The Storm. The Dowryless Girl

In the collection, two well-known plays by Ostrovsky are presented: "The Storm" (1859) and "Without a Dowry" (1878). Both plays tell of the tragic fate of their heroines, their passionate hearts, and their love stories. These two plays attempt to show the heroines' efforts to break out of the closed circle they find themselves trapped in. At the time, "The Storm" made a strong impression on audiences, and its heroine was described by the critic Dobrolyubov as "a ray of light in the dark kingdom." Despite changes in the times, these plays remain relevant, as they depict the struggle of sincere feelings and impulses of the soul against hypocrisy, performative virtue, egoism, and selfishness.