"Matteo Falcone" the main characters and their characteristics will help you understand the reasons for their actions.

"Matteo Falcone" main characters

Main characters:

  • Matteo Falcone - head of families
  • his son Fortunato,
  • Giuseppa is Matteo's wife, a woman who is not very respected in Corsican families. Economical, obedient to her husband, pious. She sincerely feels sorry for her son, but she can’t protect him from her husband.
  • fugitive Giannetto Sanpiero,
  • soldiers and Sergeant Theodore Gamba.

"Matteo Falcone" characteristics of the characters

- a typical Corsican, able to shoot accurately, determined, proud, brave, strong, observes the laws of hospitality and is ready to help anyone who asks for it. Matteo Falcone does not tolerate meanness and betrayal. He owned numerous herds, which were looked after by specially hired shepherds. In Corsica he was considered a good friend and a dangerous enemy.

“he lived honestly, that is, without doing anything, on the income from his numerous herds, which nomadic shepherds grazed in the mountains, driving from place to place.”

Some people consider Matteo Falcone a hero, others a murderer. For some, he is a man with enormous willpower, an iron character, who managed to kill even his own son in order to punish betrayal... And for others, he is a cruel killer who, in order to preserve his good name, killed his little son.

From the point of view of Christianity, from a universal human point of view, he is a murderer who has committed a grave sin. And from the point of view of the unwritten laws of the inhabitants of Corsica, their understanding of duty and honor, he is a hero who has committed justice. It takes a lot of willpower and strength of character to punish your own son. It is love for his son that pushes Falcone to murder. The strength of Matteo Falcone’s character is such that he overcomes the natural human instinct of preserving himself in children, the instinct of procreation. But at that time he could not do otherwise. The meaning of the hero's life is the honor of the family. According to Matteo, a person’s honor, the purity of the soul must be impeccable, without blemish.

Fortunato- ten-year-old son Matteo. The boy is smart, cunning, and careful. He helped a fugitive criminal, benefiting himself.

The boy behaves with the gendarmes who were looking for the criminal, confidently, calmly, tries to confuse them, is not afraid, even laughs. Fortunato is not afraid of either a bandit or a policeman, he behaves completely independently and freely with them: he is confident that no one will touch Matteo Falcone’s son. The boy's problem is different. He hid the bandit and promised him: “Don’t be afraid of anything.” And he himself handed the criminal over to the gendarmes for a silver watch. This boy’s act is immoral, vile, low. Now he is a traitor and would remain so for the rest of his life.

Fortunato died at the hands of his own father. He paid with his life because of his selfishness and greed, which led him to betrayal. Sergeant Gamba was also involved in this, bribing the boy and provoking his act.

Why did Matteo Falcone kill his son?

Matteo Falcone did this because he did not want to raise a traitor in his house. A small traitor grows into a big one, he believed.

Someone who has already committed treason once cannot count on the respect of people, no matter how small he may be.

For Matteo, a good name and honor are more valuable than anything, even more valuable than his son. Matteo killed his son because local customs dictated that he do so, but no one has the right to decide when to die

MATEO FALCONE is the hero of P. Merimee's short story “Mateo Falcone” (1829). The action takes place on the island of Corsica, the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. Merimee treated this historical figure with great respect and, portraying his fellow countrymen, endowed them with extraordinary spiritual strength, integrity, uncompromisingness, indestructible will and courage. This is exactly what M.F. is like, in all respects a true Corsican: “Short, strong, with curly, jet-black hair, thin lips, an aquiline nose, large lively eyes and a face the color of tanned leather.” He is famous as an excellent shooter, he is considered “as loyal a friend as he is a formidable enemy.” Merimee notes that he is generous with alms and is always ready to help those who need it. They say, however, that he once killed his rival, but this only gives the hero a certain romantic aura. At the moment when the events described in the novel take place, Mateo is about fifty years old. He is married. He has three daughters, successfully married, and a ten-year-old son, Fortunato, the hope of the family and the heir to the name. No more than an hour passes from the moment the hero appears until the final scene. Here he appears, accompanied by his wife. He walks “lightly in front,” carrying one gun in his hands and the other in a sling, for it is not proper for a man to carry anything other than a weapon.” The hero is just as focused and stern in last moments actions. His words, which end the short story, sound very ordinary and sober. It was as if nothing had happened. But in fact, something happened that could have deprived any other person of both peace and reason forever. M.F. just killed his son. Moreover, he did this not in anger, unable to control himself, but, on the contrary, having very soberly assessed everything that had already happened and what could happen in the future. “This boy is the first of our kind to commit treason,” he says. Indeed, while M.F. and his wife were absent, fate was willing to test Fortunato. At first he agrees to hide the wounded fugitive for a silver coin, but then, flattered by the sergeant’s silver watch, he betrays his guest to his pursuers. It was at that moment when the soldiers were preparing to carry away the stretcher with the prisoner that M.F. appears. “House of the traitor!” - says the caught fugitive and spits on the threshold. Most likely, it was at this moment that the fate of little Fortunato was decided. M.F. He grabbed the watch from his hands, threw it on a stone and ordered his son to follow him. He had already made a decision, reasoning that someone who had once allowed himself to be bribed would not be able to avoid temptation in the future, and to raise the traitor M.F. doesn't want to. It is love for his son, the fear of seeing him as a despised, corrupt creature, that pushes the hero to murder. He forces the boy to read several prayers, takes aim and after the phrase “May God forgive you!” - shoots. “Now I’ll bury him,” M.F. says calmly. his wife running to the shot. - He died a Christian. I will order a mass to be celebrated for the repose of his soul.” Image of M.F. for Merimee he was the embodiment of stern simplicity, courage and a special kind of humanity aimed at fighting sinfulness and meanness. Murder is not a sin, but a violation of eternal laws. No matter how terrible M.F.’s act may seem, one cannot help but recognize the deep, hard-earned rightness behind it. One of the translators of Merimee's novella in Russia was N.V. Gogol. (He helped make a poetic version of the translation to V.A. Zhukovsky.) And in this regard, one involuntarily recalls the phrase of Taras Bulba, who also committed filicide: “I gave birth to you, I will kill you!” Here, too, the murder of a son by a father appears as highest form punishments for betrayal and cowardice, as an attempt to restore violated justice.

Moral choice heroes. (Who is he, Matteo Falcone, a hero or a murderer?)

1.Introduce students to the works of Prosper Merimee.

2.Give an idea about the genre of the short story, about the heroic character in literature.

3.Develop the ability to competently characterize literary characters, develop teamwork skills.

4. To cultivate moral qualities such as honor, conscience, dignity, loyalty to duty.

Equipment: presentation.

Lesson plan.

1. Organizational moment.

(1 slide) Teacher's word:

I value that moment of communication,

Which is joyfully colored,

When every student is mine

He is in a hurry to open up to me.

2. Checking homework.

A) -For today's lesson, you should have read the pages of the textbook about Prosper Merime, get acquainted with the short story “Matteo Falcone”, make a plan and do the necessary vocabulary work.

What is a novella? (A short story is a short epic work, comparable to a short story and characterized by a sharp, fast-paced plot and a lack of descriptiveness. The focus of a short story is usually an incident that affects the life of the hero, revealing his character.)

B) We will check how carefully you read the text by restoring the confused logical chain.


You have 2 minutes for this work. You can use your homework for the lesson. + CHECK AT THE BOARD. Compare in groups, make the necessary amendments. 3. Work on the topic of the lesson:


A) -I would like to start our lesson with a poem by Yuri Davidovich Levitansky slide)

Everyone chooses for themselves
A woman, religion, a road.
To serve the devil or the prophet -
Everyone chooses for themselves.
Everyone chooses for themselves
A word for love and for prayer.
A sword for a duel, a sword for battle
Everyone chooses for themselves.
Everyone chooses for themselves
Shield and armor. Staff and patches.
The measure of final retribution.
Everyone chooses for themselves.
Everyone chooses for themselves.
I also choose - as best I can.
I have no complaints against anyone.
Everyone chooses for themselves.

Why do you think I started the lesson with this poem? What word would you identify as the key word in this poem? (slide)

This word will be the key word in the topic of our lesson. But you had to write out one more word from the dictionary, which, as part of a phrase with a keyword, will help us formulate the topic of today's lesson. What word am I talking about? MORAL - distinguished by high morality; corresponding to moral standards, moral requirements. N. person. N. act. Nth behavior. N-th attitude towards a woman. No relation to animals, to nature. Politics must be moral.

Try to formulate the topic of the lesson yourself.

(slide) Moral choice of heroes. (Who is he, Matteo Falcone, a hero or a murderer?)

(based on the short story “Matteo Falcone” by Prosper Merimee)

What are the objectives of the lesson: (see the beginning of the lesson)

B) In today’s work we will use the “fishbone” technique.

What problem do we need to solve? (Who is he, Matteo Falcone, a hero or a murderer?)

B) Group workshop.

1. Where and when do the events of the novel take place? (the story takes place in early XIX century on the island of Corsica. Impenetrable forest thickets, semi-civilized population, primitive way of life, harsh and simple morals - this is the place where events unfold.)

2. What form does Merimee choose when describing the scene? (Merimee chooses the form of a direct conversation with the reader, as if explaining to him the route “If you go northwest from Porto-Vecchio into the interior of the island, the area will begin to rise quite steeply, and after three hours of walking along winding paths, cluttered with large clouds of rocks and some -where, crossed by ravines, you will come out to vast thickets of poppies.” Merimee calls these impenetrable thickets of the young forest “the homeland of Corsican shepherds and everyone who is at odds with justice.” So the writer gives the reader a sign: we will talk about those “who are at odds with justice.” with justice." Along the way, we learn that farmers do not bother themselves with fertilizing the soil, but follow this path: they burn the forest, and the soil turns out to be fertilized with the ash of burnt trees.) When we read the short story “Matteo Falcone,” we clearly feel what is happening to us. says not the author, not Merimee himself, but someone else - a person who traveled, was in Corsica and personally knew Matteo Falcone and his wife: “When in 18... I visited Corsica, Matteo Falcone’s house was half a mile away from this maki.” We understand very well that we have a narrator in front of us when in the second paragraph we read the advice to run to the maki if you have killed a person: of course, the author could not seriously give the reader such advice.
It seems to us that this narrator is sitting among his acquaintances, perhaps fellow travelers on a long journey, and telling them about what he happened to see and learn, how he lived among peoples whose traditional way of life differs sharply from what the listeners are used to . Moreover, from the story it is clear to us that the listeners of this story were not in Corsica, because in the form of short remarks the narrator inserts information about the life and customs of Corsica - for example, he describes the home of a Corsican (“consists of one square room”) and the attitude of a typical Corsican towards a woman (“...no burden other than a weapon is unworthy of a man”, “The duty of a good wife is to load a gun for her husband during battle”).
The intonations of the address to the listeners create the effect of being in a circle of conversation: “If you go northwest from Porto-Vecchio into the interior of the island...”, “I must say that the Corsican farmer...”, “If you killed a man, run to poppies of Porto-Vecchio...", "Imagine a man of small stature, but strong...", "But they told about him that in Corte, where he took his wife from..."
The narrator does not tell us consistently and in detail about the customs of the Corsicans; he inserts the necessary information in between, as if it were known to everyone. But this one artistic technique makes us seem to stumble over unexpected messages and read the novel with special attention.


3.Merime uses an appeal to the reader: “If you killed a person, run to the poppies...”).

What does it mean? (he does not call on the reader to kill. Merimee needs this ironic form so that the reader understands: the Corsican has no other option in such circumstances, the matter is common in Corsica, it is the way it is in this area. The most interesting thing is that Merimee, in such detail. With knowledge of the matter while describing Corsica, he was not there. From the note we learn that the writer first came to Corsica only 10 years after writing the novel.).

The shepherds of Corsica feel like complete masters of the land on which they graze their flocks, and live according to unwritten but firm laws. They are free to live as they see fit, and they feel unity especially clearly when they are in opposition to someone (usually the official government and its representatives). Accordingly, they consider as their own other people who are disliked by the authorities, that is, criminals.
A good gun, gunpowder and bullets are needed in order to be able to shoot game, which is found in abundance in the poppies.
4.. Read by role the passage from the words p. 270 “Several hours have passed...” to the words p. 271 “... as if nothing had happened, he stretched out in the sun.” Give it a title. How did Fortunato talk to the bandit? Prove that the boy was smart and resourceful.

(“He was a bandit who, having gone into the city at night to buy gunpowder, was ambushed by Corsican Voltigeurs.”

Voltigeurs are shooters recruited by the government to help the police; these are the same free Corsicans, but they acted on the side of the police, that is, the official government. Voltigeurs understand well those people who hide in poppies: after all, they themselves may find themselves or have once found themselves in their place.

“What will father say if I hide you without his permission?
“He will say that you did well!”

Matteo Falcone, a man living next to the maquis, considered the area around his house an integral part of his domain, only he could dispose of it. He could consider the government’s intrusion into his territory without permission a personal insult. But the bandit was a Maquis man, he was being pursued, and Falcone would always hide the one being pursued.)

4.Make a syncwine.

5.Fill out the PMI table.

1.Retell close to the text the passage from words C 271 “A few minutes later, six shooters ...” to words C 274 “The temptation was too great...” Title it. How did Fortunato behave with the police? Why did he turn out to be a traitor?

2. . Read by role the excerpt from the words 274 “Fortunato raised left hand..." to the words p276 "...despite our relationship." Why did Fortunato betray Giannetto? How do the characters of the episode behave: Fortunato, Giannetto? Giuseppa, Matteo? What mental contradictions does each of them experience?

3.Make a syncwine.

4.Fill out the PMI table.

1. Read by role the passage from the words P.276 “Finally he made a bold decision...” to the words P.277 “...moved quickly towards the plain.” What is the difference life principles Matteo and the sergeant? (“Matteo Falcone was a fairly rich man in the area; he lived honestly, that is, without doing anything, on the income from his numerous herds, which nomadic shepherds grazed in the mountains, driving from place to place.”

He lived honestly, that is, without doing anything - this phrase grotesquely describes P. Merimee’s contemporary situation in France during the time of developing capitalism, when many wealthy people lived on income from capital investments and believed with full confidence that they were living honestly. This is how they lived in the cities of France - it’s not for nothing that French capitalism of that time is called usurious.

“This is extraordinary high art brought Matteo Falcone great fame. He was considered as much a good friend as a dangerous enemy...”

In closed societies there is often a cult of power. The concept of friend in such societies means that a person called a friend acts on your side in battle.

. “His wife Giuseppa bore him first three daughters (which infuriated him) and finally a son...”

The position of a woman in a closed society based on male dominance is always humiliating. A man strives to continue the family line, to pass on his name, and only the man is considered to continue the family line, while the woman goes to her husband’s family and takes his surname, therefore she is not considered to be the continuer of the family line.

“The daughters were successfully married: if anything happened, the father could count on the daggers and carbines of his sons-in-law.”

Successfully married means married at the request and will of the father to people who hold the same views as Matteo Falcone himself. Accordingly, they are always ready in the event of any conflict with the authorities or other force to take the side of their father-in-law

What details show the characters’ attitude to Fortunato’s action?

“The woman walked with difficulty, bent under the weight of a huge bag of chestnuts, while the husband walked lightly with one gun in his hands and the other behind his back, for no burden other than a weapon is unworthy of a man.”
“It is the duty of a good wife to load her gun for her husband during battle.”

The position of women in those days in Corsica was unbearable, from our point of view. But let’s not forget that in our time there are societies and countries where women are in a similar, humiliated position.

“—...We just covered Giannetto Sanpiero.
- God bless! - Giuseppa cried. “Last week he stole our milk goat.”
These words made Gamba happy.
- Poor guy! - Matteo responded. - He was hungry!
“This scoundrel defended himself like a lion,” continued the sergeant, slightly annoyed...”

Giuseppa responds as a hostess, and Matteo as a person who understands the situation of the bandit hiding in the poppies, who ran out of bullets. The sergeant closely monitors the reactions of the husband and wife and plays along with the owners.

“He killed one of my shooters and crushed the arm of Corporal Chardon; well, it’s not a big problem: after all, Chardon is French...”

Corsicans treat the French with contempt as people of another nation, a different society, in which completely different orders, alien to the Corsicans, reign - in the opinion of the Corsican, of a lower level.

“- Damn it! “Matteo said barely audibly.”

The mention of Falcone’s name in a report addressed to the prosecutor is perceived as a shame, as an exposure of Falcone in a deal with the authorities.)

2. Retell the passage from the words of P.277 “About ten minutes passed...” until the end of the story. Describe the psychological state of Matteo and Fortunato. What is the tragedy of the final episode?

(“Fortunato, seeing his father, went into the house. Soon he reappeared with a bowl of milk in his hands and, with downcast eyes, handed it to Giannetto.
- Get away from me! - the arrested man shouted in a thunderous voice.
Then, turning to one of the voltigeurs, he said:
- Comrade! Let me get drunk.
The soldier handed him a flask, and the bandit drank the water brought by the hand of the man with whom he had just exchanged shots.”

The participants in the chase honestly played the roles they assumed; Fortunato took on the role of savior, but for the sake of money he changed his word, and this made him an outcast.

“Stuttering and crying, the boy read “Our Father” and “I Believe.” At the end of each prayer, Father firmly said “Amen.”

The Corsicans considered themselves Catholics, but their Catholicism was largely external, ritual, and did not affect the basic understanding of the world of the individual.
The prayers read by his son and the thought of Christ, whose main commandment is mercy, did not help him find love in his heart and forgive his son’s offense.

"- What did you do? - she exclaimed.
- Done justice.
- Where is he?
- In the ravine. I'll bury him now. He died a Christian. I will order a memorial service for him.”

What is striking for us is the alienation from our own child with a complete lack of understanding that at the age of 10 a child cannot and should not bear adult responsibility for what he has done, because he is only learning to act correctly. Matteo dreamed of a son for many years, and was happy in his own way for 10 years. And now he kills his son without hesitation, instead of trying to help him never do that again.)

4.Make a syncwine.

5.Fill out the PMI table.

IN). Watching a movie (murder scene)

1. Comparison of two scenes: the execution of Andriy (Taras Bulba) and the finale of Matteo Falcone.

What work can this scene be compared to? (Illustration – Taras and Andrey).

Why did Taras kill his son? (For betraying the Fatherland, faith, Cossacks).

Why do the heroes of these works decide to commit such a terrible act?

Is it dictated by the logic of disclosure? artistic character? (In both works, fathers kill their sons. Taras Bulba executed his son, who betrayed the Fatherland, the faith. Cossacks. Matteo Fortunatto’s son also does not live according to human, not Christian laws: he betrayed his guest to a representative of the authorities. To wash away the shame from the family, Matteo takes away Fortunatto is in maki, but does not immediately kill him, but first orders him to pray that Fortunatto would die a Christian. Taras Bulba had even more compelling reasons for killing his son. Fortunato betrayed one man, a bandit who also threatened him. Cossacks, betrayed his faith, betrayed his homeland. But betrayal is betrayal, and its heroes judge it according to their own laws.)

2. How are these writers connected with P. Merimee: and?

Gogol translated the short story into . Merimee knew Russian, Russian literature. Translated by " Queen of Spades", "Gypsies" by Pushkin, a number of works by Gogol.)
He was one of the translators of Merimee's novella in Russia. (He helped make a poetic version of the translation.)

4.Make a syncwine.

5.Fill out the PMI table.

IV. Summarizing.

Who is to blame for Fortunato's death?

(Fortunato died at the hands of his own father. He paid with his life because of his selfishness and greed, which led him to betrayal. Sergeant Gamba was also involved in this, bribing the boy and provoking his act.

Who is he, Matteo? Falcone - hero or a murderer? (In the figure of Matteo Falcone, a conflict between the heroic and treacherous principles of life is revealed. It turns out that Matteo is both a hero and a murderer. From the point of view of Christianity, from a universal human point of view, he is a murderer who has committed a grave sin. And from the point of view of the unwritten laws of the inhabitants of Corsica, their understanding of duty and honor, he is a hero who has committed justice. It takes great strength of will and strength of character to punish his own son. It is the love for his son that pushes Falcone to kill. The strength of character of Matteo Falcone is such that he overcomes the natural human instinct of preserving himself in children, the instinct of continuation. kind.)

We have seen how complex and ambiguous the character of the hero of the story, Matteo Falcone, is.

And one last thing. Let us note the significance of the name of the main character's son, Fortunatto. Fortuna means "luck". Fortunatto was "the hope of the family and the successor of the family." In this name there is a tragic discrepancy between the fate of the heroes and their initial hopes.

So, we are convinced that in order to understand the character of literary heroes, we must take into account the time and the circumstances in which he is placed.

We must also take into account that monetary relations are beginning to penetrate wild poppies, and morals are changing. This is already realism. (They bribe Fortunato for hours. The father thinks about the new heir, who he plans to make his son-in-law, without having time to bury his son.)

But despite the easing of laws, humanism, and today it is important to maintain a sense of duty, honor, and today they treat betrayal with contempt. What work have we studied that addresses this same issue? (" Captain's daughter”, which advises “Take care of your honor from a young age.”) It contains the idea high morality, honor, loyalty, duty, oath, human dignity, which a person must bring through any trial. This proverb, which has come down to us from time immemorial, has been and remains an excellent parting word for everyone. young man. Because there are concepts that are the most important in all ages, there are prohibitions that “must not be violated.”

Remember the proverbs on this topic? (The child’s fault is the parents’ fault.)

Today we have seen how to understand character literary hero It is important to take into account time and circumstances.

Neither one nor the other. Matteo commits an act that was dictated to him by local customs, his own understanding of human dignity.

One great person said,

that the most important thing is not to condemn or justify, but to understand

why did the person do this?

Perhaps we should understand Matteo’s action and travel back to those distant times.

So, what is Matteo like? Make a syncwine (3 minutes)

Teacher's word: reading a poem by Yashin.

IV. Reflection. Compilation of the PMI table.

V. Homework.

Answer one of the questions in writing:

1.What is Fortunato’s fault and misfortune?

2.Can Matteo Falcone’s cruel act be justified?