NS Leskov, "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District": analysis of the work in short

Women - the creation of gentle, but in their insidiousness can not be surpassed. This is confirmed by examples from life. And geniuses of dramaturgy and prose dedicated their works to this theme. William Shakespeare said the first about female cunning and cruelty. Nikolai Leskov used a dramatic image in the creation of the essay "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk". Analysis of this work, however, suggests that the Russian classic opened the topic deeper. After all, he dedicated it to irresistible female love, which is stronger than reason and moral laws.

History of creation

Leskov defined his work as an essay. This genre is something middle between fiction and journalism. The writer for some time related to criminal criminal cases. And, perhaps, one of them formed the basis of the plot. Although there is no direct evidence for this.

The magazine Epoch is a periodical, in which the Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk was first published. Analysis of this artwork is necessary, first of all, in order to understand how the author saw the strength of the female Russian character. After all, it was this topic that the writer later planned to devote a number of works. However, the essay in question is the first and last.

The title of the work is an allusion to the title of the Turgenev story "Hamlet of Shchigrovsky Uyezd".

Katerina Izmailova

Who is Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk? The analysis of this heroine allows to draw a conclusion that this is a woman devoid of any moral basis, and in her life the blind passion takes the leading place. Her name is Izmailova Katerina Lvovna.

She is twenty-three years old, and by birth she is a peasant. Five years before the events described in the essay, Katerina marched successfully to an elderly man, a representative of the merchant class. Her life is boring until impossible, because there is nothing in her soul - one emptiness. The children of Izmailov did not make money in five years. The narrator, however, mentions that from the first marriage, Katerina's husband did not have children either.

A woman absolutely devoid of any attractive spiritual qualities is Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. The analysis of this character should be done on the basis of her actions and the events that are depicted in the work, as well as on the artistic means that the author uses to more deeply reveal her character. But first we must speak about the main feature of this nature: it is not educated and is far from the Christian religion. This gives grounds to believe that mad passion has mastered it because of mental ugliness, moral inferiority.

Sergei

Katerina Lvovna's husband left for a long time and left her in the house with his father Boris Timofeevich. A young woman in the absence of her husband liked a daring handsome worker. Previously, she had not seen it, but learned some facts from his biography from the cook. It turns out that Sergei recently just appeared at the Izmailovs. And in the same place I could not stay for a long time because of a love affair with the local hostess. But Katerina Lvovna, this information is not only not embarrassing, but, on the contrary, intrigued that it does not speak in favor of its moral image.

The first murder

Between Sergei and Izmaylova quickly fastened that kind of relationship, because of which Sergei was recently expelled from the previous house. And Katerina Lvovna feels happiness for the first time in her life. Previously, she had not thought about it. She lived with an unlovable elderly husband and was bored unbearably. But man can not lead an aimless existence. And if after a long stagnation he suddenly acquires the meaning of life, he is afraid of losing his life above all else.

Therefore, when the father-in-law learned of Katerina's love affair with Sergei, she, without thinking twice, poisoned Boris Timofeevich with rat poison. He and Sergei hid the body in a cellar.

The Second Murder

As it was said by the great English playwright - "Whoever started from evil, he will be mired in it." Sergei, realizing that all the actions of Katerina Lvovna now depend only on him, convinces her that she can not stay with her further in an unlawful connection. He wants her to be his wife. It should be said that a young man can influence the human soul. He refers to the type of immoral men who live by their talent to fall in love with women. Playing the role of a jealous lover and convincing her that she wants to become her rightful husband, he is clearly aware of the subsequent events.

When the husband returns and accuses Katerina of "cupids", she, not embarrassed at all, calls Sergei and confesses to a criminal connection. And then begins to choke him. Sergei, of course, comes to her aid. What feelings does it feel after the committed atrocity of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk? Analysis of the work can be carried out in parallel with the characterization of the Shakespearean heroine. If you compare these characters, you can find common features: coldness, restraint and determination. But Izmaylova commits the atrocity not for selfish reasons and ambition, but solely because of his painful passion.

Sergey and Katerina

Surprisingly, the reaction of the accomplices is different. After the murder, Sergei ghosts appear. Katerina does not feel any pangs of conscience. During the murder, his lips tremble, he is beating a fever. She is calm, although later she sees disturbing dreams. However, this does not mean that Sergei has a more subtle spiritual structure.

Katerina Lvovna transgressed the law of morality. She has lost her soul and can not stop any more. Izmaylova and after killing her husband is capable of anything to keep her happiness. To love and be loved at all costs is now the great goal of her life. And the state of her soul is on the verge of insanity. Sergei is a scoundrel. His actions are guided not by feeling, but by calculation. His life, unlike the life of his accomplice, and after the committed atrocities will not stop. Therefore, he discovers an alarm, which, incidentally, is by no means a consequence of remorse.

Life without a husband

The second murder does not overshadow Katerina's happiness. Zinovia Borisovich is wanted, and in the meantime she is not particularly anxious to create the image of an inconsolable widow. This distinguishes the heroine from the characters "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk district". Analysis of the work can be briefly done on the basis of final events. Already in the first days of his acquaintance with Sergei, her soul world changes radically. It is guided solely by the call of the flesh. The condition of the heroine of Leskov's story resembles a serious illness, a mental disorder. And when later, in hard labor, Sergei rejects her, she deprives herself of life.

But going back to the events that preceded the arrest, we should continue the analysis of the story "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk", comparing the main character with a new character - Fedya. This hero is opposed to Katerina, represents the image of a martyr, almost an angel, to destroy which is to commit the most terrible sin.

Fedya

The boy is the only legitimate heir to the murdered husband. At the time when he comes to the Izmaylovs' house, Katerina is already waiting for the child. But even this fact does not deter her from killing her. However, it should be said that this time the initiator is Sergei. Persuading the accomplice that the boy was the only obstacle to their great happiness, he expresses the idea of the need to get rid of him. And only for a moment does the soul of the future mother come to life. The decisive role in the story "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" love.

An analysis of this work leads to the idea of how polysemantic this word is. Under the concept of "love" is understood an extremely wide range of feelings. And for Katerina Lvovna, it means a crazy blind passion that leads not only to murder. It also destroys the soul of the heroine. And most importantly, it kills a woman and a mother in it.

Fedya is a God-fearing boy. On the day of the murder, he reads the life of one of the saints. His image is a symbol of the final moral death of Izmailova. And after his murder, a woman loses not only freedom, but also maternal feelings. The child born before sending to penal servitude does not cause in her soul any response.

A very peculiar assessment of the Russian feminine soul was given by Leskov. "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk district" (the analysis is presented in this article) is a work based on the author's idea of the character of the commoner. At the end of the story, the heroine dies, while destroying her rival. This does not make her image more attractive.

The sketch caused a negative reaction in society. The idea of the nature of the Russian woman did not harmonize with the moods that reigned in Russia in the second half of the nineteenth century.

According to revolutionary-democratic ideas, the "common man" was a deliverer with all sorts of virtues. The writer also insisted that the psychological type depicted in the essay can not be ignored, because he still exists. Beast simplicity, stupidity and lack of spirituality can make a person a criminal. Only one spark is enough. For the heroine of the essay, this spark became love. But in fact there are others - revenge, resentment, the desire for profit or the desire to assert itself.