Analysis of "Mtsyri", poems of Mikhail Lermontov

The nature of the Caucasus attracted many Russian writers of the 19th century, but it produced the greatest impression on Lermontov. As a child, he was sent to the south of Russia, where he underwent treatment. He saw the Caucasus mountains, mighty rivers, became acquainted with the life of the mountaineers. Since then, the theme of the Caucasus has become one of the favorite for the poet. Landscapes of the Caucasus fascinate: majestic mountains, striving towards heaven, deep abysses, descending to the depths of the earth. All this Mikhail Yuryevich reflected in his painting. However, numerous trips to the south of Russia brought fruits not only in the form of paintings, but also in the form of works. Lermontov's most famous poem about the life of the Caucasus is "Mtsyri".

The basis of the plot of the poem

Analysis of "Mtsyri" as a romantic poem can not be held without knowing the history of the creation of the work. In 1837 Lermontov traveled to Georgia, he studied local legends and legends. In one of the monasteries he met an old monk who told the story of his life. Once he, the son of a mountaineer, was captured by Russian General Ermolov. The disease caught the travelers on the road, Ermolov had to leave the boy in the monastery, where he grew up. According to the story of the old monk, he could not at first get used to life in prison, even tried several times to escape to the mountains, once nearly perished. Returning, he decided to accept the order and stay in the monastery forever.

This story made a great impression on the poet. Lermontov decided to write a poem, which he originally called "bary", which in Georgian means "monk." And then he replaced the title with a word that in Georgian has several meanings, "Mtsyri".

Formal analysis. Mtsyri as a romantic hero

"Mtsyri" in translation from Georgian means a young man who is just preparing to become a monk, however, still the local population calls so a person who came from another country. So, the protagonist of the poem "Mtsyri" is a boy who enters the monastery not by his own free will. Description Mtsyri completely corresponds to the classic romantic hero. Since childhood he stands out against the background of his peers, with whom he does not get along. He is serious, their games are not interesting for him. Consequently, the character of Mtsyri also refers us to the image of a romantic character. In the monastery Mtsyri feels like a prisoner, he feels stifling in his damp cells. Mtsyri wants to escape from this life, the world, which is outside the monastery, seems ideal to the hero. So, in this poem, two basic principles of romanticism are realized: the image of an exceptional hero in exceptional circumstances and the principle of duality. Romanticism is embodied on all levels of the work. Thus, the image of the nature of the Caucasus fully corresponds to the canons of this direction. After all, there are no ordinary paintings on the pages of the poem, we find Lermontov's majestic Caucasian mountains, rocks, raging rivers and thick thickets. A hero wandering in the wild, hears the howling of jackals, he hears the noise of the wind, which is also somehow fabulous, the water in the rivers is so transparent that the fish can be seen, even their movements can be heard.

Plan "Mtsyri" by chapters. Short retelling

1 chapter. Introduction. Lermontov begins by describing the scene. "... There, where, merging, noisy, Embracing, as if two sisters, Aragua and Aura Creeks."

2 chapter. In the second chapter, the author tells how Mtsyri came to the monastery. The Russian general drove past these places and carried with him a captive boy, who had to be left in a monastery because of illness.

3-7 of the chapter. In these five chapters, Mtsyri, wounded, utters his confession. He tells the black man that he felt imprisoned all his life, even accusing him of the fact that he once saved him from death. After all, this act did not bring anything good: the child was doomed to loneliness ("a storm torn off the leaf").

8 chapter. Already in the 8th chapter begins the story of how the hero was at liberty. Here Mtsyri told how he was free, how he felt unity with nature ("he caught hold of the hands of lightning"),

Chapter 9-11. Mtsyri, who had never before seen all the beauty of nature in the immediate vicinity, admired, tells the old monk what he saw: birds swimming in the clear water of mountain rivers, singing birds, lush vegetation.

12-13 chapter. The hero meets a young Georgian woman. He is captivated by the sound of her singing. He saw her go to her sakle, and sadness flowed in his soul. After all, he did not know his family, he did not know what his home means.

14-15. Mtsyri lost his way. He did not feel at home in the midst of the wild raging nature. Therefore, the hero sobs, which he never did in his childhood.

Chapter 16. Is key to understanding the author's ideological intent. Here the hero meets the leopard. The battle with the animal is described in the next three chapters.

The last 8 chapters are the feelings of the hero. He again complains to the monk about his fate, again recalls the day spent in freedom.

Heroes of the poem "Mtsyri": an old monk, a Georgian, Mtsyri and a leopard. All action is concentrated around the main image. After all, in fact a poem is his confession.

How to analyze the poem?

Of course, the analysis of "Mtsyri" should be conducted with the support of the text. After all, this work is poetic, and therefore it is necessary to take into account the syllable, the means of expressiveness, rhyme. In the poem, the paired rhyme method predominates . The work is written in the form of the iambic poem.

To properly perform the analysis of "Mtsyri" you need to take a short excerpt, for example, 2-3 chapters. So that the episode is complete. Already in this passage to seek means of expressiveness (epithets, metaphors, metonymy, comparisons, etc.): they abound with Lermontov's text, this is confirmed by quotations. "Mtsyri" text is very beautiful, it gives fertile ground for studying.

Why does Lermontov choose the form of confession?

In general, the story of Mtsyri is little like a confession in the truest sense of the word. The hero reveals his soul, but he does not speak about the dark sides of it, does not repent of any committed sins. On the contrary, he continually tries to accuse the monk of having condemned him to suffering. The "Mtsyri" plan for the chapters shows that approximately in the middle of the poem there was to be placed a dispute with the black man who refused the earthly goods, resigned himself to the poor life, deprived of joys, but this does not work, because the reader hears only the voice of Mtsyri. This form allows the author to fully reveal the character of Mtsyri, to show its features.

The meaning of the final poem

So, at the very end of the poem Mtsyri dies. However, he is not afraid of death, even on the verge of death he continues to regret the life he has lived ("I do not fear the grave ..."). Certainly, such fearlessness of Mtsyri provokes sympathy from its creator. After all, it is dictated by the strongest desire to feel the true life, freedom. Being in nature, the hero felt part of it, he was not afraid of jackals or darkness. In the battle with the leopard, he showed all his violent strength, because he was stronger. Bars as the personification of the forces of nature perishes at the hands of the hero. Why does Mtsyri die? Is it only from the wounds that the beast inflicted on him? In the death of Mtsyri laid deeper thought. After all, the wounded hero had to return to the monastery, hence his dreams of freedom collapsed, he could no longer hope, having lost faith, he died. Description Mtsyri at the time of his death is very tragic.

The pessimistic finale of the play is very characteristic of Lermontov's work. His romantic hero never finds happiness. Therefore, the creativity of Mikhail Yuryevich can be called pessimistic. However, this thought is contradicted by the fact that Lermontov himself had a great thirst for life, a thirst for movement and passions, which he carries on his characters.