The name of the playwright, corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky is known to everyone. He worked hard for the development of the Russian national theater. His humor and satire are so refined, capacious and unforgettable that they are still relevant, put on the stage not only in Russia and the CIS countries, but throughout the world.
Mad Money, Ostrovsky: Summary
At first, the author of the play “Mad Money” wanted to name “Scythe - for a stone” or “Not all that glitters is gold,” but in the end he settled on the name we are familiar with. In 1969, the work was finished, published in the journal "Domestic Notes", and a year later it was staged at the Alexandria Theater (in April 1970) and at the Maly Theater of Moscow. The Maly Theater premiered on October 6th.
As in many plays, A. N. Ostrovsky in “Mad Money” reflects the mores of the nobility, develops the theme of the crisis of many of them. His characters, self-confident, we can say, to arrogance, become cunning, hypocritical and prudent.
The characters in the comedy:
- Vasilkov Savva Gennadich, landowner (businessman).
- Telyatev Ivan Petrovich, a nobleman.
- Kuchumov Grigory Borisovich, master.
- Glumov Egor Dmitrievich.
- Cheboksarova Nadezhda Antonovna, an elderly lady.
- Lidia Yurievna, her daughter.
- Andrey, Gregory, Nikolai, servants.
In the play “Mad Money”, Ostrovsky (a brief summary will be described below) did not fully reveal the image of Vasilkov. On the one hand, he is a positive character, loves Lydia, strives to live correctly, but on the other, he is too businesslike, calculates his every step. In Ostrovsky, Cornflowers are presented more like a fisted person, the author comically describes a budget from which he does not want to leave.
Mad Money (Ostrovsky): Heroes, Their Interactions
So, the action takes place in Moscow, in the middle of the 19th century. Middle-aged provinces Vasilkov Savva Gennadich arrives in the capital, accidentally encounters a “socialite” Lidia Cheboksarova and wants to marry her. Vasilkov is a decisive person, once he has conceived something, he goes towards this goal, even if at first glance it seems unattainable.
His casual acquaintance, Telyaev Ivan Petrovich, promises to introduce the provincial to a local beauty, but at heart, together with an old friend Glumov, known as a dodger from the play “For every sage is quite simple,” decides to play the future bride of Savva Gennadich.
To mother and daughter Cheboksarov they represent Vasilkov as a gold miner from Siberia. The provincial becomes a guest in the house of Nadezhda Antonovna and Lydia Yuryevna, but due to her modest nature she cannot find an approach to the eccentric lady.
The desperate act of Nadezhda Antonovna
So ends the first action of the play "Mad Money". Ostrovsky begins the summary of the second action with the fact that Nadezhda Antonovna receives a letter from her husband that they are ruined, since he sold the last property and does not know how to get out of the situation. Nadezhda Antonovna Cheboksarova urgently decides to marry her daughter. Lydia chooses Telyaev as the “victim”, however, the cunning Ivan Petrovich quickly dares to what and says that “marriage is not for him.”
All that remains is the “fallback” - Savva Gennadich, Lydia’s mother quickly wooed her daughter for him and a week later Lidia Yurievna becomes the lawful wife of the happy Vasilkov.
Mad Money (Ostrovsky): an analysis of comedy
But then Vasilkov’s troubles begin, thanks to him the Cheboksarovs continue to live in a big way, not thinking about debts, which have already accumulated about three hundred thousand, and none other than Vasilkov should cover them.
Having found himself in a difficult situation, Savva Gennadich agrees to fulfill the request of his wife, but only on the condition that she moves to another, modest apartment and begins to live within her means. At first, this outrages the proud Lidia Yurievna, but she is forced to agree to this step.
"Crazy money" Ostrovsky (a short summary of the work are held in secondary schools) and other plays he wrote under the influence of the work of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. Reading the great Russian poet, as Alexander Nikolayevich said, it becomes clear that Pushkin’s merit is that through him everything that can grow wiser is smarter. Therefore, in plays Ostrovsky is merciless to his heroes.
The meanness of Glumov (the last name speaks for itself), Kuchumov, Telyatev and the Cheboksarovs has no limit. Agreeing to her husband’s proposal, Lidia Yurievna continues to flirt with her former fans. Kuchumov, who is penniless, is trying to throw dust in Lydia’s eyes and, taking advantage of her position, promises a huge amount of money in exchange for her love. Accustomed to luxury, predatory Lydia Cheboksarova agrees and becomes a victim of Kuchumov. Vasilkov, having caught his wife with another man, breaks all communication with her and her mother.
Deceived dreams
At first, women are even happy about this, but time is running out, and there are no and no promised money. Kuchumov comes to visit them every day, but is silent about his promise, and finally, Teliatev opens her eyes, saying that Grigory Borisovich is ruined, as, indeed, he himself. In desperation, Lydia sends her mother for Vasilkov to say that she is dying and wants to see him.
Savva Gennadich comes, but rejects the offer to live together. Wanting to teach her a lesson, he offers her to become a collarbord in his mother’s house in return for a promise to pay off her debts, and then, if she withstands the “probationary period” with honor, take her to Petersburg. Lydia cannot go for it, but, thinking, decides to take the path of correction.
Conclusion
Often, schools offer to write an essay of the following content: "Mad Money" (Ostrovsky). The theme of the relationship of Lydia Cheboksarova and Savva Vasilkov, "but this applies more likely to schoolchildren who have chosen a humanitarian profile of education. Their love, of course, is one-sided, and only Vasilkov loves, as best he can, and Lidia Yurievna takes advantage of this. At the end of the play, everything changes somehow, Vasilkov no longer causes sympathy, especially after his eternally repeating word “budget”. The reader is more likely to sympathize with Lydia, who is finally becoming rational and even ready to “cry” her youth and is preparing for work.
A. N. Ostrovsky himself had loved a married woman all her life , who rejected his feelings under the guise of her husband, but also a widow, she did not reciprocate the playwright. Contacting the son of a wealthy merchant, she wrote to Ostrovsky that she did not want to take his love from anyone. After a while, the playwright married actress Maria Vasilyevna Bakhmetyeva and they had four sons and two daughters.