Writer and playwright D.I. Fonvizin, whose comedy “The Brigadier” never left the stage, was compared to Moliere. Therefore, the play “The Minor,” staged on the stage of the Moscow Medox Theater on May 14, 1783, was also a huge success.

One of the main characters of this comedy was Prostakov Mitrofan Terentyevich, the son of the Prostakovs, simply Mitrofanushka.

As soon as the name of the comedy “Undergrown” is pronounced, the image of a mama’s boy, a quitter and a stupid ignoramus immediately appears in the imagination. Before this comedy, the word “minor” did not carry an ironic meaning. During the time of Peter I, this was the name given to noble teenagers who had not reached the age of 15. After the play appeared, this word became a household word.

The main character himself, Mitrofanushka, is devoid of any purpose in life. The main activities in life that he enjoys are: eating, lazing around and chasing pigeons. His idleness is encouraged by his mother. “Go and have some fun, Mitrofanushka,” is how she answers her son when he is about to go chase pigeons.

A sixteen-year-old boy at that time was supposed to go to service at this age, but his mother did not want to let him go. She wanted to keep him with her until she was 26 years old.

Prostakova doted on her son, loved her with a blind maternal love, which only harmed him: Mitrofanushka ate until his stomach hurt, and Prostakova tried to persuade him to eat more. The nanny said to this that he already ate five pieces of pies. And Prostakova answered: “So you feel sorry for the sixth one.”

When Mitrofanushka was offended, she came to his defense, and he was her only consolation. Everything was done only for the sake of her son, even in order to provide him with a carefree future, she decided to marry him to a rich bride.

She tried not to bother him with anything, not even with his studies. It was customary for noble families to hire teachers. And Prostakova hired teachers for him, but not so that he could learn intelligence, but it was just the way it was supposed to be. The names of the teachers spoke for themselves: the German coachman Vralman, the retired soldier Tsyfirkin, the half-educated seminarian Kuteikin. Mitrofan did not want to study and told his mother: “Listen, mother. I'll amuse you. I'll study; just let this be the last time. The hour of my will has come. I don’t want to study, I want to get married.” And Prostakova agreed with him, because she herself was illiterate and stupid. “It’s only torment for you, but everything, I see, is emptiness. Don’t learn this stupid science!”

All his relatives irritated Mitrofanushka, he did not love anyone - neither his father, nor his uncle. The nanny, who did not receive money for raising Mitrofan and always protected him from his uncle, tried to teach him something. She persuaded him: “Yes, teach at least a little.” Mitrofan answered her: “Well, say another word, you old bastard! I’ll finish them off, I’ll complain to my mother again, so she’ll deign to give you a task about yesterday.” Nobody's worries bothered him. This hero combined in himself the worst qualities of the young nobles of that time.

All the mother's concerns about her son did not find an answer. Mitrofanushka treated his mother with disdain. He did not respect her at all and played on her feelings: His words: “The river is here and the river is close. I’ll dive in, just remember what my name was,” or “All night, such rubbish was in my eyes. -What rubbish, Mitrofanushka? “Yes, either you, mother, or father,” prove this.

Even at a difficult moment for the mother, the son refuses her. “You are the only one left with me, my dear friend,” - with these words Prostakova rushes to her son. She seems to be looking for support in the only person close to her. Mitrofan indifferently throws out: “Go away, mother, how you imposed yourself.”

His mother's upbringing and the environment in which Mitrofan Prostakov lived made him a heartless, stupid animal who only knows what to eat and have fun. The thoughts instilled in Mitrofan by his mother that lying on his side could get both ranks and money fell on fertile ground. We can conclude that Mitrofan, had his fate turned out the way his mother intended, would not have disgraced his “surname.”

It seems to me that the meaning of this comedy is the playwright’s protest against the Prostakovs and Skotinins. There should be as few such inhumane, rude, stupid people as possible. They should not constitute the majority of society. I share the writer's point of view.

Mitrofan is one of the main characters of the comedy, and the title is dedicated to him. He considers himself already very mature, although he is still quite a child, but not sweet and naive, but capricious and cruel. Narcissistic, because everyone surrounded him with love, but in such a limiting way.

Of course he laughs at the teachers. It is clear that he wants to marry the beautiful Sophia. He is not afraid of anything, but he is very cowardly. That is, he is afraid of everything, is always ready to call his nanny and mommy for help, but he behaves very arrogantly and defiantly with everyone...

And everything would be fine! But only his mother supports him in everything and does not limit him in any way.

We meet Mitrofan when he shows off in a new caftan, and his mother scolds the tailor. Mitrofan has already grown up - a tall, rather dense guy. His face is not very smart, nor are his actions. He laughs a little at everyone, plays and fools around. He is definitely well fed, he doesn’t even know how to stop, so his stomach often hurts. He grew physically, but his heart and soul were not cared for. And the fact that his brain simply doesn’t want to remember information (he’s been learning the alphabet for three years) is also Mitrofan’s whims. It seems to him that even without science he will be able to do everything through his mother’s efforts. She almost married him to the rich heiress Sophia, who is also very beautiful and kind.

Mitrofan often does what he is told. Not the teacher, of course, but the mother. She said, “Kiss a stranger’s hand,” and that’s what he does. But only for profit. Mitrofanushka has no courtesy, kindness, or respect for others.

In general, Mitrofan may not be so bad, but he is very spoiled. The undergrowth believes in its exclusivity “without effort.” He sees himself as a successful landowner, he sees himself. In his heart there is no love even for his adoring mother, for his faithful nanny, for anyone. Of course, he only loves himself, but not enough. Otherwise, he would at least learn and develop!

The image and characteristics of Mitrofanushka with quotes and examples from the text

Mitrofan Prostakov - the hero of the play by D.I. Fonvizin "Undergrown", a young man, the only son of the Prostakov nobles. In the 19th century, minors were called young men from noble families who, due to their laziness and ignorance, could not complete their studies, and, as a result, enter the service and get married.

Fonvizin in his play makes fun of such young people, embodying their features in the image of one of the main characters of the play - the Prostakovs' son Mitrofan.

Father and mother love their only son very much and do not notice his shortcomings, moreover, they worry about their son and take care of him as if he were a small child, protect him from all misfortunes, they are afraid that he may become overtired from work: "... while Mitrofanushka still in the undergrowth, sweat and pamper him; and then in ten years, when he enters, God forbid, into service, he will suffer everything...”

Mitrofanushka is not averse to having a tasty dinner: “...And I, uncle, almost didn’t have dinner at all [...] Three slices of corned beef, and hearth, I don’t remember, five, I don’t remember...” “...Yes, apparently, brother, you had a hearty dinner..." "...You deigned to eat a whole jug of kvass...".

Mitrofan is a very rude and cruel young man: he tortures serfs, mocks his teachers, and does not hesitate to raise his hand even against his father. This is the fault of the mother, who took the household into her own hands and does not value her husband at all. Neither the peasants nor her relatives like her, because she swears and beats everyone in vain.

Mrs. Prostakova is also responsible for the upbringing and training of Mitrofanushka, but without interfering much with these processes. Therefore, the young man is cruel and rude, but cannot stand up for himself, but hides behind his mother’s skirt. Things are also no better with studies. Not only is Mitrofan stupid and lazy, he is not interested in anything, he is not curious, and he is very bored in class. In addition, his teachers are useless - the former sexton Kuteikin, the retired sergeant Tsyfirkin and the former coachman Vralman are ignorant and poorly educated people: "... Well, what can come of Mitrofanushka for the fatherland, for whom ignorant parents also pay money to ignoramuses - teachers?.." In addition, Vralman is a French teacher, although he himself is German and does not know French, but manages to teach it to the boy.

The image of Mitrofan reflected the type of representative of the younger generation of that time: lazy, ignorant, rude; he does not strive to grow spiritually, mentally and culturally; he has no ideals or aspirations.

Option 3

Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin is a great Russian writer. In his work “The Minor,” he showed readers a generalized image of the younger generation from the noble class of the 19th century using the example of the main character Mitrofan. The name Mitrofan translated from Greek means “mother-like.” The hero is brought up in a family in which relationships are built on lies, flattery, and rudeness. The mother raised her son to be an unlucky, uneducated man. Mitrofan has no goals or aspirations in life, they are too small and insignificant. He is spoiled and treats rudely not only the servants, but also his parents. Fonvizin did not come up with this image. In fact, at that time in noble circles there were often teenagers like Mitrofan, who studied poorly, did nothing, and lived their days like that.

Mitrofan had home teachers who, in principle, did not give him any knowledge. But the hero has no desire to study at all. He is stupid, naive, his speech is undeveloped and rude. This person is not adapted to the life around him, he cannot do anything without his mother and without servants. His main activities during the day are to eat, rest and chase pigeons. What made Mitrofan exactly like this? Of course, this is the education system that came from Prostakova, the hero’s mother. She indulged his whims too much, encouraged all his mistakes, and thus, in the end, this was the result of his upbringing. This is the blind love of a mother for her child.

Growing up in such conditions, Mitrofan was accustomed to having a say in the family and the right to treat others rudely. It will be very difficult for a person like Mitrofan in life if he is left alone with his problems. At the end of the work, Prostakova loses her estate and along with it loses her own son. This is the fruit of her upbringing. This result of the comedy shows the level of this system of upbringing and education.

Using the example of the image of Mitrofan, Fonvizin showed one of the main problems in family education. This problem is still relevant today. In modern society, there are also such spoiled children who grow up in similar conditions. Everyone should think about how to eradicate such undergrowth that is dragging our society back. I think that people like Mitrofan do not know what real life is and do not understand its meaning due to their ignorance. I feel sorry for these children and their parents. I hope that all parents, after reading this comedy, will understand their mistakes and be able to raise a worthy citizen of their country.

Essay 4

The play "The Minor" was written by Fonvizin in 1781. A year later it was staged. The performance created a sensation. But the work displeased Catherine the Second and Denis Ivanovich was forbidden to publish his works, and the theater on whose stage the premiere took place was closed.

In the eighteenth century, noble children under the age of sixteen were called minors. It was believed that they had not yet “grown up” to independent, adult life.

One of the main characters of the comedy, Mitrofanushka, was such an undergrowth. Nowadays, this name has become a household name, synonymous with a stupid and lazy mama's boy.

Mitrofan is almost 16 years old. And it's time for him to serve in the army. But his mother, Mrs. Prostakova, blindly loves her son and is not ready to let him go for anything in the world. She spoils him and indulges him in everything. Indulges him in idleness. Such upbringing led to the fact that the boy grew up and turned into a rude, lazy ignorant teenager.

They hired teachers for Mitrofanushka, but they didn’t teach him anything, because he didn’t want to study: “I don’t want to study, I want to get married.” However, the mother does not insist on classes: “Go and frolic, Mitrofanushka.” However, such teachers are unlikely to teach the child intelligence. Their surnames indicate this - Tsyfirkin, a retired soldier, Kuteikin, a half-educated seminarian and the German Vralman, who turned out to be a coachman.

The Prostakovs' son does not love or respect anyone. He treats his father with disdain. This is very clearly shown in the scene where a mama’s son feels sorry for his parent because she is “... so tired, beating his father.” Mitrofan is rude to the servants and snaps at them. He calls his nanny or mother “old bastard.” He mocks teachers and serfs. Our hero and his own mother do not consider anything. No worries touch his heart. He shamelessly takes advantage of Prostakova's blind love. And he even blackmails her: “The river is close here. I’ll dive in, remember my name.” And to the question about what bad things he dreamed about at night, he answers: “Yes, either you, mother, or father.”

To all the listed bad qualities of Mitrofan, one can add cowardice and servility before a strong enemy. He humbly asks for mercy when an attempt to forcibly take Sophia down the aisle fails, and on Starodum’s orders he meekly agrees to go serve.

Thus, in Mitrafanushka, Fonvizin embodied all the shortcomings and vices inherent in the nobility of that time. This is ignorance and stupidity, greed and laziness. Simultaneously the habits of a tyrant and servility. This image was not invented by the author, but taken from life. History knows many examples of undersized, illiterate, soulless people who take advantage of their power and lead an idle lifestyle.

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Hearing the name of the comedy “The Minor,” the image of a slacker and ignoramus emerges. The word undergrowth did not always have an ironic meaning. During the time of Peter I, noble children under 15 years of age were called minors. Fonvizin managed to give the word a different meaning. After the release of the comedy, it became a household name. The image and characterization of Mitrofanushka in the comedy “Minor” are negative. Through this character, Fonvizin wanted to show the degradation of the Russian nobility, when a person ceases to be human, turning into an ignorant and stupid beast.

The key role in the comedy “The Minor” is played by Mitrofan Prostakov, a noble son. The name Mitrofan means “similar”, similar to his mother. The parents looked into the water. Having named the child this way, they received a complete copy of themselves. A slacker and a parasite, accustomed to having all his wishes fulfilled the first time. Favorite activities: eat well and sleep. Mitrofan is only 16 years old and while his peers are full of aspirations and desires, he has none at all.

Mitrofan and mother

Mitrofan is a typical mama's boy.

“Well, Mitrofanushka, I see you are mother’s son, not father’s son!”

The father loves his son no less than the mother, but the father's opinion means nothing to him. Seeing how his mother treated her husband, humiliating him in front of the serfs, sometimes with a word, sometimes with a slap on the head, the guy drew certain conclusions. If a man voluntarily allowed himself to be turned into a rag, then what can he deserve? The only desire is to wipe your feet and move.

Thanks to his mother, Mitrofan is absolutely not adapted to life. Why bother with problems and worries when there are servants and a mother who is ready to do anything for him. Her guardianship and dog-like adoration were annoying. Mother's love did not find a response in his heart. He grew up cold and insensitive. In the final scene, Mitrofan proved that his mother is indifferent to him. He abandons his loved one as soon as he hears that she has lost everything. Rushing to him in the hope of getting support, the woman hears something rude:

“Go away, mother, how you forced yourself on me”

Self-interest and the desire to get rich quickly and without effort became his credo. These traits were also passed on from the mother. Even the wedding with Sophia was at the suggestion of the mother, who wanted to profitably accommodate her unlucky son.

“I don’t want to study, I want to get married”

These are the words of Mitrofan addressed to her. The proposal was received with a bang. After all, a wedding with a rich heiress promised him a carefree and prosperous future.

Leisure

Favorite leisure activities: food and sleep. Food meant a lot to Mitrofan. The guy loved to eat. I filled my belly so much that I couldn’t sleep. He was constantly tormented by colic, but this did not reduce the amount of food he ate.

“Yes, it’s clear, brother, you had a hearty dinner...”

After having a hearty dinner, Mitrofan usually went to the dovecote or went to bed. If it weren't for the teachers with their classes, he would get out of bed only to look into the kitchen.

Attitude to study

Science was difficult for Mitrofan. Teachers fought for four years to teach the stupid guy something, but the result was zero. The mother herself, an uneducated woman, inspired her son that it was not necessary to study. The main thing is money and power, everything else is a waste of time.

“It’s only torment for you, but everything, I see, is emptiness. Don’t learn this stupid science!”

Peter's decree that noble children should know arithmetic, God's word and grammar played a role. She had to hire teachers not out of love for science, but because it was the right thing to do. It is not surprising that with such an attitude towards learning, Mitrofan did not understand and did not know basic things.

The importance of Mitrofan in comedy

Through the image of Mitrofan, Fonvizin wanted to show what can become of a person if he stops developing, getting stuck in one pore and forgetting about human values, such as love, kindness, honesty, respect for people.

Denis Fonvizin wrote the comedy “The Minor” in the 18th century. At that time, a decree of Peter I was in force in Russia, prescribing that young men under 21 without education were prohibited from entering military and government service, as well as from getting married. In this document, young people under this age were called “minors” - this definition formed the basis of the title of the play. In the work, the main character is Mitrofanushka the undergrowth. Fonvizin portrayed him as a stupid, cruel, greedy and lazy young man of 16 who behaves like a small child, does not want to study and is capricious. Mitrofan is a negative character and the funniest hero of the comedy - his absurd statements, stupidity and ignorance cause laughter not only among readers and spectators, but also among other heroes of the play. The character plays an important role in the ideological concept of the play, so the image of Mitrofan the Minor requires detailed analysis.

Mitrofan and Prostakova

In Fonvizin’s work “The Minor,” the image of Mitrofanushka is closely connected with the theme of education, since in fact it was the wrong upbringing that became the cause of the young man’s evil character and all his negative traits. His mother, Mrs. Prostakova, is an uneducated, cruel, despotic woman, for whom the main values ​​are material wealth and power. She adopted her views on the world from her parents - representatives of the old nobility, uneducated and ignorant landowners like herself. The values ​​and views received through upbringing were passed on to Prostakova and Mitrofan - the young man in the play is depicted as a “mama's boy” - he cannot do anything on his own, the servants or his mother do everything for him. Having received from Prostakova cruelty towards servants, rudeness and the opinion that education occupies one of the last places in life, Mitrofan also adopted disrespect for loved ones, a willingness to deceive them or betray them for the sake of a more lucrative offer. Let us remember how Prostakova persuaded Skotinin to take Sophia as his wife in order to essentially get rid of the “extra mouth.”

Whereas the news about the girl’s large inheritance made her a “caring teacher”, supposedly loving Sophia and wishing her happiness. Prostakova is looking for her own self-interest in everything, which is why she refused Skotinin, because if the girl married Mitrofan, who listened to his mother in everything, Sophia’s money would go to her.

The young man is as selfish as Prostakova. He becomes a worthy son of his mother, adopting her “best” traits, which explains the final scene of the comedy, when Mitrofan abandons Prostakova, who has lost everything, leaving to serve the new owner of the village, Pravdin. For him, his mother’s efforts and love turned out to be insignificant before the authority of money and power.

The influence of his father and uncle on Mitrofan

Analyzing the upbringing of Mitrofan in the comedy “The Minor,” one cannot fail to mention the figure of the father and his influence on the personality of the young man. Prostakov appears before the reader as a weak-willed shadow of his wife. It was passivity and the desire to transfer the initiative to someone stronger that Mitrofan took over from his father. It is paradoxical that Pravdin speaks of Prostakov as a stupid person, but in the action of the play his role is so insignificant that the reader cannot fully understand whether he really is that stupid. Even the fact that Prostakov reproaches his son when Mitrofan abandons his mother at the end of the work does not point to him as a character with positive traits. The man, like the others, does not try to help Prostakova, remaining on the sidelines, thus again showing an example of weak-will and lack of initiative to his son - he doesn’t care, just as he didn’t care while Prostakova beat his peasants and disposed of his property in her own way.

The second man who influenced Mitrofan’s upbringing is his uncle. Skotinin, in essence, represents the person that the young man could become in the future. They are even brought together by a common love for pigs, whose company is much more pleasant for them than the company of people.

Mitrofan's training

According to the plot, the description of Mitrofan's training is in no way connected with the main events - the fight for Sophia's heart. However, it is these episodes that reveal many important problems that Fonvizin covers in the comedy. The author shows that the reason for the young man’s stupidity is not only bad upbringing, but also poor education. Prostakova, when hiring teachers for Mitrofan, chose not educated, smart teachers, but those who would take less. Retired sergeant Tsyfirkin, dropout Kuteikin, former groom Vralman - none of them could give Mitrofan a decent education. They all depended on Prostakova, and therefore could not ask her to leave and not interfere with the lesson. Let us remember how the woman did not allow her son to even think about solving an arithmetic problem, offering “her own solution.” The exposure of Mitrofan's useless teaching is the scene of the conversation with Starodum, when the young man begins to come up with his own rules of grammar and does not know what geography is studying. At the same time, the illiterate Prostakova also does not know the answer, but if the teachers could not laugh at her stupidity, then the educated Starodum openly ridicules the ignorance of the mother and son.

Thus, Fonvizin, introducing into the play scenes of Mitrofan’s training and the exposure of his ignorance, raises acute social problems of education in Russia in that era. Noble children were taught not by authoritative educated individuals, but by literate slaves who needed pennies. Mitrofan is one of the victims of such an old-time landowner, outdated and, as the author emphasizes, meaningless education.

Why is Mitrofan the central character?

As the title of the work makes clear, the young man is the central image of the comedy “The Minor.” In the character system, he is contrasted with the positive heroine Sophia, who appears to the reader as an intelligent, educated girl who respects her parents and older people. It would seem, why did the author make the key figure of the play a weak-willed, stupid undergrowth with a completely negative characteristic? Fonvizin in the image of Mitrofan showed a whole generation of young Russian nobles. The author was concerned about the mental and moral degradation of society, in particular, young people who adopted outdated values ​​from their parents.

In addition, in “Nedorosl” Mitrofan’s characterization is a composite image of the negative traits of Fonvizin’s contemporary landowners. The author sees cruelty, stupidity, lack of education, sycophancy, disrespect for others, greed, civic passivity and infantilism not only in extraordinary landowners, but also in officials at the court, who also forgot about humanism and high morality. For the modern reader, the image of Mitrofan is, first of all, a reminder of what a person becomes when he stops developing, learning new things and forgets about eternal human values ​​- respect, kindness, love, mercy.

A detailed description of Mitrofan, his character and way of life will help students in grades 8-9 when preparing a report or essay on the topic “Characteristics of Mitrofan in the comedy “The Minor””

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