- Essays
- On literature
- Bulgakov
- Characteristics and image of Pontius Pilate in the novel The Master and Margarita
In this essay I would like to try to reveal the image of the main character of the novel written by the Master. This character is Pontius Pilate.
Pontius Pilate was the fifth procurator of Judea. He is presented to the reader as a cruel, domineering and cold-blooded person, but he is simply masterful at hiding his true feelings.
Despite his high position and the presence of power in his hands, Pontius Pilate managed to retain wisdom and human moral qualities. However, people consider him a monster and are afraid to displease him, and he hates the city and its inhabitants.
Because of his high position, there is no person next to him whom he could call a friend and tell about his sorrows and joys. He was used to executing people without really thinking about their fate, but one incident turned his life upside down. During the interrogation of a certain Yeshua Ha-Nozri, the procurator notices that the accused is not afraid of him, but simply talks and even relieves a migraine attack that constantly torments the procurator.
During the dialogue with Yeshua, Pilate understands that he has met a kindred spirit, with whom he feels at ease and pleasant, and also that the philosopher is not to blame. It’s good for them to communicate, but after some of the prophet’s speeches, with which he himself agrees in his soul, the procurator announces a death sentence, relying on the high priest’s decision to pardon one of the convicts. Pontius Pilate succumbed to the fear of losing his power and the opinions of others.
After the execution of Ha-Nozri, the procurator learns that the only phrase Yeshua said before his death was: “I consider cowardice to be one of the main human vices.” Hearing this, the procurator of Judea dooms himself to eternal torment of conscience. He reproaches himself because he could have saved him, but was scared. With this character, the author raises the problems of cowardice and conscience.
The novel says that all people tend to make mistakes, the main thing is to realize them and continue to try to do the right thing, not the convenient thing. So Pontius Pilate realized his mistake and repented of it. After all, it was not higher powers that punished him with insomnia, but his own conscience, which did not give him peace and reminded him of his irreparable mistake. On those nights when the procurator managed to fall asleep, he saw Yeshua, they walked together along the lunar path and talked, and Pilate’s dog ran next to him. His creator, the Master, could have saved the Roman procurator from the prison of his own conscience. Rising to heaven, Woland showed the Master his hero, who had been tormented by remorse and loneliness for 2000 years. The master concluded his novel with the phrase: “Free.”
This is how the story of one of the most tragic characters in the novel ended, whose author was the Master.
Essay 2
The apogee of Bulgakov’s work is the novel “The Master and Margarita.” In his work, Bulgakov managed to masterfully create the images of Yeshua, the Master, Margarita and others, but one of the most complex and textured images is the image of Pontius Pilate.
Pontius Pilate personifies power, he is truly very cruel, and he is proud of it. He was on the battlefield, so he knows for sure that power rules the world, and only the strongest always wins, namely the one who is alien to indecision, fears and pity. Pontius Pilate has his own laws of life, by which he lives; for him, the attitude “the slave obeys the master” is unshakable.
For Pontius Pilate, loneliness is a completely natural and normal state for a winner, no friends, only enemies around. Pontius Pilate has no equal or relatives; the only one he has is his beloved dog. However, it is the meeting with Yeshua that changes Pontius Pilate; he realizes that in front of him is a man equal to him, with whom he would like to talk forever. Yeshua is not afraid to confront Pilate, he is not afraid to express his thoughts.
Pontius Pilate finds Yeshua an interesting person, he does not doubt his innocence, he tries to save the prisoner, and here such traits appear that it seemed would never be possible to see in the procurator of Judea, this is sympathy, compassion. But there is also fear generated by a totalitarian regime. After all, even the strongest person will survive if he thinks first of all about the state, and not about himself. After the execution of Yeshua, painful days begin for Pontius Pilate, he suffers. Bulgakov made Pontius Pilate not a coward, but at the same time a victim and an accuser. By sending Yeshua to execution, Pontius Pilate destroys his soul; he dies along with Yeshua, as does his freedom.
When Pontius Pilate is faced with a choice: the salvation of his soul or fasting, fear of higher ranks or the courage to commit an act, unfortunately, he chooses welfare and everything that he hates so fiercely.
The author, through the hero Pontius Pilate, conveys to the reader a simple idea that people must be responsible for their actions and independently choose their own path, the path of truth and freedom or slavery and cruelty.
Essay Image and characteristics of Pontius Pilate
Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov in the novel “The Master and Margarita” touches on many eternal philosophical questions, the answers to which are hidden in the actions of the heroes themselves, and in their reflections and torments. The composition of the novel, built on the principle of “a story within a story,” helps to better reflect the diversity of the human soul, which is always tormented by the same questions, despite the difference in generations and living conditions. One of the most controversial and interesting characters in the novel is Pontius Pilate, the hero of the Yershalaim chapters of the work.
Pontius Pilate, being the procurator of Judea, is known as a cruel, firm, decisive and uncompromising man. He easily passes sentences on criminals and decides the destinies of others, but one day he meets Yeshua Ha-Nozri, a character whose prototype is Jesus Christ himself. Being deeply struck by both the behavior and train of thought of the person to whom he has to pass judgment, Pilate sincerely wants to spare the hero, because he understands how amazingly smart and deep the man stands before him, but Pontius Pilate makes the wrong decision and sentences Yeshua to death. Perhaps the procurator does not want to question his omnipotence and simply lose the respect of his people by releasing a man who is accused of allegedly “inciting the people to destroy the Yershalaim temple,” but Ga-Norzi accuses him of a completely different sin - cowardice.
Indeed, Pontius Pilate was simply scared. He was afraid of losing his status, the respect of the people around him, and questioning his authority. However, is this the worst that can happen? The worst thing is to do what you don’t want, guided by banal fear, and even worse is to betray people because of it. After the verdict is passed, Pilate begins to suffer from severe headaches, from which he cannot find relief.
At the end of the novel, Yeshua forgives the procurator of Judea, who realized his mistake and sincerely repented. Thus, the author shows his readers that repentance from a pure heart is always followed by cleansing, in this case a symbolic lunar path along which Yeshua Ha-Norzi, Pontius Pilate, and even his dog go to another world. To a world in which there is no evil and injustice, to a world in which virtue and true purity of the soul reign.
I believe that in the novel "The Master and Margarita" Mikhail Bulgakov opens the readers' eyes to what not to do. We cannot allow fear to win, because the best that we can bring to this world is simply the opposite of cowardice. And, of course, it is necessary not to be afraid to stand up for yourself and for other people if the truth is on their side.
Remorse and futile attempts to correct the mistake
The three remaining criminals were tried for grave sins, so Pontius Pilate was confident that the high priest Caiaphas would acquit Yeshua. However, when the decision of the first clergyman of Yershalaim turned out to be different, because he decided to justify the murderer Barrabas, Pilate realized the terrible consequences of his mistake, but could not do anything.
His torment intensified from the information that Judas denounced Yeshua only in order to receive money from the high priest, and also when the head of the procurator’s secret guard spoke in detail about Ha-Nozri’s behavior at the execution. “The only thing he said was that among human vices, he considers cowardice to be one of the most important,” Afranius said.
Pontius Pilate could not find a place for himself, because he put to death the only soul close to him. He understood that he no longer wanted to be in this position and in the city where he approved so many capital punishments, feeling innocent blood on his hands. Pilate with all his soul wanted to do at least something to clear his conscience, although he understood that he could not bring Yeshua back. At his indirect request, Judas was killed, and he decided to take the only follower of the wandering philosopher Levi Matthew to himself.
Option 4
The Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, is one of the main characters in the novel “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov.
The story of Pontius Pilate is described in a fictional novel, a work written by another character - the Master.
The hero of the novel occupies a privileged position in society, commands the Roman military and is considered the head of the judiciary. He lives in Caesarea, but due to official duties he was sent to Yershalaim, where the main events of his storyline unfold.
Pilate is the son of an astrologer and a miller's daughter. He's fabulously rich. He has a large collection of various books, which in those days was considered an unheard of luxury.
Bulgakov describes the procurator as a courageous, strict and callous man with military training. The only creature for whom Pontius Pilate has tender feelings is his dog Banga, into which, as the author notes, he placed all his affection.
Bulgakov describes the character's appearance as follows: a slender figure, a balding head, thin and long fingers, a menacing look, dressed in a white cloak with a bloody lining.
Previously, Pontius Pilate had to independently command entire legions, show severity and even cruelty, which later affected his character.
The procurator of Judea is well educated, knows three languages: Greek, Aramaic and Latin. For the sake of his career, he is ready to do anything. Pontius Pilate suffers from constant headaches. They are so strong that he even faint-heartedly thought about death. His life is empty, monotonous and joyless. He is completely disappointed in people and doesn't trust anyone.
The author presents him as a strong and strong-willed person, but by his actions towards the vagabond Yeshua Ha-Nozri he shows cowardice and weakness. He sentences him to death completely undeservedly, guided by his temper and pride. Pontius Pilate exalted his reputation and career above human life. Later, when the opportunity arose to pardon one of the four criminals in honor of the holiday, he tried to save Yeshua, but he failed to do so.
After the execution of Ha-Nozri, Pontius Pilate experiences a mental breakdown. He experiences heartbreaking remorse and suffers from constant insomnia and nightmares. The character truly repents of his actions, but this does not cancel his guilt.
As punishment for cowardice, Woland endows the procurator with immortality, after which his soul does not know peace for thousands of years due to the incessant pangs of conscience. But, at the end of the work, he forgives the procurator of Judea and grants him the long-awaited freedom.
Image of Pilate
The work “The Master and Margarita” was written by the great twentieth-century writer Mikhail Bulgakov. The novel within the novel is the most ambiguous and complex work. Thanks to this writing, the reader has the opportunity to be transported back in time and get acquainted with two different, but connected stories that reveal a complete picture of what is happening.
The novel begins with an acquaintance with Moscow inhabitants. The hero, called the master, tells a story that once happened in Yershalaim. Its main character is Pontius Pilate - the most mysterious and ambiguous person. He is the procurator of Judea and a formidable representative of power, in whose hands are many human lives and destinies. This man’s entire being is filled with hatred for people, for the city and for life. The procurator is lonely and unhappy. In communication, not a single person is interesting to him. His only consolation in a meaningless existence remains the dog Banga, whom Pilate considers his friend. Only for the dog does he feel love and kind feelings. The reason for this attitude to life is the incurable disease that torments the body and soul of Pontius.
But one day everything changes. The wandering ragamuffin and philosopher Yeshua Ganotsri, who is accused of plotting against the temple, is brought to the procurator. According to some sources, a tramp was gathering people to destroy it. When communicating with Pontius, Yeshua showed unprecedented insolence, unacceptable when communicating with government officials. He called the procurator a kind man and made his philosophical speeches. For the first time during his entire service, Pilate saw in the wandering philosopher an interesting person, an equal in communication.
During the interrogation, the procurator saw Yeshua’s innocence and became interested in his philosophical sayings. In addition, the headaches that had tormented Pilate for a long time disappeared thanks to Yeshua. From an angry and always dissatisfied representative of the Law, Pontius became a humane and sympathetic person who wanted to help the vagabond avoid execution. But this had to be done without losing his authority and remaining in the eyes of others the same imperious Caesar. At this point, the dual personality of Pontius Pilate begins to be traced. He hates the emperor and his orders, but is forced to obey the law. The struggle between good and evil begins in him.
To help the tramp avoid execution, Pilate tries to get his acquittal from Caiaphas, but is refused. Yeshua Ha-Nozri is executed. After this, the procurator feels guilty for the death of an innocent person, and in addition to longing and spiritual sadness, Pontius Pilate receives the punishment of immortality. He is doomed to forever suffer from loneliness and guilt, but one day salvation comes from the merciful Margarita.
Character
The image of Pontius Pilate is viewed ambiguously by researchers. This happens because of the character of this principled person.
The writer several times calls the procurator “cruel,” and Pilate himself admits this: “I am a ferocious monster.” The hero is used to being considered this way; this emphasizes his ability to be the ruler of destinies. Pontius is a hot-tempered and formidable man who cannot have mercy on Yeshua because of his service and the fear of losing it.
Despite his menacing and arrogant appearance, the procurator turns out to be a fearful and reserved person. Cowardice is the main vice of the hero, as Ga-Nozri points out.
However, the reason for all this was the hero’s loneliness.
