The theme of love in the works of M.Yu. Lermontov
5. Natalya Fedorovna Ivanova
The acquaintance took place in Moscow in 1830.
Encouraged at the beginning of his acquaintance with Ivanova by her affection and attention, Lermontov soon met misunderstanding and coldness.
Most of the poems in the cycle are united by the cross-cutting motif of a vain, “deceived” “thirst for love”; however, within the cycle two groups can be distinguished: poems written by the poet during the period of spiritual upsurge caused by his first meetings with Natalya Fedorovna, and poems whose theme is the “treachery” of his beloved.
Poems dedicated to N.F. Ivanova:
"N.F.I...howl"; “Romance to I...”; “K***” (“Almighty...”); “To N.I......”; "I will not humiliate myself..."
Lermontov hoped that it would not be so easy for Ivanova to forget him, that he would be avenged - at least at the cost of repentance. Love for Ivanova faded into difficult oblivion, just as Sushkova’s passion faded.
The relationship ended in a break, which gave a gloomy character to many of the poet’s youthful poems. The break with Ivanova gave Lermontov a thirst for death, a feeling of offended pride, a heightened sense of his creative gift and high responsibility for it.
Audio recording of M.Yu. Lermontov’s poem “I will not humiliate myself before you”
6. Varvara Aleksandrovna Lopukhina
(1815-1851)
One of Lermontov’s deepest heartfelt affections.
- The meeting with Varenka (the younger sister of his friend Alexei) took place in 1831.
“As a student,” writes A.P. Shan-Girey, “he was passionately in love... with the young, sweet, smart as day, and completely delightful V.A. Lopukhina; she was an ardent, enthusiastic, poetic and extremely sympathetic nature... Lermontov’s feeling for her was unconscious, but true and strong, and he almost retained it until his death..."
- Relatives married Varenka to a rich and insignificant man, Bakhmetyev. Maybe she loved her husband, was a faithful wife, a good mother, but she could never forget Lermontov, just like he could forget her.
- Michel's first passion did not disappear, because when he found out about Varenka's marriage, he was very upset
- He loves her alone and is faithful to her alone. It was a deep affection that accompanied the poet all his life.
- Poems associated with V. Lopukhina combine two interrelated motifs: the sublimity of the spiritualized personality of the lyrical heroine and the self-sacrifice of the hero for the sake of her happiness.
In Bakhmetyev's marriage. She met Lermontov in Moscow in 1828, when he came with his grandmother to enter a boarding house. December 4, 1831 Lermontov was at Varvara Alexandrovna’s name day. He fell in love with her, and all his youthful hobbies fell aside. A.P. Shan - Gery writes about him: “as a student, he was passionately in love... with the young, sweet, smart as day, and in the full sense delightful Varvara Aleksandrovna Lopukhina... Lermontov’s feeling for her was unconscious, but truly strong, and he almost kept it until his death.
Lopukhina is dedicated to Lermontov’s poems “Leave vain worries..”, “We are accidentally brought together by fate...”, “She is not proud of beauty...”. Many other poems by Lermontov to Lopukhina; tragic about the failure of both of them in life - these are the poems: “I am writing to you by chance right”, “No, it is not you that I love so passionately...”, “Dream”, “Dedication”. The dedication to the “Demon”, 1831, is also addressed to her. Lermontov partly depicted the story of his complex, intricate relationship with Lopukhina in the drama “Two Brothers”, in the unfinished novel “Princess Ligovskaya” and in “A Hero of Our Time”, in all of these works Lopukhina is written under the name Vera. It is possible that the image of Nina in the drama “Masquerade” is also inspired by memories of Lopukhina
Their love was mutual. But in the second half of the summer of 1832. Lermontov left for St. Petersburg, and Lopukhina remained in Moscow. It seemed to her that she had made a mistake in Lermontov, and in May 1835. something happened that completely destroyed their possible happiness; she married N.F. Bakhmetov, who was 17 years older than her. When Lermontov received the news of their wedding, he suddenly “changed his face,” writes A.K. Shan - Gerii, “and turned pale; I was scared and wanted to ask what it was, but he, handing me the letter, said: “Here’s the news - read it,” and left the room.”
Bakhmetov turned out to be very picky and forced Varvara to destroy Lermontov’s letters addressed to her. She had to give some of Lermontov’s manuscripts and drawings to A.M. Vereshchagina for preservation.
Lermontov painted Lopukhina’s portrait many times. They are in his cadet notebook of drawings. She once depicted her in watercolor in the form of a Spanish nun, and another time, apparently in memory of their last conversation, also in watercolor, and in the same pose in which Princess Vera is described by Lermontov in the novel “Princess Ligovskaya.” “A young woman in a morning satin bonnet and a blond cap sat carelessly on the sofa...
She was not a beauty, although her facial features were correct.
There is also a watercolor portrait of Lopukhina, painted by Lermontov - here she is almost in profile, with a smooth hairstyle, her hair is covered with a gold hoop. The hairstyle with a hoop (bandeau) was apparently Lopukhina’s favorite, so the premeditated episode with Ekaterina Bykhovets’ golden bandeau, which Lermontov begged from her for good luck, is full of deep meaning.
Lermontov's death broke Varvara. Her sister Maria Aleksandrovna Lopukhina wrote in the memoirs of A.M. Vereshchagina in September 1841: “the latest news about my sister Bakhmetyeva is truly sad. She is sick again, her nerves are upset, she is weak. Her husband suggested that she go to Moscow - she refused, suggested that she go abroad - she refused, and stated that she absolutely did not want to undergo treatment anymore. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I attribute this disorder to Michel’s death.”
Varvara Alexandrovna died after much suffering at the age of 36 in 1851. She was buried in Moscow in the Cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery.
Reading the poem “I am writing to you by chance, really”
7. Ekaterina Bykhovets
He called her cousin. Her parents - Grigory Andreevich and Natalia Fedorovna - had an estate near Tarusa and their own house in Moscow. Lermontov met her on one of his visits to Moscow from St. Petersburg. Bykhovets looked similar to V.A. Lopukhin. “That’s why he loved me,” she wrote, “because he found similarities in us, and his favorite topic of conversation was about her.”
In the summer of 1841, Bykhovets and her family were in Pyatigorsk and there they constantly saw Lermontov. She participated in a program organized by him and his friend in Diana's grotto. The grotto was, as Bykhovets wrote to her sister, “all decorated with shawls, the columns were upholstered with flowers and the chandeliers were all made of flowers, people danced around the grotto in the square... and many others.” Very tasty dishes were served. Lermontov was cheerful that day. “This picnic,” writes Bykhovets, “was the last, a week later he was killed, but how long ago did he recommend this monster, this murderer, to me as a comrade, a friend.”
On the day of the duel, June 15, “Lermontov met Bykhovets and her aunt in Zheleznovodsk. They had lunch in the tartan, Lermontov asked his cousin for her gold headband. Suspecting nothing, Bykhovets gave it away. For Lermontov it was a talisman.
After the duel, a hoop and a looped cross were found in Lermontov’s pocket.
Some believe that the poem “No, it was not you that I loved so passionately...” is addressed to her.
Bykhovets E.G. — From a letter, August 5, 1841 Pyatigorsk
What a fun time I had. This day the young people gave us a picnic in the grotto, which was all decorated with shawls; the columns are entwined with flowers...
This was the last picnic; exactly a week later my good friend was killed, and how long ago did he recommend this monster, his killer, to me as a comrade, a friend!
This Martynov is terribly stupid, everyone laughed at him; he is terribly proud; caricatures (of him) were constantly added to; Lermontov had a bad habit of making jokes. Martynov always walked around in a Circassian coat and with a dagger, Lermontov did not want to offend him at all, but just wanted to laugh, having been so good with him, and stupid Martynka called Lermontov. But no one knew. The next day Lermontov was fine with us, cheerful; he always told me that he was terribly tired of life, fate persecuted him so much, the sovereign did not love him, the Grand Duke hated him, “they” could not see him - and then there was love: he was passionately in love with V. A. Bakhmetyeva; she was his cousin; I think he loved me because he found similarities in us, and his favorite conversation was about her.
As he was leaving, he kissed my hand several times and said:
- Cousine, darling, there will never be a happier hour in my life than this.
I still laughed at him; so we went. It was at five o'clock, and at eight o'clock they came to say that he had been killed. No one knew that they were having a duel, except two young boys, whom they made swear that they would not tell anyone; they did so.
Lermontov was so tired of life that he had to shoot first, he didn’t want to, and the monster had the spirit to take aim for a long time, and the bullet went straight through!
He was as good dead as he was alive.
Reading the poem “ No, it’s not you I love so passionately”
8. Conclusion
Lermontov is a rushing man looking for affection and love. He is looking for true love, mutual, but his feeling remains unanswered. M.Yu. Lermontov was looking for a woman capable of understanding and perceiving him as he is; he is looking for a kindred spirit, the only one who will help him in difficult moments, who will understand and respect him.
The Russian philosopher V. Solovyov pointed out “mirage” as the most important feature of Lermontov’s love lyrics:
“...in these works love is almost never expressed in the present, at the moment when it embraces the soul and fills life.”
The poet is not looking for love, but for the “other” in love. Denial is the poet’s reaction to the feeling living in him “now”:
“It (love) is like a plague spot...”;
“Everything that loves me must perish”;
“I'm sad because I love you”;
“No, it’s not you that I love so passionately.”
The poet does not dream about earthly passion, but about absolute love - that which can only be fulfilled in a posthumous dream:
I wish I could sleep like that
So that all night, all day my hearing is cherished,
A sweet voice sang to me about love...
Conclusion: thoughts about loneliness, betrayal, betrayal in love, the tragedy of what is happening.
We see that the lyrical hero of M.Yu. Lermontov is destined to remain lonely and misunderstood, because, according to the poet, happiness in this cruel world, “among the icy, among the merciless light is impossible!”
Answer: Loneliness intensifies Lermontov’s search for his “native soul”, the poet’s tragic attempts to find salvation in love.
Do you agree with my idea that Lermontov’s lyrics are lyrics of the strongest passions and deep suffering?
Lermontov's love is the suffering of the heart and mental anguish, which were embodied in his works, which became masterpieces of classical literature.
Poems by M.Yu. Lermontov, according to V.G. Belinsky, is “a sigh of music, this is a melody of sadness, this is the gentle suffering of love, the last tribute to a tenderly and deeply loved object from a heart torn apart and humbled by the storm of fate! And what amazing simplicity in the verse! What speaks here is one feeling that is so complete that it does not require poetic images for its expression; it doesn’t need decoration, it doesn’t need embellishments, it speaks for itself, it could speak completely in prose.”
Conclusion
. Each of you hopes that love will be bright, pure, romantic, happy. But do not be afraid, do not despair if your love turns out to be unrequited. Remember the great Russian poet Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov, his search for a “kindred soul”. Even though he did not have mutual love, he was happy that love visited him and inspired him to create immortal lyrical works.
9. Homework.
Read poems about love and learn the ones you like by heart.
10. Reflection.
Which poem was most memorable? Which muse's name made the most impression?
Essay Theme of love in Lermontov's lyrics
Love. There is so much in this word for any person! Everyone understands it in their own way, for some it brings boundless happiness, for others it inspires, and for others it makes them sad. The latter often include poets. It’s difficult to say what follows from what, but, as Liliya Brik, Mayakovsky’s love, wrote about the poet: “he will suffer and write good poetry.” This is probably applicable to any creator, because sorrow and unreciprocated love inspire. Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov is the best proof of this. Among his love poems there is not one that would be permeated with a feeling of happiness from reciprocity; in them everything is the opposite.
In Lermontov's lyrics, this sublime feeling is described as sad, forcing one to worry and suffer. However, if you look at the historical framework in which he lived and his attitude towards people, you can understand why everything turned out this way. The Decembrist uprising, murders and the unwillingness of the authorities to listen to the people - all this did not bode well, no hope. Hurricanes also raged inside Lermontov, because he was a fair man, seeking true happiness, freedom and love. In the society in which he lived, everything seemed fake, and the girls he loved almost always did not reciprocate his feelings. The poem “The Beggar” is a great example of this. Where can the joy of love come from?
It is worth noting that Lermontov did not despise love; on the contrary, he considered this feeling heavenly and magical. He loved himself, but because of his insecurity, because of his lonely character, he could not show his feelings to the ladies.
In his poems, the poet is not looking for love, but for “other things in love.” He denies mutual love, perhaps even fears it, while at the same time being inspired by it. Vladimir Solovyov noted that Lermontov’s love lyrics are characterized by “miracle”, idealization of feelings. “And the whole world hated you so that it could love you more,” the poet writes. Indeed, he is ready to do anything for the sake of love, but he himself repels the approach of this feeling. He likes its ephemerality and this is reflected in his works.
The theme of love in Lermontov's lyrics is shown from an unusual side. For him, love is the most noble feeling that cannot be otherwise. If it appears in a different light, then it is not love at all. There is very little real, “Lermontov” love, so the poet prefers to only dream about it, write about it as something unreal, unattainable. This is both a contradiction and a difference from other Lermontov classics.
Other works: ← Love in the novel A Hero of Our Time↑ LermontovThe history of the human soul in the work A Hero of Our Time →
