Snow Maiden (Spring Tale) A. N. Ostrovsky. Encyclopedia of fairy-tale heroes: "Snegurochka" Ostrovsky Snow Maiden read the full summary
The Snow Maiden is perhaps the least typical of all the plays by Alexander Ostrovsky, which stands out sharply among other things in his work with lyricism, unusual problems (instead of social drama, the author paid attention to personal drama, designating the theme of love as the central theme) and absolutely fantastic surroundings. The play tells the story of the Snow Maiden, who appears before us as a young girl, desperately longing for the only thing she never had - love. Remaining faithful to the main line, Ostrovsky simultaneously reveals a few more: the structure of his semi-epic, semi-fairytale world, the customs and customs of the Berendeys, the theme of continuity and retribution, and the cyclical nature of life, noting, albeit in an allegorical form, that life and death always go hand in hand.
History of creation
The Russian literary world owes the birth of the play to a happy accident: at the very beginning of 1873, the building of the Maly Theater was closed for major repairs, and a group of actors temporarily moved to the Bolshoi. Deciding to take advantage of the possibilities of the new stage and attract the audience, it was decided to arrange an extravaganza performance unusual for those times, immediately involving the ballet, drama and opera components of the theater team.
It was with the proposal to write a play for this extravaganza that they turned to Ostrovsky, who, taking advantage of the opportunity to put a literary experiment into practice, agreed. The author changed his habit of looking for inspiration in the unattractive aspects of real life, and in search of material for the play he turned to the work of the people. There he found a legend about the Snow Maiden, which became the basis for his magnificent work.
In the early spring of 1873, Ostrovsky was hard at work on the creation of the play. And not alone - since staging on stage is impossible without music, the playwright worked together with the still very young then Pyotr Tchaikovsky. According to critics and writers, this is precisely one of the reasons for the amazing rhythm of The Snow Maiden - words and music were composed in a single impulse, close interaction, and imbued with each other's rhythm, initially forming one whole.
It is symbolic that Ostrovsky put the last point in The Snow Maiden on the day of his fiftieth birthday, March 31. A little more than a month later, on May 11, the premiere performance was shown. He received quite different reviews among critics, both positive and sharply negative, but already in the 20th century literary critics firmly agreed that The Snow Maiden was the brightest milestone in the work of the playwright.
Analysis of the work
Description of the work
The plot is based on the life path of the Snow Maiden girl, born from the union of Frost and Spring-Red, her father and mother. The Snow Maiden lives in the Berendey kingdom invented by Ostrov, but not with her relatives - she left her father Frost, who protected her from all possible troubles - but with the family of Bobyl and Bobylikh. The Snow Maiden longs for love, but she cannot fall in love - even her interest in Lelya is dictated by the desire to be the only and unique, the desire that the shepherd, who evenly gives all the girls warmth and joy, be affectionate with her alone. But Bobyl and Bobylikha are not going to bestow their love on her, they have a more important task: to cash in on the beauty of the girl by marrying her off. The Snow Maiden looks indifferently at the Berendey men, who change their lives for her sake, reject brides and violate social norms; she is internally cold, she is alien to the full of life Berendei - and therefore attracts them. However, misfortune falls to the lot of the Snow Maiden - when she sees Lel, who is favorable to the other and rejects her, the girl rushes to her mother with a request to let her fall in love - or die.
It is at this moment that Ostrovsky clearly expresses the central idea of his work to the limit: life without love is meaningless. The Snow Maiden cannot and does not want to put up with the emptiness and coldness that exists in her heart, and Spring, which is the personification of love, allows her daughter to experience this feeling, despite the fact that she herself thinks bad.
The mother turns out to be right: the Snow Maiden, who has fallen in love, melts under the first rays of the hot and clear sun, having managed, however, to discover a new world filled with meaning. And her lover, who had previously left his bride and was expelled by the Tsar, Mizgir, parted with his life in the pond, seeking to reunite with the water, which became the Snow Maiden.
main characters
(Scene from the ballet-performance "The Snow Maiden")
The Snow Maiden is the central figure of the work. A girl of extraordinary beauty, desperate to know love, but at the same time cold at heart. Pure, partly naive and completely alien to Berendey people, she is ready to give everything, even her life, in exchange for knowing what love is and why everyone is so hungry for it.
Frost is the father of the Snow Maiden, formidable and strict, who sought to protect his daughter from all sorts of troubles.
Spring-Krasna is the mother of a girl who, despite a premonition of trouble, could not go against her nature and her daughter's pleas and endowed her with the ability to love.
Lel is a windy and cheerful shepherd who was the first to awaken some feelings and emotions in the Snow Maiden. It was because she was rejected by him that the girl rushed to Spring.
Mizgir is a trading guest, or, in other words, a merchant who fell in love with the girl so much that he not only offered all his wealth for her, but also left Kupava, his failed bride, thereby violating the traditionally observed customs of the Berendey kingdom. In the end, he gained the reciprocity of the one he loved, but not for long - and after her death he himself lost his life.
It is worth noting that despite the large number of characters in the play, even the secondary characters turned out to be bright and characteristic: that the king Berendey, that Bobyl and Bobylikh, that the former bride of Mizgir Kupava - all of them are remembered by the reader, have their own distinctive features and characteristics.
"The Snow Maiden" is a complex and multifaceted work, both compositionally and rhythmically. The play is written without rhyme, but thanks to the unique rhythm and melodiousness that literally exists in every line, it sounds smoothly, like any rhymed verse. Decorates the "Snow Maiden" and the rich use of colloquial phrases - this is a completely logical and justified step by the playwright, who, when creating the work, relied on folk tales telling about a girl from the snow.
The same statement about versatility is also true in relation to the content: behind the outwardly simple story of the Snow Maiden (went out into the real world - rejected people - received love - imbued with the human world - died) lurks not only the assertion that life without love is meaningless, but also many other equally important aspects.
So, one of the central themes is the interconnection of opposites, without which the natural course of things is impossible. Frost and Yarilo, cold and light, winter and the warm season outwardly oppose each other, enter into an irreconcilable contradiction, but at the same time, the thought runs through the text that one does not exist without the other.
In addition to lyricism and the sacrifice of love, the social aspect of the play, displayed against the backdrop of fairy-tale foundations, is also of interest. The norms and customs of the Berendey kingdom are strictly observed, for violation they face expulsion, as happened with Mizgir. These norms are fair and to some extent reflect Ostrovsky's idea of an ideal old Russian community, where fidelity and love for one's neighbor, life in unity with nature are at a premium. The figure of Tsar Berendey, the “kind” Tsar, who, although he is forced to make harsh decisions, regards the fate of the Snow Maiden as tragic, sad, and evokes unambiguously positive emotions; such a king is easy to sympathize with.
At the same time, in the Berendey kingdom, justice is observed in everything: even after the death of the Snow Maiden, as a result of her acceptance of love, Yarila's anger and argument disappear, and the Berendey people can again enjoy the sun and warmth. Harmony prevails.
Year of writing:
1873
Reading time:
Description of the work:
The work of Alexander Ostrovsky The Snow Maiden was written in 1873. This is a fairy tale in which the writer reflected the beauty of the surrounding world. It is interesting that Ostrovsky combined fairy tales and legends in his work and added a certain flavor to folk art.
Although the plot of the fairy tale looks very fantastic, Ostrovsky put human relations in the first place in the Snow Maiden.
Below, read a summary of Ostrovsky's fairy tale Snow Maiden.
The action takes place in the country of the Berendeys in mythical times. The end of winter comes - the goblin hides in a hollow. Spring arrives on Krasnaya Gorka near Berendeyev Posad, the capital of Tsar Berendey, and birds return with it: cranes, swans - the retinue of Spring. The country of the Berendeys meets Spring with cold, and all because of Spring's flirtations with Frost, the old grandfather, Spring herself admits. They had a daughter - the Snow Maiden. Spring is afraid to quarrel with Frost for the sake of her daughter and is forced to endure everything. The “jealous” Sun itself is also angry. Therefore, Spring calls all the birds to warm themselves with a dance, as people themselves do in the cold. But the fun is just beginning - the choirs of birds and their dances - as a blizzard rises. Spring hides the birds in the bushes until the new morning and promises to warm them. Meanwhile, Frost comes out of the forest and reminds Spring that they have a common child. Each of the parents takes care of the Snow Maiden in their own way. Frost wants to hide her in the forest so that she lives among obedient animals in a forest tower. Spring wants a different future for her daughter: for her to live among people, among cheerful friends and children who play and dance until midnight. The peace meeting turns into a spor. Frost knows that the sun god of the Berendeys, hot Yarilo, vowed to destroy the Snow Maiden. As soon as the fire of love ignites in her heart, it will melt her. Spring does not believe. After a quarrel, Frost offers to give their daughter to be raised by a childless Bobyl in the suburb, where the guys are unlikely to pay attention to their Snow Maiden. Spring agrees.
Frost calls the Snow Maiden out of the forest and asks if she wants to live with people. The Snow Maiden admits that she has long yearned for girlish songs and round dances, that she likes the songs of the young shepherd Lel. This especially frightens the father, and he punishes the Snow Maiden more than anything in the world to beware of Lel, in whom the "scorching rays" of the Sun live. Parting with his daughter, Frost entrusts the care of her to his "leshutki" forest. And, finally, gives way to Spring. Folk festivities begin - seeing off Maslenitsa. The Berendeys greet the arrival of Spring with songs.
Bobyl went to the forest for firewood and sees the Snow Maiden dressed like a hawthorn. She wanted to stay with Bobyl with Bobyl's adopted daughter.
It is not easy for the Snow Maiden to live with Bobyl and Bobylikh: the named parents are angry that she, with her excessive bashfulness and modesty, discouraged all suitors and they fail to get rich with the help of a profitable marriage of their adopted daughter.
Lel comes to the Bobyls to wait, because they alone, for the money collected by other families, are ready to let him into the house. The rest are afraid that their wives and daughters will not resist Lel's charm. The Snow Maiden does not understand Lel's requests for a kiss for a song, for a flower gift. She picks off the flower with surprise and gives it to Lelya, but he, having sung a song and seeing other girls calling him, throws the already wilted flower of the Snow Maiden and runs away to new amusements. Many girls quarrel with guys who are inattentive to them because of their passion for the beauty of the Snow Maiden. Only Kupava, the daughter of the wealthy Slobozhan Murash, is affectionate towards the Snow Maiden. She informs her of her happiness: a wealthy merchant guest from the royal settlement Mizgir has engaged to her. Then Mizgir himself appears with two bags of gifts - a bride price for girls and guys. Kupava, together with Mizgir, approaches the Snow Maiden, who is spinning in front of the house, and calls her for the last time to lead the girl's round dances. But when he saw the Snow Maiden, Mizgir fell passionately in love with her and rejected Kupava. He orders to carry his treasury to Bobyl's house. The Snow Maiden resists these changes, not wishing harm to Kupava, but the bribed Bobyl and Bobylikha force the Snow Maiden to even drive Lel away, which is demanded by Mizgir. The shocked Kupava asks Mizgir about the reasons for his betrayal and hears in response that the Snow Maiden won his heart with her modesty and bashfulness, and Kupava's courage now seems to him a harbinger of future betrayal. The offended Kupava asks for protection from the Berendeys and sends curses to Mizgir. She wants to drown herself, but Lel stops her, and she falls unconscious into his arms.
In the chambers of Tsar Berendey, a conversation takes place between him and his close associate Bermyata about the troubles in the kingdom: for fifteen years Yarilo has been unkind to Berendey, the winters are getting colder, the springs are getting colder, and in some places there is snow in summer. Berendey is sure that Yarilo is angry with the Berendeys for cooling their hearts, for the "cold of feelings." To quench the wrath of the Sun, Berendey decides to propitiate him with a sacrifice: on Yarilin's day, the next day, to tie as many grooms and brides as possible by marriage. However, Bermyata reports that because of some Snow Maiden who showed up in the settlement, all the girls quarreled with the guys and it is impossible to find brides and grooms for marriage. Then Kupava, abandoned by Mizgir, runs in and cries out all her grief to the king. The king orders to find Mizgir and summon the Berendeys for trial. Mizgir is brought in, and Berendey asks Bermyata how to punish him for cheating on his bride. Bermyata proposes to force Mizgir to marry Kupava. But Mizgir boldly objects that his bride is the Snow Maiden. Kupava also does not want to marry a traitor. The Berendeys do not have the death penalty, and Mizgir is sentenced to exile. Mizgir only asks the king to look at the Snow Maiden himself. Seeing the Snow Maiden who came with Bobyl and Bobylikh, the tsar is struck by her beauty and tenderness, wants to find a worthy husband for her: such a “sacrifice” will surely appease Yarila. The Snow Maiden admits that her heart does not know love. The king turns to his wife for advice. Elena the Beautiful says that the only one who can melt the heart of the Snow Maiden is Lel. Lel calls the Snow Maiden to twist wreaths until the morning sun and promises that by morning love will wake up in her heart. But Mizgir does not want to give in to the Snow Maiden and asks for permission to join the fight for the heart of the Snow Maiden. Berendey allows and is sure that at dawn the Berendey will gladly meet the Sun, which will accept their expiatory "sacrifice". The people glorify the wisdom of their king Berendey.
At the evening dawn, the girls and boys begin to dance, in the center - the Snow Maiden with Lel, Mizgir either appears or disappears in the forest. Fascinated by Lel's singing, the tsar invites him to choose a girl who will reward him with a kiss. The Snow Maiden wants Lel to choose her, but Lel chooses Kupava. Other girls put up with their sweethearts, forgiving them past betrayals. Lel is looking for Kupava, who has gone home with her father, and meets the weeping Snow Maiden, but he does not feel sorry for her for these “jealous tears”, caused not by love, but by envy for Kupava. He tells her about secret lovemaking, which is more valuable than a public kiss, and only for true love is he ready to take her to meet the Sun in the morning. Lel recalls how he cried when the Snow Maiden had not previously answered his love, and goes to the guys, leaving the Snow Maiden to wait. And yet, it is not love that lives in the heart of the Snow Maiden, but only pride that Lel will lead her to meet Yarila.
But then Mizgir finds the Snow Maiden, he pours out his soul to her, full of burning, real male passion. He, who never prayed for love from girls, falls on his knees before her. But the Snow Maiden is afraid of his passion, and the threats to avenge the humiliation are also terrible. She also rejects the priceless pearl with which Mizgir tries to buy her love, and says that she will exchange her love for Lel's love. Then Mizgir wants to get the Snow Maiden by force. She calls Lelya, but "leshutki" come to her aid, whom Father Frost instructed to take care of her daughter. They take Mizgir into the forest, beckoning him with the ghost of the Snow Maiden, and he wanders all night in the forest, hoping to overtake the Snow Maiden-ghost.
Meanwhile, even the heart of the tsar's wife was melted by Lel's songs. But the shepherd deftly dodges both from Elena the Beautiful, leaving her in the care of Bermyata, and from the Snow Maiden, from whom he runs away when he sees Kupava. It was this kind of reckless and ardent love that his heart was waiting for, and he advises the Snow Maiden to “eavesdrop” on Kupavina’s hot speeches in order to learn to love. The Snow Maiden, in her last hope, runs to Mother Spring and asks her to teach her real feelings. On the last day, when Spring can fulfill her daughter's request, since the next day Yarilo and Summer come into their own, Spring, rising from the water of the lake, reminds the Snow Maiden of her father's warning. But the Snow Maiden is ready to give her life for a moment of true love. Her mother puts on her a magic wreath of flowers and herbs and promises that she will love the first young man she meets. The Snow Maiden meets Mizgir and responds to his passion. The immensely happy Mizgir does not believe in danger and considers the desire of the Snow Maiden to hide from Yarila's rays as an empty fear. He solemnly leads the bride to Yarilina Gora, where all the Berendeys have gathered. At the first rays of the sun, the Snow Maiden melts, blessing the love that brings death to her. It seems to Mizgir that the Snow Maiden deceived him, that the gods mocked him, and in despair he rushes from Yarilina Mountain into the lake. “The Snow Maiden’s sad death and the terrible death of Mizgir cannot disturb us,” the tsar says, and all the Berendeys hope that Yarila’s anger will now go out, that he will give the Berendeys strength, harvest, life.
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Russian folk tale "Snow Maiden"
Genre: folk fairy tale
The main characters of the fairy tale "Snegurochka" and their characteristics
- Ivan and Marya, childless old men, peasants. Good and God-fearing.
- Snow Maiden. A girl made of snow, beautiful, pale, sad in summer, cheerful in winter. Affectionate and friendly, sociable.
- Ivan and Mary
- snowmen
- snow doll
- Eyes
- Revived Snow Maiden
- Snow Maiden - beauty
- Spring
- Sad Snow Maiden
- With the girls in the woods
- Fire jumping
- Disappearance of the Snow Maiden
- Search
- light cloud
- Ivan and Marya lived in the village, and they had no children.
- They made a snowman in winter and the snow doll came to life
- Ivan and Marya named the girl Snegurochka.
- Spring came, and then summer, and the Snow Maiden was sad from the heat.
- The girls called her into the forest to jump over the fire
- The Snow Maiden melted and flew away in a light cloud.
There can't be a happy family without children.
What does the fairy tale "Snow Maiden" teach
The fairy tale teaches to love nature, to know the peculiarities of each season, teaches folk traditions and holidays. It teaches to be obedient, to love your parents, not to upset them. It teaches to be kind, to be able to make friends, to be cheerful.
Review of the fairy tale "Snow Maiden"
I like this simple and at the same time interesting story. Her main character, the Snow Maiden, was made of snow and therefore was very afraid of the sun. She was sick in the summer. It is a pity that the Snow Maiden began to jump over the fire and the heat of the flame melted her. So the parents lost their beloved child due to simple negligence.
Proverbs to the fairy tale "Snow Maiden"
God gave, God took.
Which have not be avoided.
Without children it is dreary, with children it is troublesome.
Whoever has many children is not forgotten by God.
Children joy, children and grief.
Read a summary, a brief retelling of the fairy tale "Snow Maiden"
Once upon a time there was a peasant Ivan and his wife Marya. They had everything in the household, only there were no children. And then one winter Ivan looked at how the neighbor's children were making a snowman, and suggested that Marya also go, make a snowman, distract from sad thoughts.
They went outside and made a snowman. They sculpted the head, blinded the nose, made dimples on the forehead. As soon as Ivan began to sculpt his mouth, suddenly, as if warm, breathed on him. He looks, and the pits have already become eyes. The snow doll tilts its head.
Ivan was frightened, he thought what an obsession. And Mary immediately understood that it was the Lord giving them a child. The Snow Maiden shook off the snow and now a living girl is standing in front of them.
And Ivan and Marya began to live happily. The girl Snegurochka quickly grew up, became a beauty, but she doesn’t have a blush at all.
And then the winter flew by, followed by spring. The Snow Maiden is sad on sunny days, she hides everything in the shade, and bathes in the icy water near the spring. And when the hail went, the Snow Maiden's joy happened at all. But the hailstones quickly melted.
And on the eve of Ivanov's Day, the neighbors called the Snow Maiden for a walk in the forest. And Ivan and Marya released their daughter, and the girls were ordered to keep an eye on the Snow Maiden. Don't leave one.
And the girls watched the Snow Maiden and had fun. And then the Snow Maiden began to jump over the fire with them. The girls jumped over the fire, they look - the Snow Maiden disappeared. The girls searched for her for a long time, they did not find her.
Ivan and Marya wept bitterly. Marya went to the forest, looking for the Snow Maiden. Yes, but it's nowhere to be found. When she jumped over the fire, she melted and flew off into the sky with a light steam.
Drawings and illustrations for the fairy tale "Snow Maiden"
Summary of the tale
The action takes place in the country of the Berendeys in mythical times. The end of winter comes - the goblin hides in a hollow. Spring arrives on Krasnaya Gorka near Berendeyev Posad, the capital of Tsar Berendey, and birds return with it: cranes, swans, the retinue of Spring. The country of the Berendeys meets Spring with cold, and all because of Spring's flirtations with Frost, the old grandfather, Spring herself admits.
They had a daughter, the Snow Maiden. Spring is afraid to quarrel with Frost for the sake of her daughter and is forced to endure everything. The “jealous” Sun itself is also angry. Therefore, Spring calls all the birds to warm themselves with a dance, as people themselves do in the cold. But as soon as the fun begins - the choirs of birds and their dances - as a blizzard rises. Spring hides the birds in the bushes until the new morning and promises to warm them. Meanwhile, Frost comes out of the forest and reminds Spring that they have a common child.
Frost, Spring, Snow Maiden. The Snow Maiden (Spring Tale) by A. N. Ostrovsky, illustration by Adrian Mikhailovich Ermolaev
Each of the parents takes care of the Snow Maiden in their own way. Frost wants to hide her in the forest so that she lives among obedient animals in a forest tower. Spring wants a different future for her daughter: for her to live among people, among cheerful friends and children who play and dance until midnight. The peace meeting turns into a spor. Frost knows that the sun god of the Berendeys, hot Yarilo, vowed to destroy the Snow Maiden.
As soon as the fire of love ignites in her heart, it will melt her. Spring does not believe. After a quarrel, Frost offers to give their daughter to be raised by a childless Bobyl in the suburb, where the guys are unlikely to pay attention to their Snow Maiden. Spring agrees.
Frost calls the Snow Maiden out of the forest and asks if she wants to live with people. The Snow Maiden admits that she has long yearned for girlish songs and round dances, that she likes the songs of the young shepherd Lel.
Snow Maiden, artist A. M. Ermolaev
This especially frightens the father, and he punishes the Snow Maiden more than anything in the world to beware of Lel, in whom the "scorching rays" of the Sun live. Parting with his daughter, Frost entrusts the care of her to his "leshutki" forest. And, finally, gives way to Spring. Folk festivities begin - seeing off Shrovetide. The Berendeys greet the arrival of Spring with songs.
Bobyl went to the forest for firewood and sees the Snow Maiden dressed like a hawthorn. She wanted to stay with Bobyl with Bobyl's adopted daughter.
Bobyl and Bobylikh. V.M. Vasnetsov
It is not easy for the Snow Maiden to live with Bobyl and Bobylikh: the named parents are angry that she, with her excessive bashfulness and modesty, discouraged all suitors and they fail to get rich with the help of a profitable marriage of their adopted daughter. Lel comes to the Bobyls to wait, because they alone, for the money collected by other families, are ready to let him into the house. The rest are afraid that their wives and daughters will not resist Lel's charm.
Snow Maiden and Lel. Vasnetsov, sketch
The Snow Maiden does not understand Lel's requests for a kiss for a song, for a flower gift. She picks off the flower with surprise and gives it to Lelya, but he, having sung a song and seeing other girls calling him, throws the already wilted flower of the Snow Maiden and runs away to new amusements.
Many girls quarrel with guys who are inattentive to them because of their passion for the beauty of the Snow Maiden. Only Kupava, the daughter of the wealthy Slobozhan Murash, is affectionate towards the Snow Maiden. She informs her of her happiness: a wealthy merchant guest from the royal settlement Mizgir has engaged to her. Then Mizgir himself appears with two bags of gifts - a bride price for girls and boys.
Kupava, together with Mizgir, approaches the Snow Maiden, who is spinning in front of the house, and calls her for the last time to lead the girl's round dances. But when he saw the Snow Maiden, Mizgir fell passionately in love with her and rejected Kupava. He orders to carry his treasury to Bobyl's house. The Snow Maiden resists these changes, not wishing harm to Kupava, but the bribed Bobyl and Bobylikha force the Snow Maiden to even drive Lel away, which is demanded by Mizgir.
Mizgir and Kupava. Vasnetsov, sketch 1885-1886
The shocked Kupava asks Mizgir about the reasons for his betrayal and hears in response that the Snow Maiden won his heart with her modesty and bashfulness, and Kupava's courage now seems to him a harbinger of future betrayal. The offended Kupava asks for protection from the Berendeys and sends curses to Mizgir. She wants to drown herself, but Lel stops her, and she falls unconscious into his arms. In the chambers of Tsar Berendey, a conversation takes place between him and his close associate Bermyata about the trouble in the kingdom: for fifteen years, Yarilo has been unkind to the Berendeys, the winters are getting colder, the springs are getting colder, and in some places there is snow in summer.
Berendeyka in "The Snow Maiden". V. Vasnetsov.
Berendey is sure that Yarilo is angry with the Berendeys for cooling their hearts, for the "cold of feelings." To quench the wrath of the Sun, Berendey decides to propitiate him with a sacrifice: on Yarilin's day, the next day, to tie as many grooms and brides as possible by marriage. However, Bermyata reports that because of some Snow Maiden who showed up in the settlement, all the girls quarreled with the guys and it is impossible to find brides and grooms for marriage.
Then Kupava, abandoned by Mizgir, runs in and cries out all her grief to the king. The king orders to find Mizgir and convene the Berendeys for trial. Mizgir is brought in, and Berendey asks Bermyata how to punish him for cheating on his bride. Bermyata proposes to force Mizgir to marry Kupava. But Mizgir boldly objects that his bride is the Snow Maiden.
Kupava also does not want to marry a traitor. The Berendeys do not have the death penalty, and Mizgir is sentenced to exile. Mizgir only asks the king to look at the Snow Maiden himself. Seeing the Snow Maiden who came with Bobyl and Bobylikha, the tsar is struck by her beauty and tenderness, wants to find a worthy husband for her: such a “sacrifice” will surely appease Yarila.
The Snow Maiden admits that her heart does not know love. The king turns to his wife for advice. Elena the Beautiful says that the only one who can melt the heart of the Snow Maiden is Lel. Lel calls the Snow Maiden to twist wreaths until the morning sun and promises that by morning love will wake up in her heart. But Mizgir does not want to give in to the Snow Maiden and asks for permission to join the fight for the heart of the Snow Maiden. Berendey allows and is sure that at dawn the Berendey will gladly meet the Sun, which will accept their expiatory "sacrifice". The people glorify the wisdom of their king Berendey.
At the evening dawn, the girls and boys begin to dance, in the center - the Snow Maiden with Lel, Mizgir either appears or disappears in the forest. Delighted by Lel's singing, the tsar invites him to choose a girl who will reward him with a kiss. The Snow Maiden wants Lel to choose her, but Lel chooses Kupava. Other girls put up with their sweethearts, forgiving them past betrayals. Lel is looking for Kupava, who has gone home with her father, and meets the weeping Snow Maiden, but he does not feel sorry for her for these “jealous tears”, caused not by love, but by envy for Kupava.
Sketch for a poster for the opera by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov "The Snow Maiden". Artist K.A. Korovin
He tells her about secret lovemaking, which is more valuable than a public kiss, and only for true love is he ready to take her to meet the Sun in the morning. Lel recalls how he cried when the Snow Maiden had not previously answered his love, and goes to the guys, leaving the Snow Maiden to wait. And yet, it is not love that lives in the heart of the Snow Maiden, but only pride that Lel will lead her to meet Yarila. But then Mizgir finds the Snow Maiden, he pours out his soul to her, full of burning, real male passion.
He, who never prayed for love from girls, falls on his knees before her. But the Snow Maiden is afraid of his passion, and the threats to avenge the humiliation are also terrible. She also rejects the priceless pearl with which Mizgir tries to buy her love, and says that she will exchange her love for Lel's love. Then Mizgir wants to get the Snow Maiden by force. She calls Lelya, but the Leshuki come to her aid, whom Father Frost instructed to take care of her daughter.
Elena Katulskaya as the Snow Maiden in N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Snow Maiden
They take Mizgir into the forest, beckoning him with the ghost of the Snow Maiden, and in the forest he wanders all night, hoping to overtake the Snow Maiden-ghost.
Meanwhile, even the heart of the tsar's wife was melted by Lel's songs. But the shepherd deftly dodges both from Elena the Beautiful, leaving her in the care of Bermyata, and from the Snow Maiden, from whom he runs away when he sees Kupava. It was this kind of reckless and ardent love that his heart was waiting for, and he advises the Snow Maiden to “eavesdrop” on Kupavina’s hot speeches in order to learn to love. The Snow Maiden, in her last hope, runs to Mother Spring and asks her to teach her real feelings.
Actress Alyabyeva as Spring in the play "The Snow Maiden";
Viktor Vasnetsov. Spring. Sketch for the play "The Snow Maiden";
Nadezhda Zabela (Vrubel) as the Snow Maiden (1890).
Before getting acquainted with the summary of the story of Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky "The Snow Maiden", you should pay attention to the amazing facts from the history of writing the play. The author needed to publish a new play in a short time. Together with the young composer Tchaikovsky, they completed the work in record time and with great success.
The play "The Snow Maiden" is based on a folk story. The script was completed by 1873. In the same year, on May 11, a new poetic play was presented to the audience at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, which today's schoolchildren study along with the rest of the author's stories in the course of the school curriculum.
For a deeper understanding of the work, while studying it, one should write down one's thoughts in a reader's diary, draw up a characterization of the characters and, if desired, get acquainted with the existing adaptations of the play or attend performances.
In the reader's diary, it is recommended to indicate the names of the characters, describe what role they play in the story, whether they are secondary or main. These simple steps will help you analyze the work in more detail and make it easier for you to write character descriptions.
The main characters of the work
The main characters of the work of Ostrovsky A. N. can be identified as the Snow Maiden, the shepherdess Lelya, whose songs the whole country of Berendey loved to listen to, the maiden of the settlement - Kupava, Mizgir - a noble merchant, Bobyl Bakula and Bobylikha, as well as the wise king Berendey, that northern side where the story takes place.
Minor characters
The secondary heroes of the tale are the old man Frost, Spring with his retinue, Leshy, the people of the Berendey kingdom - the Berendeys (Murash, Radushka, Biryuch, Malusha and others), the servants of Mizgir and Leshy, the assistant of the prankster old man.
Brief retelling of the play "The Snow Maiden" by A. N. Ostrovsky
For ease of understanding, the retelling is drawn up according to the plan, according to the content of the story: a prologue and four acts. When writing your own plan in the reader's diary, if you wish, you can omit these items, or add new ones (for example, describe phenomena in detail).
Prologue
At the beginning of the story and the performance, the author takes the reader to fabulous prehistoric times in a country ruled by the wise king Berendey.
All the events described in the prologue take place on Krasnaya Gorka, behind which Berendeev's settlement is located. Midnight. The full moon silvers the northern expanses with cold light. Nature has not woken up from the winter frosts: the ground is still covered with a snow-white veil, and the branches of the trees gloomily sank under the weight of snow caps.
Spring fairy tale begins with the arrival of birds. Leshy, who guarded the forest, announces the end of winter and dives into a hollow to sleep after hard work. Vienna-Krasna descends to the ground, but the Berendey expanses greet her indifferently: the fields shimmer with a cold sheen, it is cold - not at all like in the southern countries!
But Spring admits that she herself is guilty of such a reception, talks about her flirting with the old man Frost, about their daughter Snegurochka. With regret, she says that it is precisely because of her daughter that she will not contradict the old man, who, taking advantage of her gentleness, spitefully freezes the entire kingdom of Berendey. In addition to this, the angry Yarilo does not want to warm the Berendeyites with sunlight.
Pitying the birds, Spring advises them, like people, to start dancing to keep warm. Birds obediently dance to the tunes, celebrating the arrival and housewarming.
But in the midst of fun, the wind rises, clouds come in. Everything is covered in darkness. Spring shelters the birds in the bushes and tells them to wait until morning for the blizzard to subside.
The beautiful Spring and Father Frost remain in the clearing, who talks with fun about the cold that has been sent to the Berendeys this winter. But the old man's interlocutor is only interested in the fate of the Snow Maiden, languishing in the tower. She takes pity on her daughter and asks Frost to let her live with people and enjoy her youth. He reluctantly agrees to settle their daughter with Bobyl, but warns Vesna about the evil Yaril, who wants to destroy their daughter, giving birth to a fire of love in her heart.
The Snow Maiden is very happy that she will be allowed to live with people. She had long dreamed of human amusements: going for berries with her girlfriends, dancing round dances. Passionately, fascinated, she talks about Lel's shepherd songs and, in exchange for her father's generosity, promises to learn them and perform them under a snowstorm.
But Frost becomes uncomfortable with her words, he tells Spring to protect their daughter from Lel, from speeches and his and songs, as the girls of the whole kingdom of Berendeev love the shepherd for sincere words and tunes. In the guise of Lelya, he sees the mortal death of his daughter and asks Leshy to protect his only child from offenders.
Spring tells the Snow Maiden that she can always be found on the lake, in the Yarilina Valley, if the girl suddenly needs help.
The blizzard subsides, the clouds disperse, the sky becomes clear, ringing human voices are heard everywhere - the people meet the approaching holiday.
The Berendey people rejoice, sing, carry a sleigh with a scarecrow into the forest, thank Maslenitsa for delicious treats and fun games.
Maslenitsa promises the Berendey people to return next year, as soon as the frosty season passes and thawed patches appear, and disappears.
Bobyl Bakula, a resident of the kingdom of Berendey, laments about how little he ate neighbor pancakes, complains about the coming hungry and impoverished life. Bobylikha points out to her husband about his laziness and sends him to the forest for firewood, which has not been in the house for several days.
Bakula goes to cut down a birch and finds a beautiful girl who asks to live in the settlement with the Berendeys from the one who found her first. Bobyl and Bobylikha are delighted with this news, they think that they can find a rich groom for a beautiful girl and correct the plight of their family.
First action
The first action takes place in the settlement of Berendeevka.
The author describes Bakula's house: old, rickety, with a leaky roof. Bobyl and Bobylikha complain that they took the Snow Maiden into the house in vain and they have no use for her. But the girl objects: there is nothing to take from the orphan, but she is hardworking and is not afraid of work. And their troubles are only from the fact that they are lazy and inactive.
Bobylikh and Bobyl scold the girl for not wanting to reciprocate the village boys who come to woo. They persuade her to choose a richer lover for herself, so that the named parents would also benefit from the orphan's wedding. The conversation is interrupted by the sound of the shepherd's horn.
Lel comes to live with the Bobyls by the decision of the wise king Berendey and by agreement of the local residents who have collected money for his living. The Berendeyites do not want to let the shepherd into their homes, as they fear for their daughters and wives, who are greedy for his songs. The Snow Maiden remains cold. She has no lover, her heart does not know love.
Lel's songs awaken memories in the girl's soul. But she remains indifferent to the courtship of the shepherd. She is alien to caresses and kisses. And Lel, who did not find warmth in Bakula's house, runs to other girls, throwing out a withered flower - a gift from the Snow Maiden. Resentment settles in the heart of the girl from the fact that the shepherd preferred other girls of the settlement to her.
Among the girls of the Berendeev kingdom, the poor beauty has no friends. The orphan eclipsed everyone with her beauty, lured all the guys to her, quarreled them with her friends. Only Kupava does not shun her. She shares with the Snow Maiden her joy at the arrival of a noble merchant, a fine fellow who will soon woo her.
Mizgir appears with a ransom for his beloved. For the last time, the girls are going to dance, and a young couple approaches the Snow Maiden to invite her to the holiday. The young man is captivated by the beauty of the girl and forgets about everything else. He no longer wants to marry Kupava.
All his thoughts are only about one daughter of Frost and Spring. The merchant intends to woo the poor orphan and orders to carry the entire ransom to the house of Bobyl Bakula. The parents who sheltered her force the girl to reciprocate the rich guy, drive out the shepherd Lel and marry Mizgir. But the Snow Maiden understands what harm she will do to Kupava and does not want to act according to the will of Bobyl and Bobylikh.
Kupava is overshadowed by the merchant's changeable nature. She asks her lover why he did not like her. To this, Mizgir declares that the modesty and bashfulness of the Snow Maiden won his heart, according to him, these qualities are real manifestations of girlish love and warmth, and Kupava’s openness is not sweet to him and seems only a harbinger of betrayal.
Kupava is upset, she asks for protection from the people of the Berendey settlement, curses her former fiancé and wants to die, because her grief is too strong. But the shepherd Lel saves the young girl.
Second act
The author describes the king's palace. Berendey is annoyed by the fact that for sixteen years Yarilo has not given the Berendeyites sunshine and warmth.
Believing that Yarilo is angry with the Berendeys for their cold hearts. The king decides that it is necessary to appease the wrath of the sun and make a sacrifice to him: to tie as many loving couples in marriage as possible.
But Bermyata says that this cannot be done in any way, because the Snow Maiden quarreled all the guys and girls among themselves. At this moment, Kupava runs into the royal chambers and informs Berendey that Mizgir, who swore love to her, called her his bride, betrayed her.
The king orders the guy to be brought to court, during which a decision is made to expel him from the country. In justification, the merchant prays to the king to look at the beautiful Snow Maiden.
Bobyl and Bobylikha bring their adopted daughter to Berendey. The sovereign remains impressed by the beauty of the girl. Having married a modest poor girl to a worthy guy, he believes to propitiate Yarilo and return a warm and sunny summer to the country. But the Snow Maiden admits that her heart does not know love and tenderness, that in the whole world she does not have a lover.
Confused, the king asks his wife for help. Elena the Beautiful believes that only Lel is able to awaken in a girl a feeling unfamiliar to her.
The shepherd calls the Snow Maiden to make wreaths and promises that love will come to her heart with the morning dawn. Mizgir sees Lele as a rival and does not want to give up the girl to him. He intends to win his beloved with all his might.
Third act
In the evening, the Berendeys gather together to dance. Girls forgive guys for cheating and put up with them. Lel sings songs to the inhabitants of the country.
The king admires the shepherd's singing and, as a reward, allows Lel to choose a girl who will reward him with her kiss.
The Snow Maiden hopes that the shepherd will choose her, but when he approaches Kupava, he becomes upset and hides in the forest, crying over his grief. Lel, who was accidentally met, tells her that her tears are empty - they contain only envy, but not love for him.
The shepherd remembers the girl how he waited for words of love when he lived with Bobyl and Bobylikh, but did not receive a shadow of tenderness in response, and tells the girl that only for a real feeling he is ready to connect his fate with her.
After Lel leaves, Mizgir overtakes the Snow Maiden in the forest. He begs her to reciprocate his passionate love. The girl is afraid of the merchant's words. She returns his gifts, to which he decides to get the suburban orphan by force. The envoys of Frost come to the rescue: they beckon Mizgir with the image of a girl deep into the forest.
Freed, the Snow Maiden searches for Lel, but he rejects her and leaves with Kupava, advising her to learn real feelings from his chosen one. An abandoned girl in desperation is looking for her mother, wishing that she would give her the opportunity to love.
Fourth act
Spring-Krasna listens to her daughter's prayers, but, remembering the precepts of Santa Claus, orders her to think again about her request.
The Snow Maiden assures her mother that life is not dear to her without a real feeling. And the mother gives her a wreath that bestows love: the first person she meets will become the girl's lover.
Putting a wreath on her head, the girl sees the world in a completely different way: everything is color, everything glitters and shines in the sun.
The first person the daughter of Spring meets is Mizgir. The Snow Maiden, having fallen in love with the merchant, responds to his passion, but warns her chosen one that if he does not protect her from the rays of Yarila, she will melt at the same moment.
Mizgir, inspired by love, neglects the fears of his bride and leads her to Yarilina Mountain. As soon as sunlight hits a girl, she melts.
The merchant, considering everything that happened a cruel joke of the gods, unable to bear the grief, is thrown into the lake.
Tsar Berendey urges the inhabitants of the country to believe that the sad death of two lovers should not overshadow the holiday. Now Yarilo will soften, and the land of the Berendeys will again become warmer and begin to bear fruit, as in the old days.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is worth analyzing Ostrovsky's performance and writing down in the reader's diary the feelings that remained after studying the story.
The meaning of the work subtly entangles the entire storyline of the play and is revealed by the author at the very end of the "spring tale". The story is filled with love and its various forms of manifestation. But the love of the Snow Maiden - pure and fearless, saving, able to remove the curse from the country of the Berendeys - this is the main key to the whole story.
The Snow Maiden, turning to her mother for help, was aware of the tragedy of her desire, and yet did not give up on it. Pure feeling, devoid of everything ostentatious and selfish, is the main thing in Ostrovsky's play. Everything else in the plot description only helps the reader (or the viewer of the play) to understand the differences between the manifestations of love.
