Motive of play in the piece «Duck shooting» by A. Vampilov

The motive of play in A. Vampilov's piece «Duck Shooting» is analyzed in the article. It has a key sense-making role. Several levels of its implementation are differentiated: play as a dismal practical joke, play as substitution of the real by the imagined, as a behavior pattern gradually turning into a way of life, verbal play, musical parody, play with classical motives. All these levels allow to reveal the range of existential problems of the piece and the ontological drama of the main character.