In the comedy “Woe from Wit” by A. S. Griboedov, the ball scene occupies an important place. You will see this by reading this article. It presents an analysis of the episode "Ball in Famusov’s House".
Ball scene preparation
In the comedy, the ball scene is prepared in advance. The development of the action from the point of view of the ideological conflict of this play is anticipated by the monologues of Famusov and Chatsky, who contrast the ideological convictions and the views of the “century of the past” and the “present century”, also reveals society’s rejection of the thoughts and ideas of the protagonist, who represents the foremost noble youth in Russia 10- 20s of the 19th century.
When analyzing the episode "Ball in the Famusov’s House", it should be noted that the phenomena and paintings preceding this scene are of great importance. In an effort to gain recognition from Sophia at the beginning of the third act, Chatsky gives her an occasion for ridicule: "Isn't that ridiculous?" He identifies the love that he has for this heroine with madness. The girl’s reaction to this comparison served as the basis for gossip that quickly spread in the evening at Famusov’s.
"Gallery of types" presented at the ball
As the analysis of the episode “The Ball in Famusov’s House” shows, this scene is a typical picture depicting morals prevailing at that time. This is the "gallery of types" of Moscow. Each family invited to Famusov consists of ubiquitous representatives of the then society. She plays her own little comedy.
The couple of Gorichey
According to the plan, the analysis of the episode “Ball in the Famusov’s House” can begin with the Gorichi family, since she comes first. Platon Mikhailovich, husband, is a colleague and old friend of Chatsky. In his youth, he was a lively, agile and cheerful person. Now, according to Chatsky, this man is "lazy" and "calm", he has forgotten his comrades and the "camp noise." It seems that before marriage, Natalya Dmitrievna also knew the main character pretty well. You can judge this by her reaction when meeting with Alexander Andreevich: "Ah! Alexander Andreich, are you?" This woman is a prime example of female power. She killed in her husband with her worries about his health the liveliness inherent in him in his youth. As a result, he turned into a limp man. The wife completely subordinated the spouse with constant worries about his health, comments. In this pair, the role of the husband is reduced to the level of fun, toys in the hands of the wife. He himself admits that family life is boring.
Tugoukhovsky couple
Continuing the analysis of the episode “The Ball at Famusov’s House,” we move on to the next guests. After the Gorichs, the Tugoukhovskys appear: the princess and the prince, together with six daughters, who represent the “contingent of brides,” according to Goncharov. The behavior of these ladies is fully consistent with how Famusov describes the Moscow young ladies: "taste", "excellent manner." They know how to “dress up” in fashion as “haze”, “marigold” and “taffeta”. Talking about clothes reduces all their dialogs.
The behavior of the guests during the ball confirms that money and rank are decisive in this society. Princess Tugoukhovskaya had already sent her husband to Chatsky to marry her daughters, however, upon learning that Alexander Andreevich was not rich and did not serve anywhere, she began to call the prince back.
Reception of "speaking surnames"
Griboedov in the comedy uses the technique of "speaking surnames", traditional for classic plays. Prince Tugoukhovsky serves as a vivid example of this. He considers deafness to be his only drawback. This person does not hear well and is forced to interrogate several times, placing the auditory tube to his ear. Like Platon Mikhailovich, Tugoukhovsky is subordinate to his wife. His role in family life is so insignificant that he does not utter any words during the ball, except for various interjections such as "Um!"
Old woman Khlestova
The old woman Khlestova, which is proved by our analysis of the episode “Ball in the House of Famusov” (“Woe from Wit”), is a relic of the Catherine’s age. This is “Famusov in a skirt”, an ardent serfwoman who keeps herself confident in society, boldly expresses her opinions, knowing that no one dares to object to her. This heroine is trying with all her might to protect the "meanest features" of the "past life", opposing everything new that could change the current order, in particular, education.
Zagoretsky
The next character, without which the type gallery presented at the ball would be incomplete, is Zagoretsky. He is described as a “rogue” and “notorious fraudster”. Everyone knows about this, but they accept this person everywhere, because he is a "master of service." Zagoretsky offers politely Sofya a ticket to the performance, agrees with everyone around him, assent to everyone.
What causes Chatsky hostility of guests?
Chatsky manages to cause irritation and hostility at the ball for all the guests who are present at Famusov with his harsh remarks and caustic remarks. After analyzing the episode “The Ball in Famusov’s House,” summarized in this article, we noticed that with this the main character brings closer the denouement of the social conflict, which consists in a clash with the “past century” of the “present century”. For example, he says taunts to the countess-granddaughter, who is “a whole century” sitting in girls.
Characteristics of Famusian society
Cohesion, unity, consent are important characteristics of the society described in the episode. Unity lies in how it perceived Chatsky's speech. Famusovskaya Moscow was just as unanimous in spreading gossip that Aleksandr Andreevich allegedly went crazy, as well as in the speed with which it spread thanks to Messrs. N. and P. You can make sure of this by independently analyzing the episode "Ball in Famusov’s house. " Conclusion: society is extremely unanimous.
All the characters are united by this gossip. A rumor about the craziness of Alexander Andreevich is the only weapon against his speeches. Thus, the Moscow "light" expressed its attitude to the behavior of this hero. Gossip is a means of revealing characters, and this applies not only to the main, but also to secondary characters. For example, Platon Mikhailovich does not first believe in Chatsky's madness, but is forced to admit it when he realizes that everyone thinks so.
Concluding the analysis of the episode “Ball in Famusov’s House” according to plan, let’s say a few words about how all these events ended for the main character. The ending is tragic for Alexander Andreyevich. He learns that the rumor was started by Sofia - the girl with whom he is in love. In the final scene, all guests turned away from Chatsky, and the hero was alone among the crowd.
So, as the analysis of the episode “The Ball in Famusov’s House” (“Woe from Wit”) shows, this part of the work plays an important role in comedy. The climax of a love and social conflict is taking place. The denouement is also approaching thanks to this episode. In front of the audience at the ball there is a gallery of types of nobility in Moscow in the first quarter of the 19th century.
We analyzed the episode "Ball in Famusov’s House". The summary of this scene is not limited to the stated events. We noted only the basic ones that we need for analysis.