We have all read or heard about the novel War and Peace, but not everyone will be able to remember the characters of the novel from the first time. The main characters of the novel War and Peace- love, suffer, live life in the imagination of every reader.
Main characters War and Peace
The main characters of the novel War and Peace - Natasha Rostova, Pierre Bezukhov, Andrey Bolkonsky.
It is rather difficult to say which is the main one, since Tolstoy's characters are described as if in parallel.
The main characters are different, they have different views on life, different aspirations, but the trouble is common, the war. And Tolstoy shows in the novel not one, but many destinies. The history of each of them is unique. There is no the best, no the worst. We understand the best and the worst in comparison.
Natasha Rostova- one of the main characters with her story and troubles, Bolkonsky also one of the best characters, whose story, alas, had to have an end. He himself has exhausted his life limit.
Bezukhov a little strange, lost, uncertain, but his fate bizarrely presented him with Natasha.
The main character is the one that is closest to you.
Characteristics of the heroes War and Peace
Akhrosimova Marya Dmitrievna- a Moscow lady, known throughout the city "not for wealth, not for honors, but for her directness of mind and frank simplicity of address." Anecdotal cases were told about her, they quietly laughed at her rudeness, but they were afraid and sincerely respected. A. knew both capitals and even the royal family. The prototype of the heroine is the well-known Moscow A. D. Ofrosimova, described by S. P. Zhikharev in the "Student's Diary".
The usual way of life of the heroine consists of doing housework at home, trips to mass, visiting prison, receiving petitioners and traveling to the city on business. Four sons serve in the army, of which she is very proud; he knows how to hide his anxiety for them from strangers.
A. always speaks Russian, loudly, she has a "thick voice", a corpulent body, she holds high "her fifty-year-old head with gray beads." A. is close to the Rostov family, loving Natasha most of all. On the birthday of Natasha and the old countess, it is she who dances with Count Rostov, delighting the entire assembled society. She boldly reprimands Pierre for the incident due to which he was expelled from St. Petersburg in 1805; she rebukes the old prince Bolkonsky for the impoliteness made to Natasha during the visit; she also upsets Natasha's plan to escape with Anatole.
Bagration- one of the most famous Russian military leaders, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, prince. In the novel, he acts as a real historical person and a participant in the plot action. B. "short, with an oriental type of hard and motionless face, dry, not yet old man." In the novel, he participates mainly as the commander of the Battle of Shengraben. Before the operation, Kutuzov 'blessed him "for a great feat" of saving the army. The mere presence of the prince on the battlefield changes a lot in its course, although he does not give any visible orders, but at the decisive moment he dismounts and himself goes into the attack in front of the soldiers. He is loved and respected by everyone, it is known about him that for his courage even in Italy, Suvorov himself gave him a sword. During the battle of Austerlitz, one B. all day fought off twice the strongest enemy and, when retreating, withdrew his column from the battlefield undisturbed. That is why Moscow chose him as its hero, in honor of B., a dinner was given in an English club, in his person “due honor was given to a fighting, simple, without connections and intrigues, Russian soldier ...”.
Pierre Bezukhov- one of the main characters of the novel; at first the hero of the story about the Decembrist, from the idea of which the work arose.
P. - the illegitimate son of Count Bezukhov, a famous Catherine's grandee, who became the heir to the title and a huge fortune, "a massive, fat young man with a shaved head, glasses", he is distinguished by an intelligent, timid, "observant and natural" look P. was brought up abroad and appeared in Russia shortly before the death of his father and the start of the campaign of 1805. He is smart, inclined to philosophical reasoning, gentle and kind-hearted, compassionate towards others, kind, impractical and subject to passions. His closest friend, Andrei Bolkonsky, characterizes P. as the only "living person" among the whole world.
At the beginning of the novel, P. considers Napoleon the greatest man in the world, but gradually becomes disillusioned, reaching the point of hatred for him and a desire to kill. Having become a wealthy heir and falling under the influence of Prince Vasily and Helen, P. marries the latter. Very soon, having understood the character of his wife and realizing her depravity, he breaks with her. In search of the content and meaning of his life, P. is fond of Freemasonry, trying to find in this teaching the answers to the questions that torment him and get rid of the passions that torment him. Realizing the falsity of the Masons, the hero breaks with them, tries to reorganize the lives of his peasants, but fails because of his impracticality and credulity.
The greatest trials fell on P. before and during the war, it is not for nothing that "through his eyes" readers see the famous comet of 1812, which, according to the general belief, foreshadowed terrible misfortunes. This sign follows P.'s explanation of love to Natasha Rostova. During the war, the hero, deciding to look at the battle and not yet very clearly aware of the strength of national unity and the significance of the event, finds himself on the Borodino field. On this day, the last conversation with Prince Andrey, who understood that the truth is where "they", that is, ordinary soldiers, gives him a lot. Remaining in a burning and deserted Moscow to kill Napoleon, P. tries as best he can to deal with the misfortune that has befallen the people, but is captured and experiences terrible moments during the execution of prisoners.
Meeting with Platon Karataev reveals for P. the truth that one must love life, even suffering innocently, seeing the meaning and purpose of each person in being a part and reflection of the whole world. After meeting with Karataev P. learned to see "the eternal and infinite in everything." At the end of the war, after the death of Andrei Bolkonsky and Natasha's revival to life, P. marries her. In the epilogue, he is a happy husband and father, a man who, in a dispute with Nikolai Rostov, expresses convictions that make it possible to see in him the future Decembrist.
Berg- German, "a fresh, pink Guards officer, impeccably washed, buttoned up and combed." At the beginning of the novel, a lieutenant, at the end - a colonel who has made a good career and has awards. B. is accurate, calm, courteous, selfish and stingy. The people around him laugh at him. B. could only talk about himself and his interests, the main of which was success. He could talk about this subject for hours, with visible pleasure for himself and at the same time teaching others. During the campaign in 1805, Mr .. B. - a company commander, proud of the fact that he is efficient, accurate, enjoys the confidence of his superiors and arranged his material affairs profitably. When meeting in the army, Nikolai Rostov treats him with slight contempt.
B. first the prospective and desired fiancé of Vera Rostova, and then her husband. The hero makes an offer to his future wife at a time when a refusal to him is excluded - B. correctly takes into account the material difficulties of the Rostovs, which does not prevent him from demanding from the old count a part of the promised dowry. Having reached a certain position, income, having married Vera, who meets his requirements, Colonel B. feels content and happy, even in the abandoned Moscow residents taking care of purchasing furniture.
Bolkonskaya Liza- the wife of Prince Andrei, for whom the name of the "little princess" was fixed in the world. “Her pretty, with a slightly blackened mustache, the upper lip was short across the teeth, but the lovelier it opened and the lovelier it sometimes stretched out and sank onto the lower one. As is always the case with quite attractive women, her lack - the shortness of her lips and a half-open mouth - seemed to be her special, her own beauty. It was fun for everyone to look at this pretty mother-to-be, full of health and liveliness, who so easily endured her position. "
The image of L. was formed by Tolstoy in the first edition and remained unchanged. As a prototype of the little princess, the wife of the second cousin of the writer, Princess L.I. The "little princess" enjoyed universal love because of her everlasting liveliness and courtesy of a secular woman who could not even imagine her life outside the world. In her relationship with her husband, she is distinguished by a complete lack of understanding of his aspirations and character. During disputes with her husband, her face, because of the raised lip, took on a "brutal, squirrel expression", but Prince Andrey, repenting of his marriage to L., in a conversation with Pierre and his father notes that this is one of the rare women with whom "you can be calm for your honor. "
After Bolkonsky left for the war, L. lives in Bald Hills, experiencing constant fear and antipathy towards his father-in-law and making friends not with his sister-in-law, but with Princess Mary's empty and frivolous companion, Mademoiselle Burienne. L. dies, as she had a presentiment, during childbirth, on the day of the return of Prince Andrew, who was considered killed. The expression on her face before and after her death seems to indicate that she loves everyone, does no harm to anyone and cannot understand why she is suffering. Her death leaves Prince Andrei with a feeling of irreparable guilt and sincere pity for the old prince.
Bolkonskaya Marya- princess, daughter of the old prince Bolkonsky, sister of prince Andrei, later the wife of Nikolai Rostov. M. had “an ugly weak body and a thin face ... the princess’s eyes, large, deep and radiant (as if rays of warm light sometimes came out of them in sheaves), were so good that very often, despite the ugliness of the whole face, these eyes became more attractive beauty ".
M. is very religious, accepts pilgrims and wanderers, enduring the ridicule of his father and brother. She has no friends with whom she could share her thoughts. Her life is focused on love for her father, often unfair to her, for her brother and his son Nikolenka (after the death of the "little princess"), whom she, as best she can, replaces her mother, M. is an intelligent, meek, educated woman, not hoping for personal happiness. Because of the unfair reproaches of her father and the impossibility to endure any longer, she even wanted to go on a wandering. Her life changes after meeting with Nikolai Rostov, who managed to guess the wealth of her soul. Having married, the heroine is happy, completely sharing all her husband's views "on duty and oath."
Bolkonsky Andrey- one of the main characters of the novel, prince, son of N. A. Bolkonsky, brother of Princess Mary. "... Small in stature, a very handsome young man with definite and dry features." This is an intelligent, proud person looking for great intellectual and spiritual content in life. The sister notes in him some kind of "pride of thought", he is restrained, educated, practical and has a strong will.
By birth, B. occupies one of the most enviable places in society, but is unhappy in family life and is not satisfied with the emptiness of light. At the beginning of the novel, its hero is Napoleon. Wanting to imitate Napoleon, dreaming of "his Toulon", he leaves for the active army, where he shows courage, composure, heightened feelings of honor, duty, justice. Participates in the Battle of Shengraben. Badly wounded in the battle of Austerlitz, B. realizes the futility of his dreams and the insignificance of his idol. The hero returns home, where he was considered dead, on the birthday of his son and the death of his wife. These events shock him even more, leaving a feeling of guilt in front of his deceased wife. Having decided after Austerlitz not to serve any more, B. lives in Bogucharovo, doing housework, raising his son and reading a lot. During Pierre's arrival, he confesses that he lives for himself alone, but something awakens for a moment in his soul, when he sees the sky above him for the first time after being wounded. From that time on, while maintaining the previous circumstances, "his new life began in the inner world."
Over the two years of his life in the village, B. has been doing a lot of analysis of the latest military campaigns, which prompts him, under the influence of a trip to Otradnoye and awakened vitality, to go to Petersburg, where he works under the supervision of Speransky, who directs the preparation of legislative changes.
In St. Petersburg, B.'s second meeting with Natasha takes place, a deep feeling and hope for happiness arises in the hero's soul. Having postponed the wedding for a year under the influence of his father, who did not agree with the decision of his son, B. went abroad. After the betrayal of the bride, in order to forget about it, to calm down the feelings that flooded him, he again returns to the army under the command of Kutuzov. Taking part in the Patriotic War, B. wants to be at the front, and not at the headquarters, draws closer to the soldiers and comprehends the imperious strength of the "spirit of the army" fighting for the liberation of their homeland. Before participating in the last battle of Borodino in his life, the hero meets and talks with Pierre. Having received a mortal wound, B. by chance coincidence leaves Moscow in the Rostovs' wagon train, reconciling with Natasha on the way, forgiving her and realizing before death the true meaning of the power of love that unites people.
Bolkonsky Nikolay Andreevich- Prince, general-in-chief, dismissed from service under Paul I and exiled to the village. Father of Princess Marya and Prince Andrew. In the image of the old prince, Tolstoy restored many of the features of his maternal grandfather, Prince NS Volkonsky, "an intelligent, proud and gifted person."
N. A. lives in the countryside, meticulously distributing his time, most of all not enduring idleness, stupidity, superstition and violation of the once established order; he is demanding and harsh with everyone, often harassing his daughter with nagging, deep down in his soul he loves her. The revered prince "walked in the old fashioned way, in a caftan and powder", was short, "in a powdered wig ... with small dry hands and gray drooping eyebrows, sometimes, as he frowned, overshadowed the brilliance of smart and like young shiny eyes." He is very proud, smart, restrained in showing feelings; almost his main concern is the preservation of family honor and dignity. Until the last days of his life, the old prince retained an interest in political and military events, only before his death he lost real ideas about the scale of the misfortune that happened to Russia. It was he who brought up feelings of pride, duty, patriotism and scrupulous honesty in his son Andrei.
Bolkonsky Nikolenka- the son of Prince Andrew and the "little princess", born on the day of the death of his mother and the return of his father, who was considered dead. He was brought up first in the house of his grandfather, then by Princess Marya. Outwardly, he looks very much like his deceased mother: he has the same upturned sponge and curly dark hair. N. grows up as an intelligent, impressionable and nervous boy. In the epilogue of the novel, he is 15 years old, he becomes a witness to the dispute between Nikolai Rostov and Pierre Bezukhov. Under this impression, N. sees a dream with which Tolstoy ends the events of the novel and in which the hero sees glory, himself, his late father and uncle Pierre at the head of a large "right-wing" army.
Denisov Vasily Dmitrievich- a combat hussar officer, gambler, gambling, noisy "little man with a red face, shiny black eyes, black tousled mustache and hair." D. is the commander and friend of Nikolai Rostov, a man for whom the honor of the regiment in which he serves is above all in life. He is brave, capable of daring and rash actions, as in the case of the seizure of food transport, participates in all campaigns, commanding a partisan detachment in 1812 that freed prisoners, including Pierre.
D.V. Davydov, the hero of the war of 1812, who is also mentioned in the novel as a historical person, served as a prototype for D. in many respects. Dolokhov Fyodor - "Semyonovsky officer, famous player and breaker." “Dolokhov was a man of average height, curly hair and light blue eyes. He was twenty-five years old. He did not wear a mustache, like all infantry officers, and his mouth, the most striking feature of his face, was all visible. The lines of this mouth were remarkably finely curved. In the middle, the upper lip energetically descended on the strong lower lip in a sharp wedge, and in the corners something like two smiles constantly formed, one on each side; and all together, and especially in combination with a firm, impudent, intelligent look, made the impression that it was impossible not to notice this face. " The prototypes of the image of D. were RI Dorokhov, a reveler and a brave man whom Tolstoy knew in the Caucasus; a relative of the writer, known at the beginning of the 19th century. Count F. I. Tolstoy-American, who also served as the prototype for the heroes of A. S. Pushkin and A. S. Griboyedov; partisan of the Patriotic War of 1812 A. S. Figner.
D. is not rich, but he knows how to position himself in society in such a way that everyone respects and even fears him. He gets bored in everyday life and gets rid of boredom in a strange, even cruel way, doing incredible things. In 1805, for tricks with the quarter, he was expelled from St. Petersburg, demoted to the rank and file, but during the military campaign he regained his officer rank.
D. is smart, brave, cold-blooded, indifferent to death. He carefully hides from. outsiders his tender affection for his mother, confessing to Rostov that everyone considers him an evil person, but in fact he does not want to know anyone except those he loves.
Dividing all people into useful and harmful, he sees around him mostly harmful, unloved, whom he is ready to "pass over if they become on the road." D. is impudent, cruel and cunning. As Helene's lover, he provokes Pierre to a duel; coolly and dishonestly beats Nikolai Rostov, taking revenge for Sonya's refusal to his proposal; helps Anatol Kuragin to prepare an escape with Natasha, Drubetskaya Boris - the son of Princess Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya; from childhood he was brought up and lived for a long time in the Rostov family, who through his mother is a relative, was in love with Natasha. "A tall, blond youth with regular, delicate features, a calm and handsome face." The prototypes of the hero are A. M. Kuzminsky and M. D. Polivanov.
Since his youth, D. has dreamed of a career, is very proud, but accepts his mother's troubles and condones her humiliation if it is in his favor. AM Drubetskaya, through Prince Vasily, gets her son a place in the guard. Once in military service, D. dreams of making a brilliant career in this area.
Taking part in the campaign in 1805, he acquires many useful acquaintances and understands the "unwritten chain of command", wishing to continue serving only in accordance with it. In 1806, A. P. Scherer "treats" them, a courier who had come from the Prussian army, to his guests. In the light of D. seeks to make useful contacts and uses the last money to give the impression of a rich and successful person. He becomes a close person in Helen's house and her lover. During the meeting of the emperors in Tilsit, D. was there, and from that time on his position was especially firmly established. In 1809, D., seeing Natasha again, is carried away by her and for some time does not know what to prefer, since marriage to Natasha would mean the end of his career. D. is looking for a rich bride, choosing at one time between Princess Marya and Julie Karagina, who eventually became his wife.
Karataev Platon- a soldier of the Absheron regiment, who met Pierre Bezukhov in captivity. Nicknamed Sokolik in the service. In the first edition of the novel, this character was not. Its appearance is, apparently, due to the development and final design of the image of Pierre and the philosophical concept of the novel.
At the first meeting with this small, affectionate and good-natured person, Pierre is struck by the feeling of something round and calm that comes from K. He attracts everyone with his calmness, confidence, kindness and smile of his round face. Once K. tells the story of an innocently convicted merchant, humbled and suffering "for his own, but for human sins." This story comes across as something very important among the prisoners. Weakened from fever, K. begins to lag behind at the transitions; French guards shoot him.
After the death of K., thanks to his wisdom and the folk philosophy of life, unconsciously expressed in all his behavior, Pierre comes to an understanding of the meaning of life.
Kuragin Anatol- the son of Prince Vasily, brother of Helen and Ippolita, an officer. Unlike the "calm fool" Hippolytus, Prince Vasily looks at A. as a "restless fool" who must always be rescued from troubles. A. is a tall handsome man with a good-natured and "victorious look", "beautiful big" eyes and light brown hair. He is dapper, impudent, stupid, not resourceful, not eloquent in conversations, depraved, but "on the other hand, he also had the ability of calmness, precious for the world, and unchangeable confidence." Being a friend of Dolo-khov and a participant in his revelry, A. looks at his life as a constant pleasure and amusement, which should have been arranged for him by someone, he does not care about his relationships with other people. A. treats women contemptuously and with a sense of his superiority, accustomed to liking and not experiencing serious feelings for anyone.
After being carried away by Natasha Rostova and trying to take her away, A. was forced to hide from Moscow, and then from Prince Andrei, who intended to challenge the offender to a duel. Their last meeting will take place in the infirmary after the Battle of Borodino: A. is wounded, his leg is amputated.
Kuragin Vasily- Prince, father of Helene, Anatole and Hippolytus; a well-known and influential person in the Petersburg world who holds important court posts.
Prince V. treats everyone around him condescendingly and patronizingly, speaks quietly, always bending his interlocutor by the hand. He appears "in a courtier, embroidered uniform, in stockings, shoes, with the stars, with a bright expression of a flat face", with a "perfumed and radiant bald spot." When he smiles, "something unexpectedly rude and unpleasant" forms in the wrinkles of his mouth. Prince V. does not wish anyone harm, does not think over his plans in advance, but, as a secular person, uses circumstances and connections to carry out plans that naturally arise in his mind. He always strives for rapprochement with people who are richer and higher in status.
The hero considers himself an exemplary father who has done everything possible to raise children and continue to take care of their future. Having learned about Princess Marya, Prince V. takes Anatole to Bald Hills, wishing to marry him to a wealthy heiress. A relative of the old Count Bezukhov, he goes to Moscow and starts an intrigue with Princess Katish before the death of the Count in order to prevent Pierre Bezukhov from becoming an heir. Failing to succeed in this matter, he starts a new intrigue and marries Pierre and Helene.
Kuragina Helen- the daughter of Prince Vasily, and then the wife of Pierre Bezukhov. A brilliant Petersburg beauty with a "unchanging smile", full white shoulders, glossy hair and a beautiful figure. There was no noticeable coquetry in her, as if she was ashamed “for her undoubtedly and too strong and win? active beauty ”. E. is imperturbable, giving everyone the right to admire themselves, which makes her feel like a gloss from the multitude of other people's views. She knows how to be tacitly worthy in the world, giving the impression of a tactful and intelligent woman, which, combined with beauty, ensures her constant success.
Having married Pierre Bezukhov, the heroine discovers in front of her husband not only the limitedness of the mind, the coarseness of thought and vulgarity, but also cynical depravity. After breaking up with Pierre and receiving from him by proxy a large part of the fortune, she lives in Petersburg, then abroad, then returns to her husband. Despite the family break, the constant change of lovers, including Dolokhov and Drubetskoy, E. continues to be one of the most famous and kindly ladies in St. Petersburg. In the light, she is making very great strides; living alone, she becomes the mistress of the diplomatic and political salon, acquires the reputation of an intelligent woman. Having decided to convert to Catholicism and pondering the possibility of divorce and a new marriage, entangled between two very influential, high-ranking lovers and patrons, E. dies in 1812.
Kutuzov- Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army. A participant in real historical events described by Tolstoy, and at the same time in the plot of the work. He has a "plump, wound-disfigured face" with an aquiline nose; he is gray-haired, full, treads heavily. On the pages of the novel, K. first appears in an episode of the review under Brownau, impressing everyone with his knowledge of the matter and attention hidden behind the seeming absent-mindedness. K. knows how to be diplomatic; he is rather cunning and speaks “with grace of expression and intonation”, “with the affection of deference” of a subordinate and non-judgmental person when it is not about the security of the homeland, as before the Battle of Austerlitz. Before the Shengraben battle K., crying, blesses Bagration.
In 1812, K., contrary to the opinion of secular circles, received the dignity of a prince and was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army. He is the favorite of soldiers and military officers. From the beginning of his activity as the commander-in-chief, K. believes that to win the campaign "patience and time are needed", that the whole matter can be solved not by knowledge, not plans, not intelligence, but "something else, independent of intelligence and knowledge." ... According to Tolstoy's historical and philosophical concept, a person is not able to really influence the course of historical events. K. possesses the ability to “calmly contemplate the course of events,” but he knows how to see, listen, remember everything, not interfere with anything useful and not allow anything harmful. On the eve and during the Battle of Borodino, the commander monitors the preparations for the battle, together with all the soldiers and militias, he prays before the icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk and during the battle controls the "elusive force" called the "spirit of the army." K. experiences agonizing feelings, deciding to leave Moscow, but "with all his Russian being" knows that the French will be defeated. Having directed all his forces towards the liberation of his homeland, K. dies when his role is fulfilled, and the enemy is driven out of the borders of Russia. "This simple, modest and therefore truly majestic figure could not lie down in that deceitful form of the European hero, ostensibly controlling people, which history has invented."
Napoleon- the French emperor; the real historical person, deduced in the novel, the hero, with the image of which the historical and philosophical concept of L. N. Tolstoy is connected.
At the beginning of the work, N. is the idol of Andrei Bolkonsky, a man whose greatness Pierre Bezukhov admires, a politician whose actions and personality are discussed in the high-society salon of A. P, Scherer. As the protagonist of the novel, he appears in the Battle of Austerlitz, after which the wounded Prince Andrei sees "a radiance of self-satisfaction and happiness" on N.'s face, admiring the view of the battlefield.
The figure of N. "stout, short ... with wide, thick shoulders and involuntarily thrust forward belly and chest, had that representative, dignified appearance that forty-year-old people living in the hall have"; his face is youthful, full, with a protruding chin, short hair, and "his white plump neck protruded sharply from behind the black collar of his uniform." N.'s self-righteousness and self-confidence are expressed in the conviction that his presence plunges people into delight and self-forgetfulness, that everything in the world depends only on his will. Sometimes he is prone to outbursts of anger.
Even before the order to cross the borders of Russia, Moscow haunts the hero's imagination, and during the war he does not foresee its general course. Fighting the Borodino battle, N. acts "involuntarily and senselessly", unable to somehow influence its course, although he does nothing harmful to the cause. For the first time, during the Battle of Borodino, he experienced bewilderment and hesitation, and after him the sight of the killed and wounded "defeated that spiritual strength in which he believed his merit and greatness." According to the author, N. was destined for an inhuman role, his mind and conscience were darkened, and his actions were "too opposite to goodness and truth, too far from everything human."
Rostov Ilya Andreevich- Count, father of Natasha, Nikolai, Vera and Petya Rostov, a famous Moscow master, rich man, hospitable person. R. knows how and loves to live, good-natured, generous and dull. Many character traits and some episodes in the life of his paternal grandfather, Count IA Tolstoy, the writer used when creating the image of the old Count Rostov, noting in his appearance those features that are known from the portrait of his grandfather: full body on a bald head. "
R. is known in Moscow not only as a hospitable host and an excellent family man, but also as a person who knows how to arrange a ball, reception, dinner better than others, and if necessary, then put in his own money for this. He is a member and foreman of the English club since the day of its foundation. It is he who is entrusted with the trouble of arranging a dinner in honor of Bagration.
Count R.'s life is burdened only by the constant awareness of his gradual ruin, which he cannot stop, allowing the managers to rob themselves, not being able to refuse the petitioners, not being able to change the once established order of life. Most of all, he suffers from the consciousness that ruins the children, but becomes more and more entangled in business. To improve property matters, the Rostyves live for two years in the village, the count leaves the leaders, looks for a place in St. Petersburg, transporting his family there and with his habits and social circle giving the impression of a provincial there.
R. is distinguished by tender, deep love and heartfelt kindness towards his wife and children. When leaving Moscow after the Battle of Borodino, it was the old count who began to slowly give carts for the wounded, thereby inflicting one of the last blows on his fortune. Events 1812-1813 and the loss of Petya finally broke the hero's mental and physical strength. The last event, which, out of old habit, he directs, making the same active impression, is the wedding of Natasha and Pierre; in the same year, the count dies “exactly at the time when things ... got so tangled that it was impossible to imagine how it would all end,” and leaves behind a good memory.
Rostov Nikolay- son of Count Rostov, brother of Vera, Natasha and Petit, officer, hussar; at the end of the novel, the husband of Princess Marya Volkonskaya. "A short, curly-haired young man with an open expression on his face", in whom "swiftness and enthusiasm" were seen. The writer gave N. some features of his father, N.I.-Tolstoy, a participant in the war of 1812. The hero is distinguished in many ways by the same features of openness, gaiety, benevolence, self-sacrifice, musicality and emotionality as all Rostovs. Convinced that he was not an official or a diplomat, N. at the beginning of the novel leaves the university and enters the Pavlograd hussar regiment, in which his whole life is concentrated for a long time. He takes part in military campaigns and the Patriotic War of 1812. N. takes his first baptism of fire when crossing the Ens, unable to combine in himself "the fear of death and the stretcher and love of the sun and life." In the Battle of Shengraben, he goes on the attack too bravely, but, being wounded in the arm, he gets lost and leaves the battlefield thinking about the absurdity of the death of the one "whom everyone loves so much." Having passed these tests, N. becomes a brave officer, a real hussar; he retains a sense of admiration for the sovereign and loyalty to his duty. Feeling at home in his native regiment, as in some special world where everything is simple and clear, N. is also there not free from solving complex moral problems, as, for example, in the case of officer Telyanin. In the regiment N. becomes "quite coarse" kind fellow, but remains sensitive and open to subtle feelings. In a peaceful life, he behaves like a real hussar.
His long-lasting romance with Sonya ends with N.'s noble decision to marry a homeless woman, even against the will of his mother, but he receives a letter from Sonya with the return of his freedom. In 1812, during one of his trips, N. met Princess Marya and helped her to leave Bogucharovo. Princess Marya amazes him with her meekness and spirituality. After the death of his father, N. retires, taking on all the obligations and debts of the deceased, taking care of his mother and Sonya. When meeting with Princess Volkonskaya, out of noble motives, he tries to avoid her, one of the richest brides, but their mutual feeling does not weaken and is crowned with a happy marriage.
Rostov Petya- the youngest son of Counts Rostov, brother of Vera, Nikolai, Natasha. At the beginning of the novel, P. is still a little boy, enthusiastically succumbing to the general atmosphere of life in the Rostov house. He is musical, like all Rostovs, kind and cheerful. After Nicholas entered the army, P. wanted to imitate his brother, and in 1812, carried away by his patriotic impulse and enthusiastic attitude towards the sovereign, asked for leave to join the army. “Snub-nosed Petya, with his cheerful black eyes, fresh blush and a little fluff on his cheeks,” becomes after departure the main concern of the mother, who realizes only at this time the depth of her love for her younger child. During the war, P. accidentally ends up with an assignment in Denisov's detachment, where he remains, wishing to take part in the present case. He accidentally dies, showing on the eve of his death in relations with his comrades all the best features of the "Rostov breed" inherited by him in his home.
Rostov- Countess, "a woman with an oriental type of thin face, forty-five years old, apparently exhausted by children ... The slowness of her movements and speech, which stemmed from the weakness of her strength, gave her a significant look that inspires respect." When creating the image of Countess R. Tolstoy, character traits and some circumstances of the life of his paternal grandmother P.N. Tolstoy and mother-in-law L.A. Bers were used.
R. is accustomed to living in luxury, in an atmosphere of love and kindness. She is proud of the friendship and trust of her children, pampers them, worries about their fate. Despite the seeming weakness and even lack of will, the Countess makes balanced and reasonable decisions regarding the fate of children. Her love for children is also dictated by her desire by all means to marry Nicholas to a rich bride, nagging at Sonya. The news of Petya's death almost leads her to insanity. The only subject of the countess's displeasure is the old count's inability to manage affairs and small quarrels with him over the waste of the children's fortune. At the same time, the heroine cannot understand either the position of her husband, or the position of her son, with whom she remains after the death of the count, demanding the usual luxury and the fulfillment of all her whims and desires.
Rostova Natasha- one of the main heroines of the novel, daughter of Count Rostov, sister of Nikolai, Vera and Petit; at the end of the novel, the wife of Pierre Bezukhov. N. - "black-eyed, with a big mouth, ugly, but alive ...". His wife and her sister T.A. Bers, married Kuzminskaya, served as her prototype for Tolstoy. According to the writer, he "took Tanya, smashed with Sonya, and it turned out Natasha." The image of the heroine took shape gradually from the very inception of the idea, when the writer, next to his hero, a former Decembrist, introduces himself to his wife.
N. is very emotional and sensitive, she intuitively guesses people, "not deigning" to be smart, sometimes selfish in manifestations of her feelings, but more often she is capable of self-forgetfulness and self-sacrifice, as in the case of taking the wounded out of Moscow or nursing her mother after Petya's death.
One of the defining qualities and merits of N. is her musicality and a voice of rare beauty. With her singing, she is able to influence the best in a person: it is N.'s singing that saves Nicholas from despair after the loss of 43 thousand. The old Count Rostov says about N. that she is all in him, "gunpowder", while Akhrosimova calls her "Cossack" and "potion girl".
Constantly carried away, N. lives in an atmosphere of love and happiness. A change in her fate occurs after meeting with Prince Andrew, who became her fiancé. The impatient feeling overwhelming N., the insult inflicted by the old prince Bolkonsky, push her to be infatuated with Anatoly Kuragin, to refuse Prince Andrei. Having only experienced and felt a lot, she realizes her guilt before Bolkonsky, reconciling with him and staying near the dying Prince Andrei until his death. N. feels true love only for Pierre Bezukhov, with whom he finds complete mutual understanding and whose wife he becomes, plunging into the world of family and maternal concerns.
Sonya- the niece and pupil of the old Count Rostov, who grew up in his family. The storyline of S. is based on the fate of T.A. However, the spiritual appearance of Ergolskaya is quite far from the character and inner world of the heroine. At the beginning of the novel, S. is 15 years old, she is “a slender, petite brunette with a soft gaze shaded by long eyelashes, a thick black braid that wrapped around her head twice, and a yellowish tinge of skin on her face and especially on her naked, thin, but graceful arms and neck. ... With the smoothness of movements, the softness and flexibility of small members and a somewhat cunning and restrained manner, she resembles a beautiful, but not yet formed kitten, which will be a lovely kitty. "
S. fits perfectly into the Rostov family, is unusually close and friendly with Natasha, since childhood she has been in love with Nikolai. She is restrained, silent, reasonable, careful, in her the ability to self-sacrifice is highly developed. S. attracts attention with her beauty and moral purity, but she does not have that spontaneity and inexplicably irresistible charm that is in Natasha. S.'s feeling for Nikolai is so constant and deep that she wants to "always love, and let him be free." This feeling makes her refuse the fiance, enviable in her dependent position, Dolokhov.
The content of the heroine's life completely depends on her love: she is happy, being connected by word with Nikolai Rostov, especially after Christmastide and his refusal to ask her mother to go to Moscow to marry the rich Julie Karagina. S. finally decides his fate under the influence of biased reproaches and reproaches of the old countess, not wanting to pay with ingratitude for everything that was done for her in the Rostov family, and most importantly, wishing Nikolai to be happy. She writes him a letter in which she frees him from this word, but secretly hopes that his marriage with Princess Marya will be impossible after the recovery of Prince Andrew. After the death of the old count, he remains with the countess to live in the care of retired Nikolai Rostov.
Tushin- staff captain, hero of the Shengraben battle, “a small, dirty, thin artillery officer with big, intelligent and kind eyes. There was something about this man "non-military, somewhat comic, but extremely attractive." T. is shy when meeting with his superiors, and there is always some kind of his fault. On the eve of the battle, he talks about the fear of death and the uncertainty of what awaits after it.
In battle, T. completely changes, presenting himself as the hero of a fantastic picture, a hero throwing cannonballs at the enemy, and the enemy's cannons appear to him as puffing pipes like his own. T.'s battery was forgotten during the battle, left without cover. During the battle, T. has no feelings of fear and thoughts of death and injury. He becomes more and more cheerful, the soldiers listen to him like children, 'he does everything he can, and thanks to his ingenuity, he sets fire to the village of Shengraben. Andrei Bolkonsky rescues the hero from another trouble (the cannons left on the battlefield), announcing to Bagration that it is to this man that the detachment owes much of its success.
Anna Pavlovna Sherer- the maid of honor and confidant of Empress Maria Feodorovna, the hostess of the fashionable in St. Petersburg high society "political" salon, describing the evening in which Tolstoy begins his novel. AP is 40 years old, she has "obsolete facial features", every time the mention of the Empress expresses a combination of sadness, devotion and respect. The heroine is dexterous, tactful, influential at court, prone to intrigue. Her attitude to any person or event is always dictated by the latest political, court or secular considerations, she is close to the Kuragin family and is friendly with Prince Vasily. AP is constantly "filled with animation and impulse", "being an enthusiast has become her social position", and in her salon, in addition to discussing the latest courtiers and political news, she always "treats" guests with some novelty or celebrity, and in 1812 her circle demonstrates salon patriotism in the light of St. Petersburg.
Chipped Tikhon- a man from Pokrovskoe near Gzhatya, sticking to Denisov's partisan detachment. He got his nickname due to the lack of one tooth. He is agile, walks on "flat, twisted legs." In detachment T. the most necessary person, no one more skillful than him can bring "the tongue" and perform any inconvenient and dirty work. T. goes to the French with pleasure, bringing trophies and prisoners, but after his injury, he begins to unnecessarily kill the French, laughingly referring to the fact that they were "inferior". For this he is not liked in the detachment.
Now you know the main characters War and Peace, as well as their brief description.
), the invasion of the French into Russia, the Battle of Borodino and the capture of Moscow, the entry of the allied forces into Paris; the end of the novel is dated to 1820. The author has re-read many historical books and memoirs of his contemporaries; he understood that the task of the artist does not coincide with the task of the historian and, without striving for complete accuracy, he wanted to create the spirit of the era, the originality of its life, the picturesqueness of its style.
Lev Tolstoy. War and Peace. The main characters and themes of the novel
Of course, the historical faces of Tolstoy are somewhat modernized: they often speak and think like the author's contemporaries. But this renewal is inevitable in the historian's creative perception of the process as a continuous stream of life. Otherwise, the result is not a work of art, but a dead archeology. The author did not invent anything - he only chose what seemed to him the most revealing. “Everywhere,” writes Tolstoy, “where only in my novel historical figures speak and act, I did not invent, but used materials from which, during my work, a whole library of books was formed.”
For "family chronicles", placed in the historical framework of the Napoleonic wars, he used family memoirs, letters, diaries, unpublished notes. The complexity and richness of the "human world" depicted in the novel can only be compared with the gallery of portraits of the multivolume "Human Comedy" by Balzac. Tolstoy gives more than 70 detailed characteristics, outlines many minor faces with a few strokes - and they all live, do not merge with each other, remain in memory. One sharply grasped detail defines the figure of a person, his character and behavior. In the waiting room of the dying Count Bezukhov, one of the heirs, Prince Vasily, walks on tiptoe in confusion. "He couldn't walk on tiptoe and jumped awkwardly with his whole body." And in this bouncing, the whole nature of a dignified and imperious prince is reflected.
The external feature takes on a deep psychological and symbolic meaning in Tolstoy. He has incomparable visual acuity, brilliant observation, almost clairvoyance. By one turn of the head or the movement of the fingers, he guesses the person. Every feeling, even the most fleeting one, is immediately embodied for him in a bodily sign; Movement, posture, gesture, expression of the eyes, the line of the shoulders, trembling of the lips are read by him as a symbol of the soul. Hence - that impression of mental-bodily wholeness and completeness, which is produced by his heroes. In the art of creating living people with flesh and blood, breathing, moving, casting a shadow, Tolstoy has no equal.
Princess Marya
In the center of the action of the novel are two noble families - the Bolkonskys and the Rostovs. The senior prince Bolkonsky, general-in-chief of Catherine's times, a Voltairian and clever gentleman, lives on the Lysye Gory estate with his daughter Marya, ugly and no longer young. Her father loves her passionately, but brings her up harshly and torments her with algebra lessons. Princess Marya "with beautiful radiant eyes", with a shy smile is an image of high spiritual beauty. She resignedly carries the cross of her life, prays, accepts “God's people” and dreams of becoming a wanderer ... “All the complex laws of mankind were concentrated for her in one simple and clear law of love and self-denial, taught to her by the One Who with love suffered for humanity when Himself He is God. What did she care about the justice or injustice of others? She had to suffer and love herself, and she did it. "
And yet she sometimes worries about the hope of personal happiness; she wants to have a family, children. When this hope is fulfilled and she marries Nikolai Rostov, her soul continues to strive for the "infinite, eternal perfect."
Prince Andrey Bolkonsky
Princess Marya's brother, Prince Andrew, does not look like a sister. This is a strong, intelligent, proud and frustrated person who feels superior over others, weighed down by his chirping, frivolous wife and is looking for practically useful activity. He collaborates with Speransky in the commission for drafting laws, but soon gets tired of this abstract office work. He is seized by a thirst for glory, he goes on a campaign in 1805 and, like Napoleon, awaits his "Toulon" - exaltation, greatness, "human love." But instead of "Toulon", the Austerlitz field awaits him, on which he lies wounded and looks into the bottomless sky. Everything is empty, he thinks, everything is deception except this endless sky. Nothing, nothing but him. But even that is not even there, there is nothing but silence, reassurance. "
Andrey Bolkonsky
Returning to Russia, he settles in his estate and plunges into the "longing of life." The death of his wife, the betrayal of Natasha Rostova, who seemed to him the ideal of girlish charm and purity, plunge him into dark despair. And only slowly dying from the wound received in the Borodino battle, in the face of death, does he find that “truth of life”, which he always sought so unsuccessfully: “Love is life,” he thinks. - Everything, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Love is God, and to die means to me, a particle of love, to return to a common and eternal source. "
Nikolay Rostov
Difficult relations connect the Bolkonsky family with the Rostov family. Nikolai Rostov is a whole, spontaneous nature, like Eroshka in Cossacks or Volodya's brother in Childhood. He lives without question or doubt, he has a "common sense of mediocrity." Straightforward, noble, brave, cheerful, he is surprisingly attractive despite his limitations. Of course, he does not understand the mystical soul of his wife Marya, but he knows how to create a happy family, raise kind and honest children.
Natasha Rostova
His sister Natasha Rostova is one of the most charming female images of Tolstoy. She enters the life of each of us as a beloved and close friend. From her lively, joyful and soulful face, a radiance emanates, illuminating everything around her. When she appears, everyone becomes cheerful, everyone starts to smile. Natasha is full of such an excess of vitality, such a "talent for life" that her whims, frivolous hobbies, selfishness of youth and thirst for "the pleasures of life" - everything seems charming.
She is constantly on the move, intoxicated with joy, inspired by feeling; she does not reason, “does not deign to be clever,” as Pierre says of her, but the clairvoyance of the heart replaces her mind. She immediately "sees" a person and aptly defines him. When her fiancé Andrei Bolkonsky leaves for the war, Natasha is carried away by the brilliant and empty Anatol Kuragin. But the break with Prince Andrey and then his death overturned her whole soul. Her noble and truthful nature cannot forgive herself for this guilt. Natasha falls into hopeless despair and wants to die. At this time, the news comes about the death of her younger brother Petya in the war. Natasha forgets about her grief and selflessly takes care of her mother - and this saves her.
“Natasha thought,” writes Tolstoy, “that her life was over. But suddenly love for her mother showed her that the essence of her life - love - was still alive in her. Love woke up and life woke up. " Finally, she marries Pierre Bezukhov and turns into a child-loving mother and devoted wife: she refuses all the "pleasures of life" that she loved so passionately before, and gives herself up to her new, difficult responsibilities with all her heart. For Tolstoy, Natasha is life itself, instinctive, mysterious and holy in its natural wisdom.
Pierre Bezukhov
The ideological and compositional center of the novel is Count Pierre Bezukhov. All the complex and numerous lines of action coming from two "family chronicles" - the Bolkonskys and the Rostovs, are drawn to it; he clearly enjoys the author's greatest sympathy and is the closest to him in terms of spirit. Pierre belongs to people "seeking", reminds Nikolenka, Nekhlyudova, Venison, but most of all Tolstoy himself. Before us pass not only the external events of life, but also the consistent history of his spiritual development.
The path of searches of Pierre Bezukhov
Pierre was brought up in an atmosphere of Rousseau's ideas, he lives with feeling and is inclined to "dreamy philosophizing." He seeks "the truth", but due to weak will he continues to lead an empty social life, to revel, play cards, go to balls; the absurd marriage to the soulless beauty Helen Kuragina, the break with her and the duel with his former friend Dolokhov make a profound revolution in him. He's interested in freemasonry, thinks to find in him "inner peace and harmony with himself." But soon disappointment sets in: the philanthropic activity of the Masons seems to him insufficient, their addiction to uniforms and magnificent ceremonies outrages him. A moral numbness, a panic fear of life finds him.
The "tangled and terrible knot of life" strangles him. And on the Borodino field, he meets the Russian people - a new world opens up to him. The spiritual crisis was prepared by stunning impressions that suddenly befell him: he sees the fire of Moscow, is captured, spends several days awaiting the death sentence, and is present at the execution. And then he meets "Russian, kind, round Karataev." Joyful and light, he saves Pierre from spiritual death and leads him to God.
“Before, he sought God for the goals that he set for himself,” writes Tolstoy, and suddenly he learned in his captivity, not by words, not by reasoning, but by direct feeling, what the nanny had already told him for a long time; that God is here He is, here, everywhere. In captivity, he learned that God in Karataev is greater, infinite and incomprehensible than in the Architecton of the universe recognized by the Freemasons. "
Religious inspiration embraces Pierre, all questions and doubts disappear, he no longer thinks about the “meaning of life,” for the meaning has already been found: love for God and selfless service to people. The novel ends with a picture of Pierre's complete happiness, who married Natasha Rostova and became a devoted husband and loving father.
Platon Karataev
The soldier Platon Karataev, a meeting with whom in Moscow, occupied by the French, revolutionized Pierre Bezukhov, who was seeking the truth, was conceived by the author as a parallel to the “people's hero” Kutuzov; he, too, is a person without personality, passively giving in to events. This is how Pierre sees him, that is, the author himself, but the reader sees him differently. Not impersonality, but the extraordinary originality of his personality amazes us. His apt words, jokes and sayings, his constant activity, his bright cheerfulness of spirit and sense of beauty ("goodness"), his active love for neighbors, humility, cheerfulness and religiosity do not add up in our imagination to the image of an impersonal "part of the whole", but into the amazingly whole face of the righteous man of the people.
Platon Karataev is as much a “great Christian” as the holy fool Grisha in Childhood. Tolstoy intuitively sensed his spiritual identity, but his rationalistic explanation slipped over the surface of this mystical soul.
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy in his epic novel "War and Peace" provided a wide system of images. His world is not limited to a few noble families: real historical characters mixed with fictional, main and secondary ones. This symbiosis is sometimes so confusing and unusual that it is extremely difficult to determine which heroes perform a more or less important function.
Representatives of eight noble families act in the novel, almost all of them occupy a central place in the narrative.
The Rostov family
This family is represented by Count Ilya Andreevich, his wife Natalya, their four children together and their pupil Sonya.
The head of the family, Ilya Andreevich, is a sweet and good-natured person. He was always wealthy, therefore he does not know how to save money, he is often deceived by acquaintances and relatives for mercenary purposes. The count is not a selfish person, he is ready to help everyone. Over time, this attitude, reinforced by his addiction to the game of cards, became disastrous for his entire family. Due to the squandering of the father, the family has been on the verge of poverty for a long time. The count dies at the end of the novel, after the wedding of Natalia and Pierre, a natural death.
Countess Natalya is very similar to her husband. She, like him, is alien to the concept of self-interest and the race for money. She is ready to help people in difficult situations, she is overwhelmed with feelings of patriotism. The countess had to endure many sorrows and troubles. This state of affairs is associated not only with unexpected poverty, but also with the death of their children. Of the thirteen born, only four survived, subsequently the war took another - the youngest.
The Count and Countess Rostovs, like most of the characters in the novel, have their own prototypes. They were the grandfather and grandmother of the writer - Ilya Andreevich and Pelageya Nikolaevna.
The Rostovs' eldest child is named Vera. This is an unusual girl, unlike all other family members. She is rough and callous at heart. This attitude applies not only to strangers, but also to immediate family members. The rest of the Rostovs' children subsequently make fun of her and even come up with a nickname for her. The prototype of Vera was Elizaveta Bers, L. Tolstoy's daughter-in-law.
The next oldest child is Nikolai. His image is sketched in the novel with love. Nikolai is a noble man. He takes a responsible approach to any occupation. He tries to be guided by the principles of morality and honor. Nikolai is very similar to his parents - kind, sweet, purposeful. After the experience of distress, he constantly took care not to find himself in a similar situation anymore. Nikolai takes part in military events, he is repeatedly awarded, but nevertheless he leaves military service after the war with Napoleon - his family needs him.
Nikolai marries Maria Bolkonskaya, they have three children - Andrei, Natasha, Mitya - and a fourth is expected.
The younger sister of Nikolai and Vera, Natalya, is the same character and temperament as her parents. She is sincere and trusting and it almost ruins her - Fyodor Dolokhov fools the girl and persuades her to run away. These plans were not destined to come true, but Natalya's engagement to Andrei Bolkonsky was terminated, and Natalya fell into a deep depression. Subsequently, she became the wife of Pierre Bezukhov. The woman stopped following her figure, those around her began to speak of her as an unpleasant woman. Natalia's prototypes were Tolstoy's wife, Sofya Andreevna and her sister, Tatyana Andreevna.
The youngest child of the Rostovs was Petya. He was the same as all Rostovs: noble, honest and kind. All these qualities were enhanced by youthful maximalism. Petya was a sweet eccentric, to whom all the pranks were forgiven. The fate of Petya was extremely unfavorable - he, like his brother, went to the front and died there very young and young.
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the summary of the second part of the first volume of the novel by L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace".
Another child was brought up in the Rostov family - Sonya. The girl was related to the Rostovs; after the death of her parents, they took her into foster care and treated her like their own child. Sonya was in love with Nikolai Rostov for a long time, this fact did not allow her to get married on time.
Presumably, she remained alone until the end of her days. Its prototype was Tolstoy's aunt, Tatyana Aleksandrovna, in whose house the writer was brought up after the death of his parents.
We get to know all the Rostovs at the very beginning of the novel - they are all active throughout the entire story. In the "Epilogue" we learn about the further continuation of their kind.
The Bezukhov family
The Bezukhov family is not represented in such a numerous form as the Rostov family. The head of the family is Kirill Vladimirovich. The name of his wife is not known. We know that she belonged to the Kuragin family, but it is unclear who exactly she was. Count Bezukhov has no children born in wedlock - all of his children are illegitimate. The eldest of them - Pierre - was officially named by the father as the heir to the estate.
After such a statement by the count, the image of Pierre Bezukhov began to appear in the public plane. Pierre himself does not impose his society on those around him, but he is a prominent groom - the heir of unthinkable wealth, so they want to see him always and everywhere. Nothing is known about Pierre's mother, but this does not become a reason for indignation and ridicule. Pierre received a decent education abroad and returned to his homeland full of utopian ideas, his vision of the world is too idealistic and divorced from reality, so all the time he is faced with unthinkable disappointments - in social activities, personal life, family harmony. His first wife was Elena Kuragina, a whore and a freak. This marriage brought a lot of suffering to Pierre. The death of his wife saved him from the unbearable - he did not have the strength to leave Elena or change her, but he could not come to terms with such an attitude towards his person. The second marriage - with Natasha Rostova - became more successful. They had four children - three girls and a boy.
Princes Kuragin
The Kuragin family is stubbornly associated with greed, debauchery and deceit. The reason for this was the children of Vasily Sergeevich and Alina - Anatole and Elena.
Prince Vasily was not a bad person, he possessed a number of positive qualities, but his desire for enrichment and gentleness of character in relation to his son brought all the positive aspects to nothing.
Like any father, Prince Vasily wanted to ensure a comfortable future for his children, one of the options was a profitable marriage. This position not only affected the reputation of the whole family in a bad way, but also later played a tragic role in the lives of Elena and Anatole.
Little is known about Princess Alina. At the time of the story, she was a rather ugly woman. Her hallmark was envy of her daughter Elena.
Vasily Sergeevich and Princess Alina had two sons and a daughter.
Anatole - became the cause of all the troubles of the family. He led the life of a squander and a rake - debts, debauches were a natural occupation for him. This behavior left an extremely negative imprint on the family's reputation and financial situation.
Anatole was seen in love with his sister Elena. The possibility of a serious relationship between brother and sister was suppressed by Prince Vasily, but, apparently, it still took place after Elena's marriage.
Kuragin's daughter Elena possessed incredible beauty, like her brother Anatol. She skillfully flirted and after marriage had a love affair with many men, ignoring her husband Pierre Bezukhov.
Their brother Hippolytus was completely unlike them in appearance - he was extremely unpleasant in appearance. In terms of the composition of his mind, he was not much different from his brother and sister. He was too stupid - this was noted not only by those around him, but also by his father. Yet Hippolytus was not hopeless - he knew foreign languages well and worked at the embassy.
Princes Bolkonsky
The Bolkonsky family is far from the last place in society - they are rich and influential.
The family includes Prince Nikolai Andreevich - a man of old schooling and peculiar morals. He is rather rude in dealing with his family, but still he is not devoid of sensuality and tenderness - he is anxious about his grandson and daughter, in a peculiar way, but nevertheless, he loves his son, but he is not very successful in showing the sincerity of his feelings.
Nothing is known about the prince's wife, even her name is not mentioned in the text. In the marriage of the Bolkonskys, two children were born - a son Andrei and a daughter Marya.
Andrei Bolkonsky is partially similar in character to his father - he is quick-tempered, proud and a little rude. He is distinguished by his attractive appearance and natural charm. At the beginning of the novel, Andrei is successfully married to Lisa Meinen - the couple has a son, Nikolenka, but his mother dies the night after giving birth.
After a while, Andrei becomes the fiancé of Natalya Rostova, but he did not have to get married - all plans were translated by Anatol Kuragin, which earned him personal dislike and exceptional hatred on the part of Andrei.
Prince Andrew takes part in the military events of 1812, is seriously wounded on the battlefield and dies in the hospital.
Maria Bolkonskaya, Andrei's sister, is devoid of such pride and stubbornness as her brother, which allows her, not without difficulty, but nevertheless to get along with her father, who is not distinguished by a docile character. Kind and meek, she understands that she is not indifferent to her father, therefore she does not hold grudges against him for nit-picking and rudeness. The girl is raising her nephew. Outwardly, Marya does not look like her brother - she is very ugly, but this does not prevent her from marrying Nikolai Rostov and living a happy life.
Liza Bolkonskaya (Meinen) was the wife of Prince Andrew. She was an attractive woman. Her inner world was not inferior to her appearance - she was sweet and pleasant, she loved to do needlework. Unfortunately, her fate did not turn out in the best way - childbirth turned out to be too difficult for her - she dies, giving life to her son Nikolenka.
Nikolenka lost his mother early, but the boy's troubles did not stop there - at the age of 7 he also loses his father. Despite everything, he is characterized by the cheerfulness inherent in all children - he grows up as an intelligent and inquisitive boy. The image of a father becomes key for him - Nikolenka wants to live in such a way that his father can be proud of him.
Mademoiselle Burienne also belongs to the Bolkonski family. Despite the fact that she is just a companion, she has a significant meaning in the context of the family. First of all, it consists in a pseudo friendship with Princess Mary. Often Mademoiselle acts meanly in relation to Mary, enjoys the girl's favor in relation to her person.
The Karagin family
Tolstoy does not really spread about the Karagin family - the reader gets to know only two representatives of this family - Marya Lvovna and her daughter Julie.
Marya Lvovna first appears before readers in the first volume of the novel, her daughter also begins acting in the first volume of the first part of War and Peace. Julie has an extremely unpleasant appearance, she is in love with Nikolai Rostov, but the young man does not pay any attention to her. Its enormous wealth does not save the situation either. Boris Drubetskoy actively pays attention to her material component, the girl realizes that the young man is courting her only because of the money, but does not show it - for her, this is actually the only way not to remain an old maid.
Princes Drubetskoy
The Drubetskoy family is not particularly active in the public sphere, therefore Tolstoy avoids a detailed description of the representatives of the family and focuses the readers' attention only on actively acting characters - Anna Mikhailovna and her son Boris.
Princess Drubetskaya belongs to an old family, but now her family is going through hard times - poverty has become a constant companion of the Drubetskoys. This state of affairs gave rise to a sense of prudence and self-interest in the representatives of this family. Anna Mikhailovna tries to derive as much benefit as possible from friendship with the Rostovs - she has been living with them for a long time.
Her son, Boris, was a friend of Nikolai Rostov for some time. As they matured, their views on life values and principles began to differ greatly, which led to a detachment in communication.
Boris more and more begins to show self-interest and the desire to get rich at any cost. He is ready to marry for money and does it successfully, taking advantage of the unenviable position of Julie Karagina
Dolokhov family
Representatives of the Dolokhov family are also not all active in the life of society. Among all, Fedor stands out brightly. He is the son of Marya Ivanovna and the best friend of Anatoly Kuragin. In his behavior, he also did not go far from his friend: revelry and an idle way of life are a common occurrence for him. In addition, he is famous for his love affair with Pierre Bezukhov's wife, Elena. A distinctive feature of Dolokhov from Kuragin is his affection for his mother and sister.
Historical figures in the novel "War and Peace"
Since Tolstoy's novel takes place against the backdrop of historical events associated with the war against Napoleon in 1812, it is impossible to do without at least partial mention of real-life characters.
Alexander I
The most active in the novel describes the activities of Emperor Alexander I. This is not surprising, because the main events take place on the territory of the Russian Empire. First, we learn about the positive and liberal aspirations of the emperor, he is an "angel in the flesh." The peak of his popularity falls on the period of Napoleon's defeat in the war. It was at this time that Alexander's authority reached incredible heights. The Emperor can easily make changes and improve the lives of his subjects, but he does not. As a result, this attitude and inactivity become the reason for the appearance of the Decembrist movement.
Napoleon I Bonaparte
On the other side of the barricade in the events of 1812 is Napoleon. Since many Russian aristocrats were educated abroad, and French was their everyday language, the attitude of the nobles towards this character at the beginning of the novel was positive and bordering on admiration. Then disappointment occurs - their idol from the category of ideals becomes the main villain. With the image of Napoleon, such connotations as egocentrism, lies, and pretense are actively used.
Mikhail Speransky
This character is significant not only in Tolstoy's novel, but also during the real era of Emperor Alexander.
His family could not boast of antiquity and significance - he is the son of a priest, but still he managed to become the secretary of Alexander I. He is not a very pleasant person, but everyone notes his importance in the context of events in the country.
In addition, historical characters of lesser importance than emperors act in the novel. These are the great commanders Barclay de Tolly, Mikhail Kutuzov and Peter Bagration. Their activities and the disclosure of the image take place on the battlefields - Tolstoy tries to describe the military part of the narrative as realistic and captivating as possible, therefore these characters are described not only as great and unsurpassed, but also in the role of ordinary people who are subject to doubts, mistakes and negative character traits.
Other characters
Among the rest of the characters, the name of Anna Scherer should be distinguished. She is the "owner" of a secular salon - here the elite of society meet. Guests are rarely left to their own devices. Anna Mikhailovna always strives to provide her visitors with interesting interlocutors, she often pimps - this arouses her special interest.
Adolph Berg, the husband of Rostova's faith, is of great importance in the novel. He is an ardent careerist and selfish person. With his wife, he is brought together by temperament and attitude to family life.
Another significant character is Platon Karataev. Despite his ignoble origins, his role in the novel is extremely important. Possession of folk wisdom and understanding of the principles of happiness gives him the opportunity to influence the formation of Pierre Bezukhov.
Thus, both fictional and real-life characters are active in the novel. Tolstoy does not burden his readers with unnecessary information about the genealogy of families; he actively talks only about those representatives who are actively working within the framework of the novel.
Tolstoy's favorite characters in War and Peace are Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky. They are united by a quality that the writer himself valued most in people. In his opinion, to be a real person, you need to “torn, fight, get confused, make mistakes, start and quit” all your life, and “calmness is a spiritual meanness”. That is, a person should not calm down and stop, he should look for meaning all his life and strive to find an application for his forces, talents, and mind.
In this article we will consider what characteristics are the main characters of the novel "War and Peace" by Tolstoy. Pay attention to why Tolstoy endowed these characters with such traits and what he wanted to say to his readers.
Pierre Bezukhov in the novel "War and Peace"
As we have already noted, speaking about the main characters of the novel "War and Peace" by Tolstoy, you should definitely discuss the image of Pierre Bezukhov. For the first time, the reader sees Pierre in the aristocratic Petersburg salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer. The hostess treats him somewhat downright, because he is just the illegitimate son of a rich nobleman of Catherine's times, who has just returned from abroad, where he was educated.
Pierre Bezukhov differs from the rest of the guests for his spontaneity and sincerity. Drawing a psychological portrait of his protagonist, Tolstoy points out that Pierre was a fat, absent-minded person, but all this was redeemed by "an expression of good nature, simplicity and modesty." The owner of the salon was afraid that Pierre would say something wrong, and indeed, Bezukhov fervently expresses his opinion, argues with the viscount and does not know how to observe the etiquette rules. At the same time, he is good-natured and smart. Pierre's qualities, shown in the first chapters of the novel, will be inherent in him throughout the entire narrative, although the hero himself will go through a difficult path of spiritual evolution. Why then Pierre Bezukhov can be safely attributed to the main characters of the novel "War and Peace" by Tolstoy? Consideration of the image of Pierre Bezukhov helps to understand this.
Pierre Bezukhov is so loved by Tolstoy, because this protagonist of the novel tirelessly searches for the meaning of life, asks himself painful questions: “What's wrong? What well? What should I love, what should I hate? Why live, and what am I? What is life, what is death? What is the power that controls everything? "
Pierre Bezukhov goes through a difficult path of spiritual quest. He is not satisfied with the St. Petersburg revelry of the golden youth. Having received an inheritance and becoming one of the richest people in Russia, the hero marries Helen, but he blames himself for the failures of family life and even his wife's betrayal, since he made an offer without feeling love.
For a while, he finds meaning in Freemasonry. He is close to the idea of spiritual brothers about the need to live for the sake of others, to give to others as much as possible. Pierre Bezukhov is trying to change and improve the situation of his peasants. But soon disappointment sets in: the protagonist of the novel "War and Peace" by Tolstoy realizes that most of the Freemasons are trying to make acquaintances with influential people in this way. Further, the image and characteristics of Pierre Bezukhov is revealed in an interesting aspect.
The most important stage on the path of Pierre Bezukhov's spiritual development is the war of 1812 and captivity. At the Borodino field, he understands that the truth is in the universal unity of people. In captivity, the peasant philosopher Platon Karataev reveals to the protagonist the realization of how important it is to “live with people” and to stoically accept everything that fate presents.
Pierre Bezukhov has an inquisitive mind, thoughtful and often ruthless introspection. He is a decent person, kind and a little naive. He asks himself and the world philosophical questions about the meaning of life, God, the purpose of existence, finding no answer, he does not brush off painful thoughts, but tries to find the right path.
In the epilogue, Pierre is happy with Natasha Rostova, but personal happiness is not enough for him. He becomes a member of a secret society preparing transformations in Russia. So, discussing who are the main characters of the novel "War and Peace" by Tolstoy, we focused on the image of Pierre Bezukhov and his characteristics. Let's move on to the next key character in the novel - Andrei Bolkonsky.
Andrei Bolkonsky in the novel "War and Peace"
The Bolkonsky family are united by common generic features: a sharp analytical mind, nobility, the highest sense of honor, an understanding of their duty in serving the Fatherland. It is no coincidence that, seeing off his son to the war, his father, admonishing him, says: “Remember one thing, Prince Andrei: if they kill you, it will hurt me, the old man ... ... ashamed!" Undoubtedly, Andrei Bolkonsky is a bright character and one of the main characters of Tolstoy's novel War and Peace.
During his military service, Bolkonsky is guided by considerations of the general benefit, and not of his own career. He heroically rushes forward with a banner in his hands, because it hurts him to see the flight of the Russian army on the Austerlitz field.
Andrey, like Pierre, faces a difficult path of searching for the meaning of life and disappointments. At first, he dreams of the glory of Napoleon. But after the Austerlitz sky, in which the prince saw something infinitely high, beautiful and calm, the former idol seems to him small, insignificant with his vain aspirations.
Comprehends the protagonist of the novel "War and Peace" by Tolstoy and disappointment in love (Natasha betrays him, deciding to run away with the fool Anatol Kuragin), in life for the sake of his family (he understands that this is not enough), in public service (Speransky's activities turn out to be meaningless vanity, not bringing true benefit).
Leo Tolstoy in his article "A few words about the book" War and Peace "" says that the surnames of the characters in the epic are consonant with the surnames of real people, because he "felt awkward" using the names of historical figures next to fictitious ones. Tolstoy writes that he "would be very sorry" if readers thought that he was deliberately describing the characters of real people, because all the characters are fictional.
At the same time, the novel contains two heroes whom Tolstoy "unwittingly" gave the names of real people - Denisov and M. D. Akhrosimova. He did this because they were "characteristic faces of the time." Nevertheless, in the biographies and other characters of War and Peace, you can see similarities with the stories of real people, which probably influenced Tolstoy when he worked on the images of his characters.
Prince Andrey Bolkonsky
Nikolay Tuchkov. (wikimedia.org)
The hero's surname is consonant with the surname of the princely family of Volkonsky, from which the writer's mother came, however, Andrei is one of those characters whose image is more fictional than borrowed from specific people. As an unattainable moral ideal, Prince Andrey, of course, could not have a definite prototype. Nevertheless, in the facts of the character's biography, you can find a lot in common, for example, with Nikolai Tuchkov. He was a lieutenant general and, like Prince Andrei, was mortally wounded in the Battle of Borodino, from which he died in Yaroslavl three weeks later.
Nikolai Rostov and Princess Marya - the writer's parents
The scene of the wounding of Prince Andrey at the Battle of Austerlitz is probably borrowed from the biography of Staff Captain Fyodor (Ferdinand) Tizengauzen, Kutuzov's son-in-law. With a banner in his hands, he led the Little Russian grenadier regiment into a counterattack, was wounded, captured and died three days after the battle. Also, the act of Prince Andrei is similar to that of Prince Peter Volkonsky, who, with the banner of the Fanagoria regiment, led the brigade of grenadiers forward.
It is possible that Tolstoy gave the image of Prince Andrei the features of his brother Sergei. At least this concerns the story of the failed marriage of Bolkonsky and Natasha Rostova. Sergei Tolstoy was engaged to Tatyana Bers, the older sister of Sophia Tolstoy (the writer's wife). The marriage did not take place, because Sergei had already lived for several years with the gypsy Maria Shishkina, whom he eventually married, and Tatyana married the lawyer A. Kuzminsky.
Natasha Rostova
Sophia Tolstaya is the writer's wife. (wikimedia.org)
It can be assumed that Natasha has two prototypes at once - Tatyana and Sophia Bers. In the comments to War and Peace, Tolstoy says that Natasha Rostova turned out when he "smashed Tanya and Sonya."
Tatiana Bers spent most of her childhood in the writer's family and managed to make friends with the author of War and Peace, despite the fact that she was almost 20 years younger than him. Moreover, under the influence of Tolstoy, Kuzminskaya herself took up literary work. In her book "My life at home and in Yasnaya Polyana" she wrote: "Natasha - he said bluntly that I did not live with him for nothing, that he was cheating me." This can be found in the novel. The episode with Natasha's doll, which she offers to kiss Boris, is really copied from the real case when Tatyana invited her friend to kiss Mimi's doll. Later she wrote: "My big doll Mimi got into a novel!" The appearance of Natasha Tolstoy also painted from Tatyana.
For the image of an adult Rostova - his wife and mother - the writer probably turned to Sophia. Tolstoy's wife was devoted to her husband, gave birth to 13 children, she herself was engaged in their upbringing, housekeeping and indeed rewrote "War and Peace" several times.
Rostov
In the drafts of the novel, the family name is first Tolstoy, then Simple, then Plokhov. The writer used archival documents to recreate the life of a kind and depict it in the life of the Rostov family. There are overlaps in names with Tolstoy's paternal relatives, as in the case of the old Count Rostov. Under this name lies the grandfather of the writer Ilya Andreevich Tolstoy. This man, in fact, led a rather lavish lifestyle and spent colossal sums on recreational activities. Leo Tolstoy, in his memoirs, wrote of him as a generous but limited person who constantly arranged balls and receptions at the estate.
Even Tolstoy did not hide that Vasily Denisov is Denis Davydov
And yet this is not the good-natured Ilya Andreyevich Rostov from War and Peace. Count Tolstoy was a Kazan governor and a bribe-taker known throughout Russia, although the writer recalls that his grandfather did not take bribes, and his grandmother secretly took from her husband. Ilya Tolstoy was removed from his post after auditors discovered the theft of almost 15 thousand rubles from the provincial treasury. The reason for the shortage was called "lack of knowledge in the position of the governor of the province."
Nikolai Tolstoy. (wikimedia.org)
Nikolai Rostov is the father of the writer Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy. There are more than enough similarities between the prototype and the hero of War and Peace. Nikolai Tolstoy at the age of 17 voluntarily joined the Cossack regiment, served in the hussars and went through all the Napoleonic wars, including the Patriotic War of 1812. It is believed that the descriptions of military scenes with the participation of Nikolai Rostov are taken by the writer from the memoirs of his father. Nicholas inherited huge debts, he had to get a job as a teacher in the Moscow military orphanage department. To remedy the situation, he married the ugly and withdrawn princess Maria Volkonskaya, who was four years older than him. The marriage was arranged by the relatives of the bride and groom. Judging by the recollections of contemporaries, the marriage of convenience turned out to be very happy. Maria and Nikolai led a secluded life. Nikolai read a lot and collected a library on the estate, was engaged in farming and hunting. Tatyana Bers wrote to Sophia that Vera Rostova is very similar to Lisa Bers, another sister of Sophia.
The Bers sisters: Sophia, Tatiana and Elizabeth. (tolstoy-manuscript.ru)
Princess Marya
There is a version that the prototype of Princess Marya is the mother of Leo Tolstoy, Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya, by the way, she is also the full namesake of the book heroine. However, the writer's mother died when Tolstoy was less than two years old. Volkonskaya's portraits have not survived, and the writer studied her letters and diaries in order to create her image for himself.
Unlike the heroine, the writer's mother had no problems with the sciences, in particular with mathematics and geometry. She learned four foreign languages, and, judging by Volkonskaya's diaries, she had a rather warm relationship with her father, she was devoted to him. Maria lived for 30 years with her father in Yasnaya Polyana (Lysye Gory from the novel), but she never married, although she was a very enviable bride. She was a closed woman and rejected several suitors.
Dolokhov's prototype probably ate his own orangutan
Princess Volkonskaya even had a companion - Miss Hanssen, somewhat similar to Mademoiselle Buryen from the novel. After the death of her father, the daughter began to literally give away property. She gave part of the inheritance to the sister of her companion, who did not have a dowry. After that, her relatives intervened in the matter, arranging the marriage of Maria Nikolaevna with Nikolai Tolstoy. Maria Volkonskaya died eight years after the wedding, having managed to give birth to four children.
Old Prince Bolkonsky
Nikolay Volkonsky. (wikimedia.org)
Nikolai Sergeevich Volkonsky is an infantry general who distinguished himself in several battles and received the nickname "The Prussian King" from his colleagues. By nature, he is very similar to the old prince: proud, headstrong, but not cruel. He left the service after the accession of Paul I, retired to Yasnaya Polyana and took up raising his daughter. He spent whole days improving his economy and teaching his daughter languages and sciences. An important difference from the character from the book: Prince Nicholas survived the war of 1812 perfectly, and died nine years later, a little short of seventy. In Moscow, he had a house on Vozdvizhenka, 9. Now it has been rebuilt.
Ilya Rostov's prototype - Tolstoy's grandfather, who ruined his career
Sonya
The prototype of Sonya can be called Tatyana Ergolskaya - the second cousin of Nikolai Tolstoy (the writer's father), who was brought up in his father's house. In their youth, they had an affair that never ended in marriage. Not only Nikolai's parents opposed the wedding, but also Ergolskaya herself. The last time she turned down a marriage proposal from a cousin was in 1836. The widowed Tolstoy asked Yergolskaya's hand to marry him and replace the mother with five children. Ergolskaya refused, but after the death of Nikolai Tolstoy she really took up the upbringing of his sons and daughter, devoting the rest of her life to them.
Leo Tolstoy appreciated his aunt and kept up a correspondence with her. She was the first to start collecting and storing the writer's papers. In his memoirs, he wrote that everyone loved Tatyana and “her whole life was love,” but she herself always loved one person - Leo Tolstoy's father.
Dolokhov
Fyodor Tolstoy-American. (wikimedia.org)
Dolokhov has several prototypes. Among them, for example, lieutenant general and partisan Ivan Dorokhov, the hero of several major campaigns, including the war of 1812. However, if we talk about character, Dolokhov has more similarities with the writer’s cousin Fyodor Ivanovich Tolstoy, nicknamed “American”. He was a well-known breaker, player and lover of women in his time. Dolokhov is also compared with officer A. Figner, who commanded a partisan detachment, participated in duels and hated the French.
Tolstoy is not the only writer to include the American in his work. Fyodor Ivanovich is also considered the prototype of Zaretsky - Lensky's second from Eugene Onegin. Tolstoy got his nickname after he made a trip to America, during which he was boarded from a ship. There is a version that then he ate his own monkey, although Sergei Tolstoy wrote that this is not true.
Kuraginy
In this case, it is difficult to talk about the family, because the images of Prince Vasily, Anatole and Helen are borrowed from several people who are not related by kinship. Kuragin Sr. is undoubtedly Alexei Borisovich Kurakin, a prominent courtier during the reign of Paul I and Alexander I, who made a brilliant career at court and made a fortune.
Alexey Borisovich Kurakin. (wikimedia.org)
He had three children, just like Prince Vasily, of whom his daughter gave him the most trouble. Alexandra Alekseevna really had a scandalous reputation, especially her divorce from her husband made a lot of noise in the world. Prince Kurakin, in one of his letters, even called his daughter the main burden of his old age. Sounds like a War and Peace character, doesn't it? Although Vasily Kuragin expressed himself a little differently.
On the right is Alexandra Kurakin. (wikimedia.org)
Helen's prototypes - the wife of Bagration and the mistress of a classmate of Pushkin
Anatoly Lvovich Shostak, Tatyana Bers's second cousin, who courted her when she came to St. Petersburg, should be called the prototype of Anatoly Kuragin. After that, he came to Yasnaya Polyana and annoyed Leo Tolstoy. In the draft notes of War and Peace, Anatole's surname is Shimko.
As for Helene, her image is taken from several women at once. In addition to some similarities with Alexandra Kurakina, she has much in common with Ekaterina Skvaronskaya (wife of Bagration), who was known for her careless behavior not only in Russia, but also in Europe, where she left five years after the wedding. In her homeland she was called the "Wandering Princess", and in Austria she was known as the mistress of Clemens Metternich, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the empire. From him Ekaterina Skavronskaya gave birth - of course, out of wedlock - daughter Clementine. Perhaps it was the "Wandering Princess" who contributed to the entry of Austria into the anti-Napoleonic coalition.
Another woman from whom Tolstoy could borrow the features of Helene is Nadezhda Akinfova. She was born in 1840 and was very famous in St. Petersburg and Moscow as a woman of scandalous reputation and riotous disposition. She gained wide popularity thanks to her romance with Chancellor Alexander Gorchakov, a classmate of Pushkin. By the way, he was 40 years older than Akinfova, whose husband was the chancellor's grand-nephew. Akinfova also divorced her first husband, but already married the Duke of Leuchtenberg in Europe, where they moved together. Recall that in the novel itself, Helene never divorced Pierre.
Ekaterina Skavronskaya-Bagration. (wikimedia.org)
Vasily Denisov
Denis Davydov. (wikimedia.org)
Every schoolchild knows that the prototype of Vasily Denisov was Denis Davydov - a poet and writer, lieutenant general, partisan. Tolstoy used the works of Davydov when he studied the Napoleonic Wars.
Julie Karagina
There is an opinion that Julie Karagina is Varvara Aleksandrovna Lanskaya, the wife of the Minister of Internal Affairs. She is known exclusively for the fact that she had a long correspondence with her friend Maria Volkova. From these letters, Tolstoy studied the history of the war of 1812. Moreover, they almost completely entered War and Peace under the guise of correspondence between Princess Marya and Julia Karagina.
Pierre Bezukhov
Peter Vyazemsky. (wikimedia.org)
Pierre has no obvious prototype, since this character has similarities both with Tolstoy himself and with many historical figures who lived during the writer's time and during the Patriotic War.
However, some similarities can be seen with Peter Vyazemsky. He also wore glasses, received a huge inheritance, and took part in the Battle of Borodino. In addition, he wrote poetry and published. Tolstoy used his notes in the work on the novel.
Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova
In Akhrosimov's novel, this is the guest whom the Rostovs are waiting for on Natasha's name day. Tolstoy writes that Marya Dmitrievna is known all over Petersburg and all of Moscow, and for her directness and rudeness she is called "le terrible dragon".
The similarity of the character can be seen with Nastasya Dmitrievna Ofrosimova. This is a lady from Moscow, the niece of Prince Volkonsky. Prince Vyazemsky wrote in his memoirs that she was a strong, domineering woman who was highly respected in society. The Ofrosimovs' estate was located in Chisty Lane (Khamovniki district) in Moscow. It is believed that Ofrosimova was also the prototype of Khlestova in Griboyedov's Woe from Wit.
Supposed portrait of N. D. Ofrosimova by F. S. Rokotov. (wikimedia.org)
Liza Bolkonskaya
Tolstoy painted the appearance of Liza Bolkonskaya from Louise Ivanovna Truson - the wife of his second cousin. This is evidenced by Sophia's signature on the back of her portrait in Yasnaya Polyana.
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