The epic novel "War and Peace" is replete with characters - both fictional and real historical figures. An important place among them is occupied by the figure of Napoleon - it is no coincidence that his image is present from the first pages of the work to the epilogue.

Why did Tolstoy pay so much attention to Bonaparte? With this figure he connects the most important philosophical and moral issues, first of all, understanding the role of outstanding personalities in history.

The writer builds the image of the French emperor in two projections: Napoleon - the commander and Napoleon - the man.

Describing the Battle of Austerlitz and the Battle of Borodino, Tolstoy notes the unconditional experience, talent and military erudition of Napoleon the commander. But at the same time, he focuses much more attention on the socio-psychological portrait of the emperor.

In the first two volumes, Napoleon is shown through the eyes of the heroes - Pierre Bezukhov, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. The romantic aura of the hero excited the minds of his contemporaries. This is evidenced by the delight of the French troops who saw their idol, and Pierre’s passionate speech in Anna Scherer’s salon in defense of Napoleon, “a great man who managed to rise above the revolution”.

Even when describing the appearance of a “great man,” the writer repeatedly repeats the definitions "small", "fat thighs", grounding the image of the emperor and emphasizing his ordinariness.

Tolstoy specifically shows the cynicism of Napoleon’s image and negative traits. Moreover, these are not so much the personal qualities of this person as their manner of behavior - "the situation obliges".

Bonaparte himself practically believed that he was a “superman”, deciding the destinies of other people. Everything he does "there is a story", even a trembling of the left calf. Hence the pomposity of manners and speech, a self-confident cold expression on his face, and constant posing. Napoleon is always concerned about how he looks in the eyes of others, whether he corresponds to the image of a hero. Even his gestures are designed to attract attention - he gives the signal for the beginning of the Battle of Austerlitz with a wave of his removed glove. All these character traits of a self-centered person - vanity, narcissism, arrogance, acting - are in no way combined with greatness.

In fact, Tolstoy shows Napoleon as a deeply flawed person, because he is morally poor, he does not know the joys of life, he does not have “love, poetry, tenderness.” The French emperor even imitates human feelings. Having received a portrait of his son from his wife, he “put on an appearance of thoughtful tenderness.” Tolstoy gives a derogatory characterization of Bonaparte, writing: “...never, until the end of his life, could he understand either goodness, beauty, truth, or the meaning of his actions, which were too opposite to goodness and truth...”.

Napoleon is deeply indifferent to the fate of other people: they are just pawns in a big game called “power and might,” and war is like the movement of chess pieces on a board. In life he "looks past people"- and driving around the Austerlitz field strewn with corpses after the battle, and indifferently turning away from the Polish lancers when crossing the Viliya River. Bolkonsky says about Napoleon that he was "happy from the misfortune of others". Even seeing the terrible picture of the Borodino field after the battle, the Emperor of France “found reasons to rejoice”. Lost lives are the basis of Napoleon's happiness.

Violating all moral laws, professing the principle “Winners are not judged,” Napoleon literally walks over corpses to power, glory and power.

By the will of Napoleon it happens "terrible thing"- war. That is why Tolstoy denies greatness to Napoleon, following Pushkin, believing that “genius and villainy are incompatible.”

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Often, readers of Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” perceive the historical figures depicted in the novel as a documentary image, while forgetting that Tolstoy’s work is primarily a literary hoax, which means that the depiction of any characters, including historical ones, is not without author's, artistic invention or subjective opinion.

Sometimes authors deliberately idealize or depict a character from a negative perspective in order to recreate a certain mood of a fragment of text or an entire work. The image of Napoleon in Tolstoy's novel also has its own characteristics.

Appearance

Napoleon has an unattractive appearance - his body looks too fat and ugly. In the novel, Tolstoy emphasizes that in 1805 the Emperor of France did not look so disgusting - he was quite slender, and his face was completely thin, but in 1812 Napoleon’s physique did not look the best - he had a belly that protruded strongly forward, the author in in the novel he sarcastically calls him “a forty-year-old belly.”

His hands were small, white and plump. His face also became plump, although it still looked youthful. His face was marked by large, expressive eyes and a wide forehead. His shoulders became too full, as did his legs - given his short stature, such changes seemed terrifying. Without hiding his disgust at the appearance of the emperor, Tolstoy calls him “fat.”

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Napoleon's clothes always differ in appearance - on the one hand, they are quite typical for the people of that time, but not without chic: Napoleon is usually dressed in a blue overcoat, a white camisole or blue uniform, a white vest, white leggings, and over the knee boots.

Another attribute of luxury is the horse - a thoroughbred Arabian horse.

Russian attitude towards Napoleon

In Tolstoy's novel one can trace the impression Napoleon created on the Russian aristocracy before the outbreak of military events and after. In the beginning, most members of high society have obvious respect and admiration for Napoleon - they are flattered by his assertive nature and military talent. Another factor that forces many to respect the emperor is his desire for intellectual development - Napoleon does not look like an outright martinet who does not see anything beyond his uniform, he is a comprehensively developed personality.

After Napoleon intensified hostilities towards the Russian Empire, the enthusiasm of the Russian aristocracy towards the Emperor of France was replaced by irritation and hatred. This transition from admiration to hatred is shown especially clearly in the example of the image of Pierre Bezukhov - when Pierre had just returned from abroad, his admiration for Napoleon simply overwhelmed him, but later the name of the Emperor of France only arouses bitterness and anger in Bezukhov. Pierre even decides to kill his “former idol,” whom by that time he already considers an outright murderer and almost a cannibal. Many aristocrats went through a similar path of development - they once admired Napoleon as a strong personality, they experienced the destructive effects of his destructive power, and came to the conclusion that a person who brings so much suffering and death a priori cannot be an example to follow.

Personality characteristics

Napoleon's main trait is narcissism. He considers himself an order of magnitude superior to other people. Tolstoy does not deny that Napoleon is a talented commander, but at the same time his path to the empire looks like a pure accident.

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Based on the fact that Napoleon considers himself better than other people, his attitude towards other people follows. The majority is dismissive - he, as a person who made his way from the masses to the top of the aristocracy, in particular the state apparatus, considers people who have not done this to be unworthy of his attention. Associated qualities with this set are selfishness and egocentrism.

Tolstoy portrays Napoleon as a spoiled man who loves comfort and is pampered by comfort, but at the same time draws readers' attention to the fact that Napoleon was on the battlefield more than once, and not always in the role of a revered commander.

At the beginning of his political and military career, Napoleon often had to be content with little, so the troubles of soldiers are familiar to him. However, over time, Napoleon became distant from his soldiers and became mired in luxury and comfort.

The key to the concept of Napoleon’s personality, according to Tolstoy, is also the emperor’s desire to be more significant than everyone else - Napoleon does not accept any other opinion than his own. The Emperor of France thinks that he has achieved significant heights in the military field, and he has no equal here. In Napoleon's concept, war is his native element, but at the same time the emperor does not consider himself to blame for the destruction caused by his war. According to Napoleon, the heads of other states were themselves to blame for the outbreak of hostilities - they provoked the Emperor of France to start a war.

Attitude towards soldiers

In Tolstoy's novel, Napoleon is shown as a person devoid of emotion and empathy. First of all, this concerns the attitude towards the soldiers of his army. The Emperor of France takes an active part in the life of the army outside of military operations, he is interested in the affairs of the soldiers and their problems, but he does this out of boredom, and not because he really cares about his soldiers.

In conversation with them, Napoleon always behaves a little arrogantly; according to Tolstoy, Napoleon’s insincerity and his ostentatious concern lie on the surface, and therefore are easily read by the soldiers.

Author's position

In Tolstoy's novel one can trace not only the attitude of other characters towards Napoleon, but also the attitude of the author himself towards Napoleon's personality. In general, the author’s attitude towards the personality of the Emperor of France is negative. Tolstoy is of the opinion that Napoleon's high rank was an accident. The peculiarities of Napoleon's character and intellect did not contribute to his becoming the face of the nation through painstaking work. In Tolstoy's concept, Napoleon is an upstart, a great deceiver, who for some unknown reason ended up at the head of the French army and state.

Napoleon is driven by the desire to assert himself. He is ready to act in the most dishonest ways just to achieve his goal. And the very genius of the great political and military figure is a lie and fiction.

In Napoleon's activities one can easily find many illogical actions, and some of his victories look like an outright coincidence.

Comparison with a historical figure

Tolstoy's portrayal of Napoleon in the novel is constructed in such a way that it is contrasted with Kutuzov, and therefore in most cases Napoleon is presented as an absolutely negative character: he is a person who does not have good character traits, treats his soldiers poorly, and does not keep himself in shape. His only indisputable advantage is military experience and knowledge of military affairs, and even that does not always help win the war.

The historical Napoleon is in many ways similar to the image that Tolstoy depicted - by 1812, the French army had been at war for many years and was exhausted by such a long military way of life. More and more they begin to perceive the war as a formality - apathy and a feeling of the meaninglessness of war are spreading among the French army, which could not but affect either the emperor’s attitude towards the soldiers or the attitude of the soldiers towards their idol.

The real Napoleon was a very educated man. He is even credited with creating a mathematical theorem. In the novel, Napoleon is shown as an upstart, because he accidentally ended up in the place of a significant person, the face of the entire nation.

In most cases, Napoleon is spoken of as a talented political and military figure; his physical and mental abilities are often used as an example. However, when analyzing the image of Napoleon in the novel, a clear parallel should be drawn between the historical figure and the literary character.

When assessing a person in real life, we realize that it is impossible to have exclusively positive or exclusively negative character traits.

The literary world makes it possible to create a character who does not adhere to such a criterion. Naturally, as a historical figure, Napoleon was able to achieve significant successes for his country in the political and military fields, even despite his inability to stop in time, but it is impossible to designate his activities with connotations in one pole (“good” or “bad”). The same thing happens with his character qualities and actions in the field of “Napoleon as a man” - his actions and deeds were not always ideal, but they do not go beyond the boundaries of universal humanity. In other words, his actions are fairly typical for a person in certain situations, but when it comes to “great people” who represent the hero of a certain nation, whose personality has become overgrown with legends and deliberate idealization, such manifestations of typicality are disappointing.

In the novel, Tolstoy depicts Napoleon as a sharply negative character - this corresponds to his plan in the novel - according to the author’s idea, the image of Napoleon should be contrasted with the image of Kutuzov and partly with the image of Alexander I.

Why Napoleon lost the war

In “War and Peace” one way or another you can find the answer to the question “why Napoleon, having won most of the battles, lost the war. Of course, in the case of Tolstoy, this is a very subjective opinion, but it also has a right to exist, since it is based on philosophical concepts, in particular such an element as the “Russian soul”. According to Tolstoy, Kutuzov won the war because his actions showed more sincerity, while Napoleon was guided solely by the regulations.
At the same time, Tolstoy does not consider knowledge of tactics and battle strategy to be important - without knowing anything about this you can be a successful commander.

Thus, Napoleon from Tolstoy’s novel is not a documentary description of the historical personality of the French commander. The artistic version is full of author's inclusions and grotesqueries. This state of affairs is not Tolstoy’s flaw; the special negative image of Napoleon is due to the specifics of the work.

In the literary portrait created by Tolstoy, Napoleon looks like an unbalanced personality, a military leader who is indifferent to his soldiers - the victories of his troops are just a way to amuse his vanity.

Portrait of Napoleon

Lev Nikolaevich emphasizes the limitations and self-confidence of this commander, which is manifested in all his words, gestures and actions. The portrait of Napoleon is ironic. He has a “short”, “plump” figure, “fat thighs”, a fussy, swift gait, a “white plump neck”, “a round belly”, “thick shoulders”. This is the image of Napoleon in the novel War and Peace. Describing the morning toilet of the French emperor before the Battle of Borodino, Lev Nikolaevich reinforces the revealing nature of the portrait characteristics given initially in the work. The emperor has a “groomed body”, “overgrown fat breasts”, a “yellow” and “swollen” face. These details show that Napoleon Bonaparte (War and Peace) was a man far from working life and alien to popular roots. The leader of the French is shown as a narcissistic egoist who thinks that the entire Universe obeys his will. People are of no interest to him.

Napoleon's behavior, his manner of speaking

The image of Napoleon in the novel "War and Peace" is revealed not only through a description of his appearance. His manner of speaking and behavior also reveals narcissism and narrow-mindedness. He is convinced of his own genius and greatness. Good is what came into his head, and not what is actually good, as Tolstoy notes. In the novel, every appearance of this character is accompanied by the author's merciless commentary. So, for example, in the third volume (first part, sixth chapter) Lev Nikolaevich writes that it was clear from this man that only what was happening in his soul was of interest to him.

In the work "War and Peace" the characterization of Napoleon is also marked by the following details. With subtle irony, which sometimes turns into sarcasm, the writer exposes Bonaparte's claims to world domination, as well as his acting and constant posing for history. All the time the French emperor played, there was nothing natural and simple in his words and behavior. This is shown very expressively by Lev Nikolaevich in the scene when he admired the portrait of his son on the Borodino field. In it, the image of Napoleon in the novel "War and Peace" acquires some very important details. Let's describe this scene briefly.

Episode with a portrait of Napoleon's son

Napoleon approached the picture, feeling that what he would do and say now “is history.” The portrait depicted the emperor's son playing with a globe in a bilbok. This expressed the greatness of the leader of the French, but Napoleon wanted to show “fatherly tenderness.” Of course, this was pure acting. Napoleon did not express any sincere feelings here, he was only acting, posing for history. This scene shows the arrogance of this man, who believed that all of Russia would be conquered with the conquest of Moscow and thus his plans for domination over the entire world would be realized.

Napoleon - actor and player

And in a number of further episodes, the description of Napoleon (“War and Peace”) indicates that he is an actor and player. He says on the eve of the Battle of Borodino that the chess has already been set, the game will begin tomorrow. On the day of the battle, Lev Nikolaevich remarks after the cannon shots: “The game has begun.” Further, the writer shows that it cost tens of thousands of people their lives. Prince Andrei thinks that war is not a game, but only a cruel necessity. A fundamentally different approach to it was contained in this thought of one of the main characters of the work “War and Peace”. The image of Napoleon is shaded thanks to this remark. Prince Andrei expressed the opinion of a peaceful people who were forced under exceptional circumstances to take up arms, as the threat of enslavement loomed over their homeland.

Comic effect produced by the French Emperor

It didn’t matter to Napoleon what was outside of himself, since it seemed to him that everything in the world depended only on his will. Tolstoy makes such a remark in the episode of his meeting with Balashev (“War and Peace”). The image of Napoleon in it is complemented by new details. Lev Nikolaevich emphasizes the contrast between the insignificance of the emperor and his inflated self-esteem. The comic conflict that arises is the best proof of the emptiness and powerlessness of this historical figure, who pretends to be majestic and strong.

The spiritual world of Napoleon

In Tolstoy’s understanding, the spiritual world of the French leader is an “artificial world” inhabited by “ghosts of some kind of greatness” (volume three, part two, chapter 38). In fact, Napoleon is living proof of one old truth that “the king is a slave of history” (volume three, part one, chapter 1). Believing that he was carrying out his own will, this historical figure merely played the “difficult,” “sad,” and “cruel” “inhuman role” that was intended for him. He would hardly have been able to bear it if this man’s conscience and mind had not been darkened (volume three, part two, chapter 38). The writer sees the darkening of the mind of this commander-in-chief in the fact that he consciously cultivated spiritual callousness in himself, which he mistook for true greatness and courage.

So, for example, in the third volume (part two, chapter 38) it is said that he loved to look at the wounded and killed, thereby testing his spiritual strength (as Napoleon himself believed). In the episode when a squadron of Polish lancers swam across the Neman River and the adjutant, in front of his eyes, allowed himself to draw the attention of the emperor to the devotion of the Poles, Napoleon called Berthier to him and began to walk with him along the shore, giving him orders and occasionally looking displeasedly at the drowned lancers who were entertaining his attention. For him, death is a boring and familiar sight. Napoleon takes for granted the selfless devotion of his own soldiers.

Napoleon is a deeply unhappy man

Tolstoy emphasizes that this man was deeply unhappy, but did not notice this only due to the absence of at least some moral feeling. The "Great" Napoleon, the "European hero" is morally blind. He cannot understand beauty, goodness, truth, or the meaning of his own actions, which, as Leo Tolstoy notes, were “the opposite of good and truth,” “far from everything human.” Napoleon simply could not understand the meaning of his actions (volume three, part two, chapter 38). According to the writer, one can come to truth and goodness only by renouncing the imaginary greatness of one’s personality. However, Napoleon is not at all capable of such a “heroic” act.

Napoleon's responsibility for what he did

Despite the fact that he is doomed to play a negative role in history, Tolstoy does not at all diminish the moral responsibility of this man for everything he has done. He writes that Napoleon, destined for the “unfree”, “sad” role of the executioner of many peoples, nevertheless assured himself that their good was the goal of his actions and that he could control and guide the destinies of many people, do things through his power of beneficence. Napoleon imagined that the war with Russia took place according to his will; his soul was not struck by the horror of what had happened (volume three, part two, chapter 38).

Napoleonic qualities of the heroes of the work

In other heroes of the work, Lev Nikolaevich associates Napoleonic qualities with the characters’ lack of moral sense (for example, Helen) or with their tragic errors. Thus, in his youth, Pierre Bezukhov, who was carried away by the ideas of the French emperor, remained in Moscow in order to kill him and thereby become the “savior of mankind.” In the early stages of his spiritual life, Andrei Bolkonsky dreamed of rising above other people, even if this required sacrificing loved ones and family. In the image of Lev Nikolaevich, Napoleonism is a dangerous disease that divides people. It forces them to wander blindly along the spiritual “off-road.”

An important place among the characters in the novel by L.N. Tolstoy's War and Peace is occupied by Napoleon. Having appeared as an invader on Russian soil, he turns from an idol of many of his contemporaries into a negative character. The image first appears in the novel in the conversations of visitors to Anna Pavlovna Scherer’s salon, where they note that French society will soon be destroyed by intrigue and violence. Thus, from the first pages of the novel, Napoleon is portrayed in two ways: he is a brilliant commander and a strong man, which deserves respect, but he is also a despot and tyrant, dangerous not only for other peoples, but above all for his own country.

Seeing the portrait of his son, Bonaparte portrays paternal tenderness in his gaze, but the reader understands that these feelings are feigned and not natural. Just like a subtle psychologist, Napoleon decided that the moment had come when it was most successful to portray tenderness. Tolstoy shows that Bonaparte himself is not so great and extraordinary as he wants to appear to be.

Napoleon sends soldiers into battle on behalf of the people, but the reader has a hard time believing the sincerity of his message. The French emperor is most interested in beautiful phrases with which he will go down in history. “This is a wonderful death,” Bonaparte exclaims pathetically, seeing Prince Andrei on the battlefield near Austerlitz. The winner's face shines with happiness and self-satisfaction. He benevolently orders his personal physician to examine the wounded, showing ostentatious humanism in the process. However, against the background of the high sky, Napoleon seems small and insignificant to Bolkonsky, since the emperor’s gaze is happy from the misfortune of others.

Tolstoy compares Napoleon with the Russian Tsar Alexander 1 and emphasizes that both of them are slaves of their vanity and personal ambitions. The author writes about Bonaparte: “He imagined that by his will there was a war with Russia, and the horror of what happened did not strike his soul.” Blinded by victories, the French emperor does not see and does not want to see the numerous victims of the war, which cripples people morally and physically. Even after conquering great Russia, he will remain a small man with an unpleasantly feigned smile. In the scene of the Battle of Borodino, all the surrounding nature seems to resist Napoleon’s aggressive plans: the sun blinds his eyes, the fog hides the enemy’s positions. The reports made by adjutants instantly become outdated and do not provide information about the real course of the battle, and marshals and generals make orders without asking the highest command. Thus, the very course of events does not allow Napoleon to use his military skills. Having entered Moscow, Napoleon tries to restore order in it, but is unable to stop the robberies and restore discipline. Neither his appeal to the residents of Moscow, nor the messages of envoys to Kutuzov’s camp with proposals for concluding peace bring any results. Having entered the city as victors, the French troops are still forced to leave it and shamefully flee with the stolen goods, like insignificant thieves who stole some small change from a trading store. Napoleon himself gets into the sleigh and leaves, leaving his army without leadership. Thus, the tyrant-conqueror instantly turns from the ruler of the world into a pitiful, low and helpless creature. Thus comes retribution for the numerous bloody atrocities committed by this man who wanted to believe that he could make history. Numerous historians have tried to present the “departure of the great emperor from the brilliant army” as a wise strategic decision of the commander. Tolstoy writes about this fact in Bonaparte’s biography with caustic irony, emphasizing that it was a bad, weak-willed act, all the baseness and meanness of which cannot be covered up by any former greatness.

In the epilogue, Tolstoy emphasizes Napoleon's accidental role in historical events. After defeat, he is portrayed as a pitiful and disgusting person, whom even his former allies hate.

The image of Napoleon in the novel "War and Peace" (2nd version)

The image of Napoleon in “War and Peace” is one of the brilliant artistic discoveries of L. N. Tolstoy. In the novel, the French emperor acts at a time when he has transformed from a bourgeois revolutionary into a despot and conqueror. Tolstoy's diary entries during the period of work on War and Peace show that he followed a conscious intention - to tear away from Napoleon the aura of false greatness.

Napoleon's idol is glory, greatness, that is, other people's opinion of him. It is natural that he strives to make a certain impression on people with his words and appearance. Hence his passion for pose and phrase. They are not so much qualities of Napoleon’s personality as obligatory attributes of his position as a “great” man. By acting, he abandons real, authentic life, “with its essential interests, health, illness, work, rest... with the interests of thought, science, poetry, music, love, friendship, hatred, passions.”

The role that Napoleon plays in the world does not require the highest qualities; on the contrary, it is possible only for someone who renounces the human in himself. “Not only does a good commander not need genius or any special qualities, but on the contrary, he needs the absence of the highest and best human qualities - love, poetry, tenderness, philosophical, inquisitive doubt. For Tolstoy, Napoleon is not a great man, but an inferior, flawed person. Napoleon is the “executioner of nations.” According to Tolstoy, evil is brought to people by an unhappy person who does not know the joys of true life.

The writer wants to instill in his readers the idea that only a person who has lost the true idea of ​​himself and the world can justify all the cruelties and crimes of war. That's what Napoleon was. When he examines the field of the Borodino battle, a battlefield strewn with corpses, here for the first time, as Tolstoy writes, “a personal human feeling for a short moment took precedence over that artificial ghost of life that he had served for so long. He endured the suffering and death that he saw on the battlefield. The heaviness of his head and chest reminded him of the possibility of suffering and death for him.”

But this feeling, writes Tolstoy, was brief, instantaneous. Napoleon has to hide the absence of living human feeling, imitate it. Having received a portrait of his son, a little boy, as a gift from his wife, “he approached the portrait and pretended to be thoughtfully tender. He felt that what he would say and do now was history. And it seemed to him that the best thing he could do now is that he, with his greatness... should show, in contrast to this greatness, the simplest fatherly tenderness.”

Napoleon is able to understand the experiences of other people (and for Tolstoy this is the same as not feeling like a human being). This makes Napoleon ready “...to perform that cruel, sad and difficult, inhuman role that was intended for him.” Meanwhile, according to Tolstoy, man and society are alive precisely by “personal human feeling.” “Personal human feeling” saves Pierre Bezukhov when he, suspected of espionage, is brought in for questioning by Marshal Dove. Pierre, believing that he was sentenced to death, reflects: “Who finally executed, killed, took his life - Pierre, with all his memories, aspirations, hopes, thoughts?

The author rightly believes that when a person evaluates a phenomenon, he also evaluates himself, necessarily giving himself one or another meaning. If a person recognizes as great something that is in no way commensurate with him, with his life, feelings, or even hostile to everything that he loves and values ​​​​in his personal life, then he recognizes his insignificance. To value something that despises and denies you means not to value yourself.

L.N. Tolstoy does not agree with the idea that the course of history is determined by individuals. He considers this view “... not only incorrect and unreasonable, but also disgusting to the entire human being.”

The image of Napoleon in the novel "War and Peace" (3 version)

The epic novel "War and Peace" is replete with characters - both fictional and real historical figures. An important place among them is occupied by the figure of Napoleon - it is no coincidence that his image is present from the first pages of the work to the epilogue.

Why did Tolstoy pay so much attention to Bonaparte? With this figure he connects the most important philosophical and moral issues, first of all, understanding the role of outstanding personalities in history.

The writer builds the image of the French emperor in two projections: Napoleon - the commander and Napoleon - the man.

Describing the Battle of Austerlitz and the Battle of Borodino, Tolstoy notes the unconditional experience, talent and military erudition of Napoleon the commander. But at the same time, he focuses much more attention on the socio-psychological portrait of the emperor.

In the first two volumes, Napoleon is shown through the eyes of the heroes - Pierre Bezukhov, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. The romantic aura of the hero excited the minds of his contemporaries. This is evidenced by the delight of the French troops who saw their idol, and by Pierre’s passionate speech in Anna Scherer’s salon in defense of Napoleon, “the great man who managed to rise above the revolution.”

Even when describing the appearance of the “great man,” the writer repeatedly repeats the definitions “small” and “fat thighs,” grounding the image of the emperor and emphasizing his ordinariness.

Tolstoy specifically shows the cynicism of Napoleon’s image and negative traits. Moreover, these are not so much the personal qualities of this person as their manner of behavior - “the position obliges.”

Bonaparte himself practically believed that he was a “superman”, deciding the destinies of other people. Everything he does “has a story,” even the trembling of his left calf. Hence the pomposity of manners and speech, a self-confident cold expression on his face, and constant posing. Napoleon is always concerned about how he looks in the eyes of others, whether he corresponds to the image of a hero. Even his gestures are designed to attract attention - he gives the signal for the beginning of the Battle of Austerlitz with a wave of his removed glove. All these character traits of a self-centered person - vanity, narcissism, arrogance, acting - are in no way combined with greatness.

In fact, Tolstoy shows Napoleon as a deeply flawed person, because he is morally poor, he does not know the joys of life, he does not have “love, poetry, tenderness.” The French emperor even imitates human feelings. Having received a portrait of his son from his wife, he “put on an appearance of thoughtful tenderness.” Tolstoy gives a derogatory description of Bonaparte, writing: “...never, until the end of his life, could he understand either goodness, beauty, truth, or the meaning of his actions, which were too opposite to goodness and truth...”.

Napoleon is deeply indifferent to the fate of other people: they are just pawns in a big game called “power and might,” and war is like the movement of chess pieces on a board. In life, he “looks past people” - both driving around the Austerlitz Field strewn with corpses after the battle, and indifferently turning away from the Polish lancers when crossing the Viliya River. Bolkonsky says about Napoleon that he was “happy from the misfortune of others.” Even seeing the terrible picture of the Borodino field after the battle, the Emperor of France “found reasons to rejoice.” Lost lives are the basis of Napoleon's happiness.

Violating all moral laws, professing the principle “Winners are not judged,” Napoleon literally walks over corpses to power, glory and power.

By the will of Napoleon, a “terrible thing” is happening - war. That is why Tolstoy denies greatness to Napoleon, following Pushkin, believing that “genius and villainy are incompatible.”

The image of Napoleon in “War and Peace”

The image of Napoleon in “War and Peace” is one of the brilliant artistic discoveries of L.N. Tolstoy. In the novel, the French emperor acts at a time when he has transformed from a bourgeois revolutionary into a despot and conqueror. Tolstoy's diary entries during the period of work on War and Peace show that he followed a conscious intention - to tear away from Napoleon the aura of false greatness. Napoleon's idol is glory, greatness, that is, other people's opinion of him. It is natural that he strives to make a certain impression on people with his words and appearance. Hence his passion for pose and phrase. They are not so much qualities of Napoleon’s personality as obligatory attributes of his position as a “great” man. By acting, he abandons real, authentic life, “with its essential interests, health, illness, work, rest... with the interests of thought, science, poetry, music, love, friendship, hatred, passions.” The role that Napoleon plays in the world does not require the highest qualities; on the contrary, it is possible only for someone who renounces the human in himself. “Not only does a good commander not need genius or any special qualities, but on the contrary, he needs the absence of the highest and best human qualities - love, poetry, tenderness, philosophical, inquisitive doubt. For Tolstoy, Napoleon is not a great man, but an inferior, flawed person.

Napoleon is the “executioner of nations.” According to Tolstoy, evil is brought to people by an unhappy person who does not know the joys of true life. The writer wants to instill in his readers the idea that only a person who has lost the true idea of ​​himself and the world can justify all the cruelties and crimes of war. That's what Napoleon was. When he examines the field of the Borodino battle, a battlefield strewn with corpses, here for the first time, as Tolstoy writes, “a personal human feeling for a short moment took precedence over that artificial ghost of life that he had served for so long. He endured the suffering and death that he saw on the battlefield. The heaviness of his head and chest reminded him of the possibility of suffering and death for him.” But this feeling, writes Tolstoy, was brief, instantaneous. Napoleon has to hide the absence of living human feeling, imitate it. Having received a portrait of his son, a little boy, as a gift from his wife, “he approached the portrait and pretended to be thoughtfully tender. He felt that what he would say and do now was history. And it seemed to him that the best thing he could do now is that he, with his greatness... should show, in contrast to this greatness, the simplest fatherly tenderness.”

Napoleon is able to understand the experiences of other people (and for Tolstoy this is the same as not feeling like a human being). This makes Napoleon ready “...to perform that cruel, sad and difficult, inhuman role that was intended for him.” Meanwhile, according to Tolstoy, man and society are alive precisely by “personal human feeling.”

“Personal human feeling” saves Pierre Bezukhov when he, suspected of espionage, is brought in for questioning by Marshal Dove. Pierre, believing that he was sentenced to death, reflects: “Who finally executed, killed, took his life - Pierre, with all his memories, aspirations, hopes, thoughts? Who did this? And Pierre felt that it was no one. It was an order, a pattern of circumstances.” But if a human feeling appears in people who fulfill the demands of this “order,” then it is hostile to the “order” and is saving for a person. This feeling saved Pierre. “Both of them at that moment vaguely had a presentiment of countless things and realized that they were both children of humanity, that they were brothers.”

When L.N. Tolstoy talks about the attitude of historians towards “great people”, and in particular towards Napoleon, he leaves the calm epic manner of narration and we hear the passionate voice of Tolstoy - the preacher. But at the same time, the author of “War and Peace” remains a consistent, strict and original thinker. It is not difficult to sneer at Tolstoy, who gives greatness to recognized historical figures. It is more difficult to understand the essence of his views and assessments and compare them. “And it will not occur to anyone,” Tolstoy declared, “that recognition of greatness, immeasurable by the measure of good and bad, is only recognition of one’s insignificance and immeasurable smallness.” Many reproached L.N. Tolstoy for his biased portrayal of Napoleon, but, as far as we know, no one has refuted his arguments. Tolstoy, as is typical for him, transfers the problem from an objective-abstract plane to a vital-personal one; he turns not only to the human mind, but to the whole person, to his dignity.

The author rightly believes that when a person evaluates a phenomenon, he also evaluates himself, necessarily giving himself one or another meaning. If a person recognizes as great something that is in no way commensurate with him, with his life, feelings, or even hostile to everything that he loves and values ​​​​in his personal life, then he recognizes his insignificance. To value something that despises and denies you means not to value yourself. L.N. Tolstoy disagrees with the idea that the course of history is determined by individuals. He considers this view “... not only incorrect and unreasonable, but also disgusting to the entire human being.” Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy addresses the whole “human being,” and not just the mind of his reader.