Who is Woland? The image and characteristics of Woland in the novel “The Master and Margarita”, a description of the appearance of Woland the Master and Margarita, the meaning of the name

Woland did not appear alone in Bulgakov’s novel. He was accompanied by characters playing mainly the role of jesters. Woland's retinue staged various shows that were disgusting. They were hated by the indignant Moscow population. After all, everyone around the “messer” turned human weaknesses and vices inside out. In addition, their task was to perform all the “dirty” work at the behest of the master, to serve him. Everyone who was part of Woland's retinue had to prepare Margarita for Satan's ball and send her with the Master to the world of peace.

The servants of the prince of darkness were three jesters - Azazello, Fagot (aka Koroviev), a cat named Behemoth and Gella, a female vampire. Woland's retinue was there. A description of each character is given separately below. Every reader of the famous novel has a question regarding the origin of the characters presented and their names.

Cat Behemoth

When describing the image of Woland and his retinue, the first thing I want to do is describe the cat. Essentially, Behemoth is a werewolf animal. Most likely, Bulgakov took the character from an apocryphal book - the “Old Testament” of Enoch. The author could also glean information about Behemoth from the book “The History of Man’s Intercourse with the Devil,” written by I. Ya. Porfiryev. In the mentioned literature, this character is a sea monster, a demon in the form of a creature with the head of an elephant, having fangs and a trunk. The demon's hands were human. The monster also had a huge belly, an almost invisible small tail, and very thick hind limbs, similar to those found in hippopotamuses. This similarity explains his name.

In the novel “The Master and Margarita,” Bulgakov introduced Behemoth to readers in the form of a huge cat, the prototype of which was the author’s pet Flushka. Despite the fact that Bulgakov’s furry pet was gray in color, in the novel the animal is black, since its image is the personification of evil spirits.

Behemoth Transformation

While Woland and his retinue were making their final flight in the novel, Behemoth turned into a frail young page. Next to him was a purple knight. It was a transformed Bassoon (Koroviev). In this episode, Bulgakov apparently reflected a comic legend from S. S. Zayaitsky’s story “The Biography of Stepan Aleksandrovich Lososinov.” It talks about a cruel knight, along with whom his page constantly appears. The main character of the legend had a passion for tearing off the heads of animals. This cruelty is conveyed by Bulgakov to Behemoth, who, unlike the knight, tears off the head of a man - Georges of Bengal.

Behemoth's tomfoolery and gluttony

The hippopotamus is the demon of carnal desires, especially gluttony. This is where the cat in the novel developed an unprecedented gluttony in Torgsin (currency store). Thus, the author shows irony towards the visitors of this all-Union institution, including himself. At a time when people outside the capitals live from hand to mouth, people in big cities were enslaved by the demon Behemoth.

The cat in the novel most often plays pranks, clowns around, makes various jokes, and mocks. This character trait of Behemoth reflects Bulgakov’s own sparkling sense of humor. This behavior of the cat and his unusual appearance became a way of causing fear and confusion among people in the novel.

Demon Bassoon - Koroviev

What else is Woland and his retinue remembered by readers of the novel? Of course, a striking character is the representative of demons subordinate to the devil, Fagot, aka Koroviev. This is Woland's first assistant, a knight and a devil rolled into one. Koroviev introduces himself to the residents as an employee of a foreign professor and a former director of the church choir.

There are several versions of the origin of this character’s surname and nickname. It is also associated with some images of the works of F. M. Dostoevsky. Thus, in the epilogue of the novel “The Master and Margarita,” four Korovkins are mentioned among the people detained by the police because of the similarity of their surnames with Krovyev. Here, apparently, the author wanted to point out a character from Dostoevsky’s story called “The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants.”

Also, a number of knights, who are the heroes of some works from different times, are considered to be the prototypes of Bassoon. It is also possible that the image of Koroviev arose thanks to one of Bulgakov’s acquaintances. The prototype of the demon could be a real person, plumber Ageich, who was a rare drunkard and dirty tricker. He repeatedly mentioned in conversations with the author of the novel that in his youth he was one of the choir directors in the church. This, apparently, was reflected by Bulgakov in the guise of Koroviev.

Similarities between the bassoon and a musical instrument

The musical instrument bassoon was invented by a resident of Italy, monk Afranio
degli Albonesi. The novel clearly outlines Koroviev’s (functional) connection with this canon from Ferrara. The novel clearly defines three worlds, representatives of each of which form certain triads according to similar qualities. Demon Bassoon belongs to one of them, which also includes: Stravinsky’s assistant Fyodor Vasilyevich and Afranius, the “right hand” of Pontius Pilate. Woland made Koroviev his main associate, and his retinue did not object to this.

The bassoon is even externally similar to the instrument of the same name, a long and thin instrument folded in three. Koroviev is tall and thin. And in his imaginary servility, he is ready to fold himself threefold in front of his interlocutor, but only in order to later harm him without hindrance.

Transformation of Koroviev

At the moment when Woland and his retinue made their last flight in the novel, the author introduces Fagot to the reader in the image of a dark purple knight who has a gloomy face, unable to smile. He was thinking about something of his own, resting his chin on his chest and not looking at the moon. When Margarita asked Woland why Koroviev had changed so much, Messire replied that this knight once made a bad joke, and his mocking pun about light and darkness was inappropriate. His punishment for this was his clownish manners, his gay appearance, and his tattered circus clothes for a long time.

Azazello

What other representatives of the forces of evil did Woland’s retinue consist of? “The Master and Margarita” has another bright character - Azazello. Bulgakov created his name by transforming one of the Old Testament ones. The book of Enoch mentions the fallen angel Azazel. It was he, according to the apocrypha, who taught people to create weapons, swords, shields, mirrors and various jewelry from precious stones and more. In general, Azazel managed to corrupt. He also taught males to fight and women to lie, turning them into atheism.

Azazzello in Bulgakov's novel gives Margarita a magic cream that magically changes her appearance. Probably, the author was attracted by the idea of ​​​​combining the ability to kill and seduce in one character. Margarita sees the demon in the Alexander Garden exactly like this. She perceives him as a seducer and a murderer.

Azazello's main responsibilities

Azazello's main responsibilities are necessarily related to violence. Explaining his functions to Margarita, he admits that his direct specialty is to hit the administrator in the face, shoot someone or throw them out of the house, and other “trifles” of this kind. Azazello transfers Likhodeev to Yalta from Moscow, drives Poplavsky (Berlioz’s uncle) out of his apartment, and takes the life of Baron Meigel with a revolver. The killer demon invents a magic cream, which he gives to Margarita, giving her the opportunity to acquire witch-like beauty and some demonic powers. From this cosmetic product, the heroine of the novel gains the ability to fly and become invisible at her request.

Gella

Only one woman was allowed into their entourage by Woland and his retinue. Characteristics of Gella: the youngest member of the devilish union in the novel, a vampire. Bulgakov took the name of this heroine from an article entitled “Sorcery”, published in the encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron. It noted that this name was given to dead girls who later became vampires on the island of Lesvos.

The only character from Woland's retinue who is missing from the description of the final flight is Gella. One of Bulgakov's wives considered this fact to be the result of the fact that work on the novel was not completely completed. But it may also be that the author deliberately excluded Gella from the important scene, as an insignificant member of the devil’s retinue, performing only auxiliary functions in the apartment, variety show and at the ball. In addition, Woland and his retinue could not accept as equals in such a situation a representative of the lower rank next to them. Besides everything else, Gella had no one to turn into, because she had her original appearance from the moment of transformation into a vampire.

Woland and his retinue: characteristics of devilish forces

In the novel “The Master and Margarita,” the author assigns unusual roles to the forces of evil. After all, the victims of Woland and his retinue are not righteous people, not decent and kind people whom the devil should lead astray, but already accomplished
sinners. It is their sir and his assistants who expose and punish, choosing unique measures for this.

So, the director of a variety show has to go to Yalta in an unusual way. They just mysteriously throw him there from Moscow. But, having escaped with a terrible fright, he returns home safely. But Likhodeev has quite a lot of sins - he drinks alcohol, has numerous relationships with women, using his position, and does nothing at work. As Koroviev says in the novel about the director of the variety show, he has been terribly piggy lately.

In fact, neither Woland himself nor the devil’s assistants influence in any way the events taking place in Moscow during their visit to it. Bulgakov's unconventional representation of Satan is manifested in the fact that the leader of otherworldly evil forces is endowed with some clearly expressed attributes of God.

(essay based on the novel by M.A. Bulgakov “The Master and Margarita”)

Several years ago I read the famous novel by the greatest Russian writer of the 20th century, Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, “The Master and Margarita”. “Oh, what a novel!” — I thought then. Indeed, the great work of the great writer was fascinating, and most importantly, philosophical. You know, I don’t like literary works where there is a very fascinating plot, but there is no internal meaning. And in “The Master and Margarita” there is both. What also attracted me then was the fact that here philosophy is not imposed, as for example in Tolkien, but is present in the “author’s” text, in the actions of the heroes and often comes out of the mouths of Woland, the Master, Bassoon Margarita, etc. .

In the novel, the character whose name is Woland is the devil. Some people believe that the novel is not about the Master and Margarita, but simply about the devil. And indeed, we know that the first titles of the novel are “Astaroth”, “Black Magician”, “Prince of Darkness” and others, but not “The Master and Margarita” or even “Creativity and Love”. It was originally conceived and created as a “novel about the devil.”

Woland in some cases remains traditional. Yes, he is the leader of the hierarchy of evil. He is very similar to Mephistopheles from Goethe’s “Faust” - both of them are not god-fighters, they are both not man-killers. Both devils are close to God. Mephistopheles is, as it were, a “friend” of God, God considers his words not hateful to Him, but at the same time, Goethe’s devil is the opposite and tempter of Faust, and he believes that he “destroyed” him, although in reality it is completely different. But Woland, the omniscient, cunning Woland is much more developed than Mephistopheles. He does not remain a fool like Goethe's Satan. Oh no, Woland has access to something that his predecessor does not have - an understanding of the higher and deeper forces that decide the fate of the world.

I can name several examples of the unconventionality of this image. Firstly, Woland is not terrible, not disgusting and not disgusting, although his description, to put it mildly, is not very pleasant. Secondly, in the novel no one, absolutely no one, sold their soul to the devil. And the contract with Margarita was a fair contract, no one deceived anyone, and she did not receive a sin on her soul in this way. Thirdly, Woland is not a destroyer of beauty, he is not associated with the gloomy grandeur of despondency, with death. Fourthly, Woland is a judge, he punishes sinners for FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH CHRISTIAN MORALITY. Fifthly, Woland is endowed with the attributes of God: he is omniscient, can resurrect the dead, etc. Bulgakov understood that if there is no good, there will be no evil, if there is no evil, there will be no good. These two poles have always lived, exist now and will forever. Sixthly, Woland has a retinue, and earlier in literature and mythology the Devil, although he had minions (witches, sorcerers), had never before been with his personal retinue.

Woland appears in all editions of the novel in the first chapter. (You will be very surprised, but I have read all the surviving editions). However, his image is always unclear and controversial. Who is Woland really? For Ivan Bezdomny - a poor poet who later became a historian - he is a foreign spy, for Berlioz - a professor of history, a crazy foreigner, for Styopa Likhodeev - a “black magician”, for a master - a literary character. Woland informs the homeless man and Berlioz that he came to Moscow to study the manuscripts of Herbert of Avrilak. To many Muscovites he introduces himself as an artist who has come on tour; he “admits” to the bartender Sokov that he just wanted to see Muscovites. The true purpose of his visit becomes known only before the Ball: it is that Woland and his retinue intend to organize the next Great Ball at Satan's. There is no doubt that Woland makes a lot of sense in the structure of the novel; he seems to hold together all parts of the novel, including the Moscow events with the Yershalaim events.

His portrait gives us a double idea of ​​the hero. Reports describing it have been and are giving conflicting information. And his entire portrait is clearly divided into two halves: “...on the left side he had platinum crowns, and on the right - gold”, “black eyebrows, one higher than the other”, different eyes: “left, green, he has absolutely mad, and the one on the right is empty, black and dead,” the gray beret is twisted to one side. Even opinions about him differ: “...from the very first words the foreigner made a disgusting impression on the poet, but Berlioz rather liked it, that is, not that he liked it, but... how to put it - he became interested, or something.”

Woland got his name from Goethe's Mephistopheles. In the poem “Faust” it sounds only once, when Mephistopheles asks the evil spirits to part and give him way: “The nobleman Woland is coming!” In ancient German literature, the devil was called by another name - Faland. It also appears in The Master and Margarita, when the Variety employees cannot remember the name of the magician: “ ...Perhaps Faland?- they asked. Bulgakov searched for a long time for a name for the devil; various names were considered, for example, Azazello (later became the name of one of the members of Woland’s retinue). By the way, in a conversation with Bezdomny and Berlioz, Woland admits that he “ probably German..." With this, he again seems to be making a footnote to Goethe’s hero.

I absolutely love this novel and by the way, I recently started reading it again. I watched the TV series again. I never cease to be amazed at Bulgakov's talent. It’s not hard to guess which image, or rather which images, I like the most. This, of course, is Woland and his retinue. I like them for their fairness. Undoubtedly, He is just, for He punishes sinners, although He should not. He and his retinue help those who really need help (that is, Margarita and the Master). Yes, of course, Woland is the devil, He is the same Evil One who is blamed for all the vices of people. And in the novel the devil is blamed for the same thing: he allegedly deceives ordinary Muscovites, he is a liar, a cunning person, and so on. Oh no, of course that's not true. Woland just shows vices, reveals them... Although, as Azazello, aka Fiello, said, “insult is a common reward for good work” And in his own words, “Wake up!” And on this sad note, I, a young philosopher from the village, finish my essay. I’d rather finish in the tradition of Bulgakov: and no one will disturb me now. “Neither the noseless murderer of Gestas, nor the cruel fifth procurator of Judea, the horseman Pontius Pilate.”

7th grade

Municipal educational institution "Starokurmashevskaya secondary school", Aktanysh municipal district, Republic of Tatarstan

In the work of Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, the generalized image of the lord of the dark forces is represented by the character of Woland. Traditionally, such a character in literary works personifies the absolute embodiment of evil. But like the rest of the main characters of the work, the image of Woland in Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita” is very ambiguous.

Features of creating an image

Bulgakov's novel is built in two chronological planes and locations: Soviet Moscow and Ancient Jerusalem. The compositional concept of the novel is also interesting: a work within a work. However, Woland is present in all compositional planes.

So, a mysterious stranger arrives in Soviet Moscow in the spring of 1935. “He was wearing an expensive gray suit, foreign-made shoes that matched the color of the suit... under his arm he carried a cane with a black knob in the shape of a poodle’s head. He looks like he's about forty years old... The right eye is black, the left one is green for some reason. The eyebrows are black, but one is higher than the other. In a word - a foreigner." Bulgakov gives this description of Woland in the novel.

He presented himself as a foreign professor, an artist in the field of magic tricks and sorcery, to some heroes and, in particular, to the reader, he reveals his true face - the lord of darkness. However, it is difficult to call Woland the personification of absolute evil, because in the novel he is characterized by mercy and just actions.

Muscovites through the eyes of guests

Why does Woland come to Moscow? He tells the writers that he came to work on the manuscripts of an ancient warlock, the administration of the variety show - to perform sessions of black magic, Margarita - to hold a spring ball. Professor Woland's answers are different, as are his names and guises. Why did the prince of darkness actually come to Moscow? Perhaps, he gave a sincere answer only to the head of the variety show buffet, Sokov. The purpose of his visit was that he wanted to see the city’s residents en masse, and for this purpose he tripled the performance.

Woland wanted to see whether humanity had changed over the centuries. “People are like people. They love money, but that’s always been the case... Well, they’re frivolous... well, well... ordinary people... in general, they resemble the old ones... the housing problem only spoiled them...,” this is the portrait of Muscovites through the eyes of the character.

The role of Woland's retinue

In assessing society, establishing order and retribution, the lord of the shadows is helped by his faithful confidants. In fact, he himself does nothing wrong, but only makes fair decisions. Like every king, he has a retinue. However, Koroviev, Azazello and Behemoth look more like tamed jesters than faithful servants. The only exception is the image of Gella.

The author masterfully experiments in creating confidants of the demonic ruler. Traditionally, dark characters are portrayed as scary, evil, frightening, and Woland’s retinue in Bulgakov’s novel is full of jokes, irony, and puns. The author uses a similar artistic technique to emphasize the absurdity of the situations into which Muscovites drive themselves, as well as to highlight Woland’s seriousness and wisdom against the background of his buffoonish surroundings.

Personification of omnipotence

Mikhail Bulgakov introduced the character of Woland into the system of characters as an evaluative and decisive force. The unlimited possibilities of his capabilities become clear from the first moments of his stay in Moscow. Margarita also admits this when he gave her the happiness of being close to her lover again. Thus, the essence of Woland’s characteristics in the novel “The Master and Margarita” is his omnipotence and limitless possibilities.

Although the tricks of Satan and his retinue are terrible, all troubles with people happen only through their own fault. This is the inconsistency of Bulgakov's Satan. Evil comes not from him, but from the people themselves. He only noted the numerous sins of the townspeople and punished them according to their deserts. Using the image of Woland, through the prism of those mysterious and inexplicable events that happened to Muscovites during the period of dark forces in the city, the author showed a satirical portrait of his contemporary society.

Justice of actions

During his stay in Moscow, Woland managed to meet many future inhabitants of his dark other world. These are imaginary representatives of art, thinking only about apartments, dachas and material gain, and catering workers who steal and sell expired products, and corrupt administration, and relatives who are ready to rejoice at the death of a loved one for the opportunity to receive an inheritance, and low people who, having learned about the death colleagues continue to eat, because the food gets cold, and a dead man doesn’t care anyway.

Greed, deceit, hypocrisy, bribery, betrayal were cruelly but fairly punished. However, Woland forgave the characters who retained a pure heart and soul for their mistakes, and even rewarded some. So, together with Woland’s retinue, the Master and Margarita leave the earthly world with its problems, suffering and injustice.

The meaning of Woland's image

The meaning of Woland's character is to show people their own sins. One who does not know the difference between good and evil cannot be good. Light can only be shaded by shadow, as Woland asserts in a conversation with Levi Matvey. Can Woland's justice be considered kindness? No, he just tried to show people their mistakes. Whoever managed to become sincere and honest with himself and others was not touched by Satan’s revenge. However, it was not he who changed Bezdomny or Rimsky. They themselves changed, because in their souls light conquered darkness.

Margarita’s actions and the Master’s weakness did not allow them to be transported into the light, but for their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their loved one and true art, Woland grants them eternal peace in his kingdom of darkness. Thus, one cannot say that in the novel he is the embodiment of absolute evil, and certainly one should not associate him with good. The role of Woland and his actions is explained by justice. He came to Moscow as a kind of mirror, and those who truly have a kind heart were able to examine their mistakes in it and draw conclusions.

Work test

Woland

Woland is a character in the novel The Master and Margarita, who leads the world of otherworldly forces. Woland is the devil, Satan, the prince of darkness, the spirit of evil and the lord of shadows (all these definitions are found in the text of the novel). Woland is largely focused on Mephistopheles, even the name Woland itself is taken from Goethe’s poem, where it is mentioned only once and is usually omitted in Russian translations.

The prince's appearance.

Woland's portrait is shown before the start of the Great Ball "Two eyes stared into Margarita's face. The right one with a golden spark at the bottom, drilling anyone to the bottom of the soul, and the left one - empty and black, kind of like a narrow eye of a needle, like an exit to a bottomless well of all darkness and shadows ". Woland's face was slanted to the side, the right corner of his mouth was pulled down, deep wrinkles were cut into his high, bald forehead, parallel to his sharp eyebrows. The skin on Woland's face seemed to be forever burned by a tan." intrigue, and then directly declares through the mouth of the Master and Woland himself that the devil has definitely arrived at the Patriarch’s. The image of Woland - majestic and regal, is placed in contrast to the traditional view of the devil as the "monkey of God"

The purpose of Messire's coming to earth

Woland gives different explanations for the purposes of his stay in Moscow to different characters who come into contact with him. He tells Berlioz and Bezdomny that he has arrived to study the found manuscripts of Hebert of Avrilak. To the employees of the Variety Theater, Woland explains his visit with the intention of performing a black magic session. After the scandalous session, Satan tells the bartender Sokov that he simply wanted to “see the Muscovites en masse, and the most convenient way to do this was in the theater.” Before the start of the Great Ball at Satan's, Margarita Koroviev-Fagot informs that the purpose of Woland and his retinue's visit to Moscow is to hold this ball, whose hostess must bear the name Margarita and be of royal blood. Woland has many faces, as befits the devil, and in conversations with different people he puts on different masks. At the same time, Woland’s omniscience of Satan is completely preserved (he and his people are well aware of both the past and future lives of those with whom they come into contact, they also know the text of the Master’s novel, which literally coincides with the “Gospel of Woland”, the same thing that was told to the unlucky writers at the Patriarch's.

A world without shadows is empty

Woland's unconventionality lies in the fact that, being a devil, he is endowed with some obvious attributes of God. Dialectical unity, the complementarity of good and evil are most clearly revealed in Woland’s words addressed to Matthew Levi, who refused to wish health to the “spirit of evil and the lord of shadows” (“Do you want to rip off the entire globe, blowing away all the trees and all living things from it?” -for your fantasy to enjoy the naked light (You are stupid." In Bulgakov, Woland literally revives the Master's burnt novel - a product of artistic creativity, preserved only in the creator's head, materializes again, turns into a tangible thing. Woland is the bearer of fate, this is connected with a long-standing a tradition in Russian literature that connected fate, fate, fate not with God, but with the devil. In Bulgakov, Woland personifies the fate that punishes Berlioz, Sokov and others who violate the norms of Christian morality. This is the first devil in world literature, punishing for non-observance of the commandments of Christ.

Koroviev - Bassoon

This character is the eldest of the demons subordinate to Woland, a devil and a knight, who introduces himself to Muscovites as a translator for a foreign professor and former regent of a church choir.

Background

The hero's surname was found in the story by F.M. Dostoevsky's "The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants", where there is a character named Korovkin, very similar to our Koroviev. His second name comes from the name of the musical instrument bassoon, invented by an Italian monk. The Koroviev-Fagot has some similarities with the bassoon - a long thin tube folded in three. Bulgakov’s character is thin, tall and in imaginary servility, it seems, ready to fold himself three times over in front of his interlocutor (in order to then calmly harm him)

Regent's Appearance

Here is his portrait: “...a transparent citizen of a strange appearance, On his small head there is a jockey cap, a checkered short jacket..., a citizen a fathom tall, but narrow in the shoulders, incredibly thin, and his face, please note, is mocking”; “...his mustache is like chicken feathers, his eyes are small, ironic and half-drunk.”

The appointment of the lascivious gayar

Koroviev-Fagot is a devil who emerged from the sultry Moscow air (unprecedented heat for May at the time of his appearance is one of the traditional signs of the approach of evil spirits). Woland's henchman, only when necessary, puts on various disguises: a drunken regent, a guy, a clever swindler, a sneaky translator for a famous foreigner, etc. Only in the last flight does Koroviev-Fagot become what he really is - a gloomy demon, a knight Bassoon, who knows the value of human weaknesses and virtues no worse than his master

Azazello

Origin

The name Azazello was formed by Bulgakov from the Old Testament name Azazel. This is the name of the negative hero of the Old Testament book of Enoch, the fallen angel who taught people how to make weapons and jewelry

Knight image

Bulgakov was probably attracted by the combination of seduction and murder in one character. It is Azazello who Margarita takes for an insidious seducer during their first meeting in the Alexander Garden: “This neighbor turned out to be short, fiery red, with a fang, in starched underwear, in a good-quality striped suit, in patent leather shoes and with a bowler hat on his head.” Absolutely. robber's face!" thought Margarita"

Purpose in the novel

But Azazello's main function in the novel is related to violence. He throws Styopa Likhodeev out of Moscow to Yalta, expels Uncle Berlioz from the Bad Apartment, and kills the traitor Baron Meigel with a revolver. Azazello also invented the cream that he gives to Margarita. The magic cream not only makes the heroine invisible and able to fly, but also gives her a new, witch-like beauty.

Cat Behemoth

This werecat and Satan's favorite jester is perhaps the funniest and most memorable of Woland's retinue.

Origin

The author of “The Master and Margarita” gleaned information about Behemoth from the book by M.A. Orlov’s “The History of Relations between Man and the Devil” (1904), extracts from which are preserved in the Bulgakov archive. There, in particular, the case of a French abbess who lived in the 17th century was described. and possessed by seven devils, the fifth demon being Behemoth. This demon was depicted as a monster with an elephant head, a trunk and fangs. His hands were human-shaped, and his huge belly, short tail and thick hind legs, like those of a hippopotamus, reminded him of his name.

Hippopotamus image

In Bulgakov, Behemoth became a huge black werewolf cat, since black cats are traditionally considered associated with evil spirits. This is how we see him for the first time: “... on the jeweler’s pouffe, in a cheeky pose, a third person was lounging, namely, a terribly sized black cat with a glass of vodka in one paw and a fork, on which he had managed to pry a pickled mushroom, in the other.” The hippopotamus in the demonological tradition is the demon of the desires of the stomach. Hence his extraordinary gluttony, especially in Torgsin, when he indiscriminately swallows everything edible.

Appointment of the Jester

Probably everything is clear here without additional digressions. Behemoth's shootout with the detectives in apartment No. 50, his chess match with Woland, the shooting competition with Azazello - all these are purely humorous scenes, very funny and even to some extent remove the severity of the everyday, moral and philosophical problems that the novel poses to reader.

Gella

Gella is a member of Woland’s retinue, a female vampire: “I recommend my maid Gella. She is efficient, understanding, and there is no service that she cannot provide.”

Origin of the witch-vampire

Bulgakov took the name “Gella” from the article “Sorcery” of the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, where it was noted that in Lesvos this name was used to call untimely dead girls who became vampires after death.

Gella's image

The beautiful Gella, a green-eyed, red-haired girl who prefers not to burden herself with excess clothing and dresses only in a lace apron, moves freely through the air, thereby gaining a resemblance to a witch. Bulgakov may have borrowed the characteristic features of vampire behavior - clicking teeth and smacking his lips - from the story by A.K. Tolstoy's "Ghoul". There, a vampire girl turns her lover into a vampire with a kiss - hence, obviously, Gella’s fatal kiss for Varenukha

Which has been exciting the minds of readers since 1967. Adult fans of the mystical writer reread this novel, each time discovering new horizons of the work, and the younger generation plunges into the pages of the manuscript in order to follow the antics of Messire and his retinue: Gella, Azazello, Behemoth and Koroviev. Mikhail Afanasyevich managed to create amazing images that make you think:

“So what is that part of that force that always wants evil and always does good?”

History and prototypes

Bulgakov was both a skilled doctor and prose writer, and a mysterious man. The veil of mystery that shrouds the writer’s biography haunts scientists trying to piece together all the facts. Therefore, the question of when Mikhail Afanasyevich came up with “The Master and Margarita” remains open, but literary scholars agree that the rough sketches were made in 1928–1929.

Moreover, in Mikhail Afanasyevich’s debut notes there was no love story between the nameless writer in a black cap and the woman who carried “disgusting yellow flowers.” Initially, the genius began to scrupulously collect information about the devil: in a special notebook he kept torn pages from dictionaries, essays by Mikhail Orlov and excerpts from works that describe evil spirits.

In 1930, Bulgakov received a refusal from the General Repertoire Committee: the letter stated that the play “The Cabal of the Holy One” (1929) was not allowed to be presented in the theater, so Mikhail Afanasyevich angrily threw his notes about Lucifer into the oven. But, as we know, “manuscripts don’t burn,” so most of the passages, namely two thick notebooks with torn sheets, survived.

In 1932, Mikhail Afanasyevich again returned to his idea and sat down to write a novel, without using the author’s lyricism. True, Bulgakov relied on a classic biblical plot and made the devil a tempter and provocateur, while in the final version Woland acts as a witness and observer. In 1940, Bulgakov’s health began to deteriorate sharply: the literary genius was diagnosed with kidney disease.

Mikhail Afanasyevich found himself bedridden and, overcoming severe pain, dictated excerpts from the work to his wife Elena Sergeevna: about the adventures of Koroviev, the journey of Styopa Likhodeev and cloudless days at Griboedov and the Variety Theater.

The novel was published only in 1966 (67), the writer’s widow edited the manuscript for about twenty years. Woland became one of the most striking and memorable characters. This hero does not have a true prototype, because the image of a black magician is collective. The writer himself said:

“I don’t want to give amateurs a reason to look for prototypes. Woland doesn’t have any prototypes.”

Mikhail Bulgakov called Messire the main opponent of the heavenly forces - Satan. At least, the analogy with the religious personification of evil seems obvious to researchers. In addition, the writer relied on his predecessor, the German poet, who gave this world “Faust”: during his childhood in Kyiv, Bulgakov enjoyed listening to the opera of the same name by Charles Gounod.

In fact, Woland has similarities with Goethe's evil spirit, moreover, a reference to this character is present in the epigraph of the novel and the 29th chapter, when the professor of black magic sits on a stone terrace, resting his sharp chin on his fist and preparing to part with Moscow. This reveals a similarity with the sculpture “Mephistopheles”, made of marble by Mark Antokolsky. And the master in the first editions was called Faust.

Quotes

“Never ask for anything! Never and nothing, and especially among those who are stronger than you. They will offer and give everything themselves!”

“Yes, man is mortal, but that would not be so bad. The bad thing is that he is sometimes suddenly mortal, that's the trick! And he can’t say at all what he will do this evening.”

“Something, if you please, evil lurks in men who avoid wine, games, the company of lovely women, and table conversation. Such people are either seriously ill or secretly hate those around them. True, exceptions are possible. Among the people who sat down with me at the banquet table, I sometimes came across amazing scoundrels!”

“You and I speak in different languages, as always,” Woland responded, “but the things we talk about don’t change.”

“The second freshness is nonsense! There is only one freshness - the first, and it is also the last. And if the sturgeon is second freshness, then this means that it is rotten!”

• The cosmology of the novel “The Master and Margarita” differs from the classic biblical plot, although the book contains two opposing sides of good and evil. For Bulgakov, they are equal, and “each department minds its own business.” Woland is unable to forgive Pilate and Frida, and Yeshua does not have the right to take the master with him.
• According to rumors, the novel is being filmed in the USA. It’s difficult to judge what will happen to American filmmakers, but the series “Notes of a Young Doctor” (2012–2013, UK), where Bulgakov’s hero was portrayed, was not a success for foreigners.

• In early editions, Woland was called Astaroth, and the novel was called “The Engineer’s Hoof” and “The Black Magician.”
• Bulgakov described Woland as a middle-aged man, while in the television series “The Master and Margarita” Oleg Basilashvili was 71 years old. Pontius Pilate in the book is also young, but the actor (Kirill Lavrov) who played the role of the procurator was almost 80.
• In the draft manuscripts of the novel, the description of Woland's appearance took up fifteen pages.