The Presentation of Femininity in Mikhail Bulgakov's Plays

The concept of femininity expressed in the female characters’ images performs many functions in Bulgakov’s oeuvre. A considerable number of studies has aimed to demonstrate Bulgakov’s biography, his concepts and analysis of the characters' images (Kulius, 2007; Yanovskaya, 2007, 2013; Beaujour, 1974). However, the issue of femininity and its representation in Bulgakov’s plays has been largely neglected. The purpose of this work is to identifiy female images’ artistic functions in Bulgakov’s plays (Zoyka's flat; Adam and Eve; On the Ran; The Cabal of Hyppocrites; The last days) and the transformation of Bulgakov’s femininity concept. Comparative analysis is used as a research method. The images of the heroines, such as Zoya, Eva, Serafima, Armanda and Nataliya, are considered both separately and in comparison to each other. The main female characters of each selected play are examined, and then the functions of the different concepts of femininity in the play's actictic worlds are analyzed.