How does Gogol transform the genre of comedy in Marriage?
the title includes "completely unlikely incident in two acts" it is a humorous sounding/weird presentation as Gogol's work is to be questionable when you read it, this was his nod to the audience that this was a comedy. this is further reinforced when Gogol uses exaggeration points of views in which the Podkolyosin character goes out the window instead of having to go through a normal means of exit. Also, when the main characters best friend, Kochkaryov, roasts the other suitors.
What is the obstacle in Podkolyosin's decision to marry?
How does Agafia "construct"/envision her future husband? How do the suitors (including Podkolyosin) "construct" Agafia?
Agafya is constructing her ideal husband based upon the many characteristics that each of them have into the ideal man. Each of the suitors are also doing this as they are wishing their desires to be possessed into Agafya as a wife regarding her speaking French and having a dowry.
Gogol claimed that laughter was the hero of his other play The Government Inspector. Do you find his expression applicable to Marriage?
Laughter is one of the main characters in the other play of gov inspector. Explain how this might be in this play. Do you think the play is funny and if you don't find a main character, is there a way to characterize as to how you make laughter the main character as the play is meant to make fun of the play itself with the characters. --------------Possible answer: the play itself is self-deprecating as it exaggerates the the characters to be comedic in the sense that each of the characters are able to be laughed at. For example, Podkoly is a funny excuse of a man as he wants marriage but is indecisive and impressionable as a kid is when he is growing up.
Is Kochkarev friend or foe? What is his motif for encouraging Podkolyosin to marry?
Koch had a terrible marriage as it was made from Fyokla so Koch wants to make his friend get married as a means of venting his way of making a marriage happen. He just wants to relive the process of having to have his friend be married as koch was unhappy with his marriage.
Why is Marriage often called a satire on Russian society? Give 2-3 reasons.
The play is a satire as people are demonstrating their knowledge in terms of how Russian are in their society. Throughout the play, he describes about how he fears and see so strange about the concept of marriage and women.Satire is the idea of the cards being shuffled as they are happening weirdly for the purpose as it is happening as an unlikely marriage to begin with.
-Marriage is the title of the play as it is a characteristic of a comedy but it ends to be that no marriage happens in the end. -In the example of Pod trying to figure out if people are going to recognize him as marriage in society is an arrangement that increases a persons status of hierarchy in Russian society.
-For middle class Russian society, it is being portrayed as unlikely that Russians are not very suited to be married. Middle class Russian society is of a dumb/bright, no progress in the society, not really smart/intellectual/ no future.
What is the principle of "mirage intrigue"? Where do we find it in Marriage?
The intrigue is the expected outcome in Gogol's plays that the marriage in the play is supposed to happen. In many of Gogol's works, he has a mirage intrigue as the expected outcome is actually false/or doesn't happen. An intrigue happens in his plays but it never materializes. Marriage is presented to be an anomaly as it happens out of nowhere or it is confusing for it to occur.
Can the couple's failure to marry at the end of the play be read as a social commentary on the middle-class Russian society?
In the example of Pod trying to figure out if people are going to recognize him as marriage in society is an arrangement that increases a persons status of hierarchy in Russian society. For middle class Russian society, it is being portrayed as unlikely that Russians are not very suited to be married. Middle class Russian society is of a dumb/bright, no progress in the society, not really smart/intellectual/ no future.