Speaking surnames in "Woe from Wit" as the key to understanding comedy

Why is it necessary to speak the surnames in "Woe from Wit? Why, in fact, are they called speakers? What role does the play play? To answer these questions, one has to plunge into the history of literature.

A few words about the stylistic role of speaking names

When reading some books, the question sometimes arises: "If the work is an artistic work invented by the author, then the surnames in it are invented?"

Of course, this is so. However, the masters of the pen have always delicately felt how important the name-characteristics are for the development of the plot.

On the one hand, they serve as a means of some typification, denoting the character's belonging to a particular community or its essence.

On the other hand, such a literary device allows us to understand the author's attitude to his hero from the very first pages, to create his own original impression. Indeed, hardly anyone would think that a literary character with the name of Hryumin or, say, Skalozub can be positive.

Griboyedov was not the first to come up with a name for the speaker. In "Woe from Wit" they are many, but the fact is that this literary device was used successfully by almost all writers. Gogol has Lyapkin-Tyapkin (judge), Chekhov has non-commissioned Prishibeyev, and Fonvizin has Vralman.

Three types of surnames and images of the comedy "Woe from Wit"

Make assumptions about the nature and image of some Griboedov characters can be beaten after reading the list of characters. Who are they saying that he "rocks his teeth"? What kind of person can be by the name of Tugoukhovsky?

After reading the play, it becomes clear that the speakers in the "Woe from Wit" do not belong to any one category. They are very different.

• Some of the names will directly inform you about a particular person. The explicit representatives of this group are Molchalin and Tugoukhovsky. If today, as in Griboedov's time, the second language of secular society was French, many would have hinted without clues: the names of Repetilov and Famusov belong to the same group. However, more on this later.
• The meaning of the names "Woe from Wit" in the second group is not so obvious. To understand the role of such proper names, knowledge of Russian history and literature and the ability to conduct associations are necessary.
• In the third group there are surnames clearly expressing the evaluation.

Using such techniques, Griboyedov was able to draw an objective picture of his contemporary society, to which belong people of different classes, characters and beliefs.

Why does Griboyedov use talking names?

The names that give an evaluation characterization of the characters have long been used by Russian literature.

"Woe from Wit" is a tribute to the long tradition. However, unlike works such as Fonvizin, such names in "Woe from Wit" are not straightforward. They do not just point to the personality trait or character, but they make you think. To understand what Famusov's name means, you need to know the languages. After all, it came from the Latin word "rumor", in our opinion - gossip. And if you consider the English roots, it becomes clear that the famous is famous. Known in the city gossip? That's the association, that's the literary image.

The same goes for Repetilov. His name came from the French word "repeat". And what does Repetilov do in the play?

If these characters have noted problems with speaking, then others clearly have difficulties with listening. Tugoukhovsky always goes with a pipe. He does not want or can not hear? But his family has the same name. Here are the problems of communication in society. This is exactly what Griboyedov wrote in the play.

There are characters in the work and with more simple and understandable names for Russian rumor. They are Khlestov, Khryumina, Zagoretsky, Skalozub. They carry an assessment of the actors. Although, if you look from the point of view of communication, to grit your teeth and whip (literally and figuratively) is also not very useful.

Associative surname

To understand what the name Chatsky stands for is rather difficult, for this one needs to have a broad outlook. Griboyedov put several meanings into the word.

First of all, it is an analogy with the name of Chaadaev's own. The surname of a famous poet was often pronounced with one "a". In the drafts, the author even first called his hero "Chad". What is known Chaadaev, knows, probably, everyone. Nevertheless, we will pay some attention to this issue.

In Greek, the surname of Andrei Andreyevich means "courageous", and the name - "brave".

The root of "children" translates as "dispelling illusions".

The end of the surname indicates the belonging to the noble family.

That's how the image of Chatsky is formed from the details and associations : a courageous and brave nobleman, sensibly looking at life, dispelling the illusions that exist in society. He is not afraid to build a new society. He is cramped among the Molchalins, Tugoukhovskys and Skalozubov. So the name not only helps to identify the character of the hero, but also determines the role of Chatsky in artistic logic and the ideological content of the comedy.

The meaning of the names for understanding the work

So why did Griboyedov use the speaking names in "Woe from Wit"? With their help, he not only emphasized the positive and negative qualities of the characters, but he created a whole system of images, typed and individualized each of its links. As a result of the surname, these were the key to understanding the whole comedy. After all, she talks about how representatives of different social strata, ages, and characters can not and do not want to communicate among themselves.