Katerina Lvovna, “a very pleasant woman in appearance,” lives in the prosperous house of the merchant Izmailov with her widowed father-in-law Boris Timofeevich and her middle-aged husband Zinovy Borisovich. Katerina Lvovna has no children, and “with all the contentment,” her life “with an unkind husband” is the most boring. In the sixth year of marriage.
Zinovy Borisovich leaves for the mill dam, leaving Katerina Lvovna “alone.” In the courtyard of her house, she competes with the daring worker Sergei, and from the cook Aksinya learns that this fellow has been serving with the Izmailovs for a month, and was expelled from his previous house for “love” with the mistress. In the evening, Sergei comes to Katerina Lvovna, complains of boredom, says that he loves her, and stays until the morning. But one night Boris Timofeevich notices Sergei’s red shirt coming down from his daughter-in-law’s window. The father-in-law threatens that he will tell Katerina Lvovna’s husband everything and send Sergei to prison. That same night, Katerina Lvovna poisons her father-in-law with white powder saved for rats and continues the “aligoria” with Sergei.
Meanwhile, Sergei becomes dry with Katerina Lvovna, is jealous of her husband and talks about his insignificant condition, admitting that he would like to be her husband “before the saint, before the eternal temple.” In response, Katerina Lvovna promises to make him a merchant. Zinovy Borisovich returns home and accuses Katerina Lvovna of being “cupids.” Katerina Lvovna takes Sergei out and boldly kisses him in front of her husband. The lovers kill Zinovy Borisovich, and the corpse is buried in the cellar. Zinovy Borisovich is being searched for in vain, and Katerina Lvovna is “living on her own with Sergei, in the widow’s position of being free.”
Soon Zinovy Borisovich’s young nephew Fyodor Lyapin, whose money was in circulation with the late merchant, comes to live with Izmailova. Encouraged by Sergei, Katerina Lvovna plans to kill the God-fearing boy. On the night of the All-Night Vigil on the Feast of the Entry, the boy remains in the house alone with his lovers and reads the Life of St. Theodore Stratilates. Sergei grabs Fedya, and Katerina Lvovna strangles him down pillow. But as soon as the boy dies, the house begins to shake from the blows, Sergei panics, sees the late Zinovy Borisovich, and only Katerina Lvovna understands that it is the people who are bursting in with a roar, having seen through the crack what is happening in the “sinful house”.
Sergei is taken to the unit, and at the first words of the priest about the Last Judgment, he confesses to the murder of Zinovy Borisovich and calls Katerina Lvovna an accomplice. Katerina Lvovna denies everything, but when confronted, she admits that she killed “for Sergei.” Murderers are punished with lashes and sentenced to hard labor. Sergei arouses sympathy, but Katerina Lvovna behaves stoically and even refuses to look at the born child. He, the only heir of the merchant, is sent to be raised. Katerina Lvovna thinks only about how to quickly get to the stage and see Sergei. But at this stage Sergei is unkind and secret meetings do not please him. Near Nizhny Novgorod, the prisoners are joined by the Moscow party, with which come the free-spirited soldier Fiona and seventeen-year-old Sonetka, about whom they say: “it curls around your hands, but is not given into your hands.”
Katerina Lvovna arranges another date with her lover, but finds the reliable Fiona in his arms and quarrels with Sergei. Having never made peace with Katerina Lvovna, Sergei begins to get “chepur” and flirt with Sonetka, who seems to “become tame.” Katerina Lvovna decides to leave her pride and make peace with Sergei, and during the date, Sergei complains of pain in his legs, and Katerina Lvovna gives him thick woolen stockings. The next day she notices these stockings on Sonetka and spits in Sergei’s eyes. At night, Sergei and his friend beat Katerina Lvovna while Sonetka giggles. Katerina Lvovna cries out grief on Fiona’s chest, the whole party, led by Sergei, mocks her, but Katerina Lvovna behaves with “wooden calm.” And when the party is transported by ferry to the other side of the river, Katerina Lvovna grabs Sonetka by the legs, throws herself overboard with her, and both drown.
“When I started to sing the first song.”
Chapter first
Sometimes in our places such characters are created that, no matter how many years have passed since meeting them, you will never remember some of them without trembling. Among such characters is the merchant’s wife Katerina Lvovna Izmailova, who played out a once terrible drama, after which our nobles, with someone’s easy word, began to call her Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk district.
Katerina Lvovna was not born a beauty, but she was a very pleasant woman in appearance. She was only twenty-four years old; She was not tall, but slender, with a neck as if carved from marble, round shoulders, a strong chest, a straight, thin nose, black, lively eyes, a high white forehead and black, almost blue-black hair. They gave her in marriage to our merchant Izmailov from Tuskari from the Kursk province, not out of love or any attraction, but because Izmailov wooed her, and she was a poor girl, and she did not have to go through suitors. The Izmailovs’ house was not the last in our city: they traded in grain, kept a large rented mill in the district, had a profitable garden near the city and a good house in the city. In general, the merchants were wealthy. Moreover, their family was very small: father-in-law Boris Timofeich Izmailov, a man already about eighty years old, long widowed; his son Zinovy Borisych, Katerina Lvovna’s husband, also a man of over fifty years old, and Katerina Lvovna herself, and that’s all. Katerina Lvovna had no children for five years since she married Zinovy Borisych. Zinovy Borisych had no children from his first wife, with whom he lived for twenty years before he became a widower and married Katerina Lvovna. He thought and hoped that God would give him, at least from his second marriage, an heir to the merchant's name and capital; but again he was not lucky in this and with Katerina Lvovna.
This childlessness upset Zinovy Borisych a lot, and not just Zinovy Borisych alone, but also old Boris Timofeich, and even Katerina Lvovna herself was very sad about it. Once the boredom is exorbitant in a locked merchant's mansion with high fence and the unleashed chain dogs more than once brought melancholy to the young merchant's wife, reaching the point of stupor, and she would be glad, God knows how glad she would be, to babysit the baby; and she was tired of the other and the reproaches: “Why did you go and why did you get married; Why did she tie a man’s fate, you bastard,” as if she really had committed some kind of crime before her husband, and before her father-in-law, and before all their honest merchant family.
Despite all the contentment and goodness, Katerina Lvovna’s life in her father-in-law’s house was most boring. She didn’t go on many visits, and even if she went with her husband to join her merchant class, it wouldn’t be a joy either. The people are all strict: they watch how she sits down, how she walks, how she gets up; and Katerina Lvovna had an ardent character, and, living as a girl in poverty, she got used to simplicity and freedom: she would run with buckets to the river and swim in her shirt under the pier or sprinkle sunflower husks through the gate of a passing young man; but here everything is different. The father-in-law and her husband will get up early, drink tea at six o’clock in the morning, and go about their business, but she alone wanders from room to room. Everywhere is clean, everywhere is quiet and empty, lamps shine in front of the images, and nowhere in the house is there a living sound or a human voice.
Katerina Lvovna walks and walks through the empty rooms, begins to yawn with boredom and climbs up the stairs to her marital bedchamber, built on a high small mezzanine. She’ll also sit here and watch how hemp is hung up in the barns or grains are poured into the barns - she will yawn again, and she’ll be happy: she’ll take a nap for an hour or two, and wake up - again the same Russian boredom, the boredom of a merchant’s house, which makes it fun, they say, even to hang yourself . Katerina Lvovna was not a keen reader, and besides, there were no books in the house except the Kyiv Patericon.
Katerina Lvovna lived a boring life in her rich father-in-law’s house for five whole years of her life with her unkind husband; but no one, as usual, paid the slightest attention to her boredom.
Chapter two
In the sixth spring of Katerina Lvovnina’s marriage, the Izmailovs’ mill dam burst. At that time, as if on purpose, a lot of work was brought to the mill, but a huge hole was created: the water went under the lower bed of the idle cover, and there was no way to grab it with a quick hand. Zinovy Borisych drove people from the whole neighborhood to the mill, and he himself sat there incessantly; The city affairs were already managed by one old man, and Katerina Lvovna toiled at home all day long, alone. At first she was even more bored without her husband, but now it seemed even better: she became freer alone. Her heart had never been particularly fond of him, and without him there was at least one less commander over her.
Once Katerina Lvovna was sitting on her lookout under her window, yawning and yawning, not thinking about anything in particular, and she finally felt ashamed of yawning. And the weather outside is so wonderful: warm, light, cheerful, and through the green wooden grate In the garden you can see how different birds flutter through the trees from branch to branch.
“Why am I really gaping? – thought Katerina Lvovna. “Well, at least I’ll get up and walk around the yard or go into the garden.”
Katerina Lvovna threw on an old damask coat and went out.
It’s so bright and breathing in the yard, and there’s such cheerful laughter in the gallery near the barns.
-Why are you so happy? – Katerina Lvovna asked her mother-in-law’s clerks.
“But, Mother Katerina Ilvovna, they hanged a live pig,” the old clerk answered her.
1. Nikolai Semenovich Leskov
2. “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk”
3. Class: 10
4. Year of writing: 1864.
5. Genre: essay;
6. Main characters:
Katerina Lvovna Izmailova is a merchant’s wife, passionate and cruel woman; merchant Zinovy Borisych, her husband; Boris Timofeich, father-in-law; Sergei is Katerina Lvovna’s lover;
Childless Katerina Lvovna Izmailova lives in the merchant house of her husband and his father, who adhere to Domostroevsky principles. Tired of a boring life and reproaches, she gets along with employee Sergei. When the father-in-law finds out about their relationship, Katerina Lvovna poisons him. A little later, he and Sergei strangle Zinovy Borisych, who caught the lovers, and secretly bury him.
Katerina Lvovna becomes a full-fledged mistress, in addition, she becomes pregnant by Sergei, and her child will have to be considered the son of the missing Zinovy Borisych.
However, another heir is unexpectedly announced: Zinovy Borisych’s cousin Fedya. On Sergei's advice, Katerina Lvovna kills him along with her lover. However, their crime is noticed by the driver, the killers are put in prison, where Katerina Lvovna gives birth to a son, who is later given to his grandmother to raise. Criminals are sent in stages.
During the transfer, Sergei makes new passions, and also begins to mock Katerina Lvovna. When crossing the river, Izmailova, unable to withstand further insults, grabs Sonetka, Sergei’s beloved, and jumps overboard with her. The girl tries to swim out, but Katerina Lvovna drowns her, and they both go to the bottom.
8. Personal opinion:
The essay is titled “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” to refer readers to the Shakespearean tragedy “Lady Macbeth” - a woman who sows death.
Of course, Katerina Lvovna rightfully deserved this nickname; the actions she committed were terrible, especially the murder of Fedya. Without trying to justify it, I would like to say that there is a reason for everything, and it would be nice to look for this reason. It seems to me that Leskov points to it at the beginning of the work: this is the powerless, often humiliating position of women in a patriarchal environment, which is the merchant class. Katerina Lvovna, as a representative of this society, serves as an example of what constant reproaches and insults can bring a woman. Severe and cruel morals were superimposed on Izmailova’s ardent and passionate character, which led to subsequent tragedies. Something similar has already happened in Russian literature, in particular, in the play by A.N. Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm", with the only difference that Katerina Leskova kills others, and Katerina from "The Thunderstorm" kills herself. But the essence is the same: a person driven to despair is looking for a way out, and, having found it, does not pay attention to moral principles and state laws. He has one goal: to escape.
It seems to me that it was no coincidence that Leskov paid such attention to the life and everyday life of a merchant family in his essay. He wants to show that it’s time to change patriarchal foundations, and then there will be fewer such tragedies, because behind every crime lies a story of unlove.
Summary of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District
The essay begins with a description of the appearance of the main character Ekaterina Lvovna, who, due to circumstances, not out of love, but out of convenience, married the merchant Izmailov. Her husband, Zinovy Borisovich, is much older than Katerina, and higher in status than the girl.
The merchant's wife's life was very boring. She and her husband lived with their father-in-law Boris Timofeevich. She rarely went anywhere, and she felt uncomfortable when traveling, since she was from a simple family, and she was expected to display good tone and manners. She could keep herself busy reading free time, but Ekaterina Lvovna did not like to read either.The husband, despite all efforts to extend the Izmailov merchant family, was apparently barren. He was married for the second time; Zinovy Borisovich lived with his previous wife for twenty years until he became a widower. Everyone, the father-in-law, the merchant Izmailov, and even Katerina Lvovna, for whom a child would have been a salvation from boredom, were disappointed that the heir did not turn out.
So everything dragged on for five years, until the clerk Sergei appeared on the Izmailovs’ estate, who was notorious and there were already rumors about his seduction of a neighboring merchant’s wife. Ekaterina Lvovna was not spoiled by men’s affection and attention, and therefore quickly fell hooked on the charming and outwardly attractive Sergei.
But their father-in-law quickly found out about their vicious relationship, who, as punishment, whipped the clerk with a whip, and sent the news about his unfaithful wife to his son, the merchant Izmailov.Prior to the clarification of the circumstances about the fate of the lovers, Boris Timofeevich locked the clerk in the pantry. Ekaterina Lvovna, emboldened and insolent, began to ask her father-in-law to release her lover, which made him confused, and promised to flog his daughter-in-law in the stables for her impudence and disobedience, and send her lover to prison. But Boris Timofeevich was never able to implement all the threats, as he died suddenly. His beloved daughter-in-law had a hand in his death by putting it in his food rat poison They buried Boris Timofeevich very quickly, they did not wait for his son’s arrival, citing the hot season.
After the death of his father-in-law, the clerk Sergei finally settled in the merchant's bedchamber, and in the morning Catherine began to notice in her bedroom a fat, arrogant cat, which was purring very loudly and, like a human being, wanted to say something. She shared her observations with the cook Aksinya, who was only amazed at what was happening. The next morning the cat came to Katerina and began to purr in a human voice that how her conscience allowed her to live in peace after she had killed him, Boris Timofeevich.
Then the time approaches for the return of the owner, Zinovy Borisovich, and Sergei begins to be offended and show his jealousy to his mistress. That this cannot continue, Ekaterina Lvovna, flattered by such an attitude, reassures her beloved that this whole matter can be fixed. One night, the merchant Izmailov returns in the morning, hoping to catch his wife with her lover and catch him red-handed. But Ekaterina wakes up earlier and hides Sergei in the gallery. She meets her husband as if nothing had happened and sets the samovar herself. Zinovy Borisovich expresses his dissatisfaction and suspicions, and the faithful wife, plucking up the impudence, brings her lover and begins to kiss him in front of her husband, for which she receives a slap in the face. In this confusion, Ekaterina rushes at her husband and begins to strangle him, Sergei tries to help her. The merchant fights back with all his might, realizing what the lovers are up to, and pounces on the clerk, biting him on the neck. Katerina hits the merchant in the temple with a heavy cast candlestick, and the already exhausted Zinovy Borisovich is finished off by the clerk. Covering all traces of the crime, the lovers bury the merchant's body in the cellar.
Ekaterina Lvovna and the clerk live for their own pleasure, and in the absence of the merchant Izmailov, they only shrug their shoulders. Despite the fact that at the mill they report that Zinovy Borisovich left home a long time ago. Catherine realizes that she is carrying a child under her heart, and announces her position to everyone - that the Izmailovs are waiting for an heir. In the absence of her legal husband, she is allowed to conduct business. But then circumstances become clear that she is not the only heiress laying claim to the merchant’s affairs; another successor appears - Fyodor Lyamin, who arrives with his elderly aunt, cousin Boris Timofeevich.
So the merchant’s wife and the clerk live until Sergei darkens Katya’s future with the phrase that Fedor is making his life miserable. After which Ekaterina Lvovna cannot find a place for herself, the thought haunts her that, no matter how much she has suffered and endured, how much sin she has taken on her soul, and some boy, a child, without making any effort, lays claim to her property.
So Fedya fell ill with chickenpox, and his aunt went to church for a service, asking Katerina to look after the child. Taking advantage of the situation that the child was left alone, Sergei and Ekaterina calmly suffocate him with a pillow, in the hope of citing poor health and dubious medications, which destroyed the boy’s young body. But after the service, a crowd of people passed by the merchant’s house, washing the bones of the merchant’s wife, amazed at her impudence and depravity. Seeing light in one of the windows, they decided to see what the merchant’s wife was doing at night, and became unwitting witnesses to Fedya’s murder. Thus, the lovers are caught red-handed, and the autopsy of little Fyodor Lyamin shows that death was due to strangulation.
During the investigation, Sergei confesses to everything. Catherine, however, resists, answering everything: “I don’t know and don’t know anything about this.” But after the clerk is guilty of the murder of the merchant Izmailov, the merchant’s wife also admits that she was an accomplice. And she motivates her actions by the fact that she did everything for Sergei, in the name of love.
As punishment, they are sent to hard labor, and before that they are flogged. After giving birth to a child in the Ostrog hospital, Katerina abandons him, and Boris Timofeevich’s old sister takes the baby to raise her, who recognizes him as the merchant heir of Izmailov. This state of affairs suits Ekaterina Lvovna quite well.
For Katya, only one thing is important: she remains close to her beloved Sergei, and in a merchant’s house, or in hard labor, the matter is not important. So they go to the place of hard labor, and all the way she bribes the prison guards so that they can organize dates for her with her beloved. Why is Sergei angry, and asks his mistress to give this money to him, and not spend it so uselessly. In Nizhny Novgorod, two join their party interesting women- Fiona and the young seventeen-year-old blonde Sonetka.
Sergei behaves very coldly towards Katerina and cheats on her with Fiona, who catches them in the act. But Fiona refuses to have a relationship with Sergei, and he tries in every possible way to find favor with young Sonetka.
Katerina tries to convince herself that she doesn’t love Sergei at all, although she feels that she loves him even more than before, but with all her appearance she makes it clear that she is offended. The same one, after some time, seeks a meeting with her. Katerina bribes the underman for the last seventeen kopecks, and inspired, she rushes to her lover, who hugs and kisses her as before. Sergei complains of pain in his legs and threatens to stay in the infirmary in Kazan; the former merchant's wife is afraid of parting with her beloved. But Sergei cites that woolen stockings would resolve the situation and ease his pain. Catherine gives him her woolen stockings, and in the morning she discovers Sonnetka in these stockings. A woman, consumed by resentment and jealousy, at the first stop approaches Sergei and spits right in his face. The very next night, when Katerina was sleeping, two men entered the women's barracks, one of whom held her tightly, and the other, counting out fifty blows, whipped her with a thick rope. But Sergei does not stop there and continues to mock the former merchant's wife, sometimes for show. kissing Sonetka, then teasing her with caustic phrases. Ekaterina Lvovna is running out of patience to endure insults and mockery from her beloved man, so while crossing the Volga on a ferry, she grabs Sonetka by the legs and jumps overboard with her, thereby drowning both herself and her rival.
The image of Lady Macbeth is well known in world literature. N.S. transferred the Shakespearean character to Russian soil. Leskov. His work “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” is popular to this day and has had many dramatizations and film adaptations.
“Lady Macbeth of Our County” - under this title the work first appeared in print in the magazine “Epoch”. Work on the first edition of the essay lasted about a year, from 1864 to 1865. The essay received its final title in 1867 after significant copyright edits.
It was assumed that this story would open a series of works about the characters of Russian women: landowner, noblewoman, midwife, but for a number of reasons the plan was not realized. “Lady Macbeth” is based on the plot of the widely circulated popular print “About a Merchant’s Wife and a Clerk.”
Genre, direction
The author's definition of the genre is essay. Perhaps Leskov with this designation emphasizes the realism and authenticity of the narrative, since this prose genre, as a rule, is based on facts from real life, is a documentary. It is no coincidence that the first name of the county is ours; after all, this is how every reader could imagine this picture in his own village. In addition, it is the essay that is characteristic of the direction of realism, which was popular in Russian literature of that time.
From the point of view of literary criticism, “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” is a story, as indicated by the complex, eventful plot and composition of the work.
Leskov’s essay has many similarities with Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm,” written 5 years before “The Lady...” The fate of the merchant’s wife worried both authors, and each of them offers his own version of the development of events.
The essence
The main events unfold in a merchant family. Katerina Izmailova, while her husband is away on business, starts an affair with the clerk Sergei. The father-in-law tried to stop debauchery in own home, but paid for it with his life. The husband who returned home also received a “warm welcome.” Having gotten rid of the interference, Sergei and Katerina enjoy their happiness. Soon their nephew Fedya comes to stay with them. He can lay claim to Katerina's inheritance, so the lovers decide to kill the boy. The scene of strangulation is seen by passersby coming from the church.
The main characters and their characteristics
- Katerina Izmailova- a very complex image. Despite her countless crimes, she cannot be considered an exclusively negative character. Analyzing the character of the main character, one cannot ignore the unfair accusations of her infertility, the contemptuous attitude of her father-in-law and husband. All the atrocities were committed by Katerina for the sake of love; only in her did she see salvation from that nightmarish life, which was filled only with cowardice and boredom. This is a passionate, strong and gifted nature, which, unfortunately, was revealed only in crime. At the same time, we can note the intelligence, cruelty and unscrupulousness of a woman who raised her hand even to a child.
- Clerk Sergei, an experienced “girl,” cunning and greedy. He knows his strengths and is familiar with women's weaknesses. It was not difficult for him to seduce the rich mistress, and then cleverly manipulate her, just to take ownership of the estate. He loves only himself, and only takes advantage of women's attention. Even in hard labor, he looks for amorous adventures and buys them at the cost of his mistress’s sacrifice, begging her for what is valued in prison.
- Husband (Zinovy Borisovich) and father-in-law of Katerina (Boris Timofeevich)- typical representatives of the merchant class, callous and rude inhabitants who are only busy getting rich. Their harsh moral principles rest only on their reluctance to share their goods with anyone. The husband does not value his wife, he simply does not want to give away his property. And his father is also indifferent to the family, but he does not want unflattering rumors to circulate in the area.
- Sonetka. A cunning, resourceful and flirtatious convict who is not averse to having fun even in hard labor. She has frivolity in common with Sergei, because she has never had firm and strong attachments.
Themes
- Love - the main theme of the story. It is this feeling that pushes Katerina to commit monstrous murders. At the same time, love becomes the meaning of life for her, while for Sergei it is just fun. The writer shows how passion can not elevate, but humiliate a person, plunge him into the abyss of vice. People often idealize feelings, but the danger of these illusions cannot be ignored. Love cannot always be an excuse for a criminal, a liar and a murderer.
- Family. Obviously, Katerina did not marry Zinovy Borisovich out of love. Has not arisen between spouses over the years family life proper mutual respect and agreement. Katerina heard only reproaches addressed to her; she was called a “non-relative.” The arranged marriage ended tragically. Leskov showed what neglect leads to interpersonal relationships within the family.
- Revenge. For the order of that time, Boris Timofeevich quite rightly punishes the lustful clerk, but what is Katerina’s reaction? In response to bullying her lover, Katerina poisons her father-in-law lethal dose poison. The desire for revenge drives the rejected woman in the episode at the crossing, when the current convict pounces on the homewrecker Sonetka.
Problems
- Boredom. This feeling arises in heroes for a number of reasons. One of them is lack of spirituality. Katerina Izmailova did not like to read, and there were practically no books in the house. Under the pretext of asking for a book, Sergei sneaks in to the hostess on the first night. The desire to bring some variety to a monotonous life becomes one of the main motives for betrayal.
- Loneliness. Katerina Lvovna spent most of her days completely alone. The husband had his own affairs, only occasionally he took her with him, going to visit his colleagues. There is also no need to talk about love and mutual understanding between Zinovy and Katerina. This situation was aggravated by the absence of children, which also saddened the main character. Perhaps, if her family had given her more attention, affection, and participation, then she would not have responded to her loved ones with betrayal.
- Self-interest. This problem is clearly depicted in the image of Sergei. He masked his selfish goals with love, trying to evoke pity and sympathy from Katerina. As we learn from the text, the careless clerk already had the sad experience of courting a merchant’s wife. Apparently, in the case of Katerina, he already knew how to behave and what mistakes not to make.
- Immorality. Despite their ostentatious religiosity, the heroes stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Treason, murder, attempt on the life of a child - all this fits into the head of an ordinary merchant's wife and her accomplice. It is obvious that the life and customs of the merchant province corrupt people secretly, because they are ready to commit sin so that no one finds out about it. Despite the strict patriarchal foundations that reign in society, the heroes easily commit crimes, and their conscience does not torment them. Moral issues open before us the abyss of personal decline.
the main idea
With his work, Leskov warns of the tragedy that an ossified patriarchal way of life and the lack of love and spirituality in the family can lead to. Why did the author choose the merchant environment? In this class there was a very large percentage of illiteracy; merchants followed centuries-old traditions who could not fit into the modern world. The main idea of the work is to point out the catastrophic consequences of lack of culture and cowardice. The lack of internal morality allows the heroes to commit monstrous crimes, which can only be atone for by their own death.
The heroine’s actions have their own meaning - she rebels against conventions and boundaries that prevent her from living. The cup of her patience is full, but she doesn’t know how or with what to draw it out. Ignorance is aggravated by debauchery. And so the very idea of protest turns out to be vulgarized. If at first we empathize with a lonely woman who is not respected and insulted in her family, then in the end we see a completely decomposed person who has no way back. Leskov calls on people to be more selective in their choice of means, otherwise the goal is lost, but the sin remains.
What does it teach?
“Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” teaches one main folk wisdom: you cannot build your happiness on someone else’s misfortune. Secrets will be revealed, and you will have to answer for what you have done. Relationships created at the expense of other people's lives end in betrayal. Even the child, the fruit of this sinful love, becomes of no use to anyone. Although it used to seem that if Katerina had children, she could be quite happy.
The work shows that an immoral life ends in tragedy. The main character is overcome by despair: she is forced to admit that all the crimes committed were in vain. Before her death, Katerina Lvovna tries to pray, but in vain.
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