And Ostrovsky Snow Maiden read a summary. A.N. Ostrovsky "The Snow Maiden": description, characters, analysis of the work. Russian folk tale "Snow Maiden"

Russian folk tale"Snow Maiden"

Genre: folk fairy tale

The main characters of the fairy tale "Snow Maiden" and their characteristics

Ivan and Marya, childless old men, peasants. Kind and God-fearing.
Snow Maiden. A girl made of snow, beautiful, pale, sad in summer, cheerful in winter. Affectionate and friendly, sociable.

Plan for retelling the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden"

Ivan and Marya
Snowmen
Snow doll
Eyes
The Revived Snow Girl
Snow Maiden is a beauty
Spring
Sad Snow Maiden
With the girls in the forest
Jumping over the fire
Disappearance of the Snow Maiden
Search
light cloud

The shortest summary of the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden" for a reader's diary in 6 sentences

Ivan and Marya lived in the village, and they had no children.
They made a snowman in winter and the snow doll came to life
Ivan and Marya named the girl Snegurochka.
Spring came, and then summer, and the Snow Maiden was sad from the heat.
The girls invited her to jump over the fire into the forest
The Snow Maiden melted and flew away in a light cloud.

The main idea of the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden"
There can be no happy family without children.

What does the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden" teach?
The fairy tale teaches to love nature, to know the characteristics of each season, teaches folk traditions and holidays. Teaches you to be obedient, to love your parents, and not to upset them. Teaches you to be kind, to be friends, to be cheerful.

Review of the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden"
I like it simple and at the same time interesting tale. Her main character The Snow Maiden was made of snow and therefore was very afraid of the sun. She felt bad in the summer. It is a pity that the Snow Maiden began to jump over the fire and the heat of the flame melted her. So parents lost their beloved child due to simple carelessness.

Proverbs for the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden"
God gave, God took away.
Which have not be avoided.
Without children it is sad, with children it is troublesome.
Those who have many children are not forgotten by God.
Children are joy, children are sorrow.

Read summary, brief retelling fairy tales "Snow Maiden"
Once upon a time there lived a peasant Ivan and his wife Marya. They had everything on the farm, only there were no children. And then one winter, Ivan watched the neighbor kids making a snowman, and suggested that Marya should also go and build a snowman, to take her mind off sad thoughts.
They went outside and made a snowman. They sculpted the head, sculpted the nose, made dimples on the forehead. As soon as Ivan began to sculpt his mouth, he suddenly felt like a breath of warmth came over him. He looks, and the holes have already become his eyes. The snow doll tilts its head.
Ivan was scared, he thought it was some kind of obsession. And Marya immediately understood that it was the Lord who was giving them a child. The Snow Maiden shook off the snow and now a living girl was standing in front of them.
And Ivan and Marya began to live happily. The girl Snegurochka grew up quickly and became a beauty, but she didn’t have any blush at all.
And then winter flew by, followed by spring. The Snow Maiden is sad on sunny days, hides in the shadows, and bathes in the cold water of the spring. And when the hail began, the Snow Maiden was completely overjoyed. But the hailstones melted quickly.
And so, on the eve of Midsummer's Day, the neighbor's girl called Snegurochka to go for a walk in the forest. And Ivan and Marya released their daughter, and told the girls to keep an eye on the Snow Maiden. Don't leave alone.
And the girls watched the Snow Maiden and had fun. And then the Snow Maiden began jumping over the fire with them. The girls jumped over the fire and looked - the Snow Maiden had disappeared. The girls searched for her for a long time, but they did not find her.
Ivan and Marya cried bitterly. Marya kept going into the forest, looking for the Snow Maiden. But it’s just not there anywhere. When she jumped over the fire, she melted and flew into the sky with a light vapor.

Drawings and illustrations for the fairy tale "Snow Maiden"

» Ostrovsky

Prologue

The action takes place in prehistoric times in the kingdom of the Berendeys. Spring is beginning, but Krasnaya Gorka is still covered with snow. Not far away is Berendeyev Posad - the capital of Tsar Berendey. All the houses and the palace itself are wooden, decorated with intricate carvings.

Leshy sits on the Red Hill and watches the Red Spring descend on cranes, swans and geese. However, the country of the Berendeys greets her with cold - the birds are freezing. Vesna admits that all this is happening because she once began to flirt with old Frost and is now in his captivity. She would like to leave the old one, but they have a daughter - Snegurochka. Therefore, Spring, and with it the Berendeys, endure the whims of Frost: now the heat, now the bitter cold. And the “jealous Sun” frowns, which is why severe winters and cold springs occur.

Spring invites the birds to warm up by dancing, but as the fun begins, the wind rises, snow falls and Frost appears. He says that he had a good time this winter, which the Berendeys will not forget. Spring invites Frost to go north. He replies that he will soon leave for Siberia, where his rule is eternal, and here Yarilo is interfering with him.

Spring is concerned about where their daughter Snegurochka will remain. Her father believes that her place is in a deep forest - in a mansion among forest animals, so that "neither on foot nor on horseback" there was no way there. But the mother says that the Snow Maiden is alive, which means she needs girlfriends, funny Games, and then she will fall in love with one of the guys. Then Frost tells her terrible secret: Yarilo vowed to take revenge on Frost through his daughter. When the Snow Maiden truly loves, he will melt her. Vesna doesn’t want to believe it, and she and Moroz quarrel, and then decide to give the girl to be raised in the family of the childless Bobyl.

Frost calls Snow Maiden from the forest, and Spring asks her where she wants to live. The girl admits that she dreams of living among the Berendeys: she wants to sing songs with the girls and dance in circles to the music of the young shepherd Lelya. Father asks to beware of Lelya, because “it is permeated through and through by the blazing sun”. But the Snow Maiden replies that she is not afraid of Lel or the Sun, but will obey her father. And the mother says goodbye that if she feels sad, let her come to the Yarilina Valley and call her, Vesna.

Frost punishes Leshy to keep an eye on the Snow Maiden, and if a stranger or Lel comes along, he will confuse him in the forest thicket. Frost leaves along with snowstorms and blizzards, giving way to Spring. The Berendeys celebrate Maslenitsa with a stuffed animal of winter - folk festivities begin.

There is a quarrel in Bobylikh's family: Bobylikh's wife swears that there is no firewood in the house, and he has to go to the forest. He notices the Snow Maiden, dressed like "hawthorn". He is surprised, and the Berendeys are amazed. The Snow Maiden tells who she is and says that the one who found her first will become an adopted daughter. She says goodbye to the forest. The trees bow to her, and the Berendeys run away in horror. Bobyl and his wife take the Snow Maiden to their place.

Act I

Soon in the settlement they learned about the beauty of the Snow Maiden, the guys quarreled with their girls and began to woo her. But Snegurochka refuses everyone, for which Bobyl and Bobylikha scold her. They hoped that they were lucky, that now the future grooms would present their adoptive mother with gifts and give their adoptive father honey and home brew. But the Snow Maiden scared everyone away with her stern appearance. The girl explains that she will marry the one she loves, but she does not know what love is.

Lel stays at Bobyl's house. The Snow Maiden asks you to sing a song for her. Lel agrees and asks only for a kiss, but the girl does not agree. Then the shepherd boy offers to give him a flower and pins it on his chest. He begins to sing, but the other girls beckon to him and he runs away, throwing the withered flower on the ground. The Snow Maiden is offended, so she decides that her heart will be cold for everyone.

But the guys continue to look at the Snow Maiden, causing jealousy among the girls. Only Kupava is kind to the Snow Maiden. She says that she met a young man: handsome, handsome, ruddy. This is Mizgir, the son of a rich father, "trade guest from Tsar's Posad". Mizgir promised to marry Kupava, and she dreams of being a mistress in big house. She says that Mizgir will soon come to meet her, and invites Snegurochka to be happy for her.

Mizgir appears with two bags of gifts to ransom his bride Kupava. Everyone is having fun and joking, and Kupava takes Mizgir to the Snow Maiden’s house to introduce them and invite them to last time before the wedding, play on Krasnaya Gorka. But Mizgir, seeing the Snow Maiden, falls in love with her so much that he is ready to leave Kupava for her. Kupava curses her friend, but Snegurochka does not want to upset her and tells Mizgir that she cannot love him. He tries to appease her with expensive gifts, but the Snow Maiden replies that her love cannot be bought.

Only Bobyl and Bobylikha want to get hold of Mizgir’s money so that they can get plenty of booze. Mizgir orders Lel to be driven away, and Snegurochka, forced to obey this demand, hears from him the words that she too will find out why people cry. Kupava tells the Berendeys about Mizgir’s frivolity, and they demand an answer from Kupava’s ex-fiancé. Mizgir explains that for him, the most important thing in a girl is modesty and modesty - he saw them in the Snow Maiden. A Kupava “loved without looking back, hugged with both hands and looked cheerfully”, and Mizgir decided that she could replace him with another.

Kupava asks natural forces to defend her honor: at the end she turns to the river and runs to it to drown herself, but Lel stops her, consoling her that the melancholy will soon pass. The Berendeys suggest turning to the king for help.

Act II

Tsar Berendey sits on a golden chair surrounded by buffoons and guslar players. The king himself paints one of the pillars, and the buffoons argue about what is depicted. At some point, their quarrel leads to a fist fight, but the king separates them, and the nearby boyar Bermyata, who appears, drives them away.

Berendey asks how things are in Berendey's kingdom, and Bermyata claims that everything is fine. However, Berendey is not sure that everything is fine, because for fifteen years now they have had a very short summer, the springs are cold, like autumn, and even in the middle of summer there is snow in the ravines. And the reason is that Yarilo is angry with the Berendeys: in the hearts of people there is no longer the same "heat of love", people have ceased to serve beauty, there is no sublime longing for love. Other feelings live in our hearts now: “vanity, envy of other people’s outfits”. Therefore, Berendey draws a disappointing conclusion: “For the cold of our feelings, Yarilo-Sun is angry with us and takes revenge with the cold”.

He proposes his plan: tomorrow, on Yarilin’s day, at dawn all the brides and grooms should gather to unite in marriage. This will be the best sacrifice for Yarile. However, Bermyata reports that this is impossible, since all the brides quarreled with their grooms because of the Snow Maiden, who settled in the settlement. Berendey does not believe and demands that his order be carried out. Then a boy appears who brings Kupava, and she talks about how the Snow Maiden stole her fiancé Mizgir from her.

Berendey orders Mizgir to be brought to "court of sovereigns". In front of all the honest people, the king accuses him of deceiving poor Kupava, and asks for advice on how best to punish Mizgir so that punishment does not fall on all the Berendeys. Bermyata offers to force Mizgir to marry the bride he abandoned, but he objects: now his bride is Snegurochka. And Kupava says that her heart is broken and now there will only be hatred in it for Mizgir. Then the king proposes to expel him forever from the country of the Berendeys.

Mizgir invites the king to look at the Snow Maiden himself. When Bobyl brings his adopted daughter, the king is amazed by her beauty and wants to find her a worthy groom, so that this sacrifice will appease Yarila. But the Snow Maiden admits that her heart does not yet know love. Bermyata's wife, Elena the Beautiful, says that only Lel can melt the Snow Maiden's heart. The shepherd invites the girl to make wreaths until the morning: he promises that love will awaken in the Snow Maiden’s heart. But Mizgir also wants to achieve love from the Snow Maiden.

Act III

At dawn, boys and girls dance in circles. In the center - Lel with the Snow Maiden. Berendey is amazed by Lel’s singing and offers to choose a girl who will reward him with a kiss. The Snow Maiden asks to choose her, but the shepherd chooses Kupava. The rest of the girls make peace with their boyfriends, and the Snow Maiden cries. Lel says that this is not love, but resentment. If the Snow Maiden really loves him, then he is ready to take her to meet the Sun in the morning.

Mizgir confesses his feelings to Snegurochka, but frightens her with his passion and willingness to die. She is not attracted to priceless pearls either. Then Mizgir wants to achieve reciprocity by force. Leshy comes to the rescue and leads Mizgir aside with the ghost of the Snow Maiden. Lel, with her singing, drives crazy not only Kupava, who confesses her love, but also Elena the Beautiful.

Act IV

Lel invites Snegurochka to learn love from Kupava, and the girl runs to Mother Spring for help. She can fulfill her daughter’s request, but reminds her of her father’s warning. The Snow Maiden is ready to give her life for at least a moment of love. Spring puts a wreath on her head and says that the Snow Maiden will love the first one she meets. It turns out to be Mizgir, who is proud that the Snow Maiden finally responded to his love. He does not want to hear about her fear of Yarila and at dawn he brings her to the mountain where all the Berendeys have gathered as his bride.

With the first rays of the Sun, the Snow Maiden melts, but blesses the love that brings her death. Mizgir believes that the gods laughed at him, and out of despair he throws himself into the lake right from Yarilina Mountain. But the king says that the death of the Snow Maiden and Mizgir will extinguish the anger of Yarila, who will now give the Berendeys warmth, harvest and life. The Berendeys are having fun.

Before getting acquainted with the summary of the story “The Snow Maiden” by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky, it is worth paying attention to amazing facts from the history of the play. The author needed to short time publish a new play. Together with the young composer Tchaikovsky, they completed the work in record time and with great success.

The play “The Snow Maiden” is based on a folk story. The script was completed by 1873. In the same year, on May 11, a new poetic play was presented to the audience at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, which current schoolchildren study along with the rest of the author’s stories as part of the school curriculum.

To gain a deeper understanding of a work, you should write down your thoughts while studying it. reader's diary, compile character descriptions and, if desired, get acquainted with existing film adaptations of the play or attend performances.

In the reader's diary, it is recommended to indicate the names of the characters, describe what role they play in the story, whether they are secondary or main. These simple steps They will help you analyze the work in more detail and make your work easier when writing character descriptions.

The main characters of the work

The main characters of A. N. Ostrovsky’s work include the Snow Maiden, the shepherdess Lelya, whose songs the whole country of Berendey loved to listen to, the maiden of the settlement - Kupava, Mizgir - a noble merchant, Bobyl Bakula and Bobylikha, as well as the wise Tsar Berendey, the northern side where the fairy tale takes place.

Minor characters

The secondary characters of the tale are the old man Moroz, Vesna with his retinue, Leshy, the people of the Berendey kingdom - the Berendeys (Murash, Radushka, Biryuch, Malusha and others), the servants of Mizgir and Leshy, the assistant to the prankish old man.

A brief retelling of the play “The Snow Maiden” by A. N. Ostrovsky

For ease of understanding, the retelling is compiled according to the plan, according to the content of the story: a prologue and four acts. When writing your own plan in the reader's diary, if you wish, you can omit these points or add new ones (for example, describe the phenomena in detail).

Prologue

At the beginning of the story and play, the author takes the reader to fabulous prehistoric times in a country ruled by the wise Tsar Berendey.

All the events described in the prologue take place on Krasnaya Gorka, behind which the Berendeev settlement is located. Midnight. Full moon silvers the northern expanses with cold light. Nature has not woken up from the winter frosts: the ground is still covered with a snow-white veil, and the branches of the trees sullenly sank under the weight of the snow caps.

A spring fairy tale begins with the arrival of birds. The goblin, guarding the forest, announces the end of winter and dives into a hollow to sleep after hard work. Vienna-Krasna descends to the ground, but the Berendey expanses greet her unwelcomingly: the fields shimmer with a cold shine, it’s icy - not at all like in the southern countries!

But Vesna admits that she herself is to blame for such a reception, talks about her flirtations with old man Frost, and about their daughter Snegurochka. With regret, she says that it is because of her daughter that she will not contradict the old man, who, taking advantage of her gentleness, is freezing the entire kingdom of Berendey out of spite. In addition to this, the angry Yarilo does not want to warm the Berendeyites with the sun's rays.

Taking pity on the birds, Spring advises them, like people, to start dancing to keep warm. Birds obediently dance to the songs, celebrating their arrival and housewarming.

But in the midst of the fun, the wind rises and clouds roll in. Everything is covered in darkness. Spring shelters the birds in the bushes and tells them to wait until the morning until the blizzard subsides.

The beautiful Spring and Santa Claus remain in the clearing, who amusingly talks about the cold sent to the Berendeys this winter. But the old man’s interlocutor is only interested in the fate of the Snow Maiden, who is languishing in the mansion. She feels sorry for her daughter and asks Moroz to let her go live with people and enjoy her youth. He reluctantly agrees to settle their daughter with Bobyl, but warns Vesna about the evil Yaril, who wants to destroy their daughter by engendering the fire of love in her heart.

The Snow Maiden is very happy that she will be allowed to live with people. She had long dreamed of human amusements: going for berries with her friends, doing round dances. Passionately, enchanted, she talks about Lelya's shepherd's songs and, in exchange for her father's generosity, promises to learn them and perform them for him during a snowstorm.

But Moroz becomes uncomfortable with her words, he tells Vesna to protect their daughter from Lel, from his speeches and songs, since the girls of the entire Berendeyev kingdom love the shepherd for his soulful words and tunes. In the guise of Lelya, he sees the fatal death of his daughter and asks Leshy to protect his only child from offenders.

Spring tells the Snow Maiden that she can always be found on the lake, in the Yarilina Valley, if the girl suddenly needs help.

The snowstorm subsides, the clouds disperse, the sky becomes clear, ringing human voices are heard everywhere - people are celebrating the approaching holiday.

The Berendey residents rejoice, sing, take a sleigh with a scarecrow on it to the forest, and thank Maslenitsa for the delicious treats and fun activities.

Maslenitsa promises Berendey residents to return to next year, as soon as the frosty season passes and thawed patches appear, it disappears.

Bobyl Bakula, a resident of the kingdom of Berendey, laments about how little he has eaten of his neighbor’s pancakes, and complains about the future hungry and poor life. Bobylikha points out to her husband his laziness and sends him to the forest to get firewood, which has not been in the house for several days.

Bakula goes to cut down a birch tree and finds a beautiful maiden who asks to live in the settlement with the Berendeys from the one who first found her. Bobyl and Bobylikha are delighted with this news; they think that they can find a rich groom for the beautiful girl and correct the plight of their family.

First action

The first action takes place in the settlement of Berendeyevka.

The author describes Bakula's house: old, rickety, with a leaky roof. Bobyl and Bobylikha complain that it was in vain to take the Snow Maiden into the house and there is no use for them from her. But the girl objects: there is nothing to take from an orphan, but she is hardworking and is not afraid of work. And their troubles are only because they are lazy and inactive.

Bobylikha and Bobyl scold the girl because she does not want to reciprocate the feelings of the village boys who come to make a match. They persuade her to choose a richer lover, so that the named parents will benefit from the orphan’s wedding. The conversation is interrupted by the sound of a shepherd's horn.

Lel comes to live with the Bobylys by the decision of the wise Tsar Berendey and by the agreement of the local residents who collected money for his accommodation. The Berendey residents do not want to let the shepherd into their homes, as they fear for their daughters and wives, who are greedy for his songs. The Snow Maiden remains cold. She has no lover, her heart does not know love.

Lel's songs awaken memories in the girl's soul. But she remains indifferent to the shepherd’s advances. Caresses and kisses are alien to her. And Lel, who did not find warmth in Bakula’s house, runs to the other girls, throwing away the withered flower - a gift from the Snow Maiden. Resentment settles in the girl’s heart because the shepherd chose other girls from the settlement over her.

Among the girls of Berendey's kingdom, the poor beauty has no friends. The orphan eclipsed everyone with her beauty, lured all the boys to her, and put them at odds with their friends. Only Kupava does not shy away from her. She shares with the Snow Maiden her joy about the arrival of a noble merchant, a fine fellow, who will soon woo her.

Mizgir appears with a ransom for his beloved. For the last time, the girls are going to dance in circles, and the young couple approaches the Snow Maiden to invite her to the holiday. The young man is captivated by the beauty of the girl and forgets about everything else. He no longer wants to take Kupava as his wife.

All his thoughts are only about one daughter of Frost and Spring. The merchant intends to woo the poor orphan and orders the entire ransom to be brought to the house of Bobyl Bakula. The parents who shelter her force the girl to reciprocate the rich guy’s feelings, drive away the shepherd Lel and marry Mizgir. But Snegurochka understands what harm she will cause to Kupava and does not want to act according to the will of Bobyl and Bobylikha.

Kupava is overshadowed by the fickle nature of the merchant. She asks her lover why he didn’t like her. To this, Mizgir declares that Snegurochka’s modesty and bashfulness won his heart; in his opinion, these qualities are real manifestations of girlish love and warmth, and Kupava’s openness is not pleasant to him and seems only a harbinger of betrayal.

Kupava is upset, she asks for protection from the people of the Berendeyevskaya settlement, curses her ex-fiancé and wants to die, because her grief is too strong. But the shepherd Lel saves the young girl.

Second act

The author describes the king's palace. Berendey is annoyed that for sixteen years Yarilo has not given the Berendeyites solar warmth and light.

Believing that Yarilo is angry with the Berendeys for their cold hearts. The king decides that it is necessary to appease the wrath of the sun and make a sacrifice to him: to tie as many loving couples as possible in marriage.

But Bermyata reports that this cannot be done in any way, because the Snow Maiden has set all the boys and girls at odds with each other. At this moment, Kupava runs into the royal chambers and informs Berendey that Mizgir, who swore his love for her and called her his bride, has betrayed her.

The king orders the guy to be brought to trial, during which a decision is made to expel him from the country. In justification, the merchant begs the Tsar to look at the beautiful Snow Maiden.

Bobyl and Bobylikha bring their adopted daughter to Berendey. The Emperor remains impressed by the girl’s beauty. By marrying a modest, poor girl to a worthy guy, he hopes to appease Yarilo and return warm and sunny summer to the country. But the Snow Maiden admits that her heart does not know love and tenderness, that she does not have a lover in the whole world.

In confusion, the king asks his wife for help. Elena the Beautiful believes that only Lel is capable of awakening a feeling unfamiliar to her in a girl.

The shepherd calls the Snow Maiden to twist the wreaths and promises that with the morning dawn love will come into her heart. Mizgir sees Lela as a rival and does not want to give up the girl to him. He intends to conquer his beloved with all his might.

Third act

In the evening, Berendeys gather together to dance in circles. Girls forgive guys for cheating and put up with them. Lel sings songs to the residents of the country.

The king admires the shepherd's singing and, as a reward, allows Lel to choose a girl who will reward him with her kiss.

The Snow Maiden hopes that the shepherd boy will choose her, but when he approaches Kupava, she becomes upset and takes refuge in the forest, crying over her grief. Lel, whom she meets by chance, tells her that her tears are empty - they contain only envy, but not love for him.

The shepherd reminds the girl how he waited for words of love when he lived with Bobyl and Bobylikha, but did not receive a shadow of tenderness in response, and tells the girl that only for a real feeling he is ready to connect his fate with her.

After Lel leaves, Snegurochka is overtaken by Mizgir in the forest. He begs her to reciprocate his passionate love. The girl is afraid of the merchant's words. She returns his gifts, to which he decides to get the suburban orphan by force. Envoys of Frost come to the rescue: they beckon Mizgir with the image of a girl deep into the forest.

Having freed herself, Snegurochka looks for Lel, but he rejects her and leaves with Kupava, advising her to learn real feelings from his chosen one. An abandoned girl desperately searches for her mother, wanting her to give her the opportunity to love.

Act Four

Vesna-Krasna listens to her daughter’s prayers, but, remembering the precepts of Santa Claus, instructs her to think again about her request.

The Snow Maiden assures her mother that she does not like life without real feelings. And the mother hands her a wreath that bestows love: the first person she meets will become the girl’s lover.

Having put a wreath on her head, the girl sees the world completely differently: everything is color, everything sparkles and shines in the sun.

The first person the daughter of Spring meets is Mizgir. The Snow Maiden, having fallen in love with the merchant, responds to his passion, but warns her chosen one that if he does not protect her from Yarila’s rays, she will melt at that very moment.

Mizgir, inspired by love, neglects the fears of his bride and leads her to Yarilin Mountain. Costs sunlight get on a girl - she melts.

The merchant, considering everything that happened to be a cruel joke of the gods, unable to bear the grief, throws himself into the lake.

Tsar Berendey calls on the people of the country to believe that the sad death of two lovers should not overshadow the holiday. Now Yarilo will soften, and the land of the Berendeys will again become warmer and begin to bear fruit, as in former times.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is worth analyzing Ostrovsky’s performance and recording in the reader’s diary the feelings that remain after studying the story.

The meaning of the work subtly entangles the whole storyline of the play and is revealed by the author at the very end of the “spring tale”. The story is filled with love and in different forms its manifestations. But the Snow Maiden’s love – pure and fearless, saving, capable of lifting the curse from the land of the Berendeys – is the main key of the whole story.

The Snow Maiden, turning to her mother for help, realized the tragedy of her desire and yet did not give up on it. Pure feeling, devoid of everything ostentatious and selfish, is the main thing in Ostrovsky’s play. All other plot descriptions only help the reader (or viewer of the play) understand the differences between manifestations of love.

The action takes place in the country of the Berendeys in mythical times. The end of winter comes - the goblin hides in a hollow. Spring flies to Krasnaya Gorka near Berendeyev Posad, the capital of Tsar Berendey, and with it the birds return: cranes, swans - Spring's retinue. The land of the Berendeys greets Spring with cold, and all because of Spring’s flirtations with Frost, the old grandfather, Spring herself admits. Their daughter was born - Snegurochka. Spring is afraid to quarrel with Frost for the sake of her daughter and is forced to endure everything. The “jealous” Sun itself is angry. That’s why Spring calls all the birds to warm themselves up by dancing, just as people themselves do in the cold. But just when the fun begins - the choirs of birds and their dances - a blizzard arises. Spring hides birds in the bushes until the new morning and promises to warm them up. Meanwhile, Frost comes out of the forest and reminds Vesna that they have a common child. Each of the parents takes care of the Snow Maiden in their own way. Frost wants to hide her in the forest so that she can live among obedient animals in a forest chamber. Spring wants a different future for her daughter: for her to live among people, among cheerful friends and boys playing and dancing until midnight. The peaceful meeting turns into an argument. Frost knows that the sun god of the Berendeys, the hot-tempered Yarilo, has vowed to destroy the Snow Maiden. As soon as the fire of love is lit in her heart, it will melt it. Spring doesn't believe it. After a quarrel, Moroz offers to give their daughter to be raised by the childless Bobyl in the settlement, where the boys are unlikely to pay attention to their Snow Maiden. Spring agrees.

Frost calls Snow Maiden from the forest and asks if she wants to live with people. The Snow Maiden admits that she has long been yearning for girlish songs and round dances, that she likes the songs of the young shepherd Lelya. This especially frightens the father, and he tells the Snow Maiden, more than anything else, to beware of Lel, in whom the “scorching rays” of the Sun live. Separating from his daughter, Moroz entrusts the care of her to his forest “frogs”. And finally gives way to Spring. Folk festivities begin - seeing off Maslenitsa. The Berendeys greet the arrival of Spring with songs.

Bobyl went into the forest for firewood and saw the Snow Maiden dressed like a hawthorn. She wanted to stay and live with Bobylya and her adopted daughter.

Life is not easy for the Snow Maiden with Bobyl and Bobylikha: the named parents are angry that she, with her excessive bashfulness and modesty, has scared off all the suitors and they are not able to get rich with the help of their adopted daughter’s advantageous marriage.

Lel comes to stay with the Bobylys because they alone are ready to let him into the house for money collected by other families. The rest are afraid that their wives and daughters will not resist Lel's charm. The Snow Maiden does not understand Lel’s requests for a kiss for a song, for a gift of a flower. She plucks a flower with surprise and gives it to Lelya, but he, having sung a song and seen other girls calling him, throws away the already withered flower of the Snow Maiden and runs away to new fun. Many girls quarrel with guys who are inattentive to them because of their passion for the beauty of the Snow Maiden. Only Kupava, the daughter of the rich Sloboda resident Murash, is affectionate towards the Snow Maiden. She tells her about her happiness: a rich trading guest from the royal settlement of Mizgir has wooed her. Then Mizgir himself appears with two bags of gifts - bride price for girls and boys. Kupava, together with Mizgir, approaches the Snow Maiden, who is spinning in front of the house, and calls her to lead the girls’ round dances for the last time. But when he saw the Snow Maiden, Mizgir fell passionately in love with her and rejected Kupava. He orders his treasury to be carried to Bobyl's house. The Snow Maiden resists these changes, not wishing harm to Kupava, but the bribed Bobyl and Bobylikha force the Snow Maiden to even drive Lel away, which Mizgir demands. The shocked Kupava asks Mizgir about the reasons for his betrayal and hears in response that the Snow Maiden won his heart with her modesty and bashfulness, and Kupava’s courage now seems to him a harbinger of future betrayal. The offended Kupava asks for protection from the Berendeys and sends curses to Mizgir. She wants to drown herself, but Lel stops her, and she falls unconscious into his arms.

In the chambers of Tsar Berendey, a conversation takes place between him and his close associate Bermyata about the troubles in the kingdom: for fifteen years now Yarilo has been unkind to the Berendeys, the winters are getting colder, the springs are getting colder, and in some places there is snow in the summer. Berendey is sure that Yarilo is angry with the Berendeys for cooling their hearts, for “cold feelings.” To quench the Sun’s anger, Berendey decides to appease him with a sacrifice: on Yarilin’s day, the next day, to tie together as many brides and grooms as possible in marriage. However, Bermyata reports that because of some Snow Maiden who showed up in the settlement, all the girls quarreled with the guys and it is impossible to find brides and grooms for marriage. Then Kupava, abandoned by Mizgir, runs in and cries out all her grief to the king. The king orders to find Mizgir and convene the Berendeys for trial. Mizgir is brought in, and Berendey asks Bermyata how to punish him for cheating on his bride. Bermyata offers to force Mizgir to marry Kupava. But Mizgir boldly objects that his bride is the Snow Maiden. Kupava also does not want to marry a traitor. The Berendeys don't have death penalty, and Mizgir is sentenced to exile. Mizgir only asks the king to look at the Snow Maiden himself. Seeing the Snow Maiden come with Bobyl and Bobylikha, the Tsar is amazed by her beauty and tenderness and wants to find a worthy husband for her: such a “sacrifice” will certainly appease Yarila. The Snow Maiden admits that her heart does not know love. The king turns to his wife for advice. Elena the Beautiful says that the only one who can melt the Snow Maiden’s heart is Lel. Lel calls the Snow Maiden to make wreaths before the morning sun and promises that by morning love will awaken in her heart. But Mizgir does not want to give up the Snow Maiden to her opponent and asks permission to enter into the fight for the Snow Maiden’s heart. Berendey allows and is confident that at dawn the Berendeys will joyfully meet the Sun, which will accept their atoning “sacrifice.” The people glorify the wisdom of their king Berendey.

At dawn, girls and boys begin to dance in circles, in the center are the Snow Maiden and Lel, while Mizgir appears and disappears in the forest. Admired by Lelya's singing, the king invites him to choose a girl who will reward him with a kiss. The Snow Maiden wants Lel to choose her, but Lel chooses Kupava. Other girls make peace with their loved ones, forgiving them of their past infidelities. Lel is looking for Kupava, who has gone home with her father, and meets the crying Snow Maiden, but he does not feel sorry for her for these “jealous tears” caused not by love, but by envy of Kupava. He tells her about secret lovemaking, which is more valuable than a public kiss, and only for true love is he ready to take her to meet the Sun in the morning. Lel reminds how he cried when Snegurochka did not respond to his love before, and goes to the guys, leaving Snegurochka to wait. And yet, in the heart of the Snow Maiden, there is not love yet, but only pride that Lel will lead her to meet Yarila.

But then Mizgir finds the Snow Maiden, he pours out his soul to her, full of burning, real male passion. He, who has never begged a girl for love, falls to his knees in front of her. But the Snow Maiden is afraid of his passion, and his threats to take revenge for his humiliation are also terrible. She also rejects the priceless pearls with which Mizgir is trying to buy her love, and says that she will exchange her love for Lel’s love. Then Mizgir wants to get the Snow Maiden by force. She calls Lelya, but the “leshutki”, whom Father Frost instructed to take care of his daughter, come to her aid. They take Mizgir into the forest, luring him with the ghost of the Snow Maiden, and he wanders in the forest all night, hoping to overtake the ghost Snow Maiden.

Meanwhile, even the heart of the king’s wife was melted by Lel’s songs. But the shepherd deftly dodges both Elena the Beautiful, leaving her in the care of Bermyata, and the Snow Maiden, from whom he runs away when he sees Kupava. It was precisely this kind of reckless and ardent love that his heart was waiting for, and he advises the Snow Maiden to “eavesdrop” on Kupavi’s hot speeches in order to learn to love. The Snow Maiden, in her last hope, runs to her mother Vesna and asks her to teach her real feelings. On the last day when Spring can fulfill her daughter’s request, since the next day Yarilo and Summer take over, Spring, rising from the water of the lake, reminds the Snow Maiden of her father’s warning. But the Snow Maiden is ready to give her life in a moment true love. Her mother puts a magic wreath of flowers and herbs on her and promises that she will love the first young man she meets. The Snow Maiden meets Mizgir and responds to his passion. The immensely happy Mizgir does not believe in the danger and considers the Snow Maiden’s desire to hide from Yarila’s rays to be an empty fear. He solemnly brings the bride to Yarilina Mountain, where all the Berendeys have gathered. At the first rays of the sun, the Snow Maiden melts, blessing the love that brings her death. It seems to Mizgir that the Snow Maiden deceived him, that the gods mocked him, and in despair he throws himself from Yarilina Mountain into the lake. “The Snow Maiden’s sad death and the terrible death of Mizgir cannot disturb us,” says the Tsar, and all the Berendeys hope that Yarila’s anger will now fade away, that he will grant the Berendeys strength, harvest, life.

Option 2

The end of the harsh and cold winter is approaching, which is being replaced by the long-awaited spring with its warm rays of the sun and the first thawed patches in the forest, where the goblin hides in a hollow. Spring comes to Krasnaya Gorka and the birds return. The country of the Berendeys greets Spring with cold, and all because of Spring’s flirtations with Frost. Their daughter was born - Snegurochka. Spring is afraid to quarrel with Frost and endures everything for the sake of her daughter.

Spring calls all the birds to warm up by dancing, as people do in cold weather, but the blizzard rises with joy. Frost comes out of the forest and reminds Spring that the time has come to take care of the Snow Maiden. Frost wants to hide her in the forest so that she can live among obedient animals in a forest chamber. But Spring wants a different future for her daughter, so that she can live among people and cheerful friends who play and dance until midnight. The Sun God of the Berendeys, the hot-tempered Yarilo, wants to destroy the Snow Maiden. As soon as the fire of love is lit in her heart, it will melt it.

After a quarrel, Frost offers to give Snegurochka to be raised by the childless Bobyl in the settlement, where the boys are unlikely to pay attention to her. Spring agrees. The Snow Maiden admits that she has long been yearning for girlish songs and round dances; she really likes the songs of the young shepherd Lelya. This frightens the caring father very much, and he tells the Snow Maiden to beware of Lelya, and entrusts the care of her to his forest leches. So spring has come into its own. Folk festivities began.

Bobyl once went into the forest for firewood and saw the Snow Maiden dressed as a hawthorn. She agreed to stay in their house as an adopted daughter. The named parents are angry that she, with her bashfulness and modesty, has scared off all the suitors, and they are not able to get rich. Lel comes to the Bobylys. The Snow Maiden does not understand Lelya’s requests for a kiss for a song, and for a gift of a flower. Lel, having sung a song, saw other girls and ran to them. Girls quarrel with guys who are carried away by the beauty of the Snow Maiden.

Only Kupava, the daughter of the rich merchant Murash, is affectionate towards the Snow Maiden. She shares her good news with Snegurochka and says that a wealthy trade guest, Mizgir, has wooed her. Here Mizgir appears with two bags of gifts - bride price for girls and boys. Mizgir, seeing the Snow Maiden, falls passionately in love with her and orders her to carry the treasury to Bobyl’s house. The Snow Maiden does not wish harm to Kupava, she resists Mizgir’s change. Offended by grief, Kupava asks the Berendeys for protection. Kupava decided to drown herself, but Lel stopped her.

For fifteen years Yarilo has been unkind to the Berendeys. To quench the wrath of the sun, you need to appease it with a sacrifice. But the Bermyats report that because of the Snow Maiden, who appeared in the settlement, all the girls quarreled. Then the abandoned Kupava runs in and tells the king about her grief. Mizgir is sentenced to exile. Mizgir is desperately fighting for his rights. At dawn, girls and boys dance in circles. Lel is looking for Kupava and meets a crying Snow Maiden, but he does not feel sorry for her. The Snow Maiden rejects Mizgir's love, calling Lelya. The leshutki take Mizgir into the forest, beckoning him with the ghost of the Snow Maiden, where he wanders all night. The Snow Maiden asks the mother of spring for advice, to teach her to love. The mother places a magical wreath of flowers and herbs on the Snow Maiden's head and promises that she will love the young man she meets. Happy Mizgir leads the Snow Maiden to the mountain where the Berendeys have gathered. The Snow Maiden melts at the first rays of the sun, blessing the love that brought her death. Mizgir, who thinks that the Snow Maiden has deceived him, throws himself from the mountain into the lake in despair. Now all the Berendeys hope that Yarila’s anger will go away, because he gives strength, harvest and life.

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Summary of Snow Maiden Ostrovsky A. N.

In ancient times, Spring-Red and Father Frost gave birth to a daughter, Snegurochka. For 16 years, Frost hid her under the protection of goblins, wolves and eagle owls in a forest tower, where no one was allowed to go. So that the Snow Maiden would not be harmed by the heat, Frost made all these 16 winters unusually cold and persuaded his wife, Spring, to come to earth later.

But when the snow girl grew up, she became bored alone among the animals and forest monsters. Vesna-Krasna, feeling sorry for her daughter, persuaded Moroz to let her live in a nearby settlement of the Berendey tribe. Frost did not agree. He knew that his enemy, the sun god Yarilo, was angry for 16 icy winters and is going to kindle with his rays a love flame in the Snow Maiden’s heart, which will melt her and destroy her.

Snow Maiden. Feature film based on the play by A. Ostrovsky, 1968

However, Spring still persuaded Frost to let her daughter go to people. Frost agreed to this, but on the condition that the Snow Maiden should live with the Berendeys in the hut of the impoverished family of Bobyla Bakula and his wife, Bobylikha. Frost hoped that the suburban boys would not stare at the poor bride, and without their caresses, love would not flare up in his daughter’s soul.

The Snow Maiden happily agreed to live among people. Soon celebrating Maslenitsa - farewell to winter, the Berendeys saw an unusual beautiful girl. She said that she had nowhere to go and asked to go to the house of Bakula and his wife.

“Snow Maiden”, 1 act – summary

The lazy Bobyl and Bobylikha, who lived by freeloading from strangers, gladly accepted the Snow Maiden. They expected rich suitors to flock to such a beauty and shower them with money. All the local boys really began to fight for the Snow Maiden. However, she, the daughter of Frost with an icy heart, did not feel anything for them, although she passionately wanted to feel love. The Snow Maiden worked diligently for Bobyl and Bobylikha, but they constantly reproached her for her inability to attract guys.

All the suburban girls were pining for the poor shepherd Lelya, who was very handsome, skillfully wove flower wreaths, sang sweet, passionate songs, and was considered the first heartthrob in the area. The Snow Maiden looked curiously at Lel and loved to talk to him, trying to experience that state of mind that she had never experienced. But Lel, spoiled by the girl’s attention, either flirted with her or mocked her. Without feeling love, the Snow Maiden, like a child, felt grief and jealousy.

In her best friend, Kupavu, the merchant Mizgir, a stately young handsome man, fell in love. Mizgir came with bags of gifts to woo Kupava in the settlement, but when he saw the Snow Maiden, he was so shocked by her beauty that he immediately abandoned the bride. He began to ask Bobyl and Bobylikha for the hand of their “daughter.” They ordered the Snow Maiden to accept the rich gifts of the merchant. "Collect tribute, envious people, with a friend of misfortune, grow rich in my shame,” she lamented sadly.

Snow Maiden. Cartoon based on the play by A. Ostrovsky

Kupava, in a frenzy, cursed the deceiver Mizgir and the “home-wrecker” Snegurochka. By order of Bakula, the Snow Maiden drove Lel away, and he hated her. Kupava decided to go with a complaint against Mizgir to Tsar Berendey himself.

“The Snow Maiden”, act 2 – summary

Tsar Berendey had long been worried that the last fifteen cold winters and springs had extinguished the love fire in the hearts of his subjects. Boys and girls were less attracted to each other, the connection between wives and husbands weakened, and marital fidelity was shaken.

Tomorrow in the reserved forest the Berendeys were supposed to celebrate great holiday Yarili: feast all night, and then watch the sunrise. The king planned to arrange a wedding of all the brides and grooms among the people during this celebration, so that such a spectacle would appease Yarila, who was angry at the cold.

But on the eve of the holiday, Kupava came to Berendey with a complaint against Mizgir. The king convened all the people for the trial of those who dared to violate a girl’s feelings.

Snegurochka also came to the court with her parents. When he first saw her, Berendey was admired by her beauty no less than Mizgir. He asked the Snow Maiden to find a groom for herself and participate with him in tomorrow’s marriage ceremony. However, she replied that she was unable to feel love.

The Tsar proclaimed: the one of the Berendeys who manages to captivate the Snow Maiden with tender passion before dawn will receive her as his wife and will be the first guest at the palace feasts. Mizgir and Lel volunteered to ignite love in the Snow Maiden.

“The Snow Maiden”, Act 3 – summary

In the evening, the Berendeys gathered in a clearing in the forest to celebrate the holiday of Yarila. Lel, approaching the Snow Maiden, sang a song about red maidens, but then, in front of her eyes, he began to kiss Kupava. The Snow Maiden began to reproach Lel with tears in her eyes, but he said to her: “It’s your own fault, I loved you a lot, I secretly shed a lot of burning tears.”

Lel left, and Mizgir appeared next to the Snow Maiden. Falling on his knees in front of her, he begged her for love. But the powerful and proud Mizgir instilled fear in the Snow Maiden. She said she could never love him. Mizgir, having lost his head, tried to take it by force, but a goblin who suddenly appeared threw him into the thicket with witchcraft. The spell of the devil forced Mizgir to chase the ghost of the Snow Maiden all night, which appeared before his eyes here and there.

Having gotten rid of Mizgir, the Snow Maiden soon met Lel again and began to beg him to take her to the king as his bride. But Lel went to Kupava, saying: I will meet the sunrise of Yaril only with her. The timid feeling of the Snow Maiden, in comparison with the ardent love of Kupava, looked funny and childish in his eyes.

The Snow Maiden, sobbing, rushed to her mother, Vesna, to ask her to breathe true passion into her icy heart.

“The Snow Maiden”, act 4 – summary

Near the festival site there was a mountain and a lake. The Snow Maiden ran to the lake shore, and Spring-Red rose from the water, surrounded by flowers.

The Snow Maiden began to ask her mother to give her the ability to love. Spring reminded the Snow Maiden of the prophecies of Father Frost: love will destroy her. But the girl insisted: “Let me perish; one moment of love is dearer to me than years of melancholy and tears.”

Spring put a wreath of flowers on her daughter’s head, and the Snow Maiden’s soul was overwhelmed love passion. In her delight, it seemed to her that even the grass and trees had acquired new beauty.

Spring wished the Snow Maiden to find a young man after her heart today, but ordered her to hurry home until morning so as not to fall under the rays of the Sun-Yarila at dawn, which would kindle the heat in her so that it would melt her. Spring fell into the lake again, and the Snow Maiden joyfully ran along the path - and came across Mizgir, whose courageous appearance now sweetly enchanted her.

She threw herself on his chest and said that she agreed to become his wife. The delighted Mizgir took the Snow Maiden to Tsar Berendey to take part in the marriage ceremony at sunrise. The Snow Maiden asked to lead her home quickly, but Mizgir, without listening, ran with her to the clearing, where the Berendey choirs were already beginning to praise the dawn.