Perhaps one of the characteristic features of Russia has always been strong women. No wonder they say that women "They will stop a galloping horse, and they will enter a burning hut." In some situations, this strength of character and firmness of will are manifested especially strongly. One of such high-profile deeds was the escort of their husbands, the Decembrists, by their wives to distant Siberia.

Poem "Russian Women"

The poem "Russian Women" was created in 1872 by the great Russian poet Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov. Russian wives who followed their husbands to hard labor. The poet was inspired by these events, which he wrote at the end of his work that these are "captivating images" that people should remember.

ON THE. Nekrasov in his work was really able to perpetuate the feat of women, because his poem evokes strong emotions that are difficult to forget.

The fate of the Decembrists

On December 14, 1825, there were those who disagreed with the power of the king. They wanted to destroy the monarchy, but the uprising could not be carried out according to plan, and the Decembrists were simply dispersed. Tsar Nicholas found out who participated in the uprising and punished everyone. He sent the nobles to hard labor in Siberia, and this was an unprecedented punishment for the upper strata of society.

By the way, the first woman, so to speak, in this uprising was Princess Trubetskaya. The characterization of the heroine will be incomplete without mentioning her husband, who was the leader of the entire uprising.

Brief plot of the poem

The story about begins with the departure of Princess Trubetskoy from her father's house. A sentimental scene of her farewell to her family is shown. Then we see how the princess travels through half the country in the most difficult conditions, and this is interspersed with her bright and happy memories, making up a strong contrast. Perhaps the main point where the characterization of Princess Trubetskoy manifests itself in full force is her meeting with the governor, who is trying to stop the princess by any means. But she nevertheless continues to follow her husband in spite of everything.

Later, on the way, another woman catches up with her - Princess Volkonskaya, whose husband also ended up in hard labor. The poem ends with her date with her husband, which Nekrasov described with surprising force.

Characteristics of Princess Trubetskoy

Nekrasov in the poem turned out to be a wonderful bright and understandable characterization. Princess Trubetskaya (Russian women are represented precisely in her person) calls the most important duty of a woman the sacred duty to her husband. She puts him even higher than her duty to her father.

The quotation of Princess Trubetskoy can take several pages, so we will give a description only in general terms.

Princess Trubetskaya is ready to overcome any hardships and obstacles. The characterization of the heroine is manifested in a conversation with the governor. He frightens her with the deprivation of her title, the hardships of life in hard labor, even the death of her father, but nothing can stop her. The governor even told her that she would have to walk along with the convicts on foot all the way, and she agreed to this. True, when he saw such determination, he did not interfere anymore and provided transport. Princess Trubetskaya, not only in words, but also in deeds, proved that she was ready to go anywhere for her beloved husband.

Perhaps now it does not seem as terrible a punishment as before. But if you imagine that a woman from high society, for whom servants have always done everything, agrees to the life of a peasant woman, then the sensations are strong.

Characteristics of Russian women through Princess Trubetskoy

In order to better understand the work and the spirit of the time, at least one characterization of the hero is necessary. Princess Trubetskaya, her character in the poem, is ideal for depicting not only one woman, but also conveying the mood of all women in Russia.

Reading the poem, one can immediately say that the princess sincerely loves her husband. For the sake of love, she is ready to overcome any obstacles, and this is one of the main features of all Russian women. They do not need either high society or a position in society if the husband is somewhere in hard labor. Princess Trubetskaya was not alone in her decision and her loyalty; nine more Russian women followed their husbands.

As they described living conditions in their notes, it was very difficult. Basically, they could only look at the prison, but this gave great strength to their husbands.

Such dedication can indeed be considered a great feat of Russian women.

The real story of Princess Trubetskoy

The life and characteristics of Princess Trubetskoy are historical facts, and even more than that - they are recorded from the words of her son, I.S. Trubetskoy, using the memoirs of the wives of the Decembrists themselves. Trubetskaya was the first woman who went after her husband, challenging everything. Since she was the first, it was the hardest for her, which is why the poem is about Princess Trubetskoy. Yes, the princess really assumed the incredible torment and hardships of a harsh life in Siberia, but her fate was not too bad. At first, she and her husband really lived in hard labor, and only 15 years later they were given permission to leave there. They settled in their house and were engaged in agriculture.

Over time, the exile expired, and they moved to Irkutsk. Here the family was able to buy a house. The historical description of Princess Trubetskoy requires an indication that this woman not only once accomplished a feat, but all her life she was known to everyone in the city, because in the princess's house they were always ready to feed and warm travelers, convicts and all the unfortunate. So Princess Trubetskaya earned respect and honor, so almost the entire city came to see her off on her last journey in 1854.

Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov is a wonderful Russian poet who wrote a large number of wonderful poetic works.

The author devoted most of his works to the common people, so the poem "Russian Women" occupies a special place in his work. This time the main characters were the nobles, whose life has changed dramatically due to the political situation in the country. This work tells about the wives of the Decembrists, who went to Siberian penal servitude to support their husbands.

Design and creation

Once Nikolai Nekrasov was introduced to Mikhail Sergeevich Volkonsky, with whom he later spent a lot of time. They hunted together and had long conversations, from which the great poet learned about the difficult fate of his parents. Sergei Volkonsky, Mikhail's father, just belonged to those Decembrists who were exiled to Siberia for hard labor, and his wife, Maria, followed her husband. Mikhail himself was born and raised in Transbaikalia.

Nikolai Nekrasov was very interested in the topic of the Decembrists, but he built all his questions with this person so as not to touch on politics, but only to learn about the customs of the place where this person lived for a long time. Therefore, he used all these memories in another poem - "Grandfather". But the poet's interest in this topic did not disappear, but only flared up even more.

Nikolai Nekrasov began to collect any historical material where at least some information about the Decembrists could be given. To do this, he leaves for Karabikha for the whole summer and already there begins work on his new poem. The first part of the Nekrasov poem was originally called "Decembrists".

Nekrasov repeatedly told his friends that it was very difficult to write this poem, as he constantly thinks about how to create such a work that could pass any censorship bans. Another problem is that he has a hard time collecting material, as the nobles try not to touch on this topic at all. There was especially little material on Princess Trubetskoy, where it was necessary to use artistic conjecture in the scene of departure and the path of a real Russian woman. The poet devoted the whole summer of the following year to writing the second chapter of the poem. But due to the fact that there was very little historical material, the researchers consider the described events to be far from what happened in reality.

The image of one of the heroines, Countess Volkonskaya, was recreated from small notes that her son sacredly kept. All memoirs of Maria Volkonskaya were written in French. Once Nikolai Nekrasov managed to persuade Sergei Volkonsky to read these notes, and then he told in his memoirs how the poet reacted to all this. The poet listened for a short time, but then jumped up several times, nervously ran up to the fireplace and clutched his head with his hands. Sergei Volkonsky wrote:

"... cried like a child."

According to Nekrasov's plan, the poem should have been not two parts, but three. In his drafts, even sketches of this very third part were preserved, where Alexandra Muravyova was to become the third female image. It was known about her that in 1832 this woman died at the Petrovsky Zavod. But unfortunately, the poet did not succeed in realizing this plan. Therefore, today the reader has a work consisting of two chapters. One, the first, chapter is dedicated to Ekaterina Trubetskoy. It is believed that it was created by the poet in 1871. The other part of the poem, created in 1872, was written on the basis of small memoirs of Maria Volkonskaya and is dedicated to her.

The poet conceived his work as a single whole, but in which there will be several heroines. Therefore, the entire Nekrasov poem is divided into two parts:

⇒ "Princess Trubetskaya".
⇒ "Princess Volkonskaya".

The first part of the poem begins with the parting of the charming and educated Princess Trubetskoy with her father. Count Laval is so saddened by this separation from his beloved daughter that he cannot even hold back his tears. And now the reader sees Ekaterina Ivanovna, who is on a long journey.

On the way, the princess begins to doze a little, and now balls and all holidays flash before her, then her memories are transferred to childhood, to her home, which is comfortably located on the river bank. In her ideas, the first meeting with her husband is vividly drawn. She, a young and charming girl, having married Prince Trubetskoy, becomes the hostess in his luxurious house and all the secular receptions that take place in it. These balls and receptions are attended by people of the highest ranks: dignitaries, ambassadors. And after that, she and her husband go abroad to have a little rest at sea. Ekaterina Ivanovna recalls the surge of waves and visits to museums and palaces.

So the time of Ekaterina Ivanovna passes on the road. And now, two months later, she still gets to the big city, where the governor himself is waiting for her. He tries to persuade her to stay. But Ekaterina Ivanovna stubbornly waits for a new carriage in order to immediately go further on the road. The governor even invites the princess to return home, to feel sorry for her father. The governor is trying to frighten Trubetskaya, drawing the life that lies ahead of her: convicts, fights and robberies, a short summer and a long winter, which lasts for eight whole months in this region.

And when the governor realizes that nothing can frighten and stop this woman, he tries to explain that she will forever lose her noble title and her children will not have any rights to the noble inheritance. But Trubetskaya is ready for anything, just to be close to her husband and support him always: in sorrow and in joy. And then the governor promises the princess that she will go to the mines along the stage, as criminals go and the Cossacks will look after her. But she's ready for that too. The amazed governor, seeing such a woman's willpower and stamina, immediately orders Trubetskoy's crew to come and sends her to the place as soon as possible.

The second chapter of Nekrasov's poem is also interesting, which is the notes of another heroine with the same fate. These notes are addressed to the grandchildren of the princess. The story begins with the childhood of Maria Nikolaevna. From an early age, the charming girl has always been surrounded by many admirers. When the time came to get married, she listened to the advice of her father, the famous General Raevsky. So she became the wife of Sergei Volkonsky, whom she barely knew at that time.

Maria Nikolaevna recalls how once, right in the middle of the night, Sergei Grigorievich woke her up and asked for help. They kindled a fireplace and began to burn some papers. The woman did not ask any questions. After that, her husband took her to her father and left. At that time, she was expecting a baby, but she was very worried and her relatives tried in every way to calm her down. When the relatives learned the truth about the Decembrist uprising, they could not decide to tell the whole truth: her husband was arrested and is in hard labor.

When the princess found out the truth, she immediately decided to go to her husband. And nothing could stop her. But the most difficult parting was with a young son. She spent the whole night with him, trying to beg forgiveness from him for such a separation. On the way, she also met Pushkin, visiting her distant relative. And then again a long and hard road, which nevertheless ended with a meeting with her husband.

Artistic Features

The first chapter, dedicated to Trubetskoy, is written in two-syllable meter, iambic. It is logically divided into two parts. In the first part, with sadness and sorrow, it is told how the girl says goodbye to her father, and in the second, her journey to Irkutsk. Staying on the road turns out to be interesting in Nekrasov's manner of depiction: she either sleeps and she dreams of something that cannot be distinguished from reality, then she just dreams in reality. The author is trying to show that the girl acts on one impulse.

But the second part is no longer such an anguish, and everything goes calmly and rhythmically. The poet now uses the trisyllabic meter, the amphibrach, which the author needs to show the colloquial level of this movement. The intonation also changes, and even the narration is already being conducted in the first person. In this part, there are no longer any fragmentary actions, and everything goes smoothly, as if it were family memories: childhood, pride in the father, going out and marriage. The author tries to adhere to the notes of Maria Nikolaevna, which have been preserved. Therefore, there is such a detailed description of how the Decembrists themselves and their families lived in Siberia. By the way, this is not the case in the first part, but in the second part both Trubetskaya and Volkonskaya meet on the road and already get together to the place where their husbands are.

The rendezvous of wives with their exiled husbands is precisely what completes the whole poem. Now the plot becomes like something whole and unified.

how does the vocabulary of the heroine Nekrasov (“I am not a miserable slave”, “pride”, “my duty”, etc.) characterize her? What can you say about the author's attitude towards her? write a short story about the main character, based on the text of the poem "Russian Women"

The protagonist of the poem, Princess Ekaterina Ivanovna Trubetskaya, is following her husband, a Decembrist exiled to Siberia.
It is hard for her to part with her father and, of course, she does not want to leave him, but she cannot do otherwise.
“I don’t cry, but it’s not easy
To part with you!
………………………….
Oh, God sees! . But another duty
And higher and harder"
The young princess understands that the road ahead is long and difficult, and the young woman is also afraid of her future fate, but she must be a wife and cannot live separately from her husband.
"My way is far, my way is hard,
My fate is terrible ... "
The main character behaves heroically and does not retreat before the story of the old general, who describes her terrible details of the life of convicts
"Five thousand convicts there,
Embittered by fate
Start fights at night
Murder and robbery;
……………………
Trust me, you won't be spared
Nobody will take pity! »
The princess answers the general: “It will be terrible, I know,
My husband's life.
Let it be mine
Don't cheer him up! »
And as soon as the general does not try to intimidate the princess, she firmly decided to follow her husband, and at the end of the conversation, a paternal tear rolled down from the general’s cheek, he pities the young princess, but he cannot persuade her. He admits to the main character that he deliberately intimidated her.
"I can't, I don't want
To tyrannize more than you...
I'll take you there in three days...
Hey! Harness, now!. .
The heroism of Russian women lies in the fact that, knowing about all the hardships of their fate, they still did not flinch, but followed their husbands in order to share with them all the hardships of a short hard life.

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The pathos of the poem by N.A. Nekrasov's "Russian Women" is heroic, it is based on the struggle of the individual for the implementation and protection of lofty ideals, the struggle associated with dangers and risks. The heroines of the poem show the will to achieve their goal. Princess Trubetskaya is so passionately convinced of the need to get to Nerchinsk and that her presence will help her husband and other Decembrists sentenced to hard labor, that the governor, inventing new reasons to prevent her from going further, finally recognizes her right to be next to her exiled husband. The strength of the princess's arguments lies in their sincerity, in her confidence in her wife's right to share her husband's fate.

The author treats his heroine with admiration. This is a proud Russian woman, for whom honor and duty are above all conveniences, noble rights and wealth. She does not follow her husband as a slave - it is the choice of her free will. Saying goodbye to her father in Moscow, she says goodbye to the whole life that she has led so far: with her usual home, with friends, girlfriends, with the conveniences and brilliant society to which she is accustomed. She asks her father for blessings and begs him not to tear her heart with longing. The woman leaves for Siberia, not knowing if she will ever return, and promises to remember her father's testament. She does not shed unnecessary tears. The princess seems to have a presentiment that Russian people will be proud of this act of hers decades later. For two months she gets to Irkutsk. Near Irkutsk, her companion fell ill, and she arrived alone in the center of the province. The governor, in fulfilling his duties, was forced to put all sorts of obstacles in her way. He frightened her with a dangerous road, the poor condition of her father, a terrible life among convicts, an unbearable climate, a journey in shackles, one stage to Nerchinsk. But the act of the princess was not a momentary impulse. Her goal was to help her unfortunate husband, and the pathos of her words was so convincing that the governor was forced to order: “Hey! harness up now! .. ".

A special place in the work of N. Nekrasov is occupied by a gallery of female images. In his poems, the poet described not only women of noble origin, but also ordinary peasant women. Nekrasov was especially interested in the fate of the Decembrists' wives. Below is a description of Princess Trubetskoy.

The history of the creation of the poem

Before proceeding with the characterization of Princess Trubetskoy, the reader should learn about the history of writing the poem "Russian Women". It consists of two parts. The central character of the first part is Ekaterina Ivanovna. The first poem was written in 1871 and published in the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski in 1872.

Prior to this, Nekrasov met Mikhail, the son of Maria Volkonskaya, the heroine of the second part of the poem. His memoirs, as well as "Notes of the Decembrist", written by Andrei Rosen, served as material for the poem "Grandfather". The release of this work did not weaken Nekrasov's interest in the fate of the wives of the Decembrists.

In the winter of 1871, he began to collect material for the poem "Russian Women". While writing, the poet faced several difficulties - censorship and the virtual absence of facts about the life of Ekaterina Ivanovna. Because of this, according to some contemporaries, the characterization of Princess Trubetskoy did not coincide with the real image. But the lack of facts was compensated by the imagination of the poet, who imagined her departure.

The first part of the poem "Russian Women. Princess Trubetskaya" begins with Ekaterina Ivanovna's farewell to her father. The brave woman followed her husband to Siberia. On the way to Irkutsk, the heroine recalls her childhood, carefree youth, balls, how she got married, traveled with her husband.

The following is a description of the meeting between the princess and the governor of Irkutsk. There is a confrontation between Trubetskoy and the governor. He tries to scare the woman with the hardships of the path, the conditions of hard labor. He says that she will have to give up everything she has. But nothing stops a brave woman. Then the governor, admiring her courage and loyalty, gives permission to leave the city.

The act of Princess Trubetskoy

The key moment of the poem is the confrontation with the governor, which reveals the character of a woman. Knowing that her husband was sentenced to indefinite hard labor for participating in the Decembrist uprising, she decides to go after him. In "Princess Trubetskoy" Nekrasov told how the governor tried by all means to dissuade Ekaterina Ivanovna from this decision.

To do this, he tries to play on her kindred feelings, saying that the decision to go to Siberia is disastrous for her father. But the princess replies that despite all her love for her father, the wife's duty is more important for her. Then the governor begins to describe to her all the hardships of the journey, warning her that the road is so difficult that it could undermine her health. But even this does not frighten the purposeful Ekaterina Trubetskaya.

The governor tries to intimidate her with stories about the dangers of life with convicts, reminds her of the prosperous life she led. The princess remains adamant. Then he reports that, following her husband, she is deprived of all rights and no longer belongs to the nobility, and the princess will be under escort to get to the Nerchinsk mines. But Trubetskaya is ready to sign all the papers, if only she could see her husband.

Struck and admired by her fortitude, masculinity, devotion to her husband and sense of duty, the governor tells her the truth. He was instructed to stop her by any means necessary. Finally, he gives her permission to leave Irkutsk for her husband.

The image of the princess in the poem

Among the criticisms of the work were those concerning the image of the main character. Many noted that the characterization of Princess Trubetskoy given in the poem did not quite correspond to the real image of Ekaterina Ivanovna. But, perhaps, the poet did not strive to accurately convey the character of Trubetskoy. He managed to show the courage of her act.

The image of Princess Trubetskoy in the poem "Russian Women" turned out to be bright and expressive. Ekaterina Ivanovna is shown as brave and resolute, ready to overcome all obstacles. She is a faithful and loving wife, for whom the marriage bond is most important.

For her, society is just a bunch of hypocritical people, cowards who were afraid to join the Decembrists. Readiness for difficulties, the belief that with her husband they can overcome everything, the desire to be his support - this is how we see the image of Princess Trubetskoy, who struck Nekrasov.

Decoration

The poem "Russian Women. Princess Trubetskaya" consists of two parts, written in iambic. This adds dynamism and tension to the story. At the beginning, the scene of the heroine's farewell to her father and her memories of childhood, youth, and marriage are shown. The second part describes the meeting between Trubetskoy and the governor of Irkutsk, during which she shows her will and fortitude.

A feature of the first part of the poem "Russian Women. Princess Trubetskaya" is a mixture of "sleep and reality." The heroine looks at the winter road, then suddenly falls into a dream, in which she remembers important moments in her life. According to some literary critics, the poet built the first part on purpose. This shows that the princess is seized with an emotional outburst, a desire to meet her husband as soon as possible. When writing this poem, Nekrasov relied on the memories of people who knew Ekaterina Ivanovna, and on A. Rosen's Notes of the Decembrist.

Before the Decembrist uprising

Princess Trubetskaya was born Countess Laval, the daughter of a French emigrant and heiress of capital I.S. Myasnikov. Parents provided Ekaterina and her sisters with a carefree childhood. They knew no refusal in anything, received an excellent education and could live with their parents in Europe for a long time.

According to the descriptions of her contemporaries, Ekaterina Laval was not known as a beauty, but she had a unique charm. In 1819, in Paris, she met Prince Sergei Petrovich Trubetskoy. In 1820, the couple got married. Everyone considered the prince an enviable groom. He was of noble birth, rich, fought with Napoleon, smart, had the rank of colonel. Ekaterina Ivanovna had every chance of becoming a general. After 5 years of family life, she learns about her husband's participation in the Decembrist uprising.

The decision of the princess to go for her husband

Ekaterina Ivanovna was one of the first wives who managed to obtain permission to follow their husbands to Siberia. In 1826, she reached Irkutsk, where for some time she remained in the dark about where her husband was. Governor Zeidler was ordered to dissuade Trubetskaya from her decision.

The woman stayed in Irkutsk for 5 months before she was allowed to go to her husband in the Nerchinsk mines. In 1845, the Trubetskoy family received permission to settle in Irkutsk. The main centers of the Irkutsk Decembrists were the houses of Trubetskoy and Volkonsky. Ekaterina Ivanovna, according to the memoirs of her contemporaries, was smart, educated, charming and unusually cordial.

The poem "Princess Trubetskaya" by Nekrasov showed all the strength and firmness of the spirit of Russian women.