Scene 1
Exit 1. Four card sharp players beat Prince Zvezdich at cards for a large sum. The prince is in despair. The shady businessman Shprikh, a man of an unknown nation, “most likely a Jew,” who is hanging around right there, hurries to Zvezdich with an offer to loan money “at absurd interest rates.”
Exit 2. The old gambler Kazarin is watching the game. His close acquaintance, the famous former card sharper Evgeniy Arbenin, approaches him, who has now given up cards, married a young beauty and began to live like fair man, saying goodbye to the old.
Arbenin also knows Zvezdich. Eugene approaches him and finds out that the prince has lost completely. Zvezdich is eager to get even, but Arbenin stops him, hinting that it’s not a matter of lack of happiness, but of cheating. He himself sits down at the card table instead of the prince. The other players immediately become quiet, sensing in their guts the big masters. Arbenin beats everyone - and gives the prince the entire huge jackpot.
The delighted Zvezdich warmly thanks him. Arbenin rejects this gratitude, saying that he sat down at the cards not for good deeds, but in order to again, as before, “bring the blood into excitement.” Evgeny reminds the prince that they are giving a masquerade today and offers to go there.
Lermontov. Masquerade. Feature Film 1941
Exit 3. The losing cheaters are amazed by Arbenin's art. Shprikh decides to make acquaintance with such a person in any way possible. useful person and follows Evgeniy to the masquerade.
Scene 2
Exit 1. Arriving at the masquerade, Arbenin advises Prince Zvezdich to look for love adventures here: women whose faces are hidden under masks go for them more easily.
Exit 2. Evgeny leaves, and a woman in a mask approaches Zvezdich and promises a romantic acquaintance that he will never forget. Zvezdich strikes up a frivolous, mocking conversation with this lady and leads her away by the arm.
Exit 3. Arbenin drags by the arm a man in a mask who spoke insolently to him. He is about to deal with him, but the unknown person breaks out and disappears into the crowd, having managed to shout that misfortune awaits Evgeniy that night.
Exit 4. Shprikh approaches Arbenin, trying to engage in a friendly conversation. Arbenin responds with contempt by asking if a famous barbel is visiting Shrikh’s wife - and leaves. The irritated Shprikh in a low voice wishes after Arbenin that he himself would have horns.
During their conversation with the canapes, two female masks stand up and leave nearby. At the same time, a bracelet falls off the hand of one of the ladies. She doesn't notice it.
Exit 5. The mask, who had spoken earlier with the prince, comes running and excitedly rushes onto the same settee. In an excited monologue, she says that she passionately asked Zvezdich for love, but did not want him to know her name. But the capricious prince demanded some item from her as a souvenir. Noticing the bracelet lying nearby, the mask decides to give Zvezdich this alien thing.
Exit 6. Zvezdich approaches the mask on the sofa and again laughingly asks her to give him something as a memory. The mask gives back the bracelet it found and disappears into the crowd.
Exit 7. Arbenin approaches Zvezdich. The prince tells him about his unexpected love luck and shows the bracelet left by the lady. It seems familiar to Evgeniy: his wife, Nina, has exactly the same one.
Scene 3
Exit 1. Arbenin comes to his place in doubt. Nina is not home yet, although it is already two o’clock in the morning.
Exit 2. Arbenin remembers love affairs of his youth, fearing: “I am now almost // condemned to bear sorrow // for all my sins days gone by. // It used to be that other people’s wives were waiting for me, // now I’m waiting for my wife.” He tries to reassure himself that Nina has always been pure, like the lamb of God.
Exit 3. Nina arrives. Arbenin asks where she stayed so late. Sensing suspicion in her husband's tone, Nina tries to gently reassure him. She says that at any word from Evgenia she is ready to give up the world, balls and go to the village forever. Arbenin speaks with great feeling about his love for Nina, which healed him of his former cold contempt for people. Evgeniy begins to kiss his wife’s hands - and suddenly sees that one of them is missing that same bracelet. Nina says that she must have lost it, and wonders why her husband is so concerned about the loss of a trinket.
Exit 4. The servant sent by Arbenin to look for the bracelet in Nina's carriage does not find it. It turns out that Nina came from a masquerade.
Exit 5. Evgeniy turns to Nina with jealous words. Increasingly inflamed, Arbenin says that Nina’s love is everything to his ebullient soul, and if it was a pretense, then without regret he will “tear both their lives apart.” Nina is horrified by Evgeniy’s furious and scary appearance. She convinces him of her innocence and leaves, crying.
Lermontov “Masquerade”, act 2 – summary
Scene 1
Exit 1. Baroness Strahl, sitting at home, reflects on the cruelty of the world, which is ready to harshly judge every heartfelt passion of a woman. From the words of the baroness it becomes clear that it was she who tried to captivate Prince Zvezdich at the masquerade.
Exit 2. Nina Arbenina comes to the baroness with an exhausted and sad look.
Exit 3. Prince Zvezdich also arrives, laughingly saying that he was at a masquerade yesterday and, it seems, recognized some of the ladies he knew under the masks. The Baroness, barely hiding her anxiety, shames the prince for his frivolity.
Exit 4. The Baroness leaves for a while. Left alone with Zvezdich, Nina tells him that she lost one of her two identical bracelets. Zvezdich sees that the second one, not lost, is exactly the same as the one that the unknown woman gave him at the masquerade. The prince concludes from this that this unknown person was Nina and tries to playfully flirt with her. Nina indignantly demands that the prince not forget himself and hurries to leave.
Exit 5. Baroness Strahl returns. The annoyed Zvezdich shows her the bracelet given to him at the masquerade, telling her how he just saw Nina’s second one. The Baroness advises him to value the honor of the ladies more. The prince is leaving.
Exit 6. Left alone, the baroness fears that the frivolous Zvezdich might guess who the donor of the bracelet really was and spread the word about it to the whole society. Shtral decides to save himself even at the expense of Nina.
Exit 7. Shprikh comes to the baroness. She tells him that there are supposedly already rumors in the world about love story between Zvezdich and Nina Arbenina.
Exit 8. Shprikh, offended by Arbenin, rejoices at his shame and decides to spread the news about this to all his friends.
Scene 2
Exit 1. Alone at home, Arbenin is tormented by the thought of his wife’s possible betrayal. The servant unexpectedly informs him that a certain messenger brought Nina a note.
Arbenin. Illustration for Lermontov’s drama “Masquerade” by artist N. Kuzmin
Exit 2. Kazarin comes to Arbenin, whose financial affairs are in Lately really bad. To correct them, Kazarin is looking for a way to again drag Evgeniy into the cheating gambling he abandoned long ago.
Exit 3. In Arbenin’s hallway, Kazarin meets Shprikh - it was he who brought the note to Nina. It turns out that from Baroness Shtral Shprikh immediately went to Prince Zvezdich and advised him not to stop harassing Evgeniy’s wife. The prince immediately wrote a love note to Nina, which Shprikh delivered to the Arbenins’ house.
Exit 4. Arbenin enters the room, reading Zvezdich’s note given to him by the servant. In his excitement, he does not even notice Kazarin and Shprikh. Evgeniy is bitterly indignant at the ingratitude of the prince, whom he recently helped so much, and at Nina’s “treachery.” Shprikh hurries to leave unnoticed.
Exit 5. Seeing Kazarin, Arbenin complains to him about human betrayal. Kazarin responds by saying that you just need to understand the futility of empty expectations of good from others - and thus free yourself from the contrived duty of doing good to them. Kazarin reminds Evgeniy of their former life among revelry, deception and risk, which they both liked so much. TO great joy Kazarina Arbenin furiously exclaims that from now on “he will break his alliance with virtue.”
Scene 3
Exit 1. Preparing revenge on Zvezdich, Arbenin comes to him. The prince is sleeping.
Exit 2. Arbenin opens the door to Zvezdich's room. For a moment, a desire flares up in him to kill the prince right now, while he is sleeping. But he overcomes this impulse, closes the door, writes Zvezdich a note inviting him to a card game today and leaves.
Exit 3. At the door, Eugene unexpectedly runs into Baroness Shtral. He mockingly asks why women are so attracted to Zvezdich that she herself came to him. The Baroness understands that Eugene is going to take cruel revenge, and passionately tries to explain to him: Nina is not guilty of anything. The angry Arbenin does not want to listen to her and leaves.
Exit 4. The Baroness goes to the Prince.
Exit 5. The awakened Zvezdich is very surprised to see her in front of him. The Baroness says: there are already rumors in the world about the prince’s daring letter to Arbenin’s wife. She warns that Evgeniy is very dangerous, admits to Zvezdich that the bracelet at the masquerade was given to him not by Nina, but by her, and leaves.
Exit 6. Zvezdich reads Arbenin’s note brought by the servant. Seeing in her a kind invitation to dinner with a mutual friend, the prince decides that Eugene has nothing to fear for now.
Scene 4
Exit 1. Arbenin and Kazarin are waiting for Zvezdich. Kazarin is looking forward to how Evgeniy will now “pluck” the prince at cards.
Exit 2. Zvezdich enters. Arbenin invites him to the card table. While playing, Eugene, under the guise of an “anecdote,” tells the prince a story about how one man rendered an important service to a friend, and he “in gratitude” seduced his wife. Having finished the story, Arbenin suddenly accuses Zvezdich of cheating the cards and throws the deck in his face. The stunned prince does not know what to do. Rushing about, he first threatens to kill Evgeniy, but his determination to do so quickly cools. Realizing that, having failed to adequately respond to the insult, he is now disgraced forever, Zvezdich falls and covers his face with his hands. Evgeniy ridicules him angrily and leaves.
Lermontov “Masquerade”, act 3 – summary
Scene 1
Exit 1. Social ball. The guests tell each other rumors that for some reason Baroness Shtral suddenly left for the village, and Prince Zvezdich was cruelly disgraced by Arbenin. The prince enters. Everyone shuns him as if he had been dishonored. Zvezdich approaches Nina Arbenina, stealthily returns her bracelet and advises her to beware of her merciless husband. Evgeniy watches this scene from afar.
Exit 2. All guests go into the hall. Left alone in the room, Arbenin paces around it, furious because the rumor about Nina’s betrayal is already known to everyone. Evgeniy decides to kill his wife. Once, about ten years ago, having lost at cards in his youth, he wanted to poison himself, bought poison, but that same evening he won back. The poison was not needed then, but Arbenin did not throw it away and always kept it with him.
Exit 3. The guests of the ball ask Nina to sing. She sits down at the piano and performs a sad romance about unhappy love.
Exit 4. Arbenin approaches. Nina stops singing in excitement and steps aside with her husband. At the same time, some unknown person appears in the depths of the room, watching them.
Nina says that she is hot and asks Evgeniy to bring ice cream. Startled, he goes for the ice cream and quietly pours poison into it. Nina, thoughtful and sad, eats ice cream. The unknown man sees this whole scene and understands that Arbenin poisoned his wife, but does not prevent anything.
Scene 2
Exit 1. Sad and pale Nina undresses for bed. Evgeniy comes in to see her.
Arbenin and Nina. Illustration for Lermontov’s drama “Masquerade” by artist N. Kuzmin
Exit 2. Nina reproaches her husband for being rude to her. Suddenly feeling a burning sensation in her chest, she asks to call a doctor. However, Evgeniy is in no hurry to send for the doctor. He begins to accuse his wife of cheating. Nina assures that she was slandered. Arbenin says that her words are a lie, and admits: he gave her poison at the ball, from which she will now die. Nina is suffering more and more. In suffering, she curses Eugene, again swears that she is innocent - and dies. Arbenin refuses to believe her.
Lermontov “Masquerade”, act 4 – summary
Scene 1
Exit 1. Before Nina's funeral, Arbenin sits helplessly at home. He is already tormented by doubts about his wife’s guilt, but he drives them away from himself.
Exit 2. Kazarin, who came to offer condolences, seeing Evgeniy very upset, believes that he only put on a feigned guise.
Exit 3. Two relatives come to say goodbye to Nina’s body - a lady and her niece. The lady is most concerned about the upcoming expenses for the funeral dress.
Exit 4. The doctor and the old man come out of the dead woman's room. The doctor says that he arrived at the wrong time: the patient had already died.
Exit 5. The doctor approaches Arbenin and persuades him not to kill himself too much. Evgeniy, as if waking up, incoherently repents of having “desecrated divine creation", although it is not he himself who is to blame, but one ungrateful person. The doctor decides that Arbenin is going crazy.
Exit 6. After everyone else has left, Prince Zvezdich and the unknown person who was at the ball enter Arbenin’s house.
Exit 7. The unknown man, without revealing his name to the prince, convinces him: Eugene himself poisoned his wife. He proposes to immediately throw this accusation in Arbenin’s face.
Exit 8. Arbenin enters with a candle. Without noticing the unknown person and the prince, he talks to himself. Evgeny convinces himself that his trial of Nina was fair, and no one will dare to dissuade him of this. With the words: “I dare!” - An unknown person approaches him.
Evgeniy does not recognize him at first. An unknown person reminds you: seven years ago you and I were friends. I was young and inexperienced, but “this coldness was already hidden in your chest, // That hellish contempt for everything, // Which you were proud of everywhere!” Since you enticed me to play, and I spent everything I had on cards. I cried and begged, but it only aroused laughter in you. And now this evil seed has produced a worthy fruit!
Arbenin says with excitement that he recognized him. The unknown person continues: filled with a thirst for revenge, I secretly followed you everywhere, mixing with the crowd. I learned everything about you - and saw how you killed Nina!
Prince Zvezdich approaches. He challenges Arbenin to a duel for a past insult - and tells the whole story with the bracelet, also giving Evgeniy a letter from Baroness Shtral with her confirmation. After reading the letter, Arbenin desperately tries to rush at “his executioners” - the unknown man and the prince, but falls helplessly into the chairs, and then gets up from them and laughs like crazy.
Arbenin kneels before Zvezdich and the unknown man, praying that they confirm Nina’s guilt to him, otherwise his soul will break. He blames an unknown person who saw him pouring poison into the ice cream and did not intervene. Running up to Nina’s coffin, Evgeny sits down on the floor next to him and freezes, reclining with crazed, motionless eyes...
...The unknown man rejoices that his revenge has been accomplished (“and this proud mind is exhausted today!”). Zvezdich is annoyed: he won’t be able to shoot with a madman.
Lermontov
Masquerade
DRAMA
in 4 acts, in verse
CHARACTERS:
Arbenin, Evgeniy Alexandrovich.
Nina, his wife.
Prince Zvezdich.
Baroness Strahl.
Kazarin, Afanasy Pavlovich.
Shprikh, Adam Petrovich.
Mask.
Official.
Players.
Guests.
Servants and Maids.
ACT ONE
SCENE ONE
Exit first
Players, Prince Zvezdich, Kazarin and Shprikh.
(At the table they are throwing a pot and ponting... They stand around.)
1st Ponter
Ivan Ilyich, let me put it.
Banker
If you please.
1st Ponter
One hundred rubles.
Banker
2nd Ponter
Well, bon voyage.
3rd Ponter
You need to improve your happiness
But samples are bad...
4th Ponter
We have to bend it.
3rd Ponter
2nd Ponter
For everything?.. no, it burns!
4th Ponter
Listen, dear friend, whoever doesn’t bend now,
He won't achieve anything.
3rd Ponter, quiet first.
Keep your eyes wide open.
Prince Zvezdich
2nd Ponter
Hey prince
Anger only spoils the blood - play without getting angry.
Prince
Leave some advice this time.
Banker
Prince
Damn it.
Banker
Let me get it.
2nd Ponter, mockingly.
I see you are in the heat, ready to let everything go.
What are your epaulets worth?
Prince
I got them with honor, and you can’t buy them.
2nd Ponter, through clenched teeth, leaving.
You should be more modest
With such misfortune even at your age.
(The prince, having drunk a glass of lemonade, sits to the side and thinks.)
Shprikh, suitable with participation
Don't you need money, prince... I'll help right away,
The interest rates are absurd... but I can wait a hundred years.
(The prince bows coldly and turns away, Shprikh leaves with displeasure.)
Exit two
Arbenin and others.
(Arbenin enters, bows, approaching the table; then he makes some signs and leaves with Kazarin.)
Arbenin
Well, aren’t you dreaming?..eh, Kazarin?
Kazarin
I look, brother, at others. –
And you, my dear, are married, rich, - you have become a master.
And he forgot his comrades!
Arbenin
Yes, I haven't been with you for a long time.
Kazarin
Are you still busy with things?
Arbenin
Love... not works.
Kazarin
With my wife at the balls.
Arbenin
Kazarin
Arbenin
No... it's quiet!
But there are new ones here, who is this smart guy?
Kazarin
Adam Petrovich?.. I’ll introduce you at once.
(Shprikh approaches and bows.)
Shprikh
Do I know you.
Arbenin
I remember that we
It didn't happen to meet.
Shprikh
According to stories.
And I've heard so much about you,
I've been wanting to meet you for a long time.
Arbenin
Unfortunately, I haven’t heard anything about you.
But, of course, I learn a lot from you.
(They bow again. Shprikh, making a sour face, leaves.)
I don’t like him... I’ve seen a lot of faces,
But you can’t invent something like this on purpose;
An evil smile, eyes... bugles for sure,
Look, he’s not human, but he doesn’t look like the devil.
Kazarin
Eh, my brother - what is the outside view?
Let it be the devil himself!.. but he is a necessary person,
Just address him and he’ll lend you a loan.
I don’t know what nationality he is, I don’t know for sure:
Speaks all languages
Most likely, he is a Jew. –
He knows everyone, he has business everywhere,
Remembers everything, knows everything, has been caring for a whole century,
I was beaten more than once - with an atheist - an atheist,
With the holy man is a Jesuit, between us is an evil gambler,
And with honest people, a most honest person.
In short, you will love him, I'm sure.
Arbenin
The portrait is good, but the original is bad! –
Well, that one there, tall and with a mustache,
And rouged to boot?
Of course, a resident of fashion shops,
Is the gentleman retired and has been to foreign lands?
Of course, he is not a hero in action
The main character of the play, Evgeny Aleksandrovich Arbenin, is a professional card player who made money from gambling considerable fortune, some time ago he married a young lady. He himself is no longer a man of his first youth, and he married not at all out of love, but rather out of the need at his age to be a married and settled man.
But soon, without expecting it, Arbenin falls in love with Nastasya Pavlovna (Nina), his own wife. But she’s still young, and she’s attracted to everything noisy, bright and shiny. Today is a holiday in St. Petersburg. It's standing in the yard deep night, and Nastasya Pavlovna still has not returned home. Appearing some time later, she carefully and affectionately kisses Arbenin on the forehead. He makes a scene for her, but after a few minutes, the couple make up. Despite the fact that Arbenin himself was also guilty - he recently won a large amount playing cards to help out the young guardsman Zvezdich, who had seriously lost today.
Together with him, Evgeny Alexandrovich goes to the masquerade. A mysterious person in a mask begins to flirt with Prince Zvezdich, and then, at his request, gives him someone else’s bracelet as a souvenir. Zvezdich boasts and shows it to Arbenin. The thing seems vaguely familiar to him. But he had no time to think about it. Just alone Unknown person spoke terrible words to him and predicted misfortune on this festive night. That is why Arbenin began to suspect his wife when she did not return home at the appointed time. After reconciliation, the husband notices that Nina is missing a bracelet on one hand. When asked where it went, the answer was “lost.” Having searched the whole house and not finding things, the husband truly doubted his wife’s honesty. It turns out that Nina was at that very masquerade, but it is indecent for a young lady to be in such places alone. According to her, this is where she left her bracelet. Then he thought that, secret from him, Nina was meeting with Prince Zvezdich. He was terribly outraged by the fact that if Arbenin had not helped him out, the prince would have had no time for amorous affairs. Having quarreled, the spouses go to different rooms.
The next day, Nina hurries to buy exactly the same bracelet in the store, but this turns out to be impossible. Then Arbenina goes to her friend, the Dowager Baroness Stahl, and meets Zvezdich there. She tells him about her loss, and he takes this as a hint that she was the one at the masquerade and now wants to get closer to him. Immediately the young prince begins to show passionate interest in Madame Arbenina. She coldly dismisses him and quickly moves away. Frustrated by what happened, Zvezdich tells the widow about everything. She realizes in horror that the situation has taken a wrong turn, because at that ball it was she who gave the bracelet to the prince. The widow keeps silent about this story, and meanwhile Zvezdich sends love letter Mrs. Arbenina. Having learned about this, Evgeny Alexandrovich is finally convinced of his wife’s infidelity, but virtue does not allow him to deal with the insidious seducer.
Baroness Shtral values the prince's life and, in order to avoid his duel with Arbenin, tells Yevgeny Alexandrovich the whole truth about what happened at the masquerade. But Arbenin does not hear her, does not understand the meaning of her words. But Mrs. Strahl worries in vain, because he does not want to fight the offender in a duel. His goal is to damage Zvezdich’s reputation and disgrace his honor and dignity. To do this, during a card game, he finds fault with his opponent in every possible way and, in the end, accuses him of cheating and cheating. In front of the entire audience, Arbenin slaps Zvezdich in the face. The offender has been avenged, now it’s Nina’s turn. Mrs. Shtil, realizing that in any case her reputation will be ruined, decides to leave for her village estate, but before that she reveals to Zvezdich the truth about this whole story.
The prince meets Nina and gives her the bracelet. He asks her to be careful because her husband is... scary man. Nina does not understand Zvezdich’s strange hints and is completely unaware of the seriousness of the current situation. Arbenin observes the conversation from the outside and does not know about its content. Arbenin is furious and wishes death for his wife. Soon he puts poison in ice cream for Nina, and she dies a few hours later in terrible agony.
While saying goodbye to the body of the deceased, Arbenin meets Zvezdich and the very Unknown who predicted misfortune for him. This was an acquaintance of his, whom Arbenin had beaten at cards many years ago and made him a beggar. The unknown person declares in front of everyone that Arbenin took the life of his wife with his own hands. Zvezdich at the same moment tells the story of the lost bracelet and confirms his words with a letter from the baroness. Arbenin is going crazy. The unknown person is pleased with the outcome of events. Zvezdich is unhappy and will remain inconsolable and devoid of peace until the end of his days.
In his work M.Yu. Lermontov sought to show all the vices that were characteristic of the secular society of St. Petersburg at that time. The name “Masquerade” conceals not only a costume event, but also society as a whole, where hidden intrigues constantly took place and human vices were hidden. Lermontov could not accept such a lifestyle and decided to open his readers' eyes to the rotten underside of the life of the St. Petersburg nobility, concentrating its main component in the person of the main character of the play.
You can use this text for reader's diary
Lermontov. All works
- Ashik-Kerib
- Masquerade
- A song about Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, a young oprichnik and the daring merchant Kalashnikov
- Fatalist
Masquerade. Picture for the story
Currently reading
- Summary of Lermontov Fatalist (chapter from the story Hero of Our Time)
Pechorin spent two weeks of his life in Cossack village. In the evenings, officers like to gather together to play card games.
- Summary of Lindgren Roni, daughter of a robber
The main character of the work is a little girl named Roni, presented by the writer as the daughter of the leader of forest bandits living in an abandoned castle.
- Summary of Teffi Exam
The work “Exam”, created by the Russian writer Nadezhda Teffi, tells the story of how a high school student passed exams in order to move to the next grade.
- Summary of Rasputin Money for Maria
At night, Kuzma decides to go to his brother for help. There were doubts about help. After all, they had not seen each other for a long time and had become strangers to each other.
- Summary of Eugene Grande Balzac
The most charming and beautiful girl in Saumur, the daughter of Father Grandet, Eugenie, was considered. Her father managed to get rich in troubled times revolution, it was then that he managed to buy church lands into his possessions
Lermontov wrote the drama “Masquerade” in 1835. Initially, the play consisted of three acts, but was not passed by the censor. In the second edition, Lermontov added a fourth act, and this version of the drama has come down to us. The play was first published only in 1842, and first staged in 1852.
The main character of the play, Evgeny Arbenin, appears before the reader as a man with enormous inner strength, somewhat demonic. It seems to him that if he has become a master of the card game, then he will be successful in the game of life. However, here he suffered defeat - Fate defeated him, depriving him of the most precious thing with his own hand.
Main characters
Evgeniy Arbenin- proud, endowed with a rebellious spirit, a former player, led a wild life, but after marriage he settled down and became a “respectable man”; loves his wife madly.
Nina (Nastasya Pavlovna) Arbenina – loving wife Evgenia, a gentle and kind woman, is faithful to her husband; loves holidays and balls.
Prince Zvezdich- an acquaintance of Arbenin, to whom during the masquerade the baroness gave Nina’s found bracelet.
Other characters
Baroness Strahl – socialite, during the masquerade she gave Zvezdich a found bracelet.
Shprikh- “Jew”, who knows everything about everyone, “he knows everyone, he has business everywhere.”
Kazarin- an acquaintance of Arbenin, a card player.
Unknown- an old acquaintance of Arbenin, “the hand of Fate”.
Act one
Scene 1
Men play cards for money. The prince loses. Arbenin joins the men. Kazarin reproaches Evgeniy that he “forgot his comrades.” Arbenin says that he is now busy not with business, but with love, and has stopped playing. Kazarin introduces Evgeniy to Shprikh, notes that he is “the right person” and can always lend money.
Among those present, Arbenin recognizes Prince Zvezdich. The prince is upset by his loss. To help Zvezdich, Arbenin sits down at the gaming table in his place and wins back.
During the game, Kazarin tells Shtrikh that Arbenin used to be a master of playing cards, but now:
“He got married and rich, became a respectable man;
He looks like a lamb, and really, it’s the same beast...”
After Arbenin helped the prince recoup, they go to Engelhard’s masquerade.
Scene 2
At the masquerade, Arbenin shares with the prince that “everyone is alien to me, and I am a stranger to them all.” He reasons that anyone can be hiding under the masks.
A woman in a Mask approaches Zvezdich and speaks to him. The mask claims to know the prince. Flirting, the two of them leave.
A stranger in a mask prophesies “misfortune this night” to Arbenin.
The masked woman hides from Zvezdich in excitement - he almost tore off her mask and did not recognize who she was. The prince asked her for some item as a souvenir, but the woman did not want to give up her ring. Suddenly she notices on the ground a bracelet “with enamel, gold” that someone had lost, which she gives to the prince, after which she disappears into the crowd.
Zvezdich tells Arbenin about an affair at a masquerade with a stranger and shows the bracelet she left behind. The thing seems very familiar to Evgeniy.
Scene 3
Arbenin returns home. The servant reports that Nina promised to arrive at twelve o’clock, but it’s already “two o’clock.”
Arbenin recalls the “sins of days gone by,” how he “stupidly ruined his youth,” how “hard and boring life was for him.” But everything changed after marriage. Arbenin married a beautiful, gentle woman, whom he unexpectedly fell in love with:
"Like a lamb of God to the slaughter,
I brought her to the altar.”
Arbenin’s wife, Nina, returns home. The woman does not understand why her husband misses her when they are apart, and when they meet, he begins to grumble. If Arbenin had wanted, she would have given up the light for him and gone to the village.
Eugene replied that his love was different, after marriage it was as if he had been “resurrected to life and goodness.” However, sometimes he is “carried away into the storm of former days,” at such moments he is “silent, stern, gloomy” and is afraid of scaring Nina with something.
Kissing his wife’s hands, Arbenin notices that one is missing a bracelet and asks where it went. The woman replies that it is lost: “there is no great trouble in this.” Arbenin becomes suspicious and orders the carriage to be searched. The servant reports that there is no bracelet in the carriage and that it was probably lost at the masquerade. Arbenin arranges a scene of jealousy for his wife and wants revenge. Nina is frightened by his words.
Act two
Scene 1
The Baroness argues that a woman is “a creature without a will.” She excitedly recalls what happened at the masquerade.
Nina, who came to the Baroness, meets Zvezdich here. Arbenina starts talking about the masquerade. The prince shared that he recognized many ladies under the masks. The Baroness noted that decent women do not go to masquerades.
Left alone with the prince, Nina innocently tells him that she was in the store - trying to pick a pair for her bracelet, since the second one was lost last week. Zvezdich decides that Nina is the same unknown person in the mask and begins to flirt with her, wanting to “achieve her goal” at all costs.
The Prince tells the Baroness that he met Nina at the masquerade and her bracelet is proof of this. To make sure of this, he went to the store today and found out that there are only two of them. To save her own honor, the Baroness does not reveal the truth to the prince. She learns from Shprikh that there are already rumors about Nina and Zvezdich.
Scene 2
Arbenin is brought a note from some princess addressed to Nina.
Kazarin comes to Evgeniy - he needs a “skillful companion” in the game. Shprikh, who came to the Arbenins at the same time, tells Kazarin that Evgeniy’s wife “met a prince” at a masquerade, but ran away from him.
After reading the note sent to Nina, Arbenin is furious - it was from the prince.
Scene 3
Arbenin comes to Zvezdich's home with a desire to take revenge, but finds the prince sleeping. Eugene was never able to kill him.
On the way out, Arbenin encounters a veiled lady - the Baroness. The woman tries to explain everything to him, says that Nina is not to blame for anything, but Arbenin does not seem to hear her story and leaves.
The Baroness tells Zvezdich that Nina knows nothing about what happened at the masquerade and warns that Arbenin can kill him. The woman admitted that she was hiding behind “that mask” and asked to give Nina the bracelet.
The prince finds a note left by Arbenin inviting him to an evening with N.
Scene 4
Kazarin, Arbenin and N. Playing cards. Zvezdich joins the men. From a conversation with Arbenin, the prince sees that even after meeting with the baroness, he did not understand anything. Evgeny, angry with Zvezdich, throws cards in his face. The prince wants to shoot himself, but Arbenin refuses to participate in the duel. Zvezdich asks Evgeniy: “Are you a man or a demon?” , to which Arbenin replies: “Me? - player! .
Act three
Scene 1
The hostess of the evening is informed that Baroness Strahl has left for the village this evening. The guests discuss among themselves that Zvezdich received a slap in the face and consider him a “scoundrel.”
Nina arrives for the evening. Zvezdich warns her that Arbenin is “a villain, soulless and godless” and she is “in danger of trouble.” The prince gives the woman the bracelet and says goodbye forever - he is going to the Caucasus. Nina, not understanding anything, says that Zvezdich has gone crazy.
Arbenin firmly decides that Nina must die. At the request of the hostess, Nina, accompanying herself on the piano, performs a sad romance.
Nina asks Arbenin to bring her ice cream. Evgeniy pours poison into the dessert and gives it to his wife. Nina argues that “there are no immaculate souls.” Arbenin replies: “No. I thought I had found one, and that was in vain." Nina eats ice cream.
The Unknown, standing at a distance, thoughtfully says that he almost took pity, but decided that “let fate’s destiny be fulfilled.”
Scene 2
At home, the maid notices that Nina is pale. Nina complains of feeling unwell and shares that Arbenin scares her with his silence and strange gaze.
Nina thinks she caught a cold from the ice cream. She doesn't understand why her husband is so cold towards her. Arbenin argues that “life is an empty thing.” Nina, feeling a burning sensation in her chest, asks to send for a doctor. To this Arbenin replies: “Well? Is it impossible for you to die without a doctor? . He accuses his wife of cheating. Nina replies that Arbenin was “deceived by a slanderer.” Suffering from severe pain, Nina turns to God for mercy. Arbenin admits that he gave her poison and she will soon die. A woman is trying to call for help. Arbenin watches her suffering with a grin. Nina is dying.
Act four
Scene 1
Arbenin is captured by painful memories. Kazarin, who came, does not believe that he feels bad, believing that Evgeniy is “playing a comedy.”
Neizvestny and Zvezdich come to Arbenin. The doctor warns that Evgeniy is “sick in earnest.” Evgeniy does not recognize the Unknown, but he says that they were previously friends. Seven years ago, Arbenin lured him to the gaming table and since then the Unknown left everything: “I saw that money is the king of the earth, And I bowed to it,” but now he wants to take revenge on him.
Finally Arbenin recognizes him and tries to drive him away. But the Unknown reports that he knows that Evgeniy killed his wife. Arbenin becomes furious. The prince says that neither he nor Nina were to blame - the bracelet came to him by accident. Upon learning of this, Arbenin goes crazy.
Conclusion
The leading motives in the drama “Masquerade” are the motives of play, masquerade, and dressing up. Lermontov exposes the hypocrisy and intrigue of high society in St. Petersburg, where everyone thinks only about their own interests.
Behind masks of integrity, heroes hide their true faces and desires. Baroness Shtral, in order not to tarnish her reputation, tells the truth only after the rumor about the connection between the prince and Nina has already spread throughout the city. Kazarin, wanting to return Arbenin to card games, does not hesitate to come to Evgeny with this question even immediately after Nina’s death.
The only bright, pure character in the play is Nina Arbenina. She had no place in the “poisonous”, “masquerade” society of high society. In fact, Nina was “poisoned” not by her jealous husband, but by those around her, whose actions led to the tragedy.
Play test
Test your memorization summary test:
Retelling rating
average rating: 4.1. Total ratings received: 68.
Brenda Joyce
Masquerade
Acknowledgments
The final shape and form of this novel would not have been possible without the support of my editor, Miranda Indigo. I am very grateful to her for her willingness to always correct and revise. Thanks also to Lucy Childs for her exceptional enthusiasm, sincere support and an amazing willingness to listen. Finally, as always, I remain indebted and forever grateful to my agent Aaron Priest.
This novel is dedicated to the memory of my Uncle Sam, the kindest man I have ever known. He will forever remain in my heart
Prince and hero
Her mother stood behind her and spoke so loudly that the little girl, unfortunately, heard every word. She brought the book closer to her face, trying to concentrate on the text. But that was impossible because they were staring at her. Lizzie's cheeks were flushed.
Of course, she is unsociable, but only because she is shy. Of course, she doesn’t want to offend anyone with such behavior. And she's only ten! I am sure that time will pass, and Lizzie will become as charming as my dear Anna. After all, Anna is a real beauty, isn’t she? And Georgina May. Yes, she is the perfect eldest daughter. Helps me with everything. And very prudent,” said my mother. - And always fulfills his duties.
“I can’t imagine, Lydia, how you manage three daughters of almost the same age,” said the mother’s interlocutor. She was a minister's sister and came to Cork for a short time. - But you're lucky. Anna will marry well when she comes of age - she is so beautiful that you don’t need to worry about her! And Georgina May also has excellent data. I think she will become a beautiful woman.
Oh, I'm sure of it! - exclaimed the mother, as if she could make her wishes come true in this way. - And Lizy will be fine too, I have no doubt. She'll outgrow childhood fatness, won't she?
There was a short pause.
Of course, she will lose weight if she doesn't have a sweet tooth. But if she becomes a bluestocking, it will not be easy for you to find a suitable husband for her,” the pastor’s wife warned. - I'll keep a close eye on her. Isn't she too young to read?
Lizzie gave up trying to comprehend the contents, clutching the precious book to her chest and hoping that her mother would not come and take it away. Her cheeks were burning with embarrassment, and she wanted the guests to talk about something or someone else. The pastor's mother and sister moved on to discuss other adults, and Lizzie breathed a sigh of relief.
Perhaps the summer picnic wasn't the best suitable place for reading. Many people gathered - her whole family, the most close neighbor, pastor and his wife. There are seven adults and six children in total, including Lizzie. Her sisters and their friends played pirates. A similar day in June was filled with shouts and laughter. Lizzie took a quick glance at what was happening, looking at Anna, who was playing the role of the damsel in grief and was about to burst into tears over some failure. The pastor's eldest son tried to calm her down while he younger brother and the neighbor boy were swinging sticks like real pirates. Georgie lay on the grass, pretending to be the victim of some terrible bad luck.
Lizzie wasn't invited to play. She didn't want to. She was captivated by reading from the moment she could recognize the first few words, and over the past six months suddenly, as if by magic, she could look at a sentence and understand most of the words. Very quickly reading became her passion and life. She didn't care what to read, although she preferred fairy tales about brave heroes and sobbing heroines. She was currently reading one of Sir Walter Scott's stories, even though it was written for adults and it took her an hour or more to read one page.
Lizzie turned around again and realized that she was completely alone. The adults sat on large blankets and opened baskets of food. Her sisters were still playing with the boys. She trembled with excitement and opened her book.
But before she could reread the last paragraph she left off on, a group of riders rode up to the lake, only twelve feet from where she sat, at a light gallop. Their voices were courageous, loud and young, and Lizzie raised her head as they dismounted.
Fascinated, she noticed that there were five young men there. She became even more interested and curious. They rode beautiful, vibrant horses and wore well-cut, expensive clothes. They were definitely aristocrats. Laughing and shouting, they took off their jackets and shirts, revealing their slender, tanned and sweaty bodies. They were going to go swimming.
Maybe they are from Adar? Lizzie was interested. Count Adar, the only aristocrat in the area, had three sons and two stepsons. Lizzie clutched the book to her chest, watching as a tall, fair-haired young man dived and was followed by another, dark-haired, slimmer and shorter. There were shouts and noise as two more people joined them, whooping and laughing. They splashed water at each other. Lizzie smiled.
She didn't know how to swim, but it looked like it was fun.
Then she looked at the young man, who remained on the shore. He was very tall, dark, like a Spaniard, with black hair, slender and very muscular. And he looked at her with curiosity.
Lizzie buried her face in the book, hoping that at least she didn’t seem fat to him.
Hey fatty, give it to me!
Younger son The pastor snatched the book from Lizzie’s hands.
Willie O'Day! - she exclaimed, jumping up. - Give me the book, hooligan!
He snorted in her face. The boy was evil, and Lizzie despised him.
Go and get it if you want,” he chuckled.
He was three years older than Lizzie and a full three feet taller. Lizzie reached for the book, and he immediately raised it above his head so that she could not reach it. And he laughed:
Bookworm!
Lizzie took a long time to read the first ten pages and was afraid that Willie would not return it.
Please! Please give me the book!
The naughty man did not give the book back, and when Lizzie tried to snatch it, he swung it and threw it into the lake.
Lizzie gasped as she watched her book float on the water off the shore. Her eyes filled with tears, and Willie laughed again.
Go and get it if you want, fatty,” he said as he walked away.
Without thinking, Lizzie ran to the shore of the lake and reached for the book.
And, to her horror, she lost her balance and fell.
Water surrounded her on all sides. Lizzie's mouth filled with water, she coughed, swallowed more more water and began to choke. She panicked, feeling like she was drowning.
She floundered desperately when strong arms grabbed her. Suddenly she found herself above the water, in the hands of a young man. She grabbed onto him, pressing her face into his chest, coughing and sobbing at the same time. He came out of the lake. Lizzie caught her breath, panic and fear quickly receded. Still holding onto the young man's strong shoulders, she looked at him.
I looked into the most beautiful dark blue eyes I had ever seen.
Are you okay? - asked the savior, looking at her carefully.
Lizzie wanted to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat. Their eyes met, and she just looked, and as she looked, she...
Head over heels, hopelessly and irrevocably in love. Her heart began to beat faster.
Lizzie! Lizzie! Oh my God, Lizzie! - she heard her mother’s screams from the shore.
Are you a prince? - Lizzie whispered.
He smiled. Her heart froze for a second, and then beat even faster.
No, baby, I'm not a prince.
No, he's a prince, Lizzie thought, unable to take her eyes off him. beautiful face. Her prince.
Lizzie! She is alright? Is my darling baby okay?
The mother was on the verge of hysterics.
The prince lowered her onto the blanket.
I think yes. I got a little wet, but today is a wonderful warm day, so my clothes will dry quickly.
Lizzie. - Her father knelt down in front of her, pale with fright. - My girl, what were you thinking about? Get so close to the lake!
Lizzie smiled shyly, not at dad, but at her prince.
I'm fine, dad.
The smile disappeared from the prince's face.
How can we thank you, Lord Tyrell? - Mom cried, grabbing him by both hands.
Don't, Mrs. Fitzgerald. “She’s safe, and that’s enough,” he replied.
And Lizzie realized who was in front of her. The next Earl of Adar, the Earl's eldest son, Tyrell de Warenne. She hugged her knees to her chest, still looking at him in shock. But she knew that he was a prince, or at least looked like one, because in the south of Ireland the Earl of Adar is like a king.
Tyrell's siblings and half-brothers surrounded them, curious and worried. Tyrell turned and they immediately moved away to let him pass. Lizzie wanted to call out to him until she realized what he was doing. Fascinated, she watched as he entered the lake and took her drowning book. A minute later he was next to her.
I think you'll need A new book“Baby,” he smiled.
Lizzie bit her lip, too embarrassed to thank him.
Lord Tyrell, we are in your debt,” the father said seriously.
Tyrell waved his hand casually. He looked around, and his gaze became harder. He looked intently at Willie O'Day.
Willie started to run.
Tyrell immediately caught up with him and grabbed him by the ear. Ignoring the cries of the mischievous man, he dragged him to Lizzie.
Get down on your knees and beg the little lady's forgiveness, he said, or I'll whip you.
And for the first time in his life, Willie did what he was told. He sobbed as he asked Lizzie for forgiveness.
Part one
Fatal meeting
Elizabeth Ann Fitzgerald looked at the book, but could not make out a word. The letters on the page blurred, and it seemed as if she was reading without glasses. Maybe it was for the best: Mom hated it when she read at the table. And now she sat down to breakfast with love story some time ago, completely forgetting about food. Lizzie sighed and closed the book. She's so excited about tomorrow, which is unlikely to be able to concentrate.
Excited and scared.
My father sat at the head of a small table with yesterday's copy of the Dublin Times. He turned the page noisily, engrossed in the article about the war as he picked up a cup of tea. Households were bustling about upstairs. Lizzie could hear her mother and two older sisters running around the bedrooms, their heels clicking loudly. She could also hear Anna's lamentations and Georgie's abrupt, sensual voice. Mom shouted commands like a general. Dad seemed not to pay attention to this - such chaos was common in their home.
Lizzie looked at him, hoping he would look up. She wanted to talk, but wasn't sure she could trust anyone.
“You’re looking at me,” the father said without raising his head. - What happened, Lizzie?
She paused.
Is it normal to be so nervous?
Dad looked at her over the newspaper. His smile was kind.
“It’s just a ball,” he said. - Maybe your first, but not your last.
He was a short man with prematurely gray hair, a gray mustache and a kind expression on his face. Like Lizzie, he wore framed glasses, but not just for reading; If there was one thing Lizzie regretted, it was that she had inherited poor eyesight from such an amazing father.
Lizzie felt herself blush. She tried not to meet her father's gentle gaze, she didn't want him to know how scared she was. After all, she was already sixteen, she adult woman or almost an adult. She didn't want anyone in her family to suspect that she still had her childhood fantasies - besides, at night they didn't seem childish at all.
Her cheeks became even hotter.
Under the table, a crippled cat, whom she had rescued and brought into the house last year, rubbed against her legs, purring.
But the father put the newspaper aside and was now looking at it.
Lizzie, it's just a ball. And you've already been to the house. - He meant the house of Count Adar. - You know, dear, we've all noticed how strange you've been acting the last few days. You even lost your appetite, and we all know how much you love to eat. What's bothering you, honey?
Lizzie wanted to smile at him, but she couldn’t. What could she say? Her infatuation with a young man who doesn't even know she exists was funny when she was ten. This caused raised eyebrows and concern at thirteen - the prime age of maturation. On next year When she saw him in the city with a beautiful aristocrat, she realized how stupid her feeling was. Such love could no longer be tolerated, and Lizzie knew this, especially now that they began to take her out into society with her older sisters.
But he will be at the ball, because he appeared there every All Hallows' Eve, because he is the heir to the count. According to her older sisters, he behaved politely to all his family's guests - and was the object of women's harassment and the topic of their conversations. Every mother, concerned about her daughter's marriage, foolishly hoped that she could get him as her groom, although she knew that he would marry the one his family chose. As soon as Lisey closed her eyes, she saw the image of the dark, majestic Tyrell de Warenne, his piercing and intense gaze.
The thought of seeing him tomorrow at the ball took her breath away. It was stupid, but her heart started beating faster. It was stupid, but she saw how politely he nodded to her, took her hand... and suddenly she was on his white horse next to him, and they were galloping into the night.
Lizzie smiled, realizing she had her head in the clouds, and pinched herself. Even if she went to the ball dressed as Maid Marian - Robin Hood was one of her favorites - Tyrell wouldn't notice. Yes, she didn’t want him to notice her. She didn't want him to look at her with complete absence interest, as did her sister Anna’s suitors. She will stand against the wall with other girls without boyfriends and watch him flirt and dance. Then, when she returns home to her bed, she will remember his every gesture and look, every word and even touch.
He suddenly stopped his horse, hugged Lizzie around the waist, his breath was close to her cheek...
Lizzie's pulse quickened, and a strange longing ran through her body, which she barely understood.
Lizzie? - Dad interrupted her thoughts.
She bit her lip, opened her eyes wide and smiled strangely at him.
“I want...” she began impulsively and fell silent.
What do you want, my dear?
She was closer to her father than to her mother, perhaps because he also loved to read and daydream. On cold rainy days they could be found in the living room, sitting in armchairs by the fireplace, immersed in their books.
“I want to be as beautiful as Anna,” she whispered. - At least once... only tomorrow evening.
His eyes widened.
But you're so pretty! - he exclaimed. -You have the most extraordinary gray eyes!
Lizzie smiled softly at him, knowing that he would not compliment her again. And then she heard her mother running down the steps and calling her:
Lizzie and Dad exchanged glances, understanding the reason for their mother's harsh tone. Something was wrong and she wanted Lizzie to fix it. Lizzie hated conflict and very often played the role of peacemaker in the family. She stood up now, knowing exactly what had happened.
Mother entered the living room, almost ran in. Her cheeks were flushed and she wore an apron over her striped robe. A reddish blonde, like Lizzie, whose unruly hair was simply pinned up, she had her hair cut short and fashionable. They had the same average build, and Lizzie was worried that from a distance they might be mistaken for their round figures. Now Lydia Jane Fitzgerald stopped abruptly in front of her sixteen year old daughter, almost falling over.
Lizzie! You need to talk to your sister, I can't do anything! She is the most stubborn and ungrateful girl! Georgina has decided she won't go to the ball! Oh my God! Scandal! Ingratitude! The Countess, bless her holy soul, will never forgive this! And for God's sake! Georgina is the oldest. How will she find a fan if she refuses to go to the most significant event of the year? Does she want to marry a butcher or a blacksmith?
Lizzie stood up, holding back a sigh as she saw Georgie walking slowly down the steps with her chin up. Georgie was dark blonde, very tall and slender. She looked at Lizzie, and her look said that there would be no compromise. Lizzie sighed:
Mom, I'll talk to Georgie.
You shouldn't just talk to her! - Lydia exclaimed, as if not noticing Georgie's presence. - We are invited to the count only twice a year! It would be the worst insult, as if our whole family didn’t come!
The first statement was correct. The Earl and Countess of Hadar opened the doors of their home twice a year, on All Hallows' Eve for a costume ball and on St. Patrick's Day for a lavish garden party. Lydia lived for these two events, as it was a rare opportunity for her daughters to interact with the elite of Irish society, and they all knew that she was praying to God for one of her daughters to marry a wealthy Irish aristocrat, perhaps one of the sons de Warenne. Lizzie knew that her mother had a secret dream. Although she said that her family were descendants of an ancient Celtic line, the de Warennes were so much superior to them that the difference was almost like that between a peasant and a king. Nobody would have cared if Georgie refused to come.
But Lizzie also knew that her mother meant well, she was devoted to her daughters and was afraid that they would marry poorly, and was confused that they would not marry at all. She tried her best to dress and feed her daughters well on her father's small pension and to introduce them to society so that they would not seem like impoverished nobles. And Georgie knew it too. Georgie spoke in a firm voice.
No one will notice my absence, mom. It's stupid to think otherwise. And given my father's pension and the fact that Anna will definitely marry first, taking into account the available funds for a dowry, I doubt that I will find a better match than a butcher or a blacksmith.
Lizzie gasped at Georgie's impudence and quickly hid her smile. Lydia was at a loss for words.
Father coughed into his fist, trying to hide his smile. Lydia burst into tears.
I have dedicated my whole life to finding husbands for you and your sister! And now you refuse to go to Adar! And you’re talking about marriage,” she shuddered, “with a man from the lower stratum of society!” Georgina May!
Sobbing, she ran out of the dining room.
There was silence.
Georgie looked a little guilty.
Her father looked at her reproachfully.
I’ll leave you two to deal with this,” he told the sisters. And Georgie added: “I know you will do what you need to do.”
He left the room.
Georgie sighed and looked at Lizzie resignedly and gloomily:
You know how much I hate these gatherings. I thought I could at least avoid this.
Lizzie approached her beloved older sister:
Wasn't it you who once told me, dear, that marriage serves a certain purpose? social purpose?
No one could explain the topic more intelligently than her older sister.
Georgie closed her eyes.
I believe you also mentioned that this is mutually beneficial for both parties,” Lizzie continued, knowing that she was exactly repeating her sister’s words.