The image of Peter is given in Pushkin’s poem “The Bronze Horseman” twice: in the introduction and in the second part of the poem. In the first case he is a real person, in the second he is an “idol on a bronze horse,” the “Bronze Horseman.”
In the introduction to the poem, Peter is depicted as a great statesman who, having conquered the shores of the Gulf of Finland in the war with the Swedes, correctly took into account the importance of building a new capital of the state at the mouth of the Neva. This was required by military-political goals (“From here we will threaten the Swedes”), and the tasks of Europeanizing Russia, combating its backwardness (“Nature here destined us to cut a window into Europe”), and trade and economic considerations dictating the need for access to the sea sea route to foreign countries (“Here, on their new waves, all the flags will visit us”).
By founding St. Petersburg on the banks of the Neva, Peter created a state affair of the greatest importance and revealed a brilliant foresight. A hundred years have passed, and the young city. From the darkness of the forests, from the swamps of the deep lands, beauty and wonder. Ascended magnificently, proudly...
Further describing the beauty and splendor of the capital, Pushkin sings a real hymn to St. Petersburg, which justifies the great transformative activities Peter, clearly reveals the great significance of Peter’s reforms, which began a new period in the history of Russia.
An act of historical necessity, the founding of St. Petersburg, is explained in the poem, in the words of Pushkin, who spoke about “ government institutions"Peter, as "the fruit of a vast mind, full of goodwill and wisdom" ("Let the Finnish waves forget their enmity and their ancient captivity").
But Peter was at the same time the first representative of that despotic absolute monarchy, which, in the person of Nicholas I, reached its highest development, clearly revealing the contradiction of its interests with the interests of the democratic masses.
The personification of the absolute monarchy in all its power is Peter in the second part of the poem - “an idol on a bronze horse.” He's not alive
a person endowed with specific human qualities, but the embodiment of the idea of noble statehood. He's the mighty lords
fate", "ruler of half the world", the personification of state power
In The Bronze Horseman, Peter is shown in an atmosphere of peaceful state building. He is depicted in the poem at two historical moments, separated by an entire century. At the beginning of the poem we see Peter as a real historical figure, as a king-builder, reflecting on the shores of the Gulf of Finland about the founding of a new capital:
On the shore of desert waves
He stood there, full of great thoughts,
And he looked into the distance.
From here we will threaten the Swede.
Here would be the city of Evlokhen
To spite an arrogant neighbor.
Nature is where we are destined
And he thought: Cut a window to Europe...
The founding of St. Petersburg is considered in the poem as an act of historical necessity, conditioned by both the military-political tasks of Russia and its geographical location. Peter’s brilliant foresight came true: St. Petersburg truly became a “window to Europe” for Russia. The flourishing state of the capital a hundred years after its founding was the best justification for Peter’s plans.
In the second part of the poem, Peter is given the image of the “Bronze Horseman,” “an idol on a bronze horse,” proudly towering over the indignant Neva during the days of the terrible flood in St. Petersburg in 1824. The monument to Peter is a symbolic image of the activities of the tsar-reformer.
O mighty lord of fate! At the height, with an iron bridle
Isn’t it true that you are right above the abyss and have raised Russia on its hind legs? —
exclaims Pushkin.
“The Bronze Horseman” is perhaps Pushkin’s most controversial work, imbued with deep symbolism. Historians, literary scholars and ordinary readers have been arguing for centuries, breaking spears, creating and overthrowing theories regarding what the poet actually wanted to say. The image of Peter 1 in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is particularly controversial.
Contrasting Peter 1 with Nicholas 1
The work was written at a time when Pushkin had great claims regarding government: the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, the creation of the secret police, the introduction of total censorship. Therefore, many scientists see a contrast between the great reformer Peter 1 and the reactionary Nicholas 1. Also, many researchers of Pushkin’s work see analogies between The Bronze Horseman and the Old Testament. A series of floods in St. Petersburg, especially destructive in 1824, prompted the author to think that, therefore, in the work “The Bronze Horseman,” a number of thinkers associate the image of Peter 1 with the image of God (deity), capable of creating and destroying.
City of Petrov
However, even the exact location of the action cannot be named. Let's ask ourselves the question: "In what city does Pushkin's poem dedicated to the flood of 1824 take place?" The question seems to admit of only one answer: of course, it takes place in St. Petersburg, because the image of Peter 1 in Pushkin’s art is invariably associated with this city. However, as you can easily see, this answer is not so logical: not a single line of the poem calls Petersburg Petersburg! In the introduction, descriptive expressions are used: “Peter’s creation” and “city of Petrov”, in the first part the name Petrograd appears once (“Above the darkened Petrograd...”) and once - Petropol (“And Petropol floated up like Triton... ").
It turns out that there is a city, but it is not the real Petersburg, but a certain mythical city of Peter. Even on this basis, researchers have mythologized the image of Peter 1 in the poem “The Bronze Horseman”. If we consider the entire text of the poem as a whole, Petersburg is mentioned in it three times: once in the subtitle (“Petersburg Tale”) and twice in the author’s prosaic notes. In other words, in this way Pushkin makes us understand: despite the fact that “the incident described in this story is based on truth,” the city in which the action of the poem itself takes place is not St. Petersburg. More precisely, St. Petersburg is not exactly - it is, in a sense, three different cities, each of which is correlated with one of the characters in the work.
Proud idol
The names “Peter's creation” and “city of Petrov” correlate with Peter - the only hero of this part of the poem, and in Pushkin Peter appears as a kind of deity. We are talking about a statue depicting him, that is, about the earthly incarnation of this deity. For Pushkin, the very appearance of the monument is a direct violation of the commandment “do not make yourself an idol.” Actually, this is precisely what explains the poet’s contradictory attitude towards the monument: despite all its greatness, it is terrible, and it is difficult to recognize words about a proud idol as a compliment.
The official opinion is that Pushkin had an ambivalent attitude towards Peter 1 as a statesman. On the one hand, he is great: a reformer, a warrior, the “builder” of St. Petersburg, the creator of the fleet. On the other hand, he is a formidable ruler, at times a tyrant and a despot. In the poem “The Bronze Horseman,” Pushkin also interpreted the image of Peter in two ways, elevating him to the rank of God and demiurge at the same time.
Which side is Pushkin on?
A favorite debate among culturologists was the question of whom Pushkin sympathized with: the omnipotent deified Peter or the “little man” Eugene, who personified a simple city dweller, on whom little depends. In the poetic masterpiece “The Bronze Horseman” the description of Peter 1 - the revived omnipotent monument - echoes the description of the state. And Evgeniy is an average citizen, a cog in a huge state machine. A philosophical contradiction arises: is it permissible for the state, in its movement and desire for development, to sacrifice the lives and destinies of ordinary people for the sake of achieving greatness, some high goal? Or is each person an individual, and his personal desires must be taken into account, even to the detriment of the country's development?
Pushkin did not express his unambiguous opinion either verbally or in poetry. His Peter 1 is capable of both creating and destroying. Eugene is able to both passionately love him (the daughter of the widow Parasha) and disappear into the crowd, into the darkness of the city, becoming a worthless part of the gray mass. And - ultimately - die. A number of authoritative Pushkin scholars believe that the truth is somewhere in the middle: a state does not exist without people, but it is also impossible to protect everyone’s interests. Perhaps a poetic novel was written about this.
Peter 1
The image of Peter haunts cultural experts. During the times of the USSR, dogma did not allow representing the great reformer as some kind of deity, because religion was subject to oppression. For everyone, it was a “talking bronze statue”, living in the sick imagination of the hero of the story, Eugene. Yes, it is symbolic, but a deep analysis of symbols remained a reason for discussion among pundits. Comparing the image of Peter 1 in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” with biblical stories was fraught.
Still, is Pushkin’s Peter 1 a bronze statue or a deity? In one of Soviet publications Pushkin’s poems to the line “Idol on a bronze horse” there is the following commentary by the classic Pushkin scholar S. M. Bondi: “Idol in Pushkin’s language means “statue.” Meanwhile, Pushkin scholars have noticed that when the word “idol” is used by Pushkin in a literal and not figurative sense, it almost always means a statue of God. This circumstance can be seen in many poems: “The Poet and the Crowd”, “To the Nobleman”, “Vesuvius Opened...” and others. Even Emperor Nicholas 1, who personally reviewed the manuscript, noticed this circumstance. and wrote several high-profile remarks in the margins. On December 14, 1833, Pushkin made an entry in his diary, where he complained that the sovereign had returned the poem with the remarks: “The word “idol” was not passed by the highest censorship.”
Biblical motives
The echo of the images of Peter and the Bronze Horseman with biblical images is literally in the air. This is indicated by the revered Pushkin scholars Brodotskaya, Arkhangelsky, Tarkhov, Shcheglov and others. The poet, calling the horseman an idol and an idol, directly points to biblical heroes. It has been noticed that Pushkin constantly associates with the figure of Peter the idea of a powerful force close to God and the elements.
Not only the image of Peter 1 in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is associated with the biblical character. Eugene is also a direct analogue of another Old Testament character - Job. His angry words addressed to the “creator of the world” (the bronze horseman) correspond to Job’s murmur against God, and the menacing pursuit of the revived horseman is reminiscent of the appearance of “God in the storm” in the “Book of Job.”
But if Peter is the Old Testament God, and Falconet’s statue is the pagan statue that replaced him, then the flood of 1824 is the biblical flood. At least, many experts make such bold conclusions.
Punishment for sins
There is another characteristic of Peter. “The Bronze Horseman” would not be a great work if it could be deciphered so easily. Researchers have noticed that the rider acts on the side of the irresistible force of nature as a force punishing Eugene for his sins. He himself is terrible. He is surrounded by darkness, hidden in him is a huge and, according to the logic of Pushkin’s description, an evil force that has raised Russia on its hind legs.
The figure of the Bronze Horseman in the poem determines the image of his historical action, the essence of which is violence, inexorability, inhumanity of unprecedented proportions in the name of realizing his grandiose plans through suffering and sacrifice. It is in the Bronze Horseman that lies the reason for the destruction of his world, the irreconcilable enmity of stone and water, which is unexpectedly indicated in the finale of the introduction after the utopian picture of a majestic, beautiful, fertile city linked with Russia.
Pushkin as a prophet
Rethinking the work, the thought comes that there will be retribution for evil deeds. That is, copper Peter resembles the horsemen of the Apocalypse committing retribution. Perhaps Pushkin hinted to Tsar Nicholas 1 that “when you sow the wind, you reap the storm.”
Historians call it a harbinger of the 1917 revolutions. Nicholas 1 brutally suppressed dissent: some of the Decembrists were hanged, others lived out their lives as convicts in Siberia. However social processes that led to the uprising were not taken into account by the authorities. A conflict of contradictions was brewing, which half a century later turned into the fall of tsarism. In this light, Pushkin appears as a prophet who predicted the indomitable element of the people, which flooded the “city of Petrov”, and Peter himself, in copper guise, carried out retribution.
Conclusion
The poem “The Bronze Horseman” turns out to be not at all simple. The image of Peter is extremely contradictory, the plot at first glance is simple and understandable, but the text is filled with obvious and hidden symbols. It is no coincidence that the work was severely censored and was not immediately published.
The poem has two main lines of development related to the fate of the city of Peter and the fate of Eugene. In ancient myths there are many descriptions of how the Gods destroy cities, lands, and people, often as punishment for bad behavior. So in the “Petersburg Tale” Pushkin’s transformation of this scheme can be traced: Peter, personifying the demiurge, conceives the construction of a city exclusively in the name of the state good. In the transformation of nature, in the confinement of the Neva River into stone, an analogy can be traced with the transformation of the state, with the direction of life processes in the direction of the sovereign.
However, the figurative-event system of the poem shows how and why creation turns into a disaster. And this is connected with the essence of the bronze horseman, which is depicted by Pushkin, first of all, in the episode of Eugene’s epiphany, which flows into the scene of his pursuit by a revived statue. The city, built on a piece of land taken from nature, was ultimately flooded by the “subjugated elements.”
Was Pushkin a prophet? What motives made him write such a complex, contradictory work? What did he want to tell the readers? Generations of Pushkin scholars, literary scholars, historians, and philosophers will still argue about this. But something else is important - what a particular reader will take away from the poem, that very cog without which the state machine will slip.
The writer’s famous work “The Bronze Horseman” sums up his work about the great Russian Tsar. Even the title of the poem shows us that the author paints us an image of the famous reformer in history, Peter the Great.
At first, the sovereign appears to us alive in all his greatness. While on the banks of the Neva, he is thinking about creating a beautiful city here, but does not find better place than this. That is why he gives permission to merchants to conduct trade affairs, and he tells the Swedes that now the northern borders will be carefully protected from their onslaught.
Soon Petersburg, built on the Neva, becomes major center For newest relations With European countries. We see how the author admires this city. He sees power Russian state in the image of Peter I. However, the hero of the poem, Eugene, feels uncomfortable and worried in this city. Sitting in his apartment, he is deprived of peace, since soon the bridges on the Neva will soon be opened due to the restless behavior of the river in bad weather. And he will not be able to come on a date with his beloved Parasha. In the morning he finally falls asleep, but waking up from sleep, he again worries about the girl and her mother, who during the storm was in a house that was flooded. And Peter I stands before us only in the form of a monument, but he cannot help the people left in trouble. The statue rises majestically above the water.
Soon the bad weather passes, but in Eugene’s heart it left only suffering and worries. He is in complete grief over the loss of his loved one. He doesn't want to see anyone and has withdrawn into himself. Evgeniy does not go to work and is engaged in begging, on which he lives for about a year. But then, as if waking up from such a state, he comes to the conclusion that the powerful sovereign, or rather the monument towering above the river, is to blame for his tragedy. It was after such adversities that Peter I became his enemy, since it was he who built this city on the water, which brought grief to Eugene. Having looked at the statue, he understands that, even in death, Peter I rules over the lives of ordinary people. We see that our hero rebels against the sovereign, dressed in stone. He expresses his suffering to the sculpture and runs away. The monument accepted his challenge and rushes headlong after him. All this flashes through Evgeniy’s imagination all night.
And only then did he begin to respect the sculpture. Passing by Peter I, the young man bowed, taking off his headdress in front of him. But Eugene dies, and we see that the author, in the image of Peter I, wanted to show not only the power and great deeds of the reformer, but also the sad aspects of the creation of his city. After all, it was here that many people died every year due to bad weather conditions. But no matter what happens, Peter I will still stand in beautiful guise.
Essay Peter the Great (The Bronze Horseman)
Poem by A.S. Pushkin’s “The Bronze Horseman” is completely imbued with symbolism. This work contains a deep meaning that historians, writers and ordinary readers have been trying to unravel for many times. The author wrote the poem in 1833, but it was published after his death. There are images of St. Petersburg, the Neva, Eugene, and the Bronze Horseman. All these images, although they have a separate meaning, are still closely interconnected.
The author in his work tried to assess the emperor, what significance he had for Russia and for the people. But the image turned out to be ambiguous. The author seemed to be trying to show the real essence of the great figure, giving the reader the opportunity to make his own assessment. Thus, he tried to embody his thoughts and personal assessment of what happened.
Even in the introduction, Pushkin presents Peter I as a reformer who has many great thoughts in his head. He built St. Petersburg, thereby putting it ahead of Moscow. The purpose of the reformation was to make changes to the outdated way of life. Despite all the greatness of the city, the emperor did not choose its location well. The author himself treats Peter and his creation with love. But at the same time, he notes anti-human traits in the ruler’s character. He had a clear goal and dream - to create a great city. And this goal was paid for expensive price. He stopped at nothing.
In the image of the Bronze Horseman, the author shows a mechanical creature who considered it his duty to punish a person for the most insignificant offenses. The city created by Peter did not become native to the people. A person is not comfortable in it, the soul does not find joy or satisfaction in it. With the help of the hero Evgeniy, Pushkin showed the attitude of an ordinary person to power. He is angry for the mistakes Peter made, he is afraid of him. The fear is so great that Eugene dies from the picture presented in his head associated with the ruler.
The author does not give a clear image and significance of the contribution of the great ruler to his reader. Pushkin in his work showed the great monarch Peter. He did a lot of necessary and important things for the state. But at the same time, the reader is presented with the image of an autocrat who supported an anti-people policy.
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In the poem “The Bronze Horseman,” Pushkin figuratively contrasts the state personified by Peter the Great and an ordinary person with his desires and needs.
In the introduction to the poem, we can see Peter the reformer, “full of great thoughts,” who managed to conquer the elements and build St. Petersburg, which eclipsed even Moscow. St. Petersburg is still perceived as a monument to Peter the Great.
But still, Peter acted irrationally and somewhat thoughtlessly, building the city not in the very favorable place. He was unable to completely conquer the elements of the wild river. And she has shown her temper more than once. So Neva played a fatal role in the fate of Evgeniy.
Petersburg was magnificent and beautiful for people of high society, but it often ruined people who were not exposed to power, people who did not have income. Likewise, all of Peter’s reforms were aimed at improving the lives of the nobility. They did not affect the little man, or they could even destroy him.
In the poem, Eugene meets with the Bronze Horseman - the image of Peter, who past tense has undergone changes. From a reformer king, he turned into a stone idol, at the sight of which you involuntarily begin to feel alarmed. And for Evgeny this meeting turned out to be disastrous. It begins to seem to him that the Bronze Horseman is trying to catch up with him and destroy him.
Thus, Peter has several incarnations, but some of them can break and destroy the “little” man.
The image of Peter 1 in the poem The Bronze Horseman (2 version)
In the poem "The Bronze Horseman" Pushkin tries to evaluate the role of Peter in the history of Russia and in the destinies of people. The image of Peter in the poem “bifurcates”: he becomes not only a symbol of the movement of life, its change and renewal, but above all embodies the stability and steadfastness of state power. V. G. Belinsky wrote: “We understand with a confused soul that it is not arbitrariness, but rational will that is personified in the Bronze Horseman, who in an unshakable height, with an outstretched hand, seems to be admiring the city...”.
The poem "The Bronze Horseman" is Pushkin's most complex work. This poem can be considered as a historical, social, philosophical or fantastic work. And Peter the Great appears here as a historical figure “on the shore of the desert waves,” as a symbol “above the very abyss,” as a myth, as “The Bronze Horseman // On a loudly galloping horse.” He goes through a whole series of "incarnations".
In the "Introduction" Pushkin glorifies the genius of Peter, who managed to raise the people to the feat of building a magnificent city. It is no coincidence that, without naming Peter’s name, Pushkin emphasizes the pronoun “he” in italics, thereby equating Peter to God; his name turns out to be sacred. Peter is the creator of the city, which rose “from the darkness of the forests, from the swamps of blat.” St. Petersburg with its wide Neva and cast-iron fences, with “single feasts” and “militant liveliness” is a monument to Peter the Creator. Peter's greatness is emphasized by the brilliant implementation of his bold plans:
...young city
Full countries beauty and wonder
From the darkness of the forests, from the swamps of blat
He ascended magnificently and proudly.
...ships
A crowd from all over the world
They strive for a rich marina.
And Pushkin loves the creation of Peter, loves Petersburg with all its contradictions. It is no coincidence that the word “love” is repeated five times in the “Introduction.” Peter himself seems to Pushkin to be the greatest, most brilliant Russian figure.
But at the same time, Pushkin in “The Bronze Horseman”, in the person of Peter, shows the terrible, inhuman face of autocratic power. Bronze Peter in Pushkin's poem is a symbol of state will, the energy of power. But Peter’s creation is a miracle, not created for man. The autocrat opened the “Window to Europe”. He envisioned the future Petersburg as a city-state, a symbol of autocratic power alienated from the people. Peter created a cold city, uncomfortable for Russian people. It is cramped, which Pushkin often emphasizes in his lines:
Along busy shores
Slender communities are crowding...
...There were crowds of people crowding around.
The city created by the people was turned by Peter into the capital Russian Empire, he became a stranger to people. A simple person, such as Evgeniy, is only a “petitioner” in him. St. Petersburg “strangles” people, drains their souls.
In the climactic episode of the poem, in the chase scene, the “idol on a bronze horse” turns into the Bronze Horseman. A “mechanical” creature gallops after Eugene, becoming the embodiment of power, punishing even a timid threat and a reminder of retribution.
For Pushkin, the deeds of Peter the Great and the suffering of poor Eugene were equally reliable. The world of Peter was close to him, and his dream was clear and dear - “to stand with a firm foot by the sea.” He saw how the “defeated element” humbled itself before Peter, the “powerful ruler of fate.”
But at the same time, Pushkin was aware of what a high price was paid for this celebration, at what price the slender appearance of the military capital was purchased. Therefore, his poem has true depth, high humanity and harsh truth.
So why is Evgeny so drawn to Peter? And why do they seem to be connected to each other? The Bronze Horseman gallops after him “on the shocked pavement”...
It would be strange if the events of the beginning of the century were not reflected in Pushkin’s poem, filled with thoughts about history and modernity. Herzen said that the Decembrists were continuers of the work of Peter the Great even when they opposed absolutism - they logically developed the ideas embedded in his reforms. The tragedy was that Peter brought to life the dreams of the Decembrists, but the empire he founded suppressed and dispelled their uprising.
And, clenching my teeth, clenching my fingers,
As if possessed by black power,
"Welcome, miraculous builder!" –
He whispered...
And then the face of the formidable king trembled, looking from a terrible height at poor Eugene.
Many years of studying the history of Peter helped Pushkin to understand and reflect in The Bronze Horseman the true complexity of the policies of this autocrat. Undoubtedly, Peter was a great monarch because he did a lot of necessary and important things for Russia, because he understood the needs of its development. But at the same time, Peter remained an autocrat whose power was anti-people.
The image of Peter 1 in the poem The Bronze Horseman (option 3)
The poem The Bronze Horseman was written in 1833, but during Pushkin’s lifetime it was never published because the emperor forbade it. There is an opinion that the Bronze Horseman was supposed to be only the beginning of a long work conceived by Pushkin, but there is no exact evidence on this matter.
This poem is very similar to Poltava, its main themes are Russia and Peter the Great. However, it is deeper, more expressive. Pushkin actively uses such literary techniques as hyperbole and grotesque (an animated statue of him shining example). The poem is filled with typical St. Petersburg symbols: statues of lions, a monument to Peter, rain and wind in the autumn city, floods on the Neva...
The introduction to the poem talks about Emperor Peter: he built St. Petersburg without thinking about ordinary people, not thinking that life in a city in a swamp could be dangerous... But for the emperor, the greatness of Russia was more important.
The main character of the poem is a young man named Eugene, an official. He wants little: just to live his ordinary life in peace... He has a fiancée - Parasha, a simple girl. But happiness does not come true: they become victims of the St. Petersburg flood of 1824. The bride dies, and Evgeny himself manages to escape by climbing onto one of the St. Petersburg lions. But, even though he survived, after the death of his bride, Evgeny goes crazy.
His madness is caused by the awareness of his own powerlessness in the face of the disaster that happened in St. Petersburg. He begins to be angry with the emperor, who allowed such troubles in the city of his name. And thereby angers Peter: one fine night, when he approaches the monument to the emperor, he imagines that the Bronze Horseman (the equestrian statue of Peter the Great on Senate Square) comes off his pedestal and chases him all night through the streets of St. Petersburg. After such a shock, Evgeniy cannot stand it - the shock was too strong, and in the end the poor fellow died.
In this poem, Pushkin compares two truths: the truth of Eugene, a private person, and the truth of Peter, a state one. In fact, the entire poem is their unequal conflict. On the one hand, it is impossible to make an unambiguous conclusion about who is right: both are pursuing their own interests, both positions have the right to exist. However, the fact that in the end Evgeny still gives up (dies) makes it clear that, in the opinion of Pushkin himself, Peter is right. The greatness of the empire is more important than the tragedy of little people. A private person is obliged to submit to the will of the emperor.
It is interesting that in addition to Peter, Alexander the First also appears in the poem. He looks at the flood from the palace balcony and understands: the kings cannot cope with God’s elements. Thus, Pushkin builds a hierarchy: the emperor is higher common man, but God is higher than the emperor.
P-loved Russia very much, knew its history well and often turned to the past of his country. In this past, he was interested in the image of Peter I, his character (complex and contradictory) and the ambiguous attitude towards his reforms of both his contemporaries and subsequent generations. In the poem "Poltava", written in 1828, Pn creates the image of an emperor-warrior, and we see all the complexity of his image in his description during the Battle of Poltava: Peter comes out. His eyes are shining. His face is terrible. The movements are fast. He is beautiful... He is "beautiful" in his desire to achieve victory over an enemy who, in his opinion, is in the way further development Russia, and is “terrible” in its irreconcilable desire to break its resistance and destroy it. But Pn notes that Peter I does not feel personal hatred for the Swedes. After the victory over the enemy, he receives their military leaders in his tent: In his tent he treats his leaders, the leaders of strangers, and caresses the glorious captives, and raises a healthy cup for his teachers. P-n is very attracted to Peter’s ability to be generous and merciful. He generally valued these qualities in people, especially in people endowed with unlimited power. This can be seen from the poem "The Feast of Peter the Great" (1835). In that product P-n talks about the holiday in "Petersburg-town". What was the reason for this holiday? Did Catherine give birth? Is she the birthday girl, the Black-browed wife of the giant Miracle Worker? No, he celebrates reconciliation with his subject, and this event becomes so important to him that he celebrates it with fireworks. In "The Bronze Horseman" we see Peter in a completely different role - here he is the founder of the capital. The poem "The Bronze Horseman" was written by A.S. P-nym (in Boldin) in 1833. Started by the poet on October 6, it was completed on October 31. Soon he presented his work to the highest censor (Emperor Nicholas I) and received it with nine marks. P-did not want to rework “The Bronze Horseman”: this meant changing the meaning of the work. Therefore, the poem was published with some abbreviations. The poem "The Bronze Horseman" contrasts the state, personified in Peter I, and a person with his personal, private experiences. The attitude of the Russian people towards Peter the Great and his reforms has never been unambiguous. He, as A.S. Pn wrote, “rein iron Russia reared up." Therefore, in Russian history, Peter's reforms were a deep and comprehensive revolution, which, of course, could not be accomplished easily and painlessly. Tsar Peter I demanded that the people exert all their strength to achieve the goals he had outlined. The common good of the entire state was bought at the cost of personal victims. And this caused grumbling and discontent among the people. The people had the same ambiguous attitude towards the brainchild of Peter I - St. Petersburg. Built “to spite the arrogant neighbor” and nature, at the cost of enormous efforts and sacrifices, this city personified the greatness and power of Russia. slavery of her people. But the end of the poem is the complete opposite of the beginning, which is a hymn to statehood, a hymn to Peter I, a hymn to the most powerful of Russian autocrats, the founder of the capital that brought Russia closer to the West, as A.S. P-n expressed it. a real “window to Europe.” P-n was always attracted by the figure of Peter, he dedicated many poems to him, and therefore in Russian literature there are different opinions about whose side P-n is on. Some researchers, and in particular the famous Russian critic Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky, believe that the poet substantiated the right of the state, personified by Peter I, to dispose of the life of a private person, which leads to tragedy. They believe that Pn, sincerely sympathizing with the grief of “poor” Eugene, nevertheless completely takes Peter’s side, since he understands the necessity and benefit of his reforms. Other researchers are on the side of “poor” Eugene, that is, they consider his sacrifice unjustified. And still others think that the conflict between the state and the private individual is tragic and insoluble. P-leaves history itself to make a choice between two “equal-sized” truths - Peter and Eugene. And this is the most correct point of view. Being a great poet of Russia, A.S. Pn considered it his task to show people the complexity of human relationships. And the comprehension and solution of these sometimes insoluble questions should depend on the reader. Pn himself forgave Peter I a lot for the fact that he took a direct part in the reforms, not caring about his greatness and glory, thinking only about Russia, about its power, independence and strength. In the poem “Stanzas” (1826) he wrote: Now an academician, now a hero, Now a navigator, now a carpenter, He was a worker with an all-encompassing soul On the eternal throne.
