The image of the dark kingdom in the drama of the Ostrovsky thunderstorm. Composition “So what is this “dark kingdom

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was endowed with a great talent as a playwright. He is deservedly considered the founder of the Russian national theater. His plays, varied in subject matter, glorified Russian literature. Creativity Ostrovsky had a democratic character. He created plays in which hatred for the autocratic-feudal regime was manifested. The writer called for the protection of the oppressed and humiliated citizens of Russia, longed for social change.

The great merit of Ostrovsky is that he opened the world of merchants to the enlightened public, oh Everyday life which Russian society had a superficial concept. Merchants in Russia provided trade in goods and food, they were seen in shops, considered uneducated and uninteresting. Ostrovsky showed that behind the high fences of merchant houses, in the souls and hearts of people from the merchant class, almost Shakespearean passions are played out. He was called the Columbus of Zamoskvorechye.

Ostrovsky's ability to assert progressive tendencies in Russian society was fully revealed in the play The Thunderstorm, published in 1860. The play reflects the irreconcilable contradictions between the individual and society. The playwright raises an acute question in the 1860s about the position of women in Russian society.

The action of the play takes place in the small Volga town of Kalinov, where the merchant population mainly lives. In his famous article “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom,” the critic Dobrolyubov characterizes the life of merchants in this way: “Their life flows smoothly and peacefully, no interests of the world disturb them, because they do not reach them; kingdoms can collapse, new countries open up, the face of the earth ... change - the inhabitants of the town of Kalinov will continue to exist for themselves in complete ignorance of the rest of the world ... The concepts and way of life they have adopted are the best in the world, everything new comes from evil spirits... A dark mass, terrible in its naivety and sincerity.

Ostrovsky, against the backdrop of a beautiful landscape, draws the bleak life of the townsfolk of Kalinov. Kuligin, who in the play opposes the ignorance and arbitrariness of the "dark kingdom", says: "Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel!"

The term "tyranny" came into use along with Ostrovsky's plays. The playwright called petty tyrants "the masters of life", the rich, whom no one dared to argue with. This is how Savel Prokofievich Dikoy is depicted in the play "Thunderstorm". It was not by chance that Ostrovsky awarded him a "speaking" surname. Wild is famous for its wealth, acquired by deceit and exploitation of other people's labor. No law was written to him. With his absurd, rude disposition, he inspires fear in others, this is a "cruel scolder", "a piercing man." His wife is forced every morning to persuade others: “Fathers, do not make me angry! Doves, don't get angry! Impunity has corrupted the Wild, he can shout, insult a person, but this applies only to those who do not rebuff him. Half the city belongs to Wild, but he does not pay those who work for him. He explains to the mayor this way: “What is so special about it, I won’t give them a penny a penny, and I have a fortune.” Pathological greed overshadows his mind.

Progressive man Kuligin turns to Wild with a request to give money to install a sundial in the city. In response, he hears: “Why are you climbing to me with all sorts of nonsense!

Maybe I don't want to talk to you. You should have known first whether I was disposed to listen to you, fool, or not. So right with the snout and climb to talk. Wild is completely unbridled in his tyranny, he is sure that any court will be on his side: “For others, you are an honest person, but I think that you are a robber, that’s all ... What are you going to sue, or something, with me? .. So know that you are a worm, if you want, I will crush you.”

Another bright representative of the mores of the "dark kingdom" is Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova. Kuligin speaks of her like this: “A hypocrite. She clothes the poor, but eats the household completely. Kabanova single-handedly rules the house and her family, she is accustomed to unquestioning obedience. In her face, Ostrovsky shows an ardent defender of the wild orders of house building in families and in life. She is sure that only fear holds the family together, she does not understand what respect, understanding, good relations between people are. The boar suspects everyone of sins, constantly complains about the lack of due respect for the elders on the part of the younger generation. “They don’t really respect elders these days…,” she says. The boar always becomes shy, pretends to be a victim: “Mother is old, stupid; well, you, young people, smart, should not exact from us, from fools.

Kabanova "feels with her heart" that the old order is coming to an end, she is anxious and scared. She turned her own son into a dumb slave who has no power in his own family, acts only at the behest of his mother. Tikhon happily leaves home, only to take a break from scandals and the oppressive atmosphere of his home.

Dobrolyubov writes: “The tyrants of Russian life, however, begin to feel some kind of discontent and fear, themselves not knowing what and why ... In addition to them, without asking them, another life grew up, with other principles, and although it is far away, it is still is not well seen, but already gives itself a presentiment and sends bad visions to the dark arbitrariness of petty tyrants.

Showing the life of the Russian provinces, Ostrovsky paints a picture of extreme backwardness, ignorance, rudeness and cruelty that kill all life around. The life of people depends on the arbitrariness of the Wild and Boars, who are hostile to any manifestations of free thought, self-esteem in a person. Having shown from the stage the life of the merchants in all its manifestations, Ostrovsky pronounced a harsh sentence on despotism and spiritual slavery.

Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" caused a strong reaction in the field of literary critics and critics. A. Grigoriev, D. Pisarev, F. Dostoevsky devoted their articles to this work. N. Dobrolyubov, some time after the publication of The Thunderstorm, wrote the article "A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom." Being a good critic, Dobrolyubov emphasized good style the author, praising Ostrovsky for his deep knowledge of the Russian soul, and reproached other critics for the lack of a direct look at the work. In general, Dobrolyubov's view is interesting from several points of view. For example, the critic believed that dramas should show the detrimental effect of passion on a person’s life, which is why he calls Katerina a criminal. But Nikolai Alexandrovich nevertheless says that Katerina is also a martyr, because her sufferings evoke a response in the soul of the viewer or reader. Dobrolyubov gives very accurate characteristics. It was he who called the merchants "dark kingdom" in the play "Thunderstorm".

If we trace how the merchant class and the social strata adjacent to it were displayed for decades, then a complete picture of degradation and decline emerges. In "Undergrowth" the Prostakovs are shown as narrow-minded people, in "Woe from Wit" the Famusovs are frozen statues who refuse to live honestly. All these images are the forerunners of Kabanikhi and Dikiy. It is on these two characters that the "dark kingdom" in the drama "Thunderstorm" rests.

The author acquaints us with the manners and orders of the city from the first lines of the play: "Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel!" In one of the dialogues between the residents, the topic of violence is raised: “Whoever has money, sir, he tries to enslave the poor ... And among themselves - then, sir, how they live! ... They are at enmity with each other.” No matter how much people hide what is happening inside families, the rest already know everything. Kuligin says that no one has been praying to God here for a long time. All doors are locked, "so that people do not see how ... they eat their own household and tyrannize the family." Behind the locks - debauchery and drunkenness. Kabanov goes to drink with Dikoy, Dikoy appears drunk in almost all scenes, Kabanikha is also not averse to having a glass - another in the company of Savl Prokofievich.

The whole world, in which the inhabitants of the fictional city of Kalinov live, is thoroughly saturated with lies and scams. Power over the "dark kingdom" belongs to tyrants and deceivers. Residents are so accustomed to dispassionately kowtowing to richer people that this lifestyle is the norm for them. They often come to Wild to ask for money, while knowing that he will humiliate them, but will not give the required amount. Most of the negative emotions in the merchant are caused by his own nephew. Not even because Boris is flattering Dikoy in order to get money, but because Dikoy himself does not want to part with the inheritance he has received. His main features are rudeness and greed. Dikoy believes that since he has a large amount of money, it means that others should obey him, fear him and at the same time respect him.

Kabanikha stands up for the preservation of the patriarchal system. She is a true tyrant, able to drive anyone she doesn't like crazy. Marfa Ignatievna, hiding behind the fact that she respects the old order, in fact, destroys the family. Her son, Tikhon, is happy to leave as far as possible, just not to hear the orders of his mother, the daughter does not care about the opinion of Kabanikha, lies to her, and at the end of the play simply runs away with Kudryash. Katherine got it the most. The mother-in-law openly hated her daughter-in-law, controlled her every action, was dissatisfied with any little things. The scene of farewell to Tikhon seems to be the most revealing. The boar was offended by the fact that Katya hugged her husband goodbye. After all, she is a woman, which means that she must always be lower than a man. The destiny of a wife is to throw herself at her husband's feet and sob, praying for a speedy return. Katya does not like this point of view, but she is forced to submit to the will of her mother-in-law.

Dobrolyubov calls Katya "a ray of light in the dark realm", which is also very symbolic. First, Katya is different from the inhabitants of the city. Although she was brought up according to the old laws, the preservation of which Kabanikha often speaks, she has a different idea of ​​​​life. Katya is kind and clean. She wants to help the poor, wants to go to church, do household chores, raise children. But in such an environment, all this seems impossible due to one simple fact: in the "dark kingdom" in the "Thunderstorm" it is impossible to find inner peace. People constantly walk in fear, drink, lie, cheat on each other, trying to hide the ugly side of life. In such an atmosphere it is impossible to be honest with others, honest to yourself. Secondly, one beam is not enough to illuminate the "kingdom". Light, according to the laws of physics, must be reflected from any surface. It is also known that black has the ability to absorb other colors. Similar laws apply to the situation with main character plays. Katerina does not see in others what is in her. Neither the inhabitants of the city, nor Boris, "a decently educated person," could understand the reason for Katya's internal conflict. After all, even Boris is afraid of public opinion, he is dependent on the Wild and the possibility of receiving an inheritance. He is also bound by a chain of deceit and lies, as Boris supports Varvara's idea to deceive Tikhon in order to maintain a secret relationship with Katya. Let's apply the second law here. In Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm, the "dark kingdom" is so all-consuming that it is impossible to find a way out of it. It eats Katerina, forcing her to take on one of the worst sins from the point of view of Christianity - suicide. The Dark Realm leaves no other choice. It will find her anywhere, even if Katya ran away with Boris, even if she left her husband. No wonder Ostrovsky moves the action to a fictional city. The author wanted to show the typicality of the situation: such a situation was typical of all Russian cities. But only Russia?

Are the conclusions so disappointing? The power of tyrants gradually begins to weaken. This is felt by Kabanikh and Dikoy. They feel that soon other people will take their place, new ones. Like Katya. Honest and open. And, perhaps, it is in them that the old customs that Marfa Ignatievna zealously defended will be revived. Dobrolyubov wrote that the finale of the play should be viewed in a positive light. “We are pleased to see the deliverance of Katerina - even through death, if it is impossible otherwise. Living in a "dark kingdom" is worse than death." This is confirmed by the words of Tikhon, who for the first time openly opposes not only his mother, but the entire order of the city. “The play ends with this exclamation, and it seems to us that nothing could be invented stronger and more truthful than such an ending. Tikhon's words make the viewer think not about a love affair, but about this whole life, where the living envy the dead.

Definition " dark kingdom"and a description of the images of its representatives will be useful to students in grade 10 when writing an essay on the topic" The Dark Kingdom in the play "Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky.

Artwork test

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was endowed with a great talent as a playwright. He is deservedly considered the founder of the Russian national theater. His plays, varied in subject matter, glorified Russian literature. Creativity Ostrovsky had a democratic character. He created plays in which hatred for the autocratic-feudal regime was manifested. The writer called for the protection of the oppressed and humiliated citizens of Russia, longed for social change.

The great merit of Ostrovsky is that he opened to the enlightened public the world of merchants, about whose daily life Russian society had a superficial understanding. Merchants in Russia provided trade in goods and food, they were seen in shops, considered uneducated and uninteresting. Ostrovsky showed that behind the high fences of merchant houses, in the souls and hearts of people from the merchant class, almost Shakespearean passions are played out. He was called the Columbus of Zamoskvorechye.

Ostrovsky's ability to assert progressive tendencies in Russian society was fully revealed in the play The Thunderstorm, published in 1860. The play reflects the irreconcilable contradictions between the individual and society. The playwright raises an acute question in the 1860s about the position of women in Russian society.

The action of the play takes place in the small Volga town of Kalinov, where the merchant population mainly lives. In his famous article “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom,” the critic Dobrolyubov characterizes the life of merchants in this way: “Their life flows smoothly and peacefully, no interests of the world disturb them, because they do not reach them; kingdoms can collapse, new countries open up, the face of the earth ... change - the inhabitants of the town of Kalinov will continue to exist in complete ignorance of the rest of the world ... The concepts and way of life they have adopted are the best in the world, everything new comes from evil spirits ... A dark mass, terrible in its naivety and sincerity.

Ostrovsky, against the backdrop of a beautiful landscape, draws the bleak life of the townsfolk of Kalinov. Kuligin, who in the play opposes the ignorance and arbitrariness of the "dark kingdom", says: "Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel!"

The term "tyranny" came into use along with Ostrovsky's plays. The playwright called petty tyrants "the masters of life", the rich, whom no one dared to argue with. This is how Savel Prokofievich Dikoy is depicted in the play "Thunderstorm". It was not by chance that Ostrovsky awarded him a "speaking" surname. Wild is famous for its wealth, acquired by deceit and exploitation of other people's labor. No law was written to him. With his absurd, rude disposition, he inspires fear in others, this is a "cruel scolder", "a piercing man." His wife is forced every morning to persuade others: “Fathers, do not make me angry! Doves, don't get angry! Impunity has corrupted the Wild, he can shout, insult a person, but this applies only to those who do not rebuff him. Half the city belongs to Wild, but he does not pay those who work for him. He explains to the mayor this way: “What is so special about it, I won’t give them a penny a penny, and I have a fortune.” Pathological greed overshadows his mind.

Progressive man Kuligin turns to Wild with a request to give money to install a sundial in the city. In response, he hears: “Why are you climbing to me with all sorts of nonsense! Maybe I don't want to talk to you. You should have known first whether I was disposed to listen to you, fool, or not. So right with the snout and climb to talk. Wild is completely unbridled in his tyranny, he is sure that any court will be on his side: “For others, you are an honest person, but I think that you are a robber, that’s all ... What are you going to sue, or something, with me? .. So know that you are a worm, if you want, I will crush you.”

Another bright representative of the mores of the "dark kingdom" is Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova. Kuligin speaks of her like this: “A hypocrite. She clothes the poor, but eats the household completely. Kabanova single-handedly rules the house and her family, she is accustomed to unquestioning obedience. In her face, Ostrovsky shows an ardent defender of the wild orders of house building in families and in life. She is sure that only fear holds the family together, she does not understand what respect, understanding, good relations between people are. The boar suspects everyone of sins, constantly complains about the lack of due respect for the elders on the part of the younger generation. “They don’t really respect elders these days…,” she says. The boar always becomes shy, pretends to be a victim: “Mother is old, stupid; well, you, young people, smart, should not exact from us, from fools. material from the site

Kabanova "feels with her heart" that the old order is coming to an end, she is anxious and scared. She turned her own son into a dumb slave who has no power in his own family, acts only at the behest of his mother. Tikhon happily leaves home, only to take a break from scandals and the oppressive atmosphere of his home.

Dobrolyubov writes: “The tyrants of Russian life, however, begin to feel some kind of discontent and fear, themselves not knowing what and why ... In addition to them, without asking them, another life grew up, with other principles, and although it is far away, it is still is not well seen, but already gives itself a presentiment and sends bad visions to the dark arbitrariness of petty tyrants.

Showing the life of the Russian provinces, Ostrovsky paints a picture of extreme backwardness, ignorance, rudeness and cruelty that kill all life around. The life of people depends on the arbitrariness of the Wild and Boars, who are hostile to any manifestations of free thought, self-esteem in a person. Having shown from the stage the life of the merchants in all its manifestations, Ostrovsky pronounced a harsh sentence on despotism and spiritual slavery.

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dark kingdom

The most important feature of the Ostrovsky theater to this day remains the topicality of the plays. Ostrovsky's works are still successfully staged on the stage of theaters, because the characters and images created by the artist have not lost their freshness. And to this day, viewers reflect on who is right in the dispute between the patriarchal ideas about marriage and the freedom to express feelings, plunge into an atmosphere of dark ignorance, rudeness, and are amazed at the purity and sincerity of Katerina's love.

The city of Kalinov, in which the action of the drama "Thunderstorm" unfolds, - art space, within which the writer tried to maximally generalize the vices characteristic of the merchant environment of the middle of the 19th century. Critic Dobrolyubov not in vain calls Kalinov "dark kingdom". This definition accurately characterizes the atmosphere described in the city.

Ostrovsky depicts Kalinov as a closed space: the gates are locked, what happens behind the fence does not bother anyone. In the exposition of the play, the audience is presented with the Volga landscape, which evokes poetic lines in Kuligin's memory.

But the description of the expanses of the Volga only reinforces the feeling of the closedness of the city, in which no one even walks along the boulevard. The city lives its boring and monotonous life. The poorly educated inhabitants of Kalinov learn news about the world not from newspapers, but from wanderers, for example, such as Feklusha. A favorite guest in the Kabanov family says that “there is still a land where all people have dog heads”, and in Moscow there are only “amusements and games, and there is a roar in the streets of the Indo, a groan stands”. The ignorant inhabitants of the city of Kalinov willingly believe in such stories, which is why Kalinov seems to the townspeople a paradise. So, separated from the whole world, as a distant state, in which the inhabitants see almost the only promised land, Kalinov himself begins to acquire fabulous features, becoming a symbolic image of the sleepy kingdom. The spiritual life of the inhabitants of Kalinovo is limited by the rules of Domostroy, the observance of which is required by each generation of parents from each generation of children, tyranny reigns all around and money rules.

The main guardians of the age-old order in the city are Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova and Savel Prokofievich Dikoi, whose moral norms are distorted. A prime example tyranny is an episode in which Ostrovsky ironically portrays Diky, speaking of his “kindness”: having scolded the peasant who asked him for a salary, Savel Prokofievich repents of his behavior and even asks for forgiveness from the worker. Thus, the writer depicts the absurdity of the fury of the Wild, which was replaced by self-flagellation. Being a wealthy merchant and having a lot of money, Wild considers people below him to be "worms" whom he can pardon or crush at will, the hero feels impunity for his actions. Even the mayor is unable to influence him. Wild, feeling herself not only the master of the city, but also the master of life, is not afraid of the official either. A wealthy merchant is also afraid of the household. Every morning his wife begs those around her with tears: “Fathers, don’t make me angry!” But Savel Prokofievich swears only with those who cannot fight back. As soon as he meets resistance, his mood and tone of communication change dramatically. He is afraid of his clerk Curly, who knows how to resist him. Dikoi does not swear even with the merchant's wife Marfa Ignatievna, the only one who understands him. Only Kabanikh is able to pacify the violent temper of Savel Prokofievich. She alone sees that Dikoy himself is not happy with his tyranny, but she can’t help herself, so Kabanikha considers herself stronger than him.

And indeed, Marfa Ignatievna is not inferior to Wild in despotism and tyranny. Being a hypocrite, she tyrannizes her family. Kabanikha is depicted by Ostrovsky as a heroine who considers herself the guardian of the foundations of Domostroy. The patriarchal system of values, from which only the external ostentatious side remains, is the most important thing for her. Marfa Ignatievna's desire to follow the old traditions in everything, Ostrovsky demonstrates in the scene of Tikhon's farewell to Katerina. A conflict arises between Katerina and Kabanikha, reflecting the internal contradictions between the heroines. The boar blames Katerina for not “howling” and not “lying on the porch” after her husband’s departure, to which Katerina remarks that it’s “to make people laugh” like this.

The boar, doing everything “under the guise of piety,” demands complete obedience from her household. In the Kabanov family, everyone should live as Marfa Ignatievna requires. Kuligin accurately characterizes Kabanikha in a dialogue with Boris: “The hypocrite, sir! The beggars are clothed, but the household is completely stuck! The main object of her tyranny is her own children. The power-hungry Kabanikha does not notice that under her oppression she has raised a miserable, cowardly person who does not have own opinion- the son of Tikhon and the cunning, giving the impression of a decent and obedient daughter Varvara. In the end, unjustified cruelty and a desire to control everything lead Kabanikha to tragedy: his own son blames his mother for the death of his wife Katerina (“Mother, you ruined her”), and her beloved daughter, who does not agree to live within the framework of tyranny, runs away from home.

Giving an assessment of the images of the “dark kingdom”, one cannot but agree with Ostrovsky that cruel tyranny and despotism are real evil, under the yoke of which human feelings fade, wither away, the will weakens, the mind fades. "Thunderstorm" is an open protest against the "dark kingdom", a challenge to ignorance and rudeness, hypocrisy and cruelty.

Type: Problem-thematic analysis of the work

A.N. Ostrovsky completed his play in 1859, on the eve of the abolition of serfdom. Russia was in anticipation of reform, and the play became the first stage in the realization of the coming changes in society.

In his work, Ostrovsky presents us with a merchant environment, personifying the "dark kingdom". The author shows a whole gallery of negative images on the example of the inhabitants of the city of Kalinov. On the example of the townspeople, their ignorance, lack of education, and adherence to the old order are revealed to us. We can say that all Kalinovtsy are in the shackles of the old "house building".

The prominent representatives of the "dark kingdom" in the play are the "fathers" of the city in the person of Kabanikhi and Dikiy. Marfa Kabanova tortures those around her and those close to her with reproaches and suspicion. She relies on the authority of antiquity in everything and expects the same from others. There is no need to talk about her love for her son and daughter, the children of Kabanikha are completely subordinate to her power. Everything in Kabanova's house is based on fear. To scare and humiliate is her philosophy.

Wild is much more primitive than Kabanova. This is the image of a real tyrant. With his screams and swearing, this hero humiliates other people, thereby, as it were, rising above them. It seems to me that this is a way of self-expression for Dikiy: “What are you going to order me to do with myself when my heart is like that!”; “I scolded him, so scolded him that it’s impossible to demand better, he almost nailed me. Here it is, what a heart I have!

The unreasonable scolding of the Wild, the hypocritical captiousness of the Kabanikh - all this is due to the impotence of the heroes. The more real the changes in society and people, the stronger their protesting voices begin to sound. But there is no point in the rage of these heroes: only an empty sound remains from their words. “... And everything is somehow restless, it’s not good for them. In addition to them, without asking them, another life has grown with other beginnings, and although it is far away, it is still not clearly visible, but it already gives itself a presentiment and sends bad visions to dark arbitrariness, ”dobrolyubov writes about the play.

The images of Kuligin and Katerina are opposed to the Wild, Kabanikha, and the whole city. In his monologues, Kuligin tries to reason with the inhabitants of Kalinov, to open their eyes to what is happening around. For example, all the townspeople are in a wild, natural horror from a thunderstorm and perceive it as a punishment from heaven. Only Kuligin is not afraid, but sees in a thunderstorm a natural phenomenon of nature, beautiful and majestic. He proposes to build a lightning rod, but does not find the approval and understanding of others. Despite all this, the "dark kingdom" failed to absorb this self-taught eccentric. Amid savagery and tyranny, he retained a man in himself.

But not all the heroes of the play can resist the cruel customs of the "dark kingdom". Tikhon Kabanov is downtrodden, hounded by this society. Therefore, his image is tragic. The hero could not resist, from childhood he agreed with his mother in everything, he never contradicted her. And only at the end of the play, in front of the body of the dead Katerina, Tikhon decides to confront his mother and even blames her for the death of his wife.

Tikhon's sister, Varvara, finds her way to survive in Kalinovo. A strong, courageous and cunning character allows the girl to adapt to life in the "dark kingdom". For her peace of mind and for the sake of avoiding trouble, she lives by the principle of "hidden and covered", deceives and tricks. But, doing all this, Varvara is only trying to live as she wants.

Katerina Kabanova is a bright soul. Against the backdrop of the entire dead kingdom, it stands out for its purity and immediacy. This heroine was not mired in material interests and outdated worldly truths, like other residents of Kalinov. Her soul strives to free itself from the oppression and suffocation of these people, alien to it. Having fallen in love with Boris and cheated on her husband, Katerina is in terrible pangs of conscience. And she perceives the storm as a punishment from heaven for her sins: “Everyone should be afraid! It’s not that it’s scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins ... ”. Pious Katerina, unable to withstand the pressure of her own conscience, decides on the most terrible sin - suicide.

Dikiy's nephew, Boris, is also a victim of the "dark kingdom". He resigned himself to spiritual slavery and broke down under the pressure of the old-timers. Boris seduced Katerina, but he did not have the strength to save her, to take her away from the hated city. The "Dark Kingdom" turned out to be stronger than this hero.

Another representative of the "Dark Kingdom" is the wanderer Feklusha. In the house of Kabanikhi, she is highly respected. Her ignorant tales about distant lands are listened to attentively and even believed. Only in such a dark and ignorant society, no one can doubt Feklusha's stories. The wanderer supports the Boar, feeling her strength and power in the city.

In my opinion, the play "Thunderstorm" is a work of genius. It reveals so many images, so many characters that would be enough for a whole encyclopedia of negative characters. All ignorance, superstition, lack of education absorbed the "dark kingdom" of Kalinov. Thunderstorm shows us that the old way of life has long outlived itself and does not meet modern conditions of life. Changes are already on the threshold of the "dark kingdom" and, together with a thunderstorm, they are trying to break into it. It doesn't matter that they meet with great resistance from wild and boar. After reading the play, it becomes clear that they are all powerless before the future.