Scientific works on symbolism in the dramas of A. Ostrovsky

The meaning of the title of A. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”

Purpose of the lesson :

Trace the implementation of the thunderstorm metaphor through its image (thunderstorm state of society,

thunderstorm in people's souls);

Help students prepare for a miniature essay “The meaning of the title...”;

Cultivate interest in the work of N. Ostrovsky

PROGRESS OF THE LESSON

How did you miss the thunderstorm in the poster? After all, she is also a character.

We can't find names - what does that mean? This means that the idea of the play is not clear; that the plot is not properly covered... that the very existence of the play is not justified; Why was it written, what new does the author want to say?

(A.N. Ostrovsky)

I. Organizational moment. Subject message.

– Re-read the topic of the lesson. What are we going to talk about?

II. Working with epigraphs.

What are the key words in the formulation of the lesson topic? (The thunderstorm is a character.) So, we will talk about the thunderstorm as a character in the play. This is not enough. What new does the author want to say? (Thunderstorm - idea - plot).

III. Goal setting.

So, it is necessary to find out what the meaning of the title of the play is; learn to analyze dramatic text; prepare for the essay “The meaning of the title of A. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”.

– Where should we start the conversation? (From the definition of the word “thunderstorm”.)

IY. « Let's talk about meaning"

1. Personal message

– What is the meaning of the word “thunderstorm” according to V.I. Dahl’s dictionary? (Fear, noise, anxiety, disruption, crush, thunder, natural phenomenon, threat, threaten, tragedy, cleansing.)

– In what meaning does “thunderstorm” appear in the play? (In the first meaning - “threat”, “sarcasm”, “scold”.)

2 . “We draw conclusions.” Work in groups.

1 group

– What images is associated with the metaphor of a thunderstorm in the exhibition? (Almost all the characters.)

– What meaning of “thunderstorm” predominates in the exhibition? (Fear, threat, threaten.)

Conclusion No. 1. All exposition associated with the meaning of the word “thunderstorm”. Ostrovsky universally implements the metaphor of a thunderstorm.

2nd group

– What drama images symbolize the thunderstorm from below? (Dikoy, Kabanova.)

– What is the threat of the Wild? (Money – power – fear.)

– What is Kabanova's threat? (Money is power under the guise of godliness - fear.)

Conclusion No. 2. For Kalinovites, the storm is “from above” and “from below.” Above is God’s punishment, below is the power and money of the possessor.

3 group

– Why do they need fear in society? (Keep power.)

– Are only Dikoy and Kabanova experiencing the intoxication of power? (Analyze the monologue

Kuligin in the 1st act.)

Conclusion No. 3. The goal of the “warrior” Wild is the lawless rapture of power. Kabanova is a more complex version of tyranny: her goal is the legitimate intoxication of power (under the guise of piety).

4 group

– When does a thunderstorm appear as a natural phenomenon? (At the end of the 1st act.)

– Consider the meaning of this scene. Why did Ostrovsky introduce the half-crazy lady? Who is she talking to? What does he prophesy? What is her prophecy based on? (“I’ve sinned all my life from a young age.”)

– What is Varvara’s reaction to her hysteria? (Smiles.)

– What is Katerina's reaction? (“I’m scared to death…”)

Conclusion No. 4. Ostrovsky, in a detailed composition, needed to show that the order of the merchant town, whose roots were Old Believer, rests on fear.

Kabanikha’s siege war, just like the wild attacks of the Wild One, comes from uncertainty and anxiety. The Wild One’s anxiety is vague and unconscious, Kabanikha’s fear is conscious and far-sighted: something is not going well, something is broken in the mechanism of power and subordination.

Thus, the metaphor of a thunderstorm - fear, intoxication with power, threat, threaten - runs through the entire exhibition.

Group 5

– What scares Katerina? (Death will find you with sinful and evil thoughts.)

– How can you confirm that the author defined this scene as the beginning? (Rolls of thunder sound twice. Katerina’s fear intensifies.)

Thus, in beginning The action involves a thunderstorm.

Conclusion No. 5. Varvara has common sense; she ironically accepts centuries-old traditions. This is her protection. Varvara needs calculation and common sense against fear. Katerina has a complete lack of calculation and common sense, increased emotionality.

3. “Troubles, but not from the barrel.”

1 block of questions.

– What a shock Katerina experienced in the scene of Tikhon’s farewell before leaving for

Moscow? (Shocked by the humiliation.)

– Prove it with text. Pay attention to the stage directions. (D.2, appearance 3,4.)

– “ To foretell a bad outcome” is another meaning of the word “thunderstorm”. How is this meaning

played out in this scene?

– “ Tisha, don’t leave...” - “Well, take me with you...” - “Fathers, I’m dying...” - “... take me

oath..." (D. 2, appearance 4.)

– Is Tikhon capable of protecting Katerina? What Domostroy norms does Katerina violate?

(Throws himself on Tikhon’s neck. – Doesn’t howl: “Why make people laugh.”)

2 block of questions.

– How does the metaphor of a thunderstorm break into Katerina’s monologue after the farewell scene?

(“...she crushed me...”) Analyze Katerina’s monologue (D.2, appearance 4).

– How does Kudryash warn Boris about Katerina’s possible death? (“Only women

they are locked up.” - “So you want to ruin her completely.” - “They will eat you, they will hammer you into the coffin.”)

The theme of the coffin, the grave, bursts in, and from that moment on it sounds stronger.

– Is Boris able to protect Katerina? Who is trying to protect the heroine? (Kuligin.)

– How? (He suggests installing a lightning rod.)

– Why do you think Dikoy was so angry in his conversation with Kuligin about

lightning rod? (“A thunderstorm is being sent to us as punishment...”)

Lightning rod against the Wild One himself. They feel the fear of God before the Wild One himself, they are afraid of punishment from the Wild One himself. Kabanikha has the same role; Having escaped from her, Tikhon rejoices that “there will be no thunderstorm” above him for two weeks. Tyranny is associated with fear for one’s power, so it requires constant confirmation and testing.

3 block of questions.

– When is the second time a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon breaks into a play? Analyze this

stage. Find frightening, warning phrases of those present (“thunderstorm

it won’t go in vain”, “...crawls, covered with a cap”).

– Why does Katerina hide screaming when the lady appears?

– Who is the crazy lady turning to? Find frightening, key phrases in the lady’s speech (“...I don’t want to die...” - “...Beauty is death after all...” - “...into the pool with beauty...” - “...you can’t escape from God...”).

– Name the combination of circumstances that intensify the tragedy in Katerina’s soul and lead to recognition. (Conversations of those present, a crazy lady with her prophecy, a fiery hyena.)

And Katerina’s confession sounds like a clap of thunder.

For Katerina, a thunderstorm (as for the Kalinovites) is not a stupid fear, but a reminder to a person of responsibility to the higher forces of good and truth. “... the heavenly thunderstorm... only harmonizes with the moral thunderstorm even more terrible. And the mother-in-law is a thunderstorm, and the consciousness of a crime is a thunderstorm.” (M. Pisarev.)

Thus, there is also a thunderstorm in the climax scene.

The thunderstorm brings cleansing. Katerina's death, like a thunderclap, a lightning discharge, brings purification: an awakening sense of personality and a new attitude towards the world.

4 block of questions.

– In which of the heroes does the personality awaken under the influence of Katerina’s death? (Varvara and Kudryash ran away. - Tikhon accuses his mother publicly for the first time: “you ruined her.” - Kuligin: “... the soul is not yours now, it is before a judge who is more merciful than you!”)

So, A.N. Ostrovsky universally implemented the metaphor of a thunderstorm in the play. The title of the play is an image that symbolizes not only the elemental power of nature, but also the stormy state of society, the storm in the souls of people. The thunderstorm passes through all the elements of the composition (all important plot points are connected with the image of the thunderstorm). Ostrovsky used all the meanings of the word “thunderstorm” indicated in V. Dahl’s dictionary.

- Why were we looking for the meaning of the title of Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm?”

Y. Making a plan.

Joint formulation of the introduction, thesis, conclusion, and the children work on the main part at home.

Rough plan.

I. The meaning of the word “thunderstorm” according to V. Dahl’s dictionary.

II. Ostrovsky universally implements the metaphor of a thunderstorm in his drama.

1. Dikoy and Kabanikha are a “thunderstorm” for the Kalinovites, an example of tyranny.

2. Katerina’s premonition of misfortune and fear after the first thunderclap.

3. Katerina is shocked by the humiliation in the scene of Tikhon’s farewell before leaving for Moscow.

4. Kuligin suggests installing a lightning rod.

5. Against the background of a thunderstorm, Katerina admits to treason.

6. Katerina is a victim of an “internal thunderstorm,” a “thunderstorm of conscience.”

III. Katerina's death, like a thunderstorm, brings purification.

VI. Homework: learn by heart a passage of your choice (Kuligin “We have cruel morals, sir...” 1 act., scene 3,

Katerina “I say: why don’t people fly...” 1 act., yavl. 7).

Sergei Yursky studied symbolism in Ostrovsky’s works. His work: "Who holds the pause." Being a theater director, he pays tribute to Alexander Nikolaevich as a great playwright. Sergei Yursky claims that based on Ostrovsky’s plays it is possible to recreate Moscow of that time. And indeed, the playwright shows every small detail, the furnishings of houses, people’s clothing, traditions, everything that Moscow consisted of, real life.

Ostrovsky showed the life of people, but at the same time he added some small detail, which in the end had symbolic meaning in the proposed context.

The image of a thunderstorm has many meanings in the play “The Thunderstorm” - this has long been a proven, substantiated fact. Exploring the “Dowry Girl,” Yursky writes about several more images:

The image of the Volga: a symbol of the line between one life and another, a symbol of salvation for Larisa. The river carries away the beloved (Paratov), and along it the beloved returns. The river also takes away Larisa’s life (she dies on the very bank).

The researcher examines the details of everyday life in “Dowry”, which have symbolic meaning in this context. The image of the same river - the Volga. If we look at everyday life, then the city itself stands on the river. According to the work, the Volga divides destinies, carries some people away from others. The weapons hanging on the carpet in Karandyshev’s house, as well as the champagne served in the official’s house, have a symbolic meaning. In everyday life: a weapon is an interior detail, a kind of souvenir, and if you think about the hidden meaning, then a weapon means Karandyshev’s internal insecurity, his fear, cowardice, inferiority complex and other hidden meanings. Champagne, in everyday life, is a festive drink. Hidden meaning: a symbol of reconciliation after great disagreements, a symbol of playfulness, fun, a symbol of well-being (an expensive, overseas drink).

Alexander Nikolaevich’s symbols are specific things or phenomena, not words, which makes it possible to recreate works on stage in their full glory, showing the ideological concept.

While analyzing Ostrovsky's plays, Sergei Yursky observes 3 more multi-valued images: apples, keys (a bunch of keys), money. In almost every play, money has a symbolic meaning. The problem of property and the idea of money accompanies many of Ostrovsky's plays.

To summarize, Sergei Yursky says that the symbol must become real, helping the actor on stage and giving impetus to the viewer’s subconscious.

M.I. Pisarev writes about the image of a bird in his works. The image of a bird in Russian folk songs signifies freedom and enthusiasm. According to the critic: “Enthusiasm is an unconscious desire of the soul somewhere, which does not have solid ground and takes on increased dimensions.” In “The Thunderstorm,” the girl compares herself to a bird and dreams of becoming free.

Lebedev emphasized the importance of folk songs in his works.

In “The Snow Maiden” the heroine’s desire to meet people, to live in society, begins with Lelya’s songs, the desire to learn to sing songs just like a shepherd:

… “Driving in circles to songs is what’s so cute

Snow Maiden. Living without songs is no joy...”

… “Listening both days and nights

I’m ready for shepherd’s songs... And you listen and you melt..."

The play contains Russian folk songs and ritual songs. They express both love and disappointment.

In "Dowryless" Larisa Dmitrievna sings songs with a guitar, songs that came out of the people (in this case from a gypsy camp), touching even the most evil heart.

Delving deeper into the “image-symbol” system, namely Russian folk culture, Lebedev writes about the image of a river (Volga), about the image of a thunderstorm, using the example of the drama “The Thunderstorm”. The river, according to the Slavs, is the path to the end of life, the path to heaven, the river is the personification of the road to goodness, light. The river in “The Thunderstorm” is a symbol of meeting, love, marriage (in heaven), death, purification, in addition, it is a symbol of the transition from paganism to Christianity (immersion in water-baptism). Lebedev observes the image of “The Thunderstorm” throughout the work. In addition to the heavenly thunderstorm, he sees moral storm. The mother-in-law in “The Thunderstorm” is the personification of the thunderstorm, even internal struggle, this is a thunderstorm.

The realistic method of writing enriched literature with images and symbols. Griboedov used this technique in the comedy “Woe from Wit.” The essence is that objects are endowed with a certain symbolic meaning. Symbolic images can be end-to-end, that is, repeated several times throughout the text. In this case, the meaning of the symbol becomes significant for the plot. Particular attention should be paid to those images-symbols that are included in the title of the work. That is why emphasis should be placed on the meaning of the name and figurative symbolism of the drama “The Thunderstorm”.

To answer the question of what the symbolism of the title of the play “The Thunderstorm” contains, it is important to know why and why the playwright used this particular image. The thunderstorm in the drama appears in several forms. The first is a natural phenomenon. Kalinov and its inhabitants seem to live in anticipation of thunderstorms and rain. The events that unfold in the play take place over approximately 14 days. All this time from passers-by or from the main characters There are phrases that say that a thunderstorm is approaching. The violence of the elements is the culmination of the play: it is the thunderstorm and the clap of thunder that force the heroine to admit to treason. Moreover, thunderclaps accompany almost the entire fourth act. With each blow the sound becomes louder: Ostrovsky seems to be preparing readers for the highest point of conflict.

The symbolism of a thunderstorm includes another meaning. “Thunderstorm” is understood differently by different heroes. Kuligin is not afraid of a thunderstorm, because he does not see anything mystical in it. Dikoy considers the thunderstorm a punishment and a reason to remember the existence of God. Katerina sees in a thunderstorm a symbol of rock and fate - after the loudest thunderclap, the girl confesses her feelings for Boris. Katerina is afraid of thunderstorms, because for her it is equivalent to the Last Judgment. At the same time, the thunderstorm helps the girl decide to take a desperate step, after which she becomes honest with herself. For Kabanov, Katerina’s husband, the thunderstorm has its own meaning. He talks about this at the beginning of the story: Tikhon needs to leave for a while, which means he will lose his mother’s control and orders. “For two weeks there will be no thunderstorm over me, there are no shackles on my legs...” Tikhon compares the riot of nature with the incessant hysterics and whims of Marfa Ignatievna.

One of the main symbols in Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm” can be called the Volga River. It’s as if she separates two worlds: the city of Kalinov, “ dark kingdom"and that ideal world that each of the characters came up with for themselves. The words of Barynya are indicative in this regard. Twice the woman said that the river is a whirlpool that draws in beauty. From a symbol of supposed freedom, the river turns into a symbol of death.

Katerina often compares herself to a bird. She dreams of flying away, breaking out of this addictive space. “I say: why don’t people fly like birds? You know, sometimes I feel like I'm a bird. When you stand on a mountain, you feel the urge to fly,” says Katya to Varvara. Birds symbolize freedom and lightness, which the girl is deprived of.

The symbol of the court is not difficult to trace: it appears several times throughout the work. Kuligin, in conversations with Boris, mentions the court in the context of “ cruel morals cities." The court appears to be a bureaucratic apparatus that is not called upon to seek the truth and punish violations. All he can do is waste time and money. Feklusha talks about refereeing in other countries. From her point of view, only Christian court and court according to the laws of the economy can judge righteously, while the rest are mired in sin.
Katerina talks about the Almighty and about human judgment when she tells Boris about her feelings. For her, Christian laws come first, not public opinion: “If I was not afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid of human judgment?”

On the walls of the dilapidated gallery, past which residents of Kalinov walk, scenes from the Holy Letter are depicted. In particular, pictures of fiery Gehenna. Katerina herself remembers this mythical place. Hell becomes synonymous with mustiness and stagnation, which Katya fears. She chooses death, knowing that this is one of the most terrible Christian sins. But at the same time, through death, the girl gains freedom.

The symbolism of the drama “The Thunderstorm” is developed in detail and includes several symbolic images. With this technique, the author wanted to convey the severity and depth of the conflict that existed both in society and within each person. This information will be useful for 10th graders when writing an essay on the topic “The meaning of the title and symbolism of the play “The Thunderstorm”.”

Work test

The title of the play alone contains all the main motives for its understanding. The thunderstorm is the ideological symbol of Ostrovsky's work. In the first act, when Catherine made a hint to her mother-in-law about her secret love, a thunderstorm began to approach almost immediately. The approaching thunderstorm - this commemorates the tragedy in the play. But it breaks out only when main character tells her husband and mother-in-law about her sin.

The image of a thunderstorm-threat is closely related to the feeling of fear. “Well, what are you afraid of, pray tell! Now every grass, every flower is rejoicing, but we are hiding, afraid, as if some kind of misfortune is coming! The thunderstorm will kill! This is not a thunderstorm, but grace! Yes, grace! It's a storm for everyone!" - Kuligin shames his fellow citizens who tremble at the sounds of thunder. Indeed, a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon is as necessary as sunny weather. Rain washes away dirt, cleanses the soil, and promotes better plant growth. A person who sees a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon in the cycle of life, and not as a sign of divine wrath, does not experience fear. The attitude towards the thunderstorm in a certain way characterizes the heroes of the play. The fatalistic superstition associated with thunderstorms and widespread among the people is voiced by the tyrant Dikoy and the woman hiding from the thunderstorm: “The thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we feel...”; “No matter how you hide! If it’s destined for someone, you won’t go anywhere.” But in the perception of Dikiy, Kabanikha and many others, fear of a thunderstorm is something familiar and not a very vivid experience. “That’s it, you need to live in such a way that you are always ready for anything; “For fear this wouldn’t happen,” Kabanikha coolly notes. She has no doubt that the thunderstorm is a sign of God's wrath. But the heroine is so convinced that she is leading the right lifestyle that she does not experience any anxiety.

In the play, only Katerina experiences the most lively trepidation before a thunderstorm. We can say that this fear clearly demonstrates her mental discord. On the one hand, Katerina longs to challenge her hateful existence and meet her love halfway. On the other hand, she is not able to renounce the ideas instilled in the environment in which she grew up and continues to live. Fear, according to Katerina, is an integral element of life, and it is not so much the fear of death as such, but the fear of future punishment, of one’s spiritual failure: “Everyone should be afraid. It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins, with all your evil thoughts.”

In the play we also find a different attitude towards the thunderstorm, towards the fear that it supposedly must certainly evoke. “I’m not afraid,” say Varvara and the inventor Kuligin. The attitude towards a thunderstorm also characterizes the interaction of one or another character in the play with time. Dikoy, Kabanikha and those who share their view of the thunderstorm as a manifestation of heavenly displeasure are, of course, inextricably linked with the past. Internal conflict Katerina comes from the fact that she is unable either to break with ideas that are a thing of the past, or to keep the precepts of “Domostroi” in inviolable purity. Thus, she is at the point of the present, in a contradictory, turning point time, when a person must choose what to do. Varvara and Kuligin are looking to the future. In the fate of Varvara, this is emphasized due to the fact that she leaves her home to an unknown destination, almost like heroes of folklore going in search of happiness, and Kuligin is constantly in scientific search.

M.Yu. Lermontov (Hero of our time)

1. Image of a thunderstorm. Time in the play.
2. Katerina’s dreams and symbolic images of the end of the world.
3. Hero-symbols: Wild and Kabanikha.

The very name of A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” is symbolic. A thunderstorm is not only an atmospheric phenomenon, it is an allegorical designation of the relationship between elders and younger ones, those who have power and those who are dependent. “...For two weeks there will be no thunderstorm over me, there are no shackles on my legs...” - Tikhon Kabanov is glad to escape from the house, at least for a little while, where his mother “gives orders, one more menacing than the other.”

The image of a thunderstorm—a threat—is closely related to the feeling of fear. “Well, what are you afraid of, pray tell! Now every grass, every flower is rejoicing, but we are hiding, afraid, as if some kind of misfortune is coming! The thunderstorm will kill! This is not a thunderstorm, but grace! Yes, grace! It's a storm for everyone!" - Kuligin shames his fellow citizens who tremble at the sounds of thunder. Indeed, a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon is as necessary as sunny weather. Rain washes away dirt, cleanses the soil, and promotes better plant growth. A person who sees a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon in the cycle of life, and not as a sign of divine wrath, does not experience fear. The attitude towards the thunderstorm in a certain way characterizes the heroes of the play. The fatalistic superstition associated with thunderstorms and widespread among the people is voiced by the tyrant Dikoy and the woman hiding from the thunderstorm: “The thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we feel...”; “No matter how you hide! If it’s destined for someone, you won’t go anywhere.” But in the perception of Dikiy, Kabanikha and many others, fear of a thunderstorm is something familiar and not a very vivid experience. “That’s it, you need to live in such a way that you are always ready for anything; “For fear this wouldn’t happen,” Kabanikha coolly notes. She has no doubt that the thunderstorm is a sign of God's wrath. But the heroine is so convinced that she is leading the right lifestyle that she does not experience any anxiety.

In the play we also find a different attitude towards the thunderstorm, towards the fear that it supposedly must certainly evoke. “I’m not afraid,” say Varvara and the inventor Kuligin. The attitude towards a thunderstorm also characterizes the interaction of one or another character in the play with time. Dikoy, Kabanikha and those who share their view of the thunderstorm as a manifestation of heavenly displeasure are, of course, inextricably linked with the past. Katerina’s internal conflict stems from the fact that she is unable to either break with ideas that are a thing of the past, or keep the precepts of “Domostroi” in inviolable purity. Thus, she is at the point of the present, in a contradictory, turning point time, when a person must choose what to do. Varvara and Kuligin are looking to the future. In the fate of Varvara, this is emphasized due to the fact that she leaves her home to an unknown destination, almost like heroes of folklore going in search of happiness, and Kuligin is constantly in scientific search.

The image of time slips into the play every now and then. Time does not move evenly: it either shrinks to a few moments, or drags on for an incredibly long time. These transformations symbolize different sensations and changes, depending on the context. “Sure, it happened that I would enter heaven, and I didn’t see anyone, and I didn’t remember the time, and I didn’t hear when the service was over. Just like it all happened in one second” - this is how Katerina characterizes the special state of spiritual flight that she experienced as a child, attending church.

“The last times... by all accounts the last times. There is also paradise and silence in your city, but in other cities it’s just chaos, mother: noise, running around, incessant driving! People are just scurrying around, one here, another there.” The wanderer Feklusha interprets the acceleration of the pace of life as approaching the end of the world. It is interesting that the subjective feeling of time compression is experienced differently by Katerina and Feklusha. If for Katerina the quickly passing time of the church service is associated with a feeling of indescribable happiness, then for Feklushi the “decreasing” of time is an apocalyptic symbol: “...Time is getting shorter. It used to be that summer or winter drag on and on, you can’t wait for it to end, and now you won’t even see it fly by. The days and hours still seem to remain the same; and time, because of our sins, is becoming shorter and shorter.”

No less symbolic are the images from Katerina’s childhood dreams and the fantastic images in the wanderer’s story. Unearthly gardens and palaces, the singing of angelic voices, flying in a dream - all these are symbols of a pure soul, not yet aware of contradictions and doubts. But the uncontrollable movement of time also finds expression in Katerina’s dreams: “I no longer dream, Varya, of paradise trees and mountains as before; and it’s as if someone is hugging me so warmly and warmly and leading me somewhere, and I follow him, I go...” This is how Katerina’s experiences are reflected in dreams. What she tries to suppress in herself rises from the depths of the unconscious.

The motifs of “vanity”, “fiery serpent” that appear in Feklushi’s story are not just the result of a fantastic perception of reality by a simple person, ignorant and superstitious. The themes in the wanderer's story are closely related to both folklore and biblical motifs. If the fiery serpent is just a train, then vanity in Feklushi’s view is a capacious and multi-valued image. How often people are in a hurry to do something, not always correctly assessing the real significance of their affairs and aspirations: “It seems to him that he is running after something; he’s in a hurry, poor thing, he doesn’t recognize people, he imagines that someone is beckoning him; but when he comes to the place, it’s empty, there’s nothing, just a dream.”

But in the play “The Thunderstorm” not only phenomena and concepts are symbolic. The figures of the characters in the play are also symbolic. This especially applies to the merchant Dikiy and Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova, nicknamed Kabanikha in the city. A symbolic nickname, and the surname of the venerable Savel Prokofich can rightfully be called telling. This is not accidental, because it was in the images of these people that the thunderstorm was embodied, not mystical heavenly wrath, but a very real tyrannical power, firmly entrenched on the sinful earth.