Pontius Pilate is a cowardly man. And it was for cowardice that he was punished. The procurator could have saved Yeshua Ha-Notsri from execution, but he signed the death warrant. Pontius Pilate feared for the inviolability of his power. He did not go against the Sanhedrin, ensuring his peace at the cost of the life of another person. And all this despite the fact that Yeshua was sympathetic to the procurator. Cowardice prevented saving a man. Cowardice is one of the most serious sins (based on the novel The Master and Margarita).

A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin"

Vladimir Lensky challenged Eugene Onegin to a duel. He could cancel the fight, but he chickened out. Cowardice manifested itself in the fact that the hero reckoned with the opinion of society. Eugene Onegin thought only about what people would say about him. The result was sad: Vladimir Lensky died. If his friend had not been afraid, but preferred moral principles to public opinion, tragic consequences could have been avoided.

A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter"

The siege of the Belogorsk fortress by the troops of the impostor Pugachev showed who was considered a hero, who was a coward. Aleksey Ivanovich Shvabrin, saving his life, betrayed his homeland at the first opportunity and went over to the side of the enemy. In this case, cowardice is a synonym

I once heard from a prince and a very important commander that one cannot condemn a soldier to death for cowardice; this opinion was expressed by him at the table, after he was told about the trial of Monsieur de Vervain, who was sentenced to death for the surrender of Boulogne.

Indeed, I find it quite right to draw a clear distinction between actions that spring from our weakness and those that are born of malice. By doing the latter, we consciously rebel against the dictates of our mind, imprinted in us by nature itself, while, by doing the former, we would have reason, I think, to refer to the same nature that created us so weak and imperfect; that is why so many people think that we can only be held responsible for what we have done against our conscience. On this, to a certain extent, both the opinion of those who condemn the death penalty for heretics and unbelievers, and the rule according to which a lawyer and a judge cannot be held accountable for blunders made through ignorance in the exercise of their office, are based.

As for cowardice, as is known, the most common way to punish it is general contempt and reproach. It is believed that such a punishment was first introduced by the legislator Charonds and that before him anyone who fled from the battlefield was punished by Greek laws by death; he ordered instead that such fugitives be put up for three days in a woman's dress in the city square, hoping that this could serve them in favor and that dishonor will restore their courage. Suffundere malis hominis sanguinem quameffundere. Roman laws, at least in ancient times, also punished those who fled from the battlefield. death penalty. So, Ammian Marcellinus tells that ten soldiers who turned their backs on the enemy during the attack of the Romans on the Parthian army were deprived of their military rank by the emperor Julian and then put to death in accordance with the ancient law. However, another time for the same offense he punished the guilty only by those that he placed them among the prisoners in the wagon train. Although the Roman people severely punished the soldiers who fled after the battle of Cannae, as well as those who during the same war were with Gnaeus Fulvius at his defeat, nevertheless, in this case, the matter did not reach the punishment of death.

There is, however, reason to fear that disgrace not only throws the despair of those who are punished in this way, and not only brings them to the utmost indifference, but sometimes turns them into enemies.

In the time of our fathers, Monsieur de Franges, once deputy commander-in-chief of the troops of Marshal Châtillon, appointed by Marshal de Chabannes to the post of governor of Fuentarabia in place of Monsieur du Lude and surrendering this city to a Spaniard, was sentenced to deprivation of the title of nobility, and both they and his offspring were declared commoners, classified as a taxable estate and deprived of the right to bear arms. This severe sentence was carried out on them at Lyon. Subsequently, all the nobles who were in the city of Giza when the Count of Nassau entered there were subjected to the same punishment; Since then, some others have also suffered the same.

About punishment for cowardice

I once heard from a prince and a very important commander that one should not condemn a soldier to death for cowardice; this opinion was expressed by him at the table, after he was told about the trial of Monsieur de Vervain, who was sentenced to death for the surrender of Boulogne.

Indeed, I find it quite right to draw a clear distinction between actions that spring from our weakness and those that are born of malice. By doing the latter, we consciously rebel against the dictates of our reason, imprinted in us by nature itself, while, by doing the former, we would have reason, I think, to refer to the same nature that created us so weak and imperfect; that is why so many people believe that we can only be held responsible for what we have done against our conscience. On this, to a certain extent, is based both the opinion of those who condemn the death penalty for heretics and unbelievers, and the rule according to which a lawyer and a judge cannot be held accountable for blunders committed through ignorance in the exercise of their office.

As for cowardice, as is known, the most common way to punish it is universal contempt and reproach. It is believed that such a punishment was first introduced by the legislator Charonds and that before him everyone who fled from the battlefield was punished by Greek laws with death; he instead ordered such fugitives to be displayed for three days in a woman's dress in the city square, hoping that this could serve them well and that dishonor would restore their courage. Suffundere malis hominis sanguinem quam effundere. Roman laws, at least in ancient times, also punished those who fled the battlefield with the death penalty. Thus, Ammianus Marcellinus tells that ten soldiers who turned their backs on the enemy during the attack of the Romans on the Parthian army were deprived of their military rank by the emperor Julian and then put to death in accordance with the ancient law. However, on another occasion, for the same offense, he punished the perpetrators only by placing them among the prisoners in the wagon train. Although the Roman people severely punished the soldiers who fled after the battle of Cannae, as well as those who during the same war were with Gnaeus Fulvius at his defeat, nevertheless, in this case it did not come to the punishment of death.

There is, however, reason to fear that shame not only plunges into despair those who are punished in this way, and not only brings them to complete indifference, but sometimes turns them into enemies.

In the time of our fathers, Monsieur de Franges, once deputy commander-in-chief in the troops of Marshal Châtillon, appointed by Marshal de Chabannes to the post of governor of Fuentarabia instead of Monsieur du Lude and surrendering this city to a Spaniard, was sentenced to deprivation of the title of nobility, and both he himself and his posterity were declared commoners, ranked as a taxable estate and deprived of the right to bear arms. This severe sentence was carried out on them at Lyon. Subsequently, all the nobles who were in the city of Giza when the Count of Nassau entered there were subjected to the same punishment; Since then, some others have also suffered the same.

Be that as it may, whenever we observe such gross and obvious ignorance or cowardice that exceeds any measure, we are entitled to conclude that there is enough evidence of criminal intent and ill will, and punish them as such.

From the book Experiences author Montaigne Michel

CHAPTER XXVII Cowardice is the mother of cruelty I have often heard the proverb: cowardice is the mother of cruelty. I really had to observe from experience that monstrous, inhuman cruelty is often combined with female sensitivity. I met unusually cruel people

From the book of the Prophet by Gibran Khalil

About Crime and Punishment And then one of the judges of the city stepped forward and said: Tell us about Crime and Punishment. And he answered, saying this: commit evil deeds against others,

From the book `Master and Margarita`: a hymn to demonism? or the gospel of selfless faith author USSR Internal Predictor

From the book Montaigne M. Experiences. In 3 books. - Prince. one author Montaigne Michel

CHAPTER XVI ON THE PUNISHMENT FOR CORRIDENCE I once heard from a prince and a very important general that one should not condemn a soldier to death for cowardice; this opinion was expressed by him at the table, after he was told about the trial of Monsieur de Vervain, who was sentenced to

From the book Russian Idea (chapters) author Berdyaev Nikolai

Chapter VII The theme of power. Anarchism. Russian attitude to power. Russian freemen. Split. Sectarianism. The attitude of the intelligentsia to power: among the liberals, among the Slavophiles. Anarchism. Bakunin. The passion for destruction is a creative passion. Kropotkin. Religious Anarchism: Religious

From the book Metaphysics of the Good News author Dugin Alexander Gelievich

Chapter X XX century: cultural renaissance and communism. Sources of the cultural renaissance. Awakening Religious Unrest in Literature. Critical Marxism and Idealism. Religious quest among Marxists. Merezhkovsky. Rozanov. Appeal to spiritual values

From the book Experiences (Volume 2) author Montaigne Michel

Chapter XIV The head of the angels The Blessed Virgin Mary plays an important role not only in the Christian cult, but also in Christian metaphysics. This aspect, as well as other fundamental questions of this metaphysics, is often described in symbolic terms, and elucidation of it

From the book Myth of the XX century author Rosenberg Alfred

From the book Lectures on the Philosophy of Literature author Amelin Grigory

From the book Essays on the History of Religion and Atheism author Avetisyan Arsen Avetisyanovich

From the book Philosophical Dictionary author Comte Sponville André

From the author's book

From the author's book

From the author's book

Lecture xii The image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Crime and Punishment Last time we succeeded in deep reconstructions of what is not directly present in Crime and Punishment. Today we will continue these recreations of presence through absence. At

From the author's book

Chapter III. Rome The history of the Roman Empire is the history of the birth, formation and death of the ancient slave system. Here slavery reached its classical development. The contradictions inherent in slave-owning society in general manifested themselves in Rome most

From the author's book

Cowardice (L?chete) Lack of courage; not a feeling of fear, but an inability to overcome fear and confront it. Cowardice is the complicity of one's own timidity, something like submission to oneself. The coward's typical reactions are to run or close his eyes tight. AT

Cowardice is a human weakness that arises at a crucial moment. A coward is afraid of difficulties, independent decision-making, sometimes even hopes for help from brave man. Cowardice betrays a person: his eyes are rounded with fear, from the responsibility that falls on his shoulders, the mind turns off. Such behavior is formed on the subconscious and it is very difficult to control it, especially if the coward has already shown himself.

There are many examples in the literature about courage, but also a lot about cowardice. By endowing the characters with such a quality, the author wanted to show how ugly and shameful it is to be a coward, and, most importantly, useless for society.

Has a cowardice of character the protagonist poem "Eugene Onegin". He agreed to a duel, although he could have refused, but then society stopped respecting him, and he, as socialite their opinion was important. Only an opinion, not the position of everyone. Onegin's cowardice lies in the fact that he did not want to admit his weakness, he wanted to be ideal for everyone, which ended sadly for him.

Cowardice is also reflected in the novel of centuries and generations "War and Peace". A prime example is the behavior of Zherkov, who was ordered to inform his colleagues about the retreat from the left front. He was afraid to cross the combat territory, he was afraid that he might die. He was sent there twice, and both times he did not fulfill the order of the general. The consequences of his cowardice were terrible: many companies did not know what to do and rushed into the loose, thereby being overtaken by the enemy. Because of the cowardice of one person, hundreds, and even thousands, suffered. In this example, cowardice played an important role, it took the lives of innocent soldiers.

Thus, cowardice in any of its manifestations does not bring good, and sometimes is fatal. A cowardly person is insecure, selfish, unable to overcome his fear, even if the price of his act is another human life. There is not a single case when cowardice helped a person in life. Maybe the instinct of self-preservation works, but you should never forget about the consequences.

Letting on self-confidence, courage, can only be a shell, and inside a little coward, afraid of his own shadow, not to mention vital deeds. It is better not to have a relationship with such people, because a coward will give himself away and abandon you at the most inopportune moment when help is really needed.

A person struggles with his fears all his life. Overcoming them helps to reach new heights in life, as well as to get a high definition of "brave". Otherwise, you are constantly faced with some kind of restrictions, something interferes and does not allow you to open up, and you are just a coward. The theme of courage and cowardice, the struggle with one's fears and its outcome interested many writers. L.N. was no exception. Tolstoy, who reflected in his main novel many important moral themes, including this one. In this article, we list the arguments in the direction of "Courage and cowardice" from the work "War and Peace".

1) An example of true courage is a minor, but bright character - the staff captain of the artillery Tushin. AT ordinary life he is a modest and shy person with incredibly kind eyes. In battle, he acquires decisiveness, boldly takes command and takes responsibility. During the battle of Shengraben, the battery led by Tushin accomplished a real feat: the soldiers set fire to the village of Shengraben, the French were distracted by starting to extinguish it, and the Russian troops were able to retreat. But they forgot about the battery, they did not give an order to retreat, it remained under fire from the enemy. Tushin did not violate the order, did not run, actively supported his subordinates, and did not hide behind their backs. The captain does not expose his actions as a feat, he simply makes decisions that are consistent with his concepts of honor and morality. In battle, you need to fight to the end, Tushin believes. Is this not real courage?

2) Among the headquarters military and the retinue of commanders there are rarely brave people otherwise they would have gone into battle. Zherkov, Bagration's adjutant, turned out to be just such a coward. The hero behaved like a jester, made grimaces, mimicked people behind their backs, trying to amuse everyone in order to curry favor, it is not surprising that at the decisive moment he chose his own interests. In the battle of Shengraben, Zherkov received the most important order: to transfer the order to retreat to the left flank. But this hero went in the right direction, saw that it was dangerous, that his parodic talent would not help there, and returned back. Because of Zherkov, many people died, Tushin's battery and Timokhin's company were left without support. Cowardice can harm not only the person himself, but also be dangerous for others, which is why it must be eradicated in oneself.

3) Cowardice and courage can manifest themselves not only in military, but also in civilian life. Anatoly Kuragin is a luxurious, dressed in a beautiful wrapper, cowardice. He is noble, rich, handsome, a good education, however, this is a stupid, depraved rake who is only interested in fun and women. In relation to them, his cowardice is manifested to a greater extent. He is secretly married to an unknown Polish girl, but he is afraid to admit it in society, and especially to Natasha Rostova, whom he almost seduced. Secret meetings, escape, secret marriage - all these factors are already alarming and show his mental poverty and unwillingness to be responsible for his actions. Cowardice is a faithful companion of meanness, this can be seen in the example of Anatole, which is why it is important to fight this quality.

4) Andrei Bolkonsky is one of the favorite characters of L.N. Tolstoy, so he combines best qualities man, though not without flaws. Andrei literally runs to the war with Napoleon in 1805, fleeing the suffocating world, an unsuccessful marriage, and disappointment in life. The hero liked Napoleon, he wanted to become famous like him, to wait for "his Toulon", like an idol. Bolkonsky dreamed of leading an army into a hopeless battle and leading to victory. And he really tried, took the banner and rushed forward, scorning fear and self-preservation. After that, the hero was seriously wounded, and his relatives thought that he had died. On the example of Andrei, the reader understands that courage is positive quality, but it should not turn into recklessness, and the feat should not be accomplished in the name of oneself.

5) Natasha Rostova is one of the main characters of the novel. She combines the best, according to Leo Tolstoy, feminine qualities: understanding, lively, able to listen (though not always understand). Nevertheless, the heroine has firmness, willpower, perseverance and courage in difficult situations. Such a situation was for a girl Patriotic War 1812. When the family fled from Moscow, Natasha took responsibility for everything: she helped to transport the wounded, she began to look after the dying Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. She did not perform feats, did not lead the troops, but her actions are no less courageous. After all, not everyone will be able to linger for the sake of strangers under the threat of death, to see how a person dies, and you cannot help - you need a lot of courage. Using the example of Natasha, the reader understands that one can be brave not only on the battlefield, but also in everyday life.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!