Class: 10

Katerina Izmailova – “lightning generated
darkness itself and only brighter emphasizing
the impenetrable darkness of merchant life.
V. Gebel.

“What kind of “Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky is there - there’s no beam here
light, here a fountain of blood flows from the bottom of the soul: here
“Anna Karenina” foreshadowed – revenge
"demonic passion"
A. Anninsky.

During the classes

Lesson organization.

Teacher's opening speech.

“Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District” was first published in the magazine “Epoch” in 1865 under the title “Lady Macbeth of Our District”. The story shows the inextricable connection between capital and crime. This is a tragic story of the rebellion of a woman's soul against the deadening environment of merchant life. This is one of the artistic peaks of Leskov’s work. So, the main content of N. S. Leskov’s work “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” is the theme of love, the theme of a tragic female fate.

Love is a great joy and a heavy cross, revelation and mystery, great suffering and the greatest happiness, and the main thing is that only through love does a woman’s soul live and be preserved. The love of a Russian woman has always been warmed by a deep religious feeling, raising the attitude towards her beloved, towards her family to a special spiritual height. She truly saved both herself and her family, giving them all the warmth and tenderness of her beautiful soul. This tradition comes from folklore. Remember Maryushka from the Russian folk tale “Finist’s Feather of the Clear Falcon”? In search of her beloved, she trampled three pairs of iron shoes, broke three cast iron staffs, and devoured three stone loaves. But the power to break the spell was within herself, in her bright and clear soul. And Yaroslavna from “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” who “cries on Putivl,” yearning for her beloved! Or the love of Tatyana Larina from “Eugene Onegin”. Remember?

I love you -
Why lie? –
But I was given to someone else;
I will be faithful to him forever.

But here is the pure, bright, although incomprehensible to others, love of Katerina from “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky. For many women of Russian literature, love is not only a gift, but also a gift - unselfish, reckless, pure from bad thoughts. But there was another female love - love-passion, painful, invincible, transgressing everything - such as in Leskov’s work “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk”.

1. Understanding the name.

Question: What is strange about the title of Leskov’s work?

(A clash of concepts from different stylistic layers: “Lady Macbeth” - association with Shakespeare’s tragedy; Mtsensk district - the relationship of the tragedy with a remote Russian province - the author expands the scope of what is happening in the story.)

2. Problem analysis of the story.

1) Let us turn to the image of Leskov’s Katerina. How did love - passion - originate? Word to Katerina Izmailova.

Artistic retelling-monologue (the story of Katerina’s marriage) in the first person. (1 chapter.)

2) What caused the passion? (Boredom.)

3) Katerina in Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm” – sublimely light, poetic. What was Katerina Lvovna like? (Chapter 2.)

4) King Macbeth has words (also about determination).

I dare everything that a man dares,
And only a beast is capable of more.

“Unbearable” for her: for her awakened love-passion, which easily overcomes any obstacles, everything is simple. (The father-in-law died - about the death of a person - casually. It’s scary.)

6) How does Katerina Lvovna live without her husband now? (Chapters 4, 6.)

7) “She went crazy with her happiness.” But happiness comes in different forms. Leskov has these words: “There is righteous happiness, and there is sinful happiness.” The righteous will not step over anyone, but the sinful will step over everything.

Question: What happiness does Katerina Lvovna have? Why?

(Happiness is “sinful.” She stepped over. The second murder with the same calm.)

Talk about the murder of your husband (chapters 7–8).

8) According to the Bible, the law of marriage is: “Two are one flesh.” And Katerina Lvovna crushed this flesh with her own hands - calmly, even with sharp pride in her invincibility. Remember the epigraph to the essay. How was he understood?

(This is just “the first song when you’re excited to sing”, and then it will go on its own.)

And here Katerina Lvovna lives, “reigns” (carries a child under her heart) - everything seems to have happened according to the ideal (remember, she wanted to “give birth to a child for fun”). This ideal logically collides with another - a high Christian ideal, which is not in the soul of Katerina Izmailova, but to which the other Katerina - from Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm" - is faithful to death.

Question: What is this ideal? (Ten commandments of God, one of them is “do not commit adultery”; Katerina Kabanova, having broken it, could no longer live - her conscience did not allow it.)

Question: What about Katerina Izmailova? (Leskov’s heroine doesn’t have this, only her wonderful dreams are still disturbing.)

9) Talk about Katerina Lvovna’s dreams.

1st dream – chapter 6 (the cat is just a cat for now).

2nd dream – chapter 7 (a cat that looks like Boris Timofeevich, who was killed).

Conclusion: It turns out that it’s not so easy to “sing a song.”

10) Thus, dreams are symbolic. Is it possible that conscience is awakening in the young merchant’s wife? (Not yet.)

Symbolic words also sound in the mouth of Grandma Fedya (chapter 10) - read.

Question: How did Katerina work? (Killed Fedya.)

And before the next murder, “her own child turned for the first time under her heart, and her chest felt cold” (Chapter 10).

Question: Is it a coincidence that Leskov mentioned this detail?

(Nature itself, feminine nature warns her against the planned crime. But no: “He who began with evil will wallow in it.” (Shakespeare.)

11) Unlike the first two murders, retribution came immediately. How did it happen?

Question: Why do you think - right away?

(A pure, angelic, sinless soul was destroyed. A little sufferer, a youth pleasing to God; even the name is symbolic: “Fedor translated from Greek means “God’s gift.” And Katerina Izmailova never mentioned God. What is this? Maybe in Mtsensk in the district are all atheists? Confirm your thought with the text (chapter 12.))

Conclusion: the highest moral law has been violated, the commandment of God - “thou shalt not kill”; for the highest value on earth is human life. That is why the depth of the moral decline of Katerina and Sergei is so great.

12) Reading an excerpt from F. Tyutchev’s poem “There are two forces.”

13) So, earthly judgment, human judgment has been completed. Did he make a special impression on Katerina Lvovna? Confirm with the text (chapter 13).

(She still loves her.)

14) Did hard labor change Leskov’s heroine?

(Yes, now this is not a cold-blooded killer, causing horror and amazement, but a rejected woman suffering from love.)

Question: Do you feel sorry for her? Why?

(She is a victim, an outcast, but she still loves, even stronger (chapter 14). The more reckless her love, the more open and cynical Sergei’s abuse of her and her feelings.)

Conclusion: the abyss of the former clerk’s moral decline is so terrible that even seasoned convicts are trying to reassure him.

15) Bernard Shaw warned: “Fear the man whose God is in heaven.” How do you understand these words?

(God is conscience, an internal judge. There is no such God in the soul - man is terrible. This is how Katerina Lvovna was before hard labor. This is how Sergei remained.)

16) And the heroine has changed. What interests Leskov more now: passionate nature or the soul of a rejected woman? (Soul.)

17) Shakespeare said about Lady Macbeth in his tragedy:

She is sick not in body, but in soul.

Question: Can this be said about Katerina Izmailova? An appeal to the symbolism of landscape scenes will help answer this question.

18) Independent work on analyzing the landscape (working on the text with a pencil, 3 minutes).

(The table is filled in as work progresses.)

Questions on the board:

What color is most often found in descriptions of nature?
Find the image word that Leskov uses in this passage?
What is the symbolism of the landscape scene?

Conclusions: Katerina Izmailova has a sick soul. But the limit of her own suffering and torment awakens glimpses of moral consciousness in Leskov’s heroine, who previously knew neither guilt nor remorse.

19) How Leskov shows the awakening of feelings of guilt in Katerina (chapter 15).

The Volga makes us remember another Katerina - from Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm”.

Assignment: Determine the difference in the tragic outcome of the destinies of the heroines of Leskov and Ostrovsky.

(Katerina Ostrovsky, according to Dobrolyubov, is “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” And about Katerina Izmailova there are two reviews (write on the board):

Katerina Izmailova is “lightning generated by darkness itself and only more clearly emphasizing the impenetrable darkness of merchant life.”
V. Gebel

“What kind of “Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky is there - here is not a ray of light, here a fountain of blood flows from the bottom of the soul: here “Anna Karenina” is foreshadowed - the vengeance of “demonic passion”.
L. Anninsky.

Question: Which of the researchers “read” more deeply into the image of Katerina Izmailova, understood and felt it?

(L. Anninsky. After all, he saw a “fountain of blood” not only of those killed in vain by Katerina, but also the blood of her ruined soul.)

Results, generalization.

1. Who is she, Katerina Izmailova? Passionate nature or...?

Add it.

To answer, decide what love turned out to be for Katerina Lvovna? (With enormous suffering and a heavy cross, her soul is not able to bear it, that is, to remain pure, unsullied. On the altar for the sake of love, Katerina Izmailova sacrifices everything, including her own life.)

(Students complete the question: “Passionate nature or sick soul?”)

2. I would like to quote L. Anninsky: “Terrible unpredictability is revealed in the souls of heroes. What kind of “Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky is there - this is not a ray of light, here a fountain of blood flows from the bottom of the soul: here “Anna Karenina” is foreshadowed - the vengeance of “demonic passion”. Here Dostoevsky’s problematics match – it was not for nothing that Dostoevsky published “Lady Macbeth...” in his magazine. You can’t fit Leskov’s heroine into any typology – a four-time murderer for love.”

3. So what is the mystery of the female soul? Do not know? And I don't know. And it’s great that we don’t know this for sure: there will still be questions to ponder over the Russian classics.

One thing seems true to me: the basis of the female soul - and the human soul in general - is love, which F. Tyutchev so amazingly told about. (Reading F. Tyutchev’s poem “Union of the soul with the dear soul.”)

Homework: write a reflective essay

“Fatal Duel” (love drama by Katerina Izmailova).
“The mirror of the soul is its deeds.” (W. Shakespeare.) (One topic to choose from.)

Outline of a lesson in literature "The Mystery of the Female Soul" (based on Leskov's essay "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk")

Target:

show the inextricable connection between capital and crime;
point out the rebellion of the female soul against the deadening environment of merchant life;
reveal the tragedy, the mystery of the female soul.

Equipment: Epigraph: “He who began with evil will wallow in it.” (Shakespeare)

During the classes

I Updating previous knowledge, skills and abilities.

Teacher: Today in the lesson we will talk about love, and not just about love, but about love - a gift, giving, love - passion. You have received a homework assignment: to express your attitude to this concept poetically and prosaically.

Now - read what such concepts as love, gift - giving - passion mean to you? Beauty and attractiveness can be determined externally, and, most importantly, love gives beauty to the soul. A loving person has a very pure and bright soul. A person who is capable of truly loving deserves a lot. It is not without reason that they say that a person can be assessed by how he knows how to love another person. Love gives a lot of joy, love inspires. Love is a gold reserve, it is more valuable than any wealth. For the sake of love, you can sacrifice a lot, even your life.

Teacher: Love is a great joy and a heavy cross, revelation and mystery, great suffering and the greatest happiness, and the main thing is that only by love, a woman’s soul lives and is preserved, and to this day mysterious and enigmatic. It is this kind of love that will be discussed speech in Leskov’s essay “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District”.

2. What was Katerina like from Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm”? What are the similarities and differences with Katerina Izmailova?

There are similarities between Ekaterina, from Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm” and Ekaterina Izmailova. They are both married, but do not love their husbands at all, they live in boredom, a gray atmosphere reigns in their house, they have a common desire: to escape from such a gloomy life. They have connections on the side. They cheat on their husbands. And in this there is a big difference between them. Ekaterina from Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm” is a very pious girl; at first she is afraid to cheat on her husband, considers it a sin, but gradually this concept dissipates. As for Ekaterina Izmailova, she is very decisive, she sweeps away everything in her path (she kills her husband’s father, her husband himself, and even her husband’s innocent nephew). This woman is capable of anything just to be with her lover. She is not afraid of anything or anyone, neither the condemnation of people, nor God, but killing a person is a great sin, but she doesn’t even think about it, she realizes absolutely nothing.

3. Is Katerina Izmailova punished for her atrocities? Let’s read out the dreams (chapter 6 (a cat, for now, just a cat); chapter 7 (a cat that looks like the murdered Boris Timofeevich)).

Is it possible that conscience is awakening in the young merchant’s wife? Unlike the first two murders, retribution came immediately (chapter 11): “the walls of the quiet house, which had hidden so many crimes, shook from deafening blows: the windows rattled, the floors swayed: “Why do you think so immediately?” (A pure, angelic, sinless soul has been destroyed).

Reasoning about strong characters: “Sometimes in our places such characters are created that, no matter how many years have passed since meeting them, you will never remember some of them without trembling” (chapter 1). What is your impression of the essay? (children's statement).

How did love - passion - originate? Word to Katerina Izmailova (retelling - monologue).

Reproductions of I. Glazunov for the essay are hung on the board: pay attention to the image of Katerina Izmailova. Is this how you imagine her?

What caused the passion? (Let's watch a short dramatized episode) in the episode there is a key word - riddle, pay attention to this (boredom).

II Formation of new concepts.

Does Katerina keep one of God’s commandments: do not commit adultery? 1. (reading by role of Katerina’s dialogue with her husband, end of chapter 7). The teacher reads: “Katerina Lvovna was now ready for Sergei into fire, into water, into prison and to the cross. He made her fall in love with him to the point that there was no measure of her devotion to him. She went crazy with her happiness.” What does it mean? Does Katerina keep God's commandment: not to kill? Maybe we will find an excuse for the heroine (after all, this is all for the sake of happiness?).

5. Did hard labor change Leskov’s heroine?

Analysis of landscapes will help answer this question. What color is most often found in descriptions of nature? What is the symbolism of the landscape scene? (Chapter 6 is compared with Chapter 15).

6. So who is she, Katerina Izmailova - a passionate person or a sick soul?

The concepts of “Passionate nature” and “Big soul” are combined in Ekaterina Izmailova almost identically. She is a strong personality, she is not afraid of anything, she commits terrible murders, kills an innocent child who has not yet seen life, and all this was done in order to be close to Sergei. These actions cannot be justified in any way, but here she can be called a “Big Soul”, she simply does not understand what she is doing, she is not afraid of anything: neither people, nor God, one gets the feeling that she has lost her self-awareness , she cannot stop, and some terrible deeds “spring out” of her. But all this was done for the sake of love, she truly loved Sergei, and she would do anything for him. It was true love. Still, I believe that Katerina is a “Passionate nature”, she sacrificed everything for the sake of love. I believe that she did this because she was so bored with that life with her husband that it became impossible to live, and in search of true love, and, fear of losing it, she was already capable of anything. She sacrificed her life when she saw Sergei with someone else, she felt so much pain that she could not stand it and committed suicide.

Conclusion: So what is the mystery of the female soul? Do not know? And I don't know. And it’s great that we don’t know this for sure: there will still be questions to ponder over the Russian classics.

One thing is true; the basis of the female soul - and the human soul in general - is love, which F. I. Tyutchev so surprisingly spoke about:

Union of soul with dear soul.
Their connection, combination,
And their fatal merger,
And... the duel is fatal.

Human judgment has been completed. The highest moral law has been violated, the commandment of God - “thou shalt not kill,” for the highest value on earth is life. That is why the depth of moral behavior of Katerina and Sergei is so great.

Let us remember Tyutchev:

There are two forces - two fatal forces, We are at their fingertips all our lives, From cradle days to the grave; One is death, the other is human judgment.

D/z . essay - reflection (optional)

1. “Fatal Duel” (love drama by Katerina Izmailova)
2. “The mirror of the soul is its deeds.” (W. Shakespeare).

“There is righteous happiness, and there is sinful happiness. The righteous will not cross anyone, but the sinful

". one of the reasons is the soulless, deadening emptiness of provincial life. It is not for nothing that Leskov’s word “boredom” becomes one of the key words when describing Katerina’s life: “Exorbitant boredom in a locked merchant’s mansion with a high fence and chained dogs more than once brought melancholy to the young merchant’s wife, reaching the point of stupor... With all the contentment and good life Katerina Lvovna's mother-in-law's house was the most boring thing... Katerina Lvovna walks and walks through the empty rooms, begins to yawn with boredom and climbs up the stairs to her matrimonial bedchamber... And she wakes up - again the same boredom, the Russian boredom of a merchant's house, from which “They say it’s even fun to hang yourself.”
It was these conditions of complete spiritual vacuum and melancholy that led to the fact that even such a bright and pure feeling as love turned into a blind and uncontrollable “animal” passion in the heroine’s soul.
Leskov emphasizes that the passion that flared up in Katerina’s soul is truly “animal” by the fact that in the heroine’s character the pagan, physical principle is sharply opposed to the spiritual principle. Katerina, although she is a woman, has enormous physical strength, and Leskov in every possible way emphasizes her “outlandish heaviness” and “bodily excess.” Passion for Sergei forces Katerina’s “excessiveness” to unfold with all the power of pagan power, and all the dark sides of her nature come to freedom. She begins to live as if in accordance with the words of Macbeth: “I dare everything that a man dares. And only a beast is capable of more.”
Katerina’s actions, committed under the influence of passion and at first not even causing much condemnation, inevitably lead her to a failure into “utter evil”, to an absolute contradiction with Christianity. This is especially emphasized by the fact that the murder of Fedya, Katerina’s last and most terrible crime, is committed on the night of the Feast of the Entry of the Virgin into the Temple.
Katerina is not justified even by love, for the sake of which she committed murder, for which she ended up in hard labor, for which she experienced all the bitterness of betrayal on the part of Sergei, and for which she drowned her rival Sonetka in the icy river along with her. The feeling does not justify the heroine, since what Katerina feels in herself cannot be called love. This is a “dark passion” that blinds a person to the point that he no longer sees the difference between good and evil, between truth and lies. This; is repeatedly emphasized by Leskov, who, condemning his heroine, does not leave her the slightest chance of justification in the eyes of the reader.

“Lady Macbeth of our district” - under this title the essay was published in the magazine “Epoch” No. 1 in 1865. The essay reflected one of N. S. Leskov’s Oryol impressions.

“Once an old neighbor who had lived for 70 years and went to rest under a blackcurrant bush on a summer day was poured boiling sealing wax into his ear by his impatient daughter-in-law. I remember how they buried him... His ear fell off... Then the executioner tormented her on Ilyinka. She was young, and everyone was surprised at how white she was.” (“How I learned to celebrate”, from the childhood memories of N. S. Leskov)

Based on some of my own observations, “cautious” chapters of the essay were written.

As an employee of the Northern Bee magazine, he visited prisons (articles: “Holy Saturday in prison”, “Behind the prison gates”, etc.)

Conclusion

The emphasis on the authenticity and uncontrived nature of the material was fundamentally significant for Leskov.

2. Statement of the problem

From the point of view of the critic Vyazmitinov, ordinary people cannot have drama, but only criminal cases, because there is no moral struggle there.

Doctor Rozanov objects to him, arguing that uneducated people also have a dramatic struggle. But each nation has its own, with its own warehouse. “In a simple, uncomplicated life, of course, the struggle is simple, and only the final manifestations that fall within the scope of a criminal case are visible, but this does not mean at all that there is no drama in life at all.”

In fact, the heroes, having committed a crime and find themselves in a dramatic situation, do not experience pangs of conscience. Therefore, there is no real drama here, no personal choice, but a criminal case.

But it is no coincidence that in Leskov’s title KondovayaRussia and Shakespeare met so unexpectedly and meaningfully.

In the very comparison of the English lady and the Mtsensk merchant's wife there is a recognition of the well-known equality of the two heroines.

3. Comparison

Lady Macbeth and Ekaterina Izmailova

(homework is given to the student group in advance)

Conclusion

“Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” shows Russian drama, ripened on the soil of merchant life, patriarchal, inert, motionless.

“Boredom”, “melancholy” - these words are repeated many times when describing a sleepy, well-fed, abundant merchant courtyard, creating a feeling of oppression, oppressive monotony, and lack of freedom.

A living human soul, no matter how insignificant its spiritual needs may be, cannot come to terms with a dead way of life.

4. Working with text

Analysis of the content and drawing up a quotation plan for the essay.

The story of Ekaterina Izmailova. What was she like before marriage?

And Sergei? What is he like?

“The thief took everything - in height, in face, in beauty, whatever kind of woman you want, now he, the scoundrel, will flatter her, and flatter her, and bring her to sin!”

And then love-passion flared up, which becomes the only content of life.

And personal freedom becomes freedom from morality

“But not all the road is good riddance, there are also problems”

Reading fragments of text

Ch. 5 “Boris Timofeevich ate mushrooms and gruel at night...”

Ch. 7 Conversation with Sergei “I am with you, my dear friend, I will not part alive”

Chapter 8 “Well, now you’re a merchant!”

Chapter 11 “The baby lay prostrate on the bed, and the two of them strangled him”

Ch. 13 “Katerina Lvovna’s stamped friend became very unkind to her”

“How you and I walked, sat through the long autumn nights, sent people away from the world with a cruel death...”

Chapter 15 “Curse your birthday and die”

5. Remember another heroine of a literary work, who belongs to the same social and everyday structure and who also comes into irreconcilable conflict with it.

Compare the characters of Katerina Kabanova and Ekaterina Izmailova (Homework is given to the study group in advance)

Conclusion

Leskov’s strong female character is in no way a “ray of light in a dark kingdom” and its artistic embodiment could satisfy D. Pisarev, who at one time sharply criticized “The Thunderstorm” in the article “Motives of Russian Drama”. In his opinion, nothing bright can be born from darkness and ignorance.

V. Kuleshov states: “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District is rightfully considered one of Leskov’s most brilliant works.” Its plot is fascinatingly interesting.

But there is no need to adjust her to Katerina from Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm.”

The insidious Mtsensk merchant's wife not only fights for the right to love the one she likes, but she is all flesh and blood of the “dark kingdom”, a mixture of a righteous woman and a sinner. This is not a pitiful story about a wasted life. Before us is a wild revelry of passion, removing all obstacles from the path.

And Zinovy Borisych, the husband, was strangled, and Boris Timofeich, the father-in-law, was poisoned with fungi and gruel, and little Fedya was taken out of the way so as not to share the inheritance, and Catherine dragged Sonnetka with her to the bottom from the prison barge.

No, it would be too unfair to equate this sinister, unbridled character even by the standards of Nastasya Filippovna from Dostoevsky.

6. Summing up the lesson

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk district story

Leskov indicates the exact time and place where the story was written: “November 26, 1864 Kyiv.”

The work was originally a sketch from a series of female portraits, conceived at the end of 1864. In a letter to N. N. Strakhov, an employee and critic of the magazine “Epoch”, on December 7, 1864, N. Leskov writes: ““Lady Macbeth of our district” is the 1st issue of a series of essays exclusively on typical female characters of ours (Oka and partly Volga) area. I propose to write twelve such essays..."

As for the remaining essays, the idea of writing remained unfulfilled.

As for “Lady Macbeth...”, then from an essay, according to the original plan of a “local” nature, this work during its creation grew into an artistic masterpiece of world significance.

Katerina Izmailova is a “villain unwillingly,” and not according to subjective data, a killer not by birth, but by the circumstances of her life. (This material will help you prepare and pass the Unified State Exam 2012 in literature and the Russian language, as well as competently write an essay on the topic and theme of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk County. The summary does not allow you to understand the whole meaning of the work, so this material will be useful for a deep understanding creativity of writers and poets, as well as their novels, novels, stories, plays, poems.) Finding herself a slave to her own feelings, Katerina successively overcomes a number of obstacles, each of which seems to her to be the last on the path to complete liberation and happiness. The persistence with which the heroine tries to subjugate circumstances to her will testifies to the originality and strength of her character. She stops at nothing, goes to the end in her terrible and, most importantly, useless struggle and dies only after completely exhausting the remarkable reserve of spiritual and vital forces given to her by nature.

Leskov’s light self-irony, expressed in the title of the story, seems to indicate the transfer of Shakespeare’s character to a “lower” social sphere.

At the same time, self-irony is a purely Leskovian feature of social satire, consciously used by the writer, giving it an original coloring within the framework of the Gogolian direction of Russian literature.

Pikhter is a large wicker basket with a bell for carrying hay and other livestock feed.

A quitrent mayor is a peasant headman appointed by the landowner to collect quitrents.

Yasmen Falcon is a daring fellow.

Kitty is a leather tightening bag, purse.

Patericon - a collection of the lives of the reverend fathers.

Throne - a throne, or temple, holiday - a day of remembrance of an event or “saint” in whose name this temple was built.

Forshlag (German) - a small melodic figure (of one or more sounds) that decorates a melody, a trill. Roomy - shared.

Job is a biblical righteous man who meekly endured the trials sent to him by God.

“Outside the window in the shadows flashes...” is a not entirely accurately conveyed excerpt from Y. P. Polonsky’s poem “Challenge”, in the original - not “hollow”, but “cloak”.

Preview:

Literature lesson notes in 10th grade:

Lesson topic: Ivan Flyagin is a truth-seeker (based on N.S. Leskov’s story “The Enchanted Wanderer”).

The purpose of the lesson : understand who the righteous is, consider the main

Episodes from the life of I.S. Flyagina, see how the hero

Becomes righteous.

Lesson objectives.

Educational objectives:

Explain the meaning of the concept “righteous”;

Trace the evolution of the hero from the serf postillion

To “charm” and righteousness;

Reveal the meaning of the title of the story.

Developmental tasks:

Improve students' monologue speech;

Develop the ability to find artistic means

Expressiveness, determine their role;

Improve your ability to create your own

Statements (formulate conclusions);

Develop the creative potential of students.

Educational tasks:

To develop moral personality traits in students,

Views and beliefs;

Cultivate an attentive, caring attitude

To the native word.

Working methods:

Teacher's word;

Conversation on issues;

Compiling a table

Expressive reading.

Forms of work:

Collective:

Individual:

Work in groups

DURING THE CLASSES

Today we continue to work on N.S. Leskov’s story “The Enchanted Wanderer.”

One day Leskov had an argument with a 19th century writer. A.F. Pisemsky.

Pisemsky argued that there is no longer holiness in Rus', and in the soul of every person “nothing but abomination” is visible.

Such a confession from a friend and fellow writer amazed N.S. Leskova: “How can you really see nothing but rubbish?”

No, there is everything good and good that an artist has ever noticed.

the writer's eye.

Whose point of view do you agree with?

To refute the opinion of Pisemsky, N.S. Leskov set out to find people in Rus' whose lives would testify otherwise: he went looking for the righteous, he went with a vow not to rest until he found at least a small number of the righteous.

This is how essays, short stories, stories appear in which Leskov refutes Pisemsky’s assertion.

Children formulate the purpose of the lesson themselves

Let's understand the concepts

Enchanted - one who has been bewitched.

A wanderer is a person who travels on foot, usually on a pilgrimage.

Righteous - 1. A believer who lives a righteous life.

2. A person who does not sin in any way against the rules of morality.

What is the meaning of the word righteous?

Who are called righteous?

(A person with a clear conscience and soul, imbued with truth, corresponding to the ideal of morality, beauty and justice, living righteously - DAL)

USHAKOV: a person who lives according to the commandments, moral precepts, a person in his actions, in his behavior who does not sin in anything.

I built semantic associations with the word righteous.

Do you agree with me?

Righteous: truth, goodness, selflessness, honesty, self-sacrifice, modesty, sincerity, humanity, responsiveness, holiness.

Is righteousness possible today?

Yes, it's possible. Addressing the topic of righteousness is even more important and relevant today, in our days, a time of mixing good and evil, when bad deeds are often no longer perceived as a sin, a vice, an anomaly.

Do you know people who can be called righteous?4. Dispute “Positive or negative hero Flyagin”

Our task is to analyze the story “The Enchanted Wanderer” and highlight those features of the Russian national character that the author himself noticed and reflected, both positive and negative

Teacher: CHARACTER in psychology is defined as a set of human qualities.

In a work of art, CHARACTER is drawn by the author and is the basis of the image. Tools for creating a hero's character:

Student:

Portrait
Speech
Actions
Relationships with other characters
Inner monologues

Let's turn to the main character.

Under what circumstances does one meet the hero N.S. Leskova?

Find a description of Ivan Flyagin's appearance.

How Leskov draws his hero.

Comment (Leskov notes the external resemblance of Ivan Flyagin to the legendary hero I. Muromets. This is gigantic physical strength and power, we see in him a typical simple-minded, kind Russian hero. Although we have only a description of his appearance, we see the whole breadth of the soul of this man)

Appearance does not correspond to his lifestyle.

How do you imagine him?

What can you say about the first name, patronymic, last name of Ivan Severyanovich Flyagin?

(The name Ivan brings him closer to Ivan the Fool, Ivan the Tsarevich, who go through various trials. The patronymic Severyanovich translated from Latin means “severe” and reflects a certain side of character.

The surname indicates, on the one hand, a penchant for a wild lifestyle, but, on the other hand, it recalls the biblical image of man as a vessel, and the righteous as a pure vessel of God).

Thus, the name, patronymic, and surname of the hero turn out to be significant.

What do we learn about its origin?

(announced as a prayer son from his mother, whom she promised to God:

“from his mother...” From birth he was destined to serve God).

What does the hero do at the beginning of the story?

So, at the beginning of the story we have before us a serf postillion.

What is he, the serf postilion, Golovan - a good or evil person?

(Flyagin’s feelings during this period are not yet developed, primitive, instinctive.

The unconscious need for activity pushes him to the most opposite actions: killing a monk and saving the masters are side by side).

What does the monk tell him when he appears to him in a vision?

(demands to fulfill his mother’s promise and go to the monastery. But the hero deviates from his destiny and therefore is punished, accepts difficult trials. The monk predicts his fate: you will die...).

What was the reason that prompted him to travel for a long time?

(Ivan Flyagin could not get rid of the spell of the monk he killed, because this is a punishment for the sin of murder. The prediction became the fate of the hero:

“...and that’s why he went from one battle to another, enduring more and more, but he did not die anywhere.”

Before I. Flyagin, like before any hero, there is a choice of road:

where to go?

The Russian fairy tale, epic, real wanderer sooner or later finds himself at a crossroads.

Before I. Flyagin is an endless road, after passing which he will experience everything that is destined for him by fate. And he is destined for terrible trials and suffering.

Let's consider what I. Flyagina had to experience on her way, group work will help us with this

2. What did Ivan Severyanovich do?

3. Did he choose his calling himself?

4. How did serfdom influence the formation of Flyagin’s fate?

5. Once Ivan Severyanovich, when he was little, caused the death of a monk, and this monk came to him in a dream and said that his mother promised him to God at birth. But Ivan Severyanovich did not believe the dream and was not ready to go to the monastery. And there was a prediction for him that many times he would be on the verge of death, but he would not die until he came to the monastery.
So, how did his fate develop further, and what character traits were formed.

- reading an excerpt from chapter 2

. Ivan Flyagin ends up in the master's service

Word to the 1st group - A story about serving as a nanny.

What was the title of the episode?

Why does the master accept Flyagin for this unusual service?

(There is nothing that he cannot do; even the Pole says: “After all, you are a Russian man. A Russian man can handle everything.”)

What is Ivan’s attitude towards the child?

Why gives the child away?

How does the character's character manifest itself in this episode?

(love for children, natural kindness, behind external rudeness and cruelty, great kindness is hidden in I.S. We recognize this trait when he becomes a nanny. He truly became attached to the girl he was caring for, he is gentle in his treatment of her , caring)

For the first time, the hero experiences compassion and affection, for the first time, under the influence of an instant insight, he penetrates into the feelings of his mother, and, unwittingly being involved in a complex human fate, for the first time makes a decision not in his own favor, but in favor of the suffering person.

The hero's journey continues. Flyagin ends up at the Penza Fair.

What happens to the hero here?

What trials did fate give him?

6. What character traits did Ivan Severyanovich display in this episode?

Courage, bravery, ability to make quick decisions.
- reading an excerpt from chapter 4.

Word to the 2nd group - Battle with the Tatar. Against the backdrop.

What is the meaning of this episode in the plot structure of the story?

What is the true reason that forced I. Flyagin to decide on a painful duel with the Tatar?

What new personality traits are revealed in this episode?

(pride, blind passion, conscientiousness, love for animals, demonstrates daring, reckless daring)

(the reason for many of Flyagin’s actions was a huge natural force that “flows like a living thing” through his veins. And this irrepressible energy pushes him to the most reckless actions.

He accidentally killed a monk who fell asleep on a cart of hay, in the excitement of driving fast. And although in his youth Flyagin is not too burdened by this sin, over the years he begins to feel that someday he will have to atone for it.

Flyagina's daring and freedom of feelings knows no bounds. In this episode he demonstrates his prowess when he flogs a Tatar.

No stranger to beauty.

Rather, he does not so much understand as feel. Very attached to the horse. He describes the horse vividly and picturesquely: “The mare was truly marvelous...”

He speaks as if he were a poet, an artist at heart. Due to his reckless daring, he is captured by the Tatars.

7. What was the reason that Ivan Severyanovich became a robber?

8. How can you comment on the hero’s action? Intransigence, susceptible to other people's influence.

9. What can you say about the hero?

Impulsive, gambling, knows how to adapt to any life situation, does not lose heart.

- reading an excerpt from chapter 9.

10. How is the hero characterized in this episode? Love of freedom, resourcefulness.

Having gained freedom, Ivan Severyanovich works at the market, helping to select horses for buyers. One prince invited him to serve as a coneser.

- reading an excerpt from 10 - 18 chapters.

11. How does Flyagin behave when communicating with the owner? Effortlessly, without fear.

-reading

Chapters.

12. Does Ivan Severyanovich know how to appreciate female beauty? What is the difference between his assessment and the prince’s assessment?

He knows how to sincerely appreciate beauty, not to measure it with money, to have compassion, and is the cause of the death of the gypsy woman.

After the tragic death of a gypsy woman, which was unwittingly caused by Ivan Severyanovich, he decided to surrender to the authorities. But along the way he meets an elderly married couple, whose only son is being taken as a soldier. Flyagin decided to go instead, taking pity on the old people.

- reading excerpts from chapter 19.

13. How does the hero behave when he gets to war?

14. Why does he confess to the murder?

Brave, desperate, capable of self-sacrifice.

6. Summing up.

So, let's see what we got, what character traits of a Russian person we need
managed to identify
1. A man of enormous stature with an open face, interesting, over
50, hero, a man who has seen a lot. Brave, courageous, knows how to quickly
decide. He knows how to adapt to any life situation and does not lose heart. Love of freedom, resourcefulness. Effortlessness, fearlessness. Capable of

self-sacrifice.

2. Succumbs to the influence of others. Impulsive, gambling. Goes on a drinking binge
caused the death of several people. Irreconcilable.

Word to the 3rd group - Life in captivity.

How does the story about life in captivity differ from the hero’s other stories?

What feelings does the hero experience for the first time when he finds himself in the conditions of an alien life and alien nature?

What character traits are demonstrated in this episode?

(craving for freedom, love for homeland)

Conclusion: We see how in captivity he begins to feel longing for his homeland, he says: “I want to go home, I feel longing... The landscape helps to feel the peculiarity of the hero’s perception of the world, his state of mind. And although he lived in captivity for 10 years, he was drawn to his homeland.

During this time he never managed to get used to the steppes. He escapes from captivity as soon as he has the opportunity.

Like all heroes, I. Flyagin passionately loves his Motherland.

What is always of great importance for a Russian person?

(Vera. That’s why Flyagin suffers so much among strangers in captivity. In the middle of the night he “crawled out slowly behind the headquarters and began to pray. You pray like that,” says Flyagin, “that even the snow under your knees will melt and where the tears fell, you will see grass in the morning.”

Only love for the Motherland, for God, and Christian humility save Ivan from death.

Homecoming. Word to the 4th group

What is the fate of the hero who first received “legal paper” and felt like a free person?

(He goes into the service of the prince and does what he loves - he is a coneser.

“No, Ivan, serve with me. He’s sad, he feels useless, he can’t find himself, he’s alone in this world.”

What misfortune happened to Ivan Flyagin?

(the unexpected acquisition of freedom turns into new trials: the hero is gradually drawn into that habitual, everyday drunkenness, which has already become the scourge of Russia. Only an accident saves him from death).

What helped him get rid of his destructive passion?

(the narrator is naively convinced that the witchcraft power of the magnetizer frees him from bitter misfortune. Despite all the comic incongruity of Flyagin’s treatment for drunkenness, the magnetizer frees Flyagin from drunken passion, revealing to him “the beauty of nature and perfection”).

What new tests does the author set his hero before?

Word to the 5th group - Test of love.

Description of Pears.

Why does Flyagin kill Grusha?

Are you ready to answer for the murder of Grusha?

(he helps Grusha commit suicide, because he understands that her future life will turn into hell. I. Flyagin takes responsibility for this crime. He is ready to answer for his act and atone for it.

What character traits are demonstrated in this episode?

Conclusion: Thanks to his meeting with the gypsy Grusha, the hero, for whom there was nothing in the world higher than the beauty and perfection of a horse, discovers the magical power of female beauty over the human soul. He recognizes beauty, female beauty enchants him.

The purity and greatness of his feeling is that it is free from pride and possessiveness. The hero himself realizes that love for Pear has internally reborn him. We see here that Ivan can understand, love and sympathize. He is ready to commit a crime to save her soul.

He takes responsibility for the crime and is ready to answer for his actions and atone for it.

A different attitude towards someone else’s death and towards one’s own guilt for it appears when the hero spiritually grows to the point of personal responsibility towards other people.

What changes in the life and fate of the hero after the death of his beloved Grushenka?

(Ivan was very worried about the death of Grusha. After the death of the gypsy, he wanders to an unknown place, immersed in thoughts of how he can suffer.

On the way, he meets an old man and an old woman and goes instead of their son to fight in the Caucasus for 15 years. For his military exploits he is nominated for a reward and promoted to officer. But Ivan is still dissatisfied with himself. The voice of conscience haunts him. He becomes obsessed with the idea of self-sacrifice, he “really wants to die for the people” - this symbolizes the main characteristic of the Russian person: the willingness to suffer for others, to die for the Motherland)

How do we see the hero at the end of the story?

(at the end of the story, Ivan is acquitted, cleansed of sins. He became a novice, as the dying monk predicted. The hero’s soul is gradually cleansed, he gains folk wisdom.

The time has come to sum up our work.

Why can I. Flyagin be called a righteous man?

I.F. passes the path from sin to repentance and atonement. He has given up selfish motives and devotes himself entirely to people. He is characterized by such traits as: breadth of nature, willingness to stand up for the offended, a sense of compassion, patriotism - traits that reflect the bright sides of the people's character.

Through compassion and helping people, he improves spiritually.

What is the meaning of the title of the story?

A wanderer is one who seeks truth, truth, and gets to the bottom of the meaning of life.

Life for Flyagin is a miracle, a charm. He is fascinated by the variety of life manifestations, situations in which he has become a participant: this is his interest in all living things, affection for a child, admiration for the courage and spiritual strength of the Tatars in a duel, fascination with the beauty of a woman, the fulfillment of his highest destiny in communion with God.

What is your attitude towards the hero?

Conclusion: in “The Enchanted Wanderer” Leskov showed how the type of “Russian righteous man” is formed in the dramatic circumstances of life.

The righteous do not strive for their good deeds to be noted by others. They love and do good for the sake of good.

Thus, N.S. Leskov, in his story “The Enchanted Wanderer,” through the image of the Russian serf Ivan Flyagin, showed moral and physical strength, spiritual generosity, the ability to come to the aid of those in need, and love for his people. Homeland. These are the main features of the Russian national character.

EXERCISE:

Write a mini-essay: “Are righteous people needed today?”

The daughter of the common people, who also inherited the people's scope of passions, a girl from a poor family becomes a captive of a merchant's house, where there is neither the sound of the living, nor the voice of a person, but there is only a short stitch from the samovar to the bedchamber. The transformation of the bourgeois woman, languishing from boredom and excess energy, takes place when the district heartthrob pays attention to her.

Love scatters a starry sky over Katerina Lvovna, which she had never seen before from her mezzanine: Look, Seryozha, what a paradise, what a paradise! The heroine exclaims childishly and innocently into the golden night, looking through the thick branches of a blossoming apple tree covering her at the clear blue sky, on which stood a full fine month.

But it is no coincidence that in pictures of love, harmony is disrupted by suddenly invading discord. Katerina Lvovna’s feelings cannot be free from the instincts of the possessive world and not fall under the influence of its laws. Love yearning for freedom turns into a predatory and destructive beginning.

Katerina Lvovna was now ready for Sergei through fire, water, prison and the cross. He made her fall in love with him to the point that there was no measure of devotion to him. She was distraught with her happiness; her blood was boiling, and she could no longer listen to anything...

And at the same time, Katerina Lvovna’s blind passion is immeasurably greater, more significant than self-interest, which gives shape to her fatal actions and class interests. No, her inner world was not shocked by the court’s decision, not excited by the birth of a child: for her there was neither light nor darkness, neither bad nor good, nor boredom, nor joy. My whole life was completely consumed by passion. When a party of prisoners sets out on the road and the heroine sees Sergei again, happiness blossoms with him in her convict life. What is the social height from which she fell into the convict world for her, if she loves and her beloved is nearby!

The class world gets at Katerina Lvovna on the washed-out transit routes. For a long time he prepared an executioner for her in the guise of a lover who had once beckoned her to happy fairy-tale Arabia. Admitting that he never loved Katerina Lvovna, Sergei is trying to take away the only thing that made up Izmailova’s life, the past of her love. And then the completely lifeless woman, in the last heroic outburst of human dignity, takes revenge on her scoffers and, dying, petrifies everyone around her. Katerina Lvovna was trembling. Her wandering gaze concentrated and became wild. Hands once or twice stretched out into space unknown where and fell again. Another minute and she suddenly swayed all over, without taking her eyes off the dark wave, bent down, grabbed Sonetka by the legs and in one fell swoop threw her over the side of the ferry. Everyone was petrified with amazement.

Leskov portrayed a strong and passionate nature, awakened by the illusion of happiness, but pursuing her goal through crimes. The writer proved that this path had no way out, but only a dead end awaited the heroine, and there could be no other way.

This wonderful work served as the basis for D. D. Shostakovich’s opera Katerina Izmailova, written in 1962. Which once again proves the extraordinary nature of N. S. Leskov’s work, who managed to find and convey the typical character traits of Katerina Lvovna, which were revealed so tragically and led the heroine to inevitable death.

Each writer in his work creates a world (which is usually called artistic), different not only from other artistic worlds, but also from the real world. Moreover, it has long been noted that in different works of the same writer, the worlds can also be different, varying depending on the characters of the characters depicted, on the complexity of the social or spiritual situation depicted by the author.

The above applies primarily to the work of such original and original writers as N.S.

The plots, characters, and themes of his works are so diverse that it is sometimes quite difficult to form an idea of any artistic unity.

However, they have a lot in common, in particular: motives, tonality, character traits of the characters and main characters. Therefore, after reading several works by Leskov and opening the next one, you involuntarily tune in to a certain mood, imagine the situation, environment, atmosphere, immersed in which you discover an amazing and beautiful world in its originality.

Leskov’s world may seem strange and gloomy to an unprepared reader, because it is inhabited mainly by truth-seeking heroes, surrounded by ignorant fools, for whom the only goal is prosperity and peace of mind. However, thanks to the power of Leskov’s unique talent, life-affirming motives predominate in the depiction of heroes. Hence the feeling of inner beauty and harmony of the artistic world. Leskov’s heroes are surprisingly pure and noble, their speech is simple and at the same time beautiful, as it conveys thoughts containing eternal truths about the power of goodness, the need for mercy and self-sacrifice. The inhabitants of Leskov's vast world are so real that the reader is convinced that they were copied from life. We have no doubt that the author actually met them during his many trips around Russia. But no matter how ordinary and simple these people are, they are all righteous, as Leskov himself defines them. People who rise above the line of simple morality are therefore holy to the Lord. The reader clearly understands the author’s goal to draw attention to the Russian people, their character and soul. Leskov manages to fully reveal the character of a Russian person with all his pros and cons.

What is especially striking when reading Leskov’s works is his heroes’ faith in God and boundless love for their homeland. These feelings are so sincere and strong that a person overwhelmed by them can overcome all the obstacles that stand in his way. In general, a Russian person is always ready to sacrifice everything and even his life in order to achieve his high and beautiful goal. Someone sacrifices themselves for the sake of faith, someone for the sake of the Fatherland, and Katerina Izmailova, the heroine of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, sacrificed everything in order to save her love, and when all the ways and means had been tried, and the way out of the current situation was still was not found, she threw herself into the river. This is similar to the ending of Ostrovsky's play, where Katerina Kabanova dies because of her love, and in this Leskov is similar.

But no matter how beautiful and pure of soul a Russian person is, he also has negative qualities, one of which is a tendency to drink. And Leskov denounces this vice in many of his works, the heroes of which understand that drinking is stupid and absurd, but they cannot help themselves. This is probably also a purely Russian feature of the behavior of letting go of one’s soul by drowning one’s grief in wine.

Growing up in the lap of nature, among beautiful landscapes, space and light, Leskov’s simple hero from the people strives for something sublime, for beauty and love. For each specific hero, this desire manifests itself in its own way: for Ivan Flyagin it is a love of horses, and for Mark Alexandrov it is an enthusiastic attitude towards art, towards an icon.

Leskov’s world is the world of Russian people, carefully created and preserved by them for themselves. All works were written by Leskov with such an understanding of even the most incomprehensible depths of the human psyche, with such love for the righteous and Russia, that the reader involuntarily becomes imbued with Leskov’s style of writing, begins to really think about the questions that once worried the writer and have not lost their relevance and in our time.

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Homework on the topic: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is the story of tragic love and crimes of Katerina Izmailova.

N.S. Leskov is an artist of an unusually wide thematic range. In his works he creates a string of social types and human characters. Among them there are many strong natures and extraordinary personalities. This is the main character of N.S. Leskova’s essay “Lady Magbeth of Mtsensk District,” written in 1865, Katerina Lvovna Izmailova.

“Katerina Lvovna lived a boring life in her father-in-law’s rich house.” While still a young girl, she was married off, “but not out of love or any attraction, but because Zinovy Borisych Izmailov (her husband) wooed her.” Katerina did not see happiness in marriage. She spent her days in melancholy and loneliness, “from which it is fun, they say, even to hang yourself”; She had no friends or close acquaintances. Having lived with her husband for five whole years, fate never gave them children, while Katerina saw in the baby a remedy for constant melancholy and boredom. She, just like Zinovy Borisych, wanted to nurse, caress and educate future heirs.

“On the sixth spring of Katerina’s marriage,” fate finally made the heroine happy, giving her the opportunity to experience the most tender and sublime feeling - love, which, unfortunately, turned out to be disastrous for Katerina.

On earth, many have loved and love, but for everyone love is something different, personal, mysterious. Some experience romantic love, while others experience passionate love. There are many more types of this wonderful feeling that can be distinguished, but Katerina loved as passionately and strongly as her ardent and hot nature allowed her. For the sake of her beloved, she was ready to do anything, make any sacrifice, and could commit a rash, even cruel act. The heroine managed to kill not only her husband and father-in-law, but also a small, defenseless child. The burning feeling not only destroyed fear, sympathy and pity in Katerina’s soul, but also gave rise to cruelty, extraordinary courage and cunning, as well as a great desire to fight for her love, resorting to any methods and means.

It seems to me that Sergei was also capable of anything, but not because he loved, but because the purpose of communicating with a bourgeois woman was to obtain some capital. Katerina attracted him as a woman who could provide the rest of her cheerful life. His plan would have worked one hundred percent after the death of the heroine’s husband and father-in-law, but suddenly the nephew of the deceased husband, Fedya Memin, appears. If earlier Sergei participated in crimes as an accomplice, a person who only helped, now he himself hints at the murder of an innocent baby, forcing Katerina to believe that Fedya is a real threat to receiving the money owed. It was said that “if it weren’t for this Fedya, she, Katerina Lvovna, would give birth to a child before nine months after her husband disappeared, she would get all her husband’s capital, and then there would be no end to their happiness.” Katerina, calculating and cold, listened to these statements, which acted like a witchcraft spell on her brain and psyche, and began to understand that this obstacle must be eliminated. These remarks sank deep into her mind and heart. She is ready to do everything (even without benefit or meaning) that Sergei says. Katya became a hostage of love, a slave of Seryozha, although in terms of social status she occupied a higher level than her beloved man.

During interrogation, in a confrontation, she openly admitted that it was she who committed the murders because of Sergei, “for him!”, because of love. This love did not extend to anyone other than the hero, and therefore Katerina rejected her child: “her love for her father, like the love of many passionate women, did not transfer any part of it to the child.” She no longer needed anything or anyone; only kind words or a look could revive her to life.

On the way to hard labor, Katerina tried to see him, “giving her the most needed quarter from her skinny wallet.” Sergei only reproached her for such an act. He argued that he himself could use the money, “it would be better if I gave it to him, it would be more useful.” Every day he became colder and more indifferent to Katerina. He began to pester the women around him on the trip. He had no hope for a quick release and a further happy life. He also did not achieve his goal: he did not see any money from Katya. All the efforts he made to achieve positive results were in vain.

By openly meeting with Sonetka and deliberately insulting Katya on the ferry, Sergei, it seems to me, was taking revenge on the heroine for the situation in which he found himself, as he thought, because of her. Katerina, seeing how her beloved man flirts with another, begins to be jealous, and the jealousy of a passionate woman is destructive not only for the heroine, but also for the people around her.

The bullying from Sergei and Sonetka was inaccessible to Katya’s mind; she could not understand their meaning, but they clearly and clearly acted on the woman’s nervous system and psyche. Images of the people she killed begin to appear before her. Katerina could not speak, think, understand anything: “her wandering gaze concentrated and became wild.” She went wild from Sergei’s cruel indifference; she could not accomplish anything other than suicide, since she was unable to survive or overcome such strong and passionate love in her soul. Katya probably believed that Sonetka had taken her lover away from her, so she easily managed to kill her too. Loving Sergei, she did not harm him, she just decided to leave his life.

It seems to me that when she was dying, Katerina felt disappointment and sadness in her soul, because her love turned out to be useless, unhappy, it did not bring good to people, it only destroyed several innocent people

Essays based on the work "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" (Leskov N.S.)

Does the end always justify the means? (based on the story "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District" by N.S. Leskov)

Does the end always justify the means?

Katerina Lvovna Izmailova is a strong character, an extraordinary personality, a bourgeois woman trying to fight against the world of property that has enslaved her. Love turns her into a passionate, ardent nature.
Katerina did not see happiness in marriage. She spent her days in melancholy and loneliness, “from which it is fun, they say, even to hang yourself”; She had no friends or close acquaintances. Having lived with her husband for five whole years, fate never gave them children, while Katerina saw in the baby a remedy for constant melancholy and boredom.
“On the sixth spring of Katerina Lvovna’s marriage,” fate finally made the heroine happy, giving her the opportunity to experience the most tender and sublime feeling - love, which, unfortunately, turned out to be disastrous for Katerina.
On earth, many have loved and love, but for everyone love is something different, personal, mysterious. Some experience romantic love, while others experience passionate love. There are many more types of this wonderful feeling that can be distinguished, but Katerina loved as passionately and strongly as her ardent and hot nature allowed her. For the sake of her beloved, she was ready to do anything, make any sacrifice, and could commit a rash, even cruel act. The heroine managed to kill not only her husband and father-in-law, but also a small, defenseless child. The burning feeling not only destroyed fear, sympathy and pity in Katerina’s soul, but also gave rise to cruelty, extraordinary courage and cunning, as well as a great desire to fight for her love, resorting to any methods and means.
It seems to me that Sergei was also capable of anything, but not because he loved, but because the purpose of communicating with a bourgeois woman was to obtain some capital. Katerina attracted him as a woman who could provide a cheerful future life. His plan would have worked one hundred percent after the death of the heroine’s husband and father-in-law, but suddenly the nephew of the deceased husband, Fedya Lemin, appears. If earlier Sergei participated in crimes as an accomplice, a person who only helped, now he himself hints at the murder of an innocent baby, forcing Katerina to believe that Fedya is a real threat to receiving the money owed. It was said that “if it weren’t for this Fedya, she, Katerina Lvovna, would give birth to a child before nine months after her husband disappeared, she would get all her husband’s capital, and then there would be no end to their happiness.” Katerina, calculating and cold, listened to these statements, which acted like a witchcraft spell on her brain and psyche, and began to understand that this obstacle must be eliminated. These remarks sank deep into her mind and heart. She is ready to do everything (even without benefit or meaning) that Sergei says. Katya became a hostage of love, Seryozha's slave.
During interrogation, she openly admitted that it was she who committed the murders because of Sergei, “for him!”, because of love. This love did not extend to anyone other than the hero, and therefore Katerina rejected her child: “her love for her father, like the love of many passionate women, did not transfer any part of it to the child.” She no longer needed anything or anyone; only kind words or a look could revive her to life.
Every day, on the way to hard labor, he became colder and more indifferent to Katerina. He began to pester the women around him on the trip. He had no hope for a quick release or a happy future life. He also did not achieve his goal: he did not see any money from Katya. All the efforts he made to achieve positive results were in vain. He openly met with Sonetka and deliberately insulted Katya on the ferry. Katerina, seeing how her beloved man flirts with another, begins to be jealous, and the jealousy of a passionate woman is destructive not only for the heroine, but also for the people around her. She went wild from Sergei’s cruel indifference; she could not accomplish anything other than suicide, since she was unable to survive or overcome such strong and passionate love in her soul. Loving Sergei, she did not harm him, she just decided to leave his life.
It seems to me that when she was dying, Katerina felt disappointment and grief in her soul, because her love turned out to be useless, unhappy, it did not bring good to people, it only destroyed several innocent people.

Two Catherines in Russian literature (based on the works of A.N. Ostrovsky “The Thunderstorm” and N.S. Leskov “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk”)

A.N. Ostrovsky and N.S. Leskov are writers who “introduced” heroes from the merchant milieu into Russian literature. Before them, only nobles existed on the pages of works. Readers observed their lives, problems, ideological throwings, sympathized with them and worried about them.
Ostrovsky, and after him Leskov, showed that people from other, “lower” strata of society are also worthy of attention, sympathy, and consideration. They immersed the reader in the merchant environment, way of life and thoughts, merchant tradition. Moreover, these writers brought to the stage not just people of the merchant class. They raised the question of women's share, women's fate specifically in the merchant environment.
It is important that no one paid attention to this before; few people were interested in the inner world of women, their fate. And here entire works are devoted to this very issue! Ostrovsky and Leskov showed that merchant women are capable of emotions, deep feelings, passions, that dramas and even tragedies occur in their destinies. And, most importantly, they can be helped if you just pay attention to these women.
So, the heroines of the drama A.N. Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm" and the story by N.S. Leskova's "Lady Macbeth..." are women, two Katerinas - Katerina Kabanova and Katerina Izmailova. These heroines have a lot in common. Both of them are from merchant patriarchal families. Both are young, full of vitality and energy. Both were married to unloved husbands - according to merchant tradition.
Kabanova’s husband is young, but is completely under the thumb of his mother, who runs all affairs not only at home, but throughout the city. Tikhon cannot protect Katerina, who is constantly tormented by Kabanikha with reproaches and unfair accusations. And all because the daughter-in-law is radically different from traditional ideas about a merchant’s wife. Katerina wants to live out of love and conscience, and not for show, deceitfully and hypocritically, performing rituals that she does not understand (howling when seeing off her husband, for example).-
Katerina Izmailova also finds it very difficult to endure life in her husband’s house, mainly because the life of a woman in a merchant’s house is boring. What should a rich merchant's wife do? Katerina wanders from corner to corner in her big house, sleeping and toiling from idleness.
The heroine, like Katerina Kabanova, is tormented by unfair accusations. A silent reproach to the heroine is that she does not have children from her elderly husband, although the Izmailov family is eagerly awaiting heirs. It is worth noting that Katerina Kabanova has no children, and this also weighs on the heroine.
Writers emphasize that married life behind locked doors “strangles” heroines, destroys their potential, all the good that is in them. Both Izmailova and Kabanova tell with regret what they were like as girls - cheerful, full of joy of life, energy, happiness. And how unbearable it is for them to live in marriage.
Another roll call in the fate of the heroines was their “sin” - betrayal of their husband. But if Katerina Kabanova goes for it, tormented by remorse, knowing that she is committing a sin, then Katerina Izmailova does not even think about it. She is completely absorbed in her feelings for the clerk Sergei and is ready to do anything for him. This passionate nature completely surrendered to her feeling, which knows no boundaries: neither physical, nor moral, nor moral.
And this is the fundamental difference between Katerina Izmailova and Katerina Kabanova. She is also a passionate nature, thirsty for love, ready to do a lot for the sake of her loved one. But inside the heroine of “The Thunderstorm” there are strong moral foundations, a core that allows her to clearly distinguish where is Good and where is Evil. Therefore, having given herself over to a happy “sin,” Katerina already knows exactly what will follow—punishment. And, above all, the punishment is internal, her own. We remember that, unable to withstand the torment of conscience and the pressure of the environment, the heroine commits suicide - she throws herself into the Volga.
Katerina Izmailova dies differently - trying to drown her happier rival: “Katerina Lvovna was trembling. Her wandering gaze concentrated and became wild. Hands once or twice stretched out into space unknown where and fell again. Another minute - and she suddenly swayed all over, without taking her eyes off the dark wave, bent down, grabbed Sonetka by the legs and in one fell swoop threw her over the side of the ferry.”
The heroine understands that she will die along with another girl, but this does not stop her: why should she live if Sergei no longer loves her?
In her animal, godless love, Izmailova reaches the limit: on her conscience is the blood of three innocent people, including a child. This love and all the crimes devastate the heroine: “... for her there was neither light nor darkness, neither bad nor good, nor boredom, nor joy; She didn’t understand anything, didn’t love anyone and didn’t love herself.” She did not love Izmailov and her own child from the man she adored - she gave him away, not worrying at all about his fate, his future fate.
The fate of the heroines of both works are similar in one more way - both of them turned out to be betrayed by their loved ones. Boris Grigorievich, frightened by Dikiy, leaves, leaving Katerina Kabanova to the mercy of fate. He turns out to be just a weak person. Sergei meanly mocks Katerina, realizing that he can get nothing more from her.
Two Katerinas... Two destinies... Two ruined lives... These heroines are similar in many ways, but their essence is still, in my opinion, different. Katerina Izmailova lived by passions, obeying only the call of her flesh. Katerina Kabanova thought about her soul; she had a strong moral foundation. And although she also succumbed to temptation, the story of her love and death is much closer to me, it evokes more sympathy and emotional response in me.

Are love and villainy incompatible things? (based on the story “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” by N.S. Leskov)

Are love and villainy incompatible things? (based on the story “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” by N.S. Leskov)

At the center of Leskov’s story “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” is the story of “fatal love” that ended tragically. This story is interesting and unusual in that it takes place in the Russian outback and its participants are very ordinary people - the family of a merchant and their clerk. However, the passions played out here are not at all “simple” - akin to Shakespeare’s. The ending of the whole story is also similar to Shakespearean tragedies - the death of the main character of the story.
It was she, the young merchant’s wife Katerina Lvovna, who, as it turned out, was ready to do anything for the sake of love. But she did not love her husband, the old merchant Izmailov, but his manager, the handsome young Sergei.
The author emphasizes that Katerina’s married life was not happy: the heroine lived in abundance, but her entire existence was saturated with boredom, because she lived with an unloved husband and could not even have children. This is why, it seems to me, Katerina Lvovna became so attached to the manager Sergei. She was young, she wanted to live life to the fullest, experience strong emotions. And Sergei, to some extent, gave her all this. Although we immediately understand that his feeling is only a passing hobby, a “cure for boredom” from which he also suffered.
With the appearance of Sergei, violent passions took possession of Katerina Lvovna’s soul, and she completely submitted to them. So, the heroine, without hesitation, poisoned her father-in-law Boris Timofeevich when he guessed about her affair with Sergei: “Boris Timofeevich ate mushrooms with gruel at night, and he began to have heartburn.” And after Boris Timofeevich’s funeral, in the absence of her husband, Katerina completely “broke up” - she did not hide her feelings for the clerk to anyone.
However, the husband was supposed to return soon, and Sergei began to feel sad and sad more and more often. Soon he opened up to Katerina - he dreams of being her legal husband, and not her lover. And the woman promised him: “Well, I already know how I will make you a merchant and live with you completely properly.”
And on the day of her husband’s arrival, she carried out her plan: “In one movement she threw Sergei away from her, quickly rushed at her husband and, before Zinovy Borisych had time to jump to the window, grabbed him from behind with her thin fingers by the throat and, like a damp sheaf of hemp, threw him onto floor".
For the sake of fairness, it must be said that Katerina gave her husband a chance - first she found out his reaction to her affair with Sergei. But when I saw that Zinovy Borisovich was not going to put up with his wife’s lover, she instantly made a decision. The heroine kills her husband, making Sergei an accomplice.
It seems that Katerina commits her crimes in some kind of insanity, as if captured by evil forces - her indifference to everyone except her lover is so terrible. She denies her dying husband the most sacred thing - communion before death: “To confess,” he said even more indistinctly, trembling and glancing sideways at the warm blood condensing under his hair.
“You’ll be good and so,” whispered Katerina Lvovna.”
But the list of the heroine’s crimes does not end there either - she goes to the end in her atrocities. At the instigation of Sergei Filipich, who truly became her “evil angel,” Katerina kills her husband’s little nephew, who owned part of the family capital.
However, inevitable punishment comes - the heroes are condemned to hard labor for their crimes. And it soon turns out that Sergei’s love for Katerina was largely based on her wealth. Now, when the heroine has lost everything, she has also lost Sergei’s affection - he sharply changed his attitude towards her, began to look at other women: “... sometimes even in her non-tearful eyes, tears of anger and frustration welled up in the darkness of night dates; but she endured everything, remained silent and wanted to deceive herself.”
And in an instant, Katerina’s heart could not stand it - she realized that Sergei had exchanged her for the beautiful Sonetka. Now the heroine, who had devoted herself entirely to her beloved, had nothing to lose: “Another minute - and she suddenly swayed all over, without taking her eyes off the dark wave, bent down, grabbed Sonetka by the legs and in one fell swoop threw her over the side of the ferry.”
This was the heroine’s last crime, which ended tragically for her - she drowned along with Sonetka, who was so hated by her: “at the same time, from another wave, Katerina Lvovna rose above the water almost waist-deep, rushed at Sonetka, like a strong pike at soft-feathered flesh, and both never showed up again.”
So, are love and villainy really that incompatible? The feeling of passion so captured the soul of Katerina - a passionate and temperamental nature - that she forgot about everything except her beloved. The heroine was ready to do anything and did everything to keep Sergei close, to make him happy. Perhaps this is generally female nature - to devote oneself to a beloved man, to forget about everything in the world except his interests.
However, we should not forget that Katerina Lvovna suffered a well-deserved punishment. This is not only the court of society, but also the court of supreme justice (the heroine experienced all the torments that her deceived husband experienced). In addition, until the very end, the woman was haunted by pangs of conscience - the people she killed constantly appeared.
Thus, Leskov shows us that the heroine’s love cannot serve as an excuse for her villainy, because true love, love from God, is incompatible with villainy.

Essay-reflection: “Crime. Who is guilty?" (Based on the works of “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky and “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” by N.S. Leskov)

A crime is an atrocity. For every crime there is punishment. What pushes people to commit a crime, what motivates them? What are the motives? To commit a crime means to go against any moral foundations, moral principles of both society and the individual himself. Therefore, there is something much more powerful, something that prevails over a person.

Let's try to compare two heroines: Katerina Petrovna Kabanova A.N. Ostrovsky and Katerina Lvovna Izmailova N.S. Leskova.

In these works we see two heroines with the same name Katerina, which means “eternally pure.” This name is very suitable for one of them, Katerina Kabanova: she is naive, pure and immaculate. Ostrovsky portrayed her as a person who does not accept the world in which she lives. Rejection of the world is beyond her control, it comes from her very heart. Dobrolyubov called this world a “dark kingdom”, and Katerina a “ray of light” in it. Ostrovsky contrasted the terrible figures of the “dark kingdom” with the image of a woman with an ardent and pure heart. Katerina falls in love with a man who is by no means worthy of the great love with which her heart is filled. The feeling of love and the sense of duty are fighting in her. But the consciousness of her own sinfulness is unbearable for her, “her whole heart was torn apart” from the constant internal struggle, and Katerina, seeing no other way out, rushes into the Volga.

The heroine of Leskov’s essay is completely different. It is difficult to call her pure and immaculate. Of course, when we first meet Katerina Izmailova, we consider her not typical of Russia at that time, especially considering that Leskov refers to a Shakespearean tragedy.

And only by looking closely at Izmailova, one can notice that she, like Ostrovsky’s Katerina, protests against the patriarchal way of life that stifles her. Leskov tried to create not a Russian version of Shakespeare’s villainess, but an image of a strong woman “lost” in the “dark kingdom.”

In both works, one can guess the real world of the Russian province of the mid-19th century. The similarity of some details allows us to see the fundamental difference between two heroines living in similar conditions.

Both Katerinas are merchants, their families have wealth. Both were born in a patriarchal world, in the “dark kingdom,” but their childhood and adolescence passed under the sign of “simplicity and freedom.” “...I lived... like a bird in the wild. My mother doted on me,... she didn’t force me to work; whatever I wanted, I did...” says Katerina Kabanova about her life as a girl. Katerina Izmailova also “had an ardent character, and, living as a girl in poverty, she got used to simplicity and freedom...” But, having complete freedom of action, how differently they disposed of it! “Sprinkle sunflower husks through the gate of a passing young man…” - that’s what Katerina Lvovna wanted. The soul of Katerina Kabanova demanded something completely different: “And to death I loved going to church! Surely, it used to be, I will enter heaven..., such a light column goes down from the dome, and in this column there is smoke, like clouds, and I see, it used to be , as if angels are flying and singing in this pillar...” Comparing the two heroines, we notice that the spiritual world of Katerina Kabanova is disproportionately richer.

Both heroines married without love. “No, how can I not love him! I feel sorry for him very much!” Kabanova says about Tikhon. But pity is not love. The fate of Katerina Lvovna is similar: “They gave her in marriage to... the merchant Izmailov... not out of love or any attraction, but because Izmailov was wooing her...” But if Ostrovsky’s heroine felt sorry for her husband and at least some feeling connected them, then Katerina Lvovna did not feel any feelings for her husband, and got married because of poverty.

Despite the atrocities committed by the heroine, her fate evokes pity and sympathy. Yes, this woman was cruel and merciless. Yes, no one gave her the right to control other people's lives. But we should not forget that all this was done by her in the name of love, for the sake of a person who, as it turned out, did not deserve such sacrifices at all. Thus, a banal melodrama about a bored merchant’s wife, under Leskov’s pen, grows into a tragic story of a woman yearning for love, motherhood, kind words and fidelity.

Human life has absolute value, so the crime that takes it away is equally absolute. The guilt of the crimes committed by Katerina Izmailova lies primarily in herself, in her “animal” passion for Sergei; The guilt of Kabanova’s crime was initially inherent in the surrounding society, its environment.

Comparison of the heroine of the play “The Thunderstorm” by Katerina Kabanova and the heroine of the essay “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” by Katerina Izmailova

“The Thunderstorm” and “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” are two famous works of two great Russian writers. They were created around the same time (1859 and 1865). Even the main characters are both Katerinas. Leskov’s essay, however, can be considered a kind of polemic with Ostrovsky’s play. Let's try to compare the heroines of these works.
So, both heroines are young wives, married off not for love. They are both merchants and therefore have no financial problems. What remains in their past is a carefree childhood and adolescence in their parents' home. Also, according to merchant tradition, house-building order reigns in their houses. Both have no children. The character of both Katerinas reveals ardor, passion, love leads them to self-forgetfulness, they both decided to sin. Their sad end is also the same - both committed suicide by throwing themselves into the river.
But the heroines also have many differences. So from Greek, the name Catherine means “pure, immaculate.” This definition fully characterizes Ekaterina Kabanova, she is “a ray of light in the dark kingdom” of the city of Kalinov, her image and character do not change in any way during the course of the action and is static. In relation to Ekaterina Izmailova, this characteristic is true only at the beginning of the essay; her image is dynamic, it develops, or even rather degrades as the story progresses. If we look at Izmailova’s patronymic and surname, this is what comes out: Ekaterina is “immaculate”, Lvovna is “animal, wild”, Izmailova - something foreign, non-native comes from this surname.
Both heroines decided to cheat on their husband, but if Katerina Kabanova blames herself and punishes herself for this, believes that she has done something terrible, then Katerina Izmailova takes this calmly and is ready to follow her sin into the abyss.
And this is the fundamental difference between Katerina Izmailova and Katerina Kabanova. Kabanova is passionate, ready to do a lot for the sake of her loved one. But inside the heroine of “The Thunderstorm” there are strong moral foundations, a core that allows her to clearly distinguish where is Good and where is Evil. Therefore, having given herself over to a happy “sin,” Katerina already knows for sure that punishment will follow. And, above all, the punishment is internal, her own. We remember that, unable to withstand the torments of conscience and the pressure of the environment, the heroine commits suicide - she throws herself into the Volga.
Ekaterina Kabanova, in order to save her love and not obey Kabanikha, takes a desperate step - suicide. At this moment she is pure, she washes away her sin in water.
Ekaterina Izmailova, for the sake of her love, decides to kill three people, including her own husband and a small, innocent boy. It’s as if a beast is awakening in her, she is ready to do anything in order to be with her lover. So, this is clearly visible in the final scene, where Izmailova throws herself and her rival into the river.

These heroines are similar in many ways, but their essence is still, in my opinion, different. Katerina Izmailova lived by passions, obeying only the call of her flesh. Katerina Kabanova thought about her soul; she had a strong moral foundation. And although she also succumbed to temptation, the story of her love and death is much closer to me, it evokes more sympathy and emotional response in me.

The theme of love in N. Leskov's story "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk"

The main theme touched upon by N.S. Leskov in the story Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is the theme of love; love that has no boundaries, love for which they do everything, even murder.
The main character is the merchant's wife Katerina Lvovna Izmailova; The main character is clerk Sergei. The story consists of fifteen chapters.
In the first chapter, the reader learns that Katerina Lvovna is a young, twenty-four-year-old girl, quite sweet, although not beautiful. Before her marriage she was a cheerful laugher, but after the wedding her life changed. The merchant Izmailov was a strict widower of about fifty, he lived with his father Boris Timofeevich and his whole life consisted of trade. From time to time he leaves, and his young wife finds no place for herself. Boredom, the most uncontrollable one, pushes her to take a walk around the yard one day. Here she meets the clerk Sergei, an unusually handsome guy, about whom they say that the woman you want will flatter you and bring you to sin.
One warm evening, Katerina Lvovna is sitting in her high room by the window, when she suddenly sees Sergei. Sergei bows to her and within a few moments finds himself at her door. The meaningless conversation ends at the bedside in a dark corner. Since then, Sergei begins to visit Katerina Lvovna at night, coming and going along the pillars that support the young woman’s gallery. However, one night his father-in-law Boris Timofeevich sees him - he punishes Sergei with whips, promising that with the arrival of his son, Katerina Lvovna will be pulled out in the stables, and Sergei will be sent to prison. But the next morning, the father-in-law, after eating mushrooms and gruel, gets heartburn, and a few hours later he dies, just like the rats died in the barn, for which only Katerina Lvovna had poison. Now the love of the owner’s wife and the clerk is flaring up more than ever, they already know about it in the yard, but they think like this: they say, this is her business, and she will have an answer.
In the chapter of N.S. Leskov’s story Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, it is said that very often Katerina Lvovna has the same nightmare dream. It’s as if a huge cat is walking on her bed, purring, and then suddenly lies down between her and Sergei. Sometimes the cat talks to her: I’m no cat, Katerina Lvovna, I’m the famous merchant Boris Timofeevich. The only thing that makes me so bad now is that all my bones inside are cracked from my sister-in-law’s treat. A young woman looks at a cat, and it has the head of Boris Timofeevich, and instead of eyes there are circles of fire. That same night, her husband, Zinovy Borisovich, returns home. Katerina Lvovna hides Sergei on a pole behind the gallery, throwing his shoes and clothes there. The husband who comes in asks to put the samovar on him, and then asks why in his absence the bed is folded in two, and points to Sergei’s woolen belt, which he finds on the sheet. Katerina Lvovna calls Sergei in response, her husband is stunned by such impudence. Without thinking twice, the woman begins to strangle her husband, then hits him with a cast candlestick. When Zinovy Borisovich falls, Sergei sits on him. Soon the merchant dies. The young housewife and Sergei bury him in the cellar.
Now Sergei begins to walk like a real master, and Katerina Lvovna conceives a child from him. However, their happiness turns out to be short-lived: it turns out that the merchant had a nephew, Fedya, who has more rights to the inheritance. Sergei convinces Katerina that because of Fedya, who has now moved in with them; lovers will not have happiness and power... They are planning to kill their nephew.
In the eleventh chapter, Katerina Lvovna carries out her plans, and, of course, not without the help of Sergei. The nephew is smothered with a large pillow. But all this is seen by a curious person who at that moment looked through the gap between the shutters. A crowd instantly gathers and breaks into the house...
Both Sergei, who confessed to all the murders, and Katerina are sent to hard labor. The child who is born shortly before is given to the husband's relative, since only this child remains the only heir.
In the final chapters, the author tells about the misadventures of Katerina Lvovna in exile. Here Sergei completely abandons her, begins to openly cheat on her, but she continues to love him. From time to time he comes to her on a date, and during one of these meetings he asks Katerina Lvovna for stockings, since his feet allegedly hurt a lot. Katerina Lvovna gives away beautiful woolen stockings. The next morning, she sees them on the feet of Sonetka, a young girl and Sergei’s current girlfriend. The young woman understands that all her feelings for Sergei are meaningless and are not needed by him, and then she decides to do the last thing...
On one of the stormy days, convicts are transported by ferry across the Volga. Sergei, as has become customary lately, again begins to laugh at Katerina Lvovna. She looks blankly, and then suddenly grabs Sonetka standing next to her and throws herself overboard. It is impossible to save them.
This concludes N.S. Leskov’s story Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.

How did I feel after reading “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” by N.S. Leskova

The plot of the story is based on N.S. Leskov’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” is a simple, everyday, but at the same time, full of tragedy story. She talks about the love of the merchant's wife Katerina Lvovna for her worker Sergei. This blind, destructive love-passion pushes a woman to the worst thing - murder.
First, the heroine decides to poison her father-in-law. Boris Timofeich found out about Katerina Lvovna’s relationship with Sergei and threatened to tell her husband about it.
One crime led to another. Rumors about his wife’s affair with Sergei reached Zinovy Borisovich. He came home with many doubts in his heart and wanting to figure everything out. But Katerina Lvovna had long ago decided what to do. As soon as she meets her husband, the heroine takes Sergei out of the room and, without shame, admits that she and he are lovers. When the enraged Zinovy Borisovich jumps up to “put in their place” his wife and Sergei, the heroine begins to strangle him. Together with their lover, they kill the merchant.
But the chain of bloody crimes does not end there. The heroes commit another, probably the most serious, murder - they strangle a little boy, the nephew of Zinovy Borisovich, who was the heir to part of their family’s money.
At first glance, it seems that it was Katerina Lvovna who conceived and committed all these murders. Sergei was a passion, an outlet, and happiness for the heroine. It is not for nothing that Leskov emphasizes that before meeting him, the woman died of boredom and melancholy - after all, the life of a merchant’s wife was not very diverse. With Sergei, love and passion entered Katerina Lvovna’s life. And this was vital for the heroine, with her character and temperament. And everything she did, this woman did for the sake of Sergei, for the sake of the fact that he was with her.
Of course, in my opinion, the heroine’s feelings do not justify Katerina Lvovna’s crimes. She forgot all human laws, despised God for the sake of her passion. In this, the heroine became like animals that are guided only by instincts. Katerina Lvovna committed an unforgivable sin, fell very low, for which she paid with a broken heart, a distorted fate, and death.
But, I think that her lover, Sergei, fell much lower. If a woman is to some extent justified by a sincere, albeit carnal, feeling, then the hero acted prudently and soullessly from the very beginning. It was he who, manipulating Katerina Lvovna’s feelings, pushed the woman to commit all the murders, except, perhaps, the very first one. It was after him that Sergei realized that the heroine would do anything for him. And he decided to make the most of their connection. When there was nothing left to take from Katerina Lvovna (after her conviction), the hero abandoned her, carried away by a younger and more beautiful girl.
But, moreover, Sergei demonstrated his relationship with her to Katerina Sergeevna, trying to cause the woman more pain. In front of other prisoners, he insulted and humiliated his former mistress, literally “trampling her into the dirt.” This man behaved very unworthily, ultimately provoking the murder of Sonetka and the death of Katerina Lvovna.
Thus, after reading “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” I experienced a whole range of feelings - from pity for Katerina Lvovna and contempt for Sergei to admiration for the talent of the writer who managed to convey a truly Shakespearean tragedy that played out in the Russian province.