Dramatic art of A. S. Griboyedov (In the case of Woe from Wit)

As of the beginning of the 18th century, Russian drama started to assume a different identity with the initiatives of Tsar Peter I. From this period on, the number of plays in the repertoire of Russian drama gradually increased. Authentic plays in the genre of tragedy and comedy, both influenced by French classicism and reflecting Russian culture, met with the audience in this period. Intense traces of French classicism can be observed in the early works of Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov. These plays, which can be characterized as adaptations of the author's French works into Russian, were performed on the Russian theatre stage at that time. Following his early works which bear traces of French classism, Woe from Wit was written by the author in the 19th century and continues to maintain its place in the Russian drama repertoire today. While working on Woe from Wit, in the letters he wrote to his friends, the author remarks how Moscow, especially his noble life and habits, made him unhappy. Written with these thoughts in mind, Griboyedov's comedy which is one of the important works of the Russian drama repertoire, describes through literary characters the period from Tsarina Yekaterina to Tsar Nicholas, the mind-set of the two eras, the changes in social life and the distortions in the public sphere. This study aims at examining the dramatic works of Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov under the titles "his early works" and "Woe from Wit". Due to censorship, "Woe from Wit", which came after his early works, could not be published as a whole and was not permitted to be staged. The author was unable to see his work being published and staged in its entirety due to his tragic death during his diplomatic mission in the Persian Empire. This study examines the author's dramatic work through Woe from Wit within the framework of historical and social factors of the era.