Woe from Wit is a 1823 play by Alexander Griboyedov, his only famous work. It is a comedy set in the Moscow upper crust of the early 1820's.
The main character is Chatsky, a Russian noble, who returns to Moscow from abroad to meet his old flame Sofia, the daughter of Pavel Famusov. The thing is, Sofia is already in love with Molchalin, an assistant to her father. Chatsky despises Molchalin viewing him as a shallow and totally worthless character. However he has to face some unpleasant revelations about the preferences of the young girls...
On another plane Chatsky is a young raisonneur who tries to push his (somewhat mixed) agenda to the said beaumonde. He actually does not say anything revolutionnary or antimonarchist. On the contrary he is mostly a patriot, rather than a nihilist and only condemds the people fawning to the grandees. Still he is found a dangerous man and ostracised.
The play was intensely copied after Griboedov made it available to the public. It was never publised in his lifetime (he was murdered in Tehran when a Persian mob stormed the Russian embassy in February 1829). The first edition saw the light in 1833, it contained numerous cuts due to censorship.
Tropes
- Abhorrent Admirer: A non-erotic example. Repetilov admires Chatsky's personality and his wit. He declares his delight using exaggarated terms. Chatsky is quite annoyed.
- Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Reinforced for Sofia in regard to Chatsky. They were teenage sweethearts there years ago. But then Chatsky left Russia and travelled in the Europe all this time. So Sofia forgot him and took a fancy for Molchalin. Chatsky, on the other hand behaves as if he is entitled to Sofia's love.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Indeed.
- Chatsky loves Sofia.
- Sofia abhors Chatsky and loves Molchalin the meek.
- Molchalin pretends to be fond of Sofia in order to please the daughter of his chief while he courts Sofia's maid Liza.
- Liza never reciprocates the feelings of Molchalin (she actually thinks high of Chatsky) and considers falling in love with Petrushka the pantryman.
- Became Their Own Antithesis: Platon Mikhailovich Gorich, the former friend of Chatsky used to be an outgoing young man, found of exercise and horse riding. Now he is an obedient husband, homester and city dweller who is not interested in the country life. At least because his wife would not allow him.
- Berserk Button:
- Famusov becomes irritated when one condemns the old habit of servility to the grandees. To be fair - unlike the generation of Griboyedov, the generation before him viewed such obsequiousness as a mandatory part of good upbringing, and did not consider it as detrimental to their dignity. Servility to one's superiors was and largely still is a part of Russian society, and the freedom-worshipping generation of the 1820's, which was born in the beginning of the 19th century or the end of the 18th, tended to be more the exception than the rule.
- Sofia is livid when Chatsky makes fun of Molchalin.
- Character Filibuster: Chatsky has several instances of this. He expresses his opinions on various social issues in some lengthy monologues. Once at a party, he preaches to the guests and is so carried away with his speech that it is only after he finishes the rant that he notices that his entire audience left him. People either started to dance or to play cards.
- The Cynic: Skalozub has many moments of this.
- Once he points ouy that the fire of 1812 which destroyed most of the Moscow
- Dirty Old Man: Famusov tries to bed Liza, the maid of his daughter, Sofia.
- Dysfunction Junction: In the physiological, not psychological sense. The count Tugoukhovsky and countess Khryumina (the granny) are both elderly and hard of hearing, nearly deaf. Their dialogue doesn't make much sense because of that.
- Extreme Doormat:
- Molchalin, the assistant of Famusov is the one. He admits to not being brave enough to form his own point of view and would do anything to please his chief and chief's daughter due to his belief that it will bring him success in life.
- Zagoretsky is another example. He is a reputed crook who, however is extremely fawning to the aristocrates. Chatsky lampshades the similarity between two characters.I'll tell you what I thought about:
These aged women tend to get quite hot,
They always need someone around To serve them as a lightening-rod.
Molchalin, he's the kind of man
That can appease disputes like no one can!
He'll pat a dog, he'll show his greatest skill
In playing cards! He's another Zagoretsky!
- Foil: Repetilov is a foil to Chatsky. He makes even more radical statements than Chatsky however he is implied to be somewhat dimwhitted.
- Gossip Evolution: This trope is depicted in all details. Sofia, annoyed by Chatsky, drops a chance mention that he is insane. Later the rumour spreads and evolves.
- Gratuitous French: For Countess Khryumina, the granddaughter.
- Hates Reading: Famusov thinks that reading has little worth and is just another trend that will fade into obscurity given some time.
- Malicious Slander: Sofia starts the rumour that Chatsky is insane out of spite when he denigrates Molchalin one time too much.
- Meaningful Name: Many
- Chatsky is believed to be made after Chaadaev, a famous contemporary dissenter.
- Famusov is derived from Fama, the Latin for rumor (rather than fame). He is very anxious about the public opinion.
- Molchalin means "the silent one"
- Skalozub can be approximately translated as "teethgrinner"
- Repetilov is formed using the French verb répéter (repeat). He does not have ideas of his own but merely repeats the concepts of those around him.
- Count Tugoukhovsky 's surname means "hard-of-hearing". Which he is.
- Missing Mom: Sofia's mother died when she was little.
- Motor Mouth: Repetilov is very talkative and quick to hop from one topic to another.
- Only Known by Initials: Two episodic characters, Mr N. and Mr D. Still they have some importance. Mr N. is the character whom Sofia first tells that Chatsky is insane. In the following scene Mr N passes the rumor to Mr D. Later it spreads throughout the party.
- Patriotic Fervor: Interestingly, Chatsky's opposition to the establishment is more patriotic than liberal. He is never directly antimonarchist (which might have something to do with the fact that Griboedov was not going to pen a play with an antimonarchist protagonist). He rather exposes servility to the grandees as well as the adulation of foreigners (primarily French) by the Russian nobility. That is, his views are not seditious at all whatever tradition would make you think
- Professional Butt-Kisser: Molchalin is the most prominent example among the cast that is chock-full of those, being taught since childhood that the most surefire way to advance socially is through pleasing his boss and anyone close to him in hope that this would earn him favors.
- My father taught me this:
I must please all and everyone —
The host of house I would live in,
The boss I'd work with and the man
That would keep my clothes clean,
The sweeper of the yard, and, just in case,
His dog to win its love and kindness.
- The Protagonist: Chatsky is the one although Famusov is listed the first in the cast, also Famusov's role is the longest.
- World of Snark: Indeed. Most characters have their moments of snarking.