remaining criminals were tried for grave sins, so Pontius Pilate was confident that the high priest Caiaphas would acquit Yeshua. However, when the decision of the first clergyman of Yershalaim turned out to be different, because he decided to justify the murderer Barrabas, Pilate realized the terrible consequences of his mistake, but could not do anything.

His torment intensified from the information that Judas denounced Yeshua only in order to receive money from the high priest, and also when the head of the procurator’s secret guard spoke in detail about Ha-Nozri’s behavior at the execution. “The only thing he said was that among human vices, he considers cowardice to be one of the most important,” Afranius said.

Pontius Pilate could not find a place for himself, because he put to death the only soul close to him. He understood that he no longer wanted to be in this position and in the city where he approved so many capital punishments, feeling innocent blood on his hands. Pilate with all his soul wanted to do at least something to clear his conscience, although he understood that he could not return Yeshua. At his indirect request, Judas was killed, and he decided to take the only follower of the wandering philosopher Levi Matthew to himself.

The problem of conscience in the novel

Through the characterization of Pontius Pilate in the novel “The Master and Margarita”, the solution to the problems of cowardice and conscience is realized. Each of us is only a person who can make a mistake. And even though Pontius Pilate’s mistake was irreparable, he realized what he had done and repented of it. It was not higher powers, but his conscience that kept him awake on every full moon, and when he managed to fall asleep, he saw Yeshua and dreamed of walking with him along the lunar path. He now thought completely differently than he had acted: “Cowardice is undoubtedly one of the most terrible vices. This is what Yeshua Ha-Nozri said. No, philosopher, I object to you: this is the most terrible vice.”

His creator, the author of the novel about Pilate, the Master, was able to save the Roman procurator from the prison of his own conscience and fulfill his desire to be close to the Messiah. Having ascended to heaven, Woland showed the Master his hero, who had been tormented for centuries by loneliness and remorse, and allowed him to complete his work, the finale of which was the phrase: “Free.”

Work test

1. Pilate in various literary sources.
2. The image of Pilate in Bulgakov’s novel.
3. Punishment and forgiveness of the procurator.

This hero went into the abyss, left irrevocably, the son of the astrologer king, forgiven on Sunday night, the cruel fifth procurator of Judea, the horseman Pontius Pilate.
M. A. Bulgakov

The Roman horseman, ruler of Judea Pontius Pilate, the hero of M. A. Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita” is a real historical figure, whose rule was cruel, accompanied by numerous executions without trial. According to the New Testament, Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus Christ to death, and then ritually washed his hands, showing his innocence. This image appears in the novel in close connection with the image of Yeshua Ha-Nozri: “Now we will always be together... Once there is one, that means there is another! They will remember me, and now they will remember you too! Me, a foundling, the son of unknown parents, and you, the son of the astrologer king and the miller’s daughter, the beautiful Pila,” Yeshua says to Pilate in a dream.

Thus, for Bulgakov, Pilate, who is not given much time in the Gospel, is one of the main characters of the novel. He is preoccupied with the question of the reality of the events that took place; the biblical chapters in the novel turn out to be confirmation of the existence of Christ for Ivan Bezdomny.

In the process of creating the novel, the writer became acquainted with G. Petrovsky’s poem “Pilate”. The author of the poem also portrays Pilate as sympathetic to Jesus, rather than perceiving his actions as a threat to overthrow the government. The cowardly procurator could not fight for Jesus against the Sanhedrin - just as in Bulgakov’s novel, in Petrovsky’s poem this vice is recognized in Pilate.

The writer’s view of events, the “Gospel of Bulgakov” is not just a dispute between the heroes about the existence of Christ. The author raises eternal themes- the theme of cowardice, betrayal, relations between man and power, unjust trial.

By the will of the author, the image of Pilate is endowed with numerous small details that make it more vivid and understandable to the reader. Thanks to Bulgakov, the hero of his novel is seen as more humane than in the New Testament. He has weaknesses - he has doubts, hesitations, he, a cruel procurator, has great affection for his dog, he is worried not only about the fate of Yeshua, but also about the fate of his student Levi Matthew. In the end, Pilate has a conscience and it torments him. Pilate does not consider Yeshua guilty, because he sees: this man simply does not know how to lie, his soul is pure. He gives Yeshua to execution against his will, confirming the death sentence of the Sanhedrin, becoming an involuntary executioner.

The author emphasizes the smallest shades of the hero’s mood in the process of making a difficult decision, which is very difficult for him. He cannot sacrifice his career to save Yeshua, but there is still something human left in him. The figure of Pilate in the novel is ambiguous. First we see the horseman Golden Spear, a cruel procurator “in a white cloak with a bloody lining,” which symbolizes his bloody deeds. Then we see in him a person subject to weaknesses and illnesses, and later suffering. The reader sees how the procurator changes in his conversation with Yeshua. At first, only one thought occupies him - that the interrogation should end as soon as possible. At this moment, the arrested and doomed Yeshua takes pity on him and empathizes, accurately determining his condition: “The truth, first of all, is that you have a headache, and it hurts so much that you are cowardly thinking about death. Not only are you unable to speak to me, but it is difficult for you to even look at me. And now I am unwittingly your executioner, which saddens me. You can’t even think about anything and dream only that your dog, apparently the only creature to which you are attached, will come. But your torment will now end, your headache will go away.”

This execution becomes a turning point in the life of Pontius Pilate; it haunts him all his life, because he executed an innocent man whose crime did not deserve such punishment. To atone for his guilt, Pilate orders the death of Judas, but this does not bring Yeshua back, and the procurator suffers for twelve thousand moons...

Woland tells what is happening to Pilate: “He says the same thing, he says that even in the moonlight he has no peace, and that he has a bad position. This is what he always says when he is not sleeping, and when he sleeps, he sees the same thing - the lunar road and wants to go along it and talk with the prisoner Ga-Notsri, because, as he claims, he did not say something back then, a long time ago , the fourteenth of the spring month of Nisan. But, alas, for some reason he fails to take this road and no one comes to him. Then, what can you do, he has to talk to himself. However, some variety is needed, and to his speech about the moon he often adds that most of all in the world he hates his immortality and unheard-of glory.” An attempt to justify oneself by one’s “bad position,” the same as that of the centurion Mark the Rat-Slayer, cannot drown out the voice of conscience. Even washing his hands does not allow him to remove this grave sin from his conscience. Immortality is the heaviest punishment Pilate receives. Yeshua comes to him in visions until Pilate, freed by the master, joins Ga-Nozri on the lunar path, not only in vision, but in reality. Then Pilate finds peace, assured by Yeshua that there was no execution. The ending brings Pilate forgiveness.

Bulgakov neglects many gospel facts for the sake of revealing the image of Pilate. Unlike Yeshua, the author condemns his hero. It is important for him to draw a parallel between that time and Moscow in the 20s, to prove that people have remained the same, and cowardice always remains the most serious vice.

The novel “The Master and Margarita” is not only the most famous in the entire work of Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, but also the most read. And not only in Russia, but also abroad. Why is the work so loved by readers? Probably the reason is that the novel perfectly reflects the realities of Soviet reality, and also perfectly reveals the characters.

Among the main characters is Pontius Pilate. The interesting thing is that he is historical figure(1st century AD). Pilate is the personification of power. He is proud that everyone is afraid of him and considers him cruel. The procurator knows that there is war - open and veiled - and he is sure that only those who do not know fear and doubt have it. However, the image of Pontius Pilate is idealized. Yes, yes, in fact, the procurator of Judea was even more cruel, and was also distinguished by exorbitant greed.

The story of the origin of the ruler, invented in the Middle Ages in Germany, is presented in the novel as real fact. According to legend, Pontius Pilate is the son of Ata (the astrologer king) and Pila (the miller's daughter). One day, looking at the stars, the astrologer read from them that the child who would be conceived by him now would become a great man in the future. Then At ordered the beautiful Pila to be brought to him, and 9 months later a child was born, who received his name from the names of his mother and father put together.

Contradictory personality. Pontius Pilate is both terrible and pathetic. The crime he committed against an innocent person dooms him to eternal torment. This story is also mentioned in one of the Gospel stories from Matthew (another interesting parallel: Yeshua’s disciple in the novel was Matthew Levi). It says that the wife of the procurator of Judea saw bad dream, in which Pilate will pay for the crucifixion of the righteous.

The novel clearly shows the idea that Pontius Pilate does not want Yeshua to die. He sees that this person does not pose any danger to society, because he is not a thief, not a murderer, not a rapist. However, the state does not want to agree with the ruler, and the high priest, of course, sees a threat in a person preaching an unknown religion. The Roman procurator is unable to fight, even the strongest mental anguish does not force him to make a decision at his own discretion: he knows that this can undermine his authority in the eyes of society, his strength and power.

When the ritual of execution was completed, and nothing could be corrected, Pontius Pilate completely forgot about peaceful life. He reproaches himself for his weakness of will, and at night he often sees a dream in which everything happens differently: nothing happened, Yeshua is alive, and they walk together along the lunar road and talk, talk...

Surely the real Pilate did not torment himself with such doubts and regrets. However, M.A. Bulgakov allegedly believed that feelings of fear and justice could fight in the most inhuman tyrant. At the same time, the writer seems to shift the responsibility for such a view onto the shoulders of the Master: after all, he is the author of the Novel.

It is not known with what feelings the Roman ruler actually left this world, but in the book everything should end well, and in the end the fifth procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, will find peace of mind.

“The Master and Margarita” is a truly great work that every person who considers himself cultured must read.

(Slide No. 2)

Target: Observe details literary text, while simultaneously analyzing his own feelings that arose as a response to the events happening to the characters.

(Slide No. 3)

Tasks:

• Explain the reasons for Pontius Pilate’s actions through observation of his emotional experiences; notice all the subtleties in his behavior, speech, intonation, explain the inconsistency of his feelings.
• Analyze your own feelings that appear when reading the text.
• Compile a psychological dictionary of your feelings.

Equipment: Microsoft Power Point presentation (Appendix 1), two sheets of Whatman paper, markers

Lesson progress

Teacher's opening speech.

So, today we begin to analyze chapter 2 of the novel by M.A. Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita”, which is based on the eternal problems of human existence: Good and Evil, Faith and Unbelief, Betrayal and Love, Power and Freedom, the problem of repentance and fair retribution.

A whole panorama of human morals unfolds before us, revealing questions as old as the world and eternal as life itself. What is a person? Is he responsible for his affairs? Can even the most severe circumstances justify an immoral act? You know that part of Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita”, its individual chapters, is the novel of his hero, the Master, which is set in almost two thousand years of history, but has a direct connection with the events taking place in Moscow in the 1930s. The plot of this novel is reminiscent of the biblical tale of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and gives the impression of a documentary-accurate presentation of the events that actually took place, since its heroes are almost historical figures. However, there is something that distinguishes the Master's novel.

The Gospel of Matthew says that, having gathered 12 disciples for Last Supper on the eve of Easter, Jesus Christ predicted his death from the betrayal of one of them...

(Slide No. 4)

Student's message about the biblical story of the crucifixion of Christ ( tells the legend of the crucifixion of Christ, supplementing the story with the following quotes from the Bible):

“Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me.

The disciples were saddened by this, and they began to ask one after another:

- Isn’t it me, Lord?

Then Judas, who had previously betrayed Him, also asked:

- Of course not me, Teacher?

Jesus answered:

- Yes, you...

(Gospel of Matthew, chapter 26 (20–22, 25, 46–52,) chapter 27 (1–5)

Teacher: There is no doubt that Yeshua Ha-Nozri is a kind of double of Jesus Christ. Moreover, Yeshua in Aramaic means Lord (salvation), and Ha-Nozri is from Nazareth. Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, lived permanently in Nazareth before he began his career, which is why he is often called Jesus the Nazarene. What, in your opinion, is the peculiarity of the interpretation of the Gospel story?

(The writer significantly deepened the biblical plot, conveyed a whole range of feelings and experiences of the characters, he “humanized” them, which evokes empathy and compassion in readers for them. He puts them before moral choice, and, it seems, Bulgakov turns to everyone: “Could you, as courageously and resignedly as Yeshua, accept suffering in the name of your idea, maintaining until the end faith in the good beginning in man, without allowing one iota of feelings of embitterment and resentment for your destiny?")

In the second lesson of studying M.A. Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita” you received the task: re-read chapter 2 of “Pontius Pilate” and answer the questions:

1. Can we, sincerely sympathizing with Yeshua, understanding the injustice of his punishment, categorically condemn Pilate for his cruelty? What is Pilate's true guilt?
2. Why did circumstances turn out to be higher than the desire of the procurator to save the preacher? Why was Yeshua above these circumstances?
3. Did Pilate have the opportunity to choose, why did he still choose evil?

Individual Homework(message from 2 students with presentation of their slide)

1 student completed the task: to track how Pontius Pilate’s mood changes. Make a dictionary of your feelings that arose while reading chapter 2.

2, the student analyzes the behavior of Yeshua Ha-Nozri and compiles a dictionary of his own feelings.

(Slide No. 5)

Speech by 1 student:

As soon as Bulgakov introduces us to the palace of Herod the Great and introduces us to Pontius Pilate, an atmosphere of some kind of anxiety immediately catches our eye. Pilate's painful state confirms this (“an attack of hemicrania began again, when half of his head hurts”).

So, meeting the procurator for the first time, we see him irritated. It is felt that the inhabitants of the palace and those close to him are accustomed to the cruelty and harshness of his character. Talking to the prisoner brought to him, he interrupts him mid-sentence when Yeshua addressed him: “Good man...” Pilate declares that in Yershalaim everyone whispers about him: “a ferocious monster,” “and this is absolutely true.” In confirmation of his words Pilate summons the centurion, the formidable Mark the Ratlayer: “The criminal calls me “ kind person..." Explain to him how to talk to me. But don’t maim.”

(Some kind of terrible feeling of fear and bewilderment appears and the question: “Why?”)

But later, it seems, Pilate himself became interested in talking with this man. After all, “the easiest thing would be to expel this strange robber from the balcony by uttering only two words: “hang him.” However, the procurator does not do this. And when Yeshua explains to the procurator the reason for his suffering (“the truth, first of all, is that you have a headache... Not only are you unable to talk to me, but it’s difficult for you to even look at me...”), Pilate is simply overwhelmed.

The procurator calms down when Yeshua continues the conversation that “there are no evil people in the world,” and a formula formed in his head by itself: “the hegemon looked into the case of the wandering philosopher Yeshua, nicknamed Ha-Nozri, and did not find any corpus delicti in it. In particular, I did not find the slightest connection between the actions of Yeshua and the unrest that occurred in Yershalaim recently. The wandering philosopher turned out to be mentally ill. As a result of this, the death sentence ... the prosecutor does not approve ... "

(Here the reader involuntarily rejoices for the procurator and for Yeshua and is already waiting for a happy ending.) And suddenly it turns out that everything is wrong.

– Everything about him? – Pilate asked the secretary.

“No, unfortunately,” the secretary unexpectedly answered and handed Pilate another piece of parchment.

-What else is there? - Pilate asked and frowned.

(This is where I really wish there wasn’t this second parchment; I’m scared that it will ruin everything.)

The procurator himself feels the same, who tries with all his being to prevent danger, even condescending to give signs to Yeshua. (Therefore, the feeling of excitement and anxiety increases), Moreover, Pilate has a terrible hallucination, which seems to foretell trouble: “So, it seemed to him that the prisoner’s head floated away somewhere, and another one appeared in its place. On this bald head sat a thin-toothed golden crown; on the forehead there was a round ulcer, corroding the skin and smeared with ointment, ... in the distance, as if trumpets were playing quietly and menacingly, and a nasal voice was very clearly heard, arrogantly drawing the words: “The law of lese majeste...” Yeshua’s story about what and how He spoke to Judas from Cariath, which gives rise to a mood of hopelessness in Pilate. He feels that he is losing his chances of saving the naive prisoner. (Feelings of anxiety increase)

(Slide No. 6)

Speech by 2 students:

The cruel, unfair punishment, it seems, did not even cause indignation in the arrested person. He simply, like a child, asks the centurion in response to his menacing tone: “I understand you. Don't hit me." (This arouses interest and respect in him)

(Slide No. 7)

In the future, the sincerity and ease of his conversation with Pilate is simply captivating.

(Slide No. 8)

For this reason, the directness of the answer struck Pilate with its insolence: “Don’t you think that you have hung her, hegemon? If so, you are very mistaken." (At this moment there is a fear that Yeshua may harm himself) Pilate “shuddered and answered through his teeth: “I can cut this hair.”

“Would you let me go, hegemon,” the prisoner suddenly asked, and his voice became alarmed, “I see that they want to kill me.”

(At the moment of the verdict, the reader has acute feeling disagreement with what is happening: the cruelty of the procurator and his powerlessness are so clearly shown.)

(Slide No. 9)

“Do you believe, unfortunate one, that the Roman procurator will release a man who said what you said? I don’t share your thoughts!”

It is interesting that Pilate does not calm down, but arranges a meeting with the president of Sendrion, Kaifa. A conversation with him was the last hope for the salvation of Yeshua, and Pilate made every effort to achieve this.

After this, he is overcome by melancholy, developing into a terrible anger of powerlessness. the procurator realizes his guilt and feels terrible pangs of conscience, and then feels almost rage towards him for trampling on his last hope. The procurator is overcome with open indignation:

“You will remember then the saved Var-Rawan and you will regret it.” But the high priest is adamant:

“...You wanted to release him so that he would confuse the people, outrage the faith and bring the people under the Roman swords! But I, the High Priest of the Jews, while I am alive, will not allow my faith to be mocked and will protect the people!”

(Reading this scene you feel such indignation because there was no force capable of preventing this absurd and monstrous injustice.)

Heading to the platform and pronouncing the words of sentence, Pilate does not even look in the direction of the criminals. “He didn't see anything. He didn't need it. He already knew that behind him the convoy was already leading to Bald Mountain Ha-Notsri, to whom the procurator himself pronounced the death sentence and whom he most wanted to see alive.”

(Slide No. 10)

A dictionary reflecting feelings and experiences when reading a chapter

Teacher: So, we see that the figure of Pontius Pilate is truly complex and contradictory. He wanted to save Yeshua, realizing the unfoundedness of the sentence passed by the Sanhedrin. But even the all-powerful procurator, a man whose one glance plunges one into numbness, turned out to be powerless to save Yeshua from death. Why did circumstances turn out to be higher than Pilate's wishes? Why was Yeshua above these circumstances? Did the procurator have a choice? And why did he still choose evil?

Group assignment(performed on computers or on Whatman paper)

Group1 Make a cluster of the character traits of Yeshua Ha-Nozri that appeared in Chapter 2 of the novel

Group 2 Make a cluster of Pontius Pilate’s character traits that appeared in Chapter 2 of the novel

Speech by representatives from groups defending their work.

(Slide No. 11)

Comparison: is brought to the attention of students color spectrum character traits of the heroes, performed by the teacher. Teacher's explanation:

Yeshua is the ideal of individual freedom. His main feature is HUMANITY.

(Slide No. 12)

The main goal on earth is the peaceful preaching of the kingdom of truth and justice. And therefore no forces can force him to betray his faith in goodness. (Let us remember the episode when, before his death, he asks the executioner not for himself, but for another: “Give him a drink”). He does not betray his forever accepted conviction - his truth. It is internally surrounded by a halo bright feelings: Love, Freedom, Goodness.

Pilate is always irritated, embittered, distrustful, and cruel. In addition, he has to live in a city that he hates, he governs a people that he does not like. His will cannot contradict the will of the higher authority of the clergy in the person of the Great Caesar, the high priests and the entire Sanhedrin. Therefore, Pilate turns out to be internally bound, dependent on his position.

He constantly experiences internal discord.

In Yeshua, Pilate felt what he himself lacked: understanding, sincerity, sensitivity, fortitude. In addition, this philosopher was able to guess not only his loneliness and suffering, but also relieved his physical pain and awakened long-forgotten feelings. He wants to help Yeshua.

The procurator faces a choice: either take a step towards saving Yeshua and thus accomplish Good; or destroy him and commit Evil.

Pilate understood perfectly well the injustice of Yeshua’s punishment and with all the strength of his soul wanted to choose Good

But on the other hand, the procurator is a powerful ruler. He cannot let go of a man who said what he said about power, and which is recorded not only in Judas’ report, but also in the protocol of the procurator’s secretary. Then your career and position will be ruined. He - slave of Caesar, his position and his career. Pilate chooses Evil, betraying his conscience.

He was free to decide the fates of others, but, it turns out, he cannot control his own actions and actions. And therefore Pilate is doomed to eternal mental torment, a guilt that for almost two thousand years he has not been able to atone for, since there is no greater vice than cowardice.

Conclusion: Yeshua leaves, and the procurator remains for thousands of years in the cell of his solitude, where he dreams of a lunar road along which he walks and talks with the prisoner Ga-Notsri, because, as he claims, he did not say something back then on the fourteenth day of the spring month of Nisan. And he waits and hopes that he will be forgiven and released.

Literary drawing completely coincides with historical drawing, even in small details and subtleties. And the name of Pilate - both as an evangelical figure and as a Bulgakov character - will always go hand in hand with the name of Yeshua Jesus, as punishment for inaction. Immortality through the ages is his curse.

With the image of Pilate, his fate, his mental anguish, Bulgakov convinces us that man is responsible for his deeds. As a living being, he can resist fulfilling his civic duty with all his might and find justification for himself - in the thirst for life, in habits, in the natural desire for peace, in fear of suffering or of superiors, of hunger, poverty, exile, death. But as a spiritual being, possessing moral consciousness, he is always responsible to his conscience. Here he has no allies on whom he could shift at least part of his responsibility, and no external circumstances and conditions of choice can serve as his justification.

You come to such conclusions by analyzing the contradictory feelings experienced by Pontius Pilate. A wide variety of feelings are captured in his words, eyes, and voice: hopelessness, melancholy, rage, despair. And it turns out that Pilate is a suffering man, embittered by illness and misunderstanding, shackled by his power. But most importantly - lonely, smart, deeply feeling.

In life there is always a choice, even in the most seemingly hopeless situations a person must make some decision. And it depends only on him how he will live longer: in harmony or at odds with his conscience.

(Slides No. 13, 14)

Summing up the lesson: Why did Bulgakov need such artistic device- parallel to the narrative of modernity, also lead the line of a novel written by the Master and telling about the events that took place two thousand years ago? ( The novel is dedicated eternal problems, they exist in the present just as they did thousands of years ago. It will take a long time for humanity to reach the truth and whether it will come to its knowledge is unknown).

Lesson grades.

Homework: Select material concerning a) the history of the Master, b) the general atmosphere of life in the 30s of the 20th century, using chapters 5, 6, 7, 9, 13, 27.

Literature:

1. “M.A. Bulgakov “The Master and Margarita” Moscow “Olympus” 1997
2. Russian literature of the 20th century, part 2" Edited by V.P. Zhuravleva Moscow “Enlightenment” 2006.
3. “Russian literature of the 20th century. Reader" Compiled by A.V. Barannikov, T.A. Kalganova Moscow “Enlightenment” 1993 p.332.
4. M.P. Zhigalov “Russian literature of the 20th century in high school” M Bulgakov and his novel “The Master and Margarita” in scientific and methodological research pp. 10-9 Minsk 2003.
5. Magazine "Literature at School" No. 7 2002 pp. 11-20.
6. Internet resources were used to create the presentation.