THE HEROIC PAST IN TARAS SHEVCHENKO’S POETRY

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the figure of the great son of the Ukrainian people, Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko, perhaps the only most powerful poet in the history of the world literature of the 19th century, who with the help of the power of the poetic word, proclaimed the idea of liberating the people from social and national oppression. The examples of highly artistic works of the poet are presented, in which he praised the heroic past of the Ukrainian nation and glorified Ukraine with freedom-loving and indomitable people to millions of nations around the world. There are quotes from some of the poet’s works about the glorious historical past of the unconquered people, which sounded in the poet’s powerful voice on the pages of his immortal «Kobzar». The historical information about Taras Shevchenko’s drawing «Haidamak Galaida», based on the poem «Haydamaky» [1840–1841 St. Petersburg] is given. The article is intended for teachers-philologists, leaders of local history centers, and educators of elective courses.