Idiot actors. "Idiot" Dostoevsky: a detailed analysis of the novel

End of 1867. Prince Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin arrives in St. Petersburg from Switzerland. He is twenty-six years old, he is the last of a noble noble family, orphaned early, fell ill with a serious nervous illness as a child and was placed by his guardian and benefactor Pavlishchev in a Swiss sanatorium. He lived there for four years and is now returning to Russia with vague but big plans to serve her. On the train, the prince meets Parfyon Rogozhin, the son of a wealthy merchant, who inherited a huge fortune after his death. From him, the prince for the first time hears the name of Nastasya Filippovna Barashkova, the mistress of a certain wealthy aristocrat Totsky, whom Rogozhin is passionately passionate about.

Upon arrival, the prince with his modest bundle goes to the house of General Yepanchin, whose wife, Elizabeth Prokofievna, is a distant relative. There are three daughters in the Epanchin family - the eldest Alexandra, the middle Adelaide and the youngest, the common favorite and beautiful Aglaya. The prince amazes everyone with his spontaneity, gullibility, frankness and naivety, so extraordinary that at first he is received very wary, but with increasing curiosity and sympathy. It turns out that the prince, who seemed to be a simpleton, and to some a cunning one, is very intelligent, and in some things he is really deep, for example, when he talks about the death penalty he saw abroad. Here the prince also meets the extremely proud secretary of the general Ganya Ivolgin, in whom he sees a portrait of Nastasya Filippovna. Her face of dazzling beauty, proud, full of contempt and hidden suffering, strikes him to the core.

The prince also learns some details: the seducer of Nastasya Filippovna Totsky, trying to get rid of her and hatching plans to marry one of the daughters of the Epanchins, woo her to Ganya Ivolgin, giving seventy-five thousand as a dowry. Ganya is beckoned by money. With their help, he dreams of breaking out into the people and in the future significantly increasing his capital, but at the same time he is haunted by the humiliation of the situation. He would prefer marriage to Aglaya Yepanchina, with whom, perhaps, he is even a little in love (although here, too, the possibility of enrichment awaits him). He expects a decisive word from her, making his further actions dependent on this. The prince becomes an involuntary mediator between Aglaya, who unexpectedly makes him her confidant, and Ganya, causing irritation and anger in him.

Meanwhile, the prince is offered to settle not just anywhere, but in the Ivolgins' apartment. The prince does not have time to take the room provided to him and get acquainted with all the inhabitants of the apartment, starting with Ganya's relatives and ending with his sister's fiancé, the young usurer Ptitsyn and the gentleman of incomprehensible occupations Ferdyshchenko, as two unexpected events occur. None other than Nastasya Filippovna suddenly appears in the house, who has come to invite Ganya and his relatives to her for the evening. She amuses herself by listening to the fantasies of General Ivolgin, which only inflame the atmosphere. Soon a noisy company appears with Rogozhin at the head, who lays out eighteen thousand in front of Nastasya Filippovna. Something like bargaining takes place, as if with her mockingly contemptuous participation: is it her, Nastasya Filippovna, for eighteen thousand? Rogozhin is not going to retreat: no, not eighteen - forty. No, not forty - a hundred thousand! ..

For Ganya's sister and mother, what is happening is unbearably insulting: Nastasya Filippovna is a corrupt woman who should not be allowed into a decent house. For Ghani, she is the hope for enrichment. A scandal breaks out: Ganya's indignant sister Varvara Ardalionovna spits in his face, he is going to hit her, but the prince unexpectedly stands up for her and receives a slap from the enraged Ganya. "Oh, how you will be ashamed of your act!" - in this phrase, the whole of Prince Myshkin, all his incomparable meekness. Even at this moment he sympathizes with another, even the offender. His next word, addressed to Nastasya Filippovna: “Are you the way you now seemed to be,” will become the key to the soul of a proud woman, deeply suffering from her shame and falling in love with the prince for recognizing her purity.

Conquered by the beauty of Nastasya Filippovna, the prince comes to her in the evening. A motley society gathered here, starting with General Yepanchin, who was also passionate about the heroine, to the jester Ferdyshchenko. To the sudden question of Nastasya Filippovna, whether she should marry Ganya, he answers in the negative and thereby destroys the plans of Totsky, who is present here. At half past eleven, the bell rings and the old company appears, headed by Rogozhin, who spreads one hundred thousand wrapped in newspaper in front of his chosen one.

And again, the prince is in the center, who is painfully hurt by what is happening, he confesses his love for Nastasya Filippovna and expresses his readiness to take her, “honest”, and not “Rogozhin”, as his wife. Immediately, it suddenly turns out that the prince received a rather solid inheritance from the deceased aunt. However, the decision was made - Nastasya Filippovna rides with Rogozhin, and throws the fatal bundle with a hundred thousand into a burning fireplace and invites Ghana to get them out of there. Ganya is holding back with all his strength so as not to rush after the flashed money, he wants to leave, but falls unconscious. Nastasya Filippovna herself snatches out a pack with fireplace tongs and leaves the money to Ghana as a reward for his torment (later they will be proudly returned to them).

Six months pass. The prince, having traveled around Russia, in particular on inheritance matters, and simply out of interest in the country, comes from Moscow to St. Petersburg. During this time, according to rumors, Nastasya Filippovna fled several times, almost from the crown, from Rogozhin to the prince, stayed with him for some time, but then ran away from the prince.

At the station, the prince feels someone's fiery gaze on him, which torments him with a vague foreboding. The prince pays a visit to Rogozhin in his dirty green, gloomy, like a prison, house on Gorokhovaya Street, during their conversation, the prince is haunted by a garden knife lying on the table, he now and then picks it up in his hands, until Rogozhin finally, in irritation, takes it away he has it (later Nastasya Filippovna will be killed with this knife). In the house of Rogozhin, the prince sees on the wall a copy of the painting by Hans Holbein, which depicts the Savior, just taken down from the cross. Rogozhin says that he loves to look at her, the prince exclaims in amazement that "... from this picture, another may still lose faith," and Rogozhin unexpectedly confirms this. They exchange crosses, Parfyon leads the prince to his mother for a blessing, since they are now like brothers.

Returning to his hotel, the prince suddenly notices a familiar figure at the gate and rushes after her to the dark narrow stairs. Here he sees the same as at the station, the sparkling eyes of Rogozhin, a knife raised. At the same moment, an epileptic seizure occurs with the prince. Rogozhin runs away.

Three days after the seizure, the prince moves to Lebedev's dacha in Pavlovsk, where the Yepanchin family and, according to rumors, Nastasya Filippovna are also located. On the same evening, a large company of acquaintances gathers with him, including the Yepanchins, who decided to visit the sick prince. Kolya Ivolgin, Ganya's brother, teases Aglaya as a "poor knight", clearly alluding to her sympathy for the prince and arousing the painful interest of Aglaya's mother Elizaveta Prokofievna, so that her daughter is forced to explain that a person is depicted in poetry, capable of having an ideal and, having believed in him, to give his life for this ideal, and then with inspiration he reads Pushkin's poem itself.

A little later, a company of young people appears, led by a certain young man Burdovsky, allegedly "the son of Pavlishchev." They seem to be nihilists, but only, in the words of Lebedev, "they went further, sir, because they are primarily businesslike, sir." A libel is read from a newspaper about the prince, and then they demand from him that he, as a noble and honest man, reward the son of his benefactor. However, Ganya Ivolgin, who was instructed by the prince to deal with this matter, proves that Burdovsky is not Pavlishchev's son at all. The company retreats in embarrassment, only one of them remains in the center of attention - the consumptive Ippolit Terentyev, who, asserting himself, begins to "orate". He wants to be pitied and praised, but he is ashamed of his openness, his inspiration is replaced by rage, especially against the prince. Myshkin, on the other hand, listens attentively to everyone, pities everyone, and feels guilty before everyone.

A few days later, the prince visits the Yepanchins, then the entire Yepanchin family, together with Prince Yevgeny Pavlovich Radomsky, who is caring for Aglaya, and Prince Sh., Adelaide's fiancé, go for a walk. At the station not far from them, another company appears, among which Nastasya Filippovna. She familiarly addresses Radomsky, informing him of the suicide of his uncle, who squandered a large state sum. Everyone is outraged by the provocation. The officer, a friend of Radomsky, indignantly remarks that “you just need a whip here, otherwise you won’t take anything with this creature!” The officer is about to hit Nastasya Filippovna, but Prince Myshkin holds him back.

At the celebration of the birthday of Prince Ippolit Terentyev, he reads “My Necessary Explanation” written by him - a confession of an amazingly deep confession of a young man who almost did not live, but changed his mind a lot, doomed by illness to an untimely death. After reading, he attempts suicide, but the primer is missing from the gun. The prince protects Hippolyte, who is painfully afraid of seeming ridiculous, from attacks and ridicule.

In the morning, on a date in the park, Aglaya invites the prince to become her friend. The prince feels that he truly loves her. A little later, in the same park, the prince meets Nastasya Filippovna, who kneels before him and asks him if he is happy with Aglaya, and then disappears with Rogozhin. It is known that she writes letters to Aglaya, where she persuades her to marry the prince.

A week later, the prince was formally declared Aglaya's fiancé. High-ranking guests were invited to the Yepanchins for a kind of “bride-in-law” of the prince. Although Aglaya believes that the prince is incomparably higher than all of them, the hero, precisely because of her partiality and intolerance, is afraid to make a wrong gesture, is silent, but then becomes painfully inspired, talks a lot about Catholicism as anti-Christianity, declares his love to everyone, breaks a precious Chinese vase and falls in another fit, making a painful and awkward impression on those present.

Aglaya makes an appointment with Nastasya Filippovna in Pavlovsk, to which she comes with the prince. Apart from them, only Rogozhin is present. The “proud young lady” sternly and hostilely asks what right Nastasya Filippovna has to write letters to her and generally interfere in her and the prince’s personal life. Offended by the tone and attitude of her rival, Nastasya Filippovna, in a fit of revenge, calls on the prince to stay with her and drives Rogozhin away. The prince is torn between two women. He loves Aglaya, but he also loves Nastasya Filippovna - with love and pity. He calls her crazy, but is unable to leave her. The prince's condition is getting worse, he is more and more immersed in mental confusion.

The wedding of the prince and Nastasya Filippovna is planned. This event is overgrown with all sorts of rumors, but Nastasya Filippovna seems to be joyfully preparing for it, writing out outfits and being either in inspiration or in unreasonable sadness. On the day of the wedding, on the way to the church, she suddenly rushes to Rogozhin, who is standing in the crowd, who picks her up in his arms, gets into the carriage and takes her away.

The next morning after her escape, the prince arrives in Petersburg and immediately goes to Rogozhin. Togo is not at home, but it seems to the prince that Rogozhin seems to be looking at him from behind the curtains. The prince walks around Nastasya Filippovna's acquaintances, trying to find out something about her, returns several times to Rogozhin's house, but to no avail: that is not there, no one knows anything. All day the prince wanders around the sultry city, believing that Parfyon will certainly appear. And so it happens: Rogozhin meets him on the street and asks him in a whisper to follow him. In the house, he leads the prince to a room where, in an alcove on a bed under a white sheet, furnished with bottles of Zhdanov's liquid so that the smell of decay is not felt, the dead Nastasya Filippovna lies.

The prince and Rogozhin spend a sleepless night together over the corpse, and when the door is opened the next day in the presence of the police, they find Rogozhin rushing about in delirium and the prince calming him, who no longer understands anything and does not recognize anyone. Events completely destroy Myshkin's psyche and finally turn him into an idiot.

retold

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821 - 1881) is one of the most popular and recognized Russian writers in Western countries. The famous Russian prose writer, like no one else, managed to look into the depths of the human soul and reveal its vices. That is why he became so interesting to the public, and his works have not lost their relevance to this day.

This article opens a separate cycle dedicated to F.M. Dostoevsky. the site will try to understand and analyze the work of the author together with you.

So, our topic for today: F.M. Dostoevsky "The Idiot" - a summary, history and analysis of the novel. Let's not ignore domestic film adaptations that came out at different times.

Before talking about the plot, it is necessary to mention the life circumstances of the author, thus briefly touching on Dostoevsky's biography.

Biography of Dostoevsky - briefly and most importantly

The future brilliant writer was born in Moscow and was the second child, out of eight, in the family. Father Mikhail Andreevich Dostoevsky made a living by medicine, and his mother Maria Fedorovna Nechaeva belonged to the merchant class. Despite the fact that the Dostoevsky family lived modestly, Fyodor Mikhailovich received an excellent upbringing and education, and from an early age instilled a love of reading books. The family idolized the work of Pushkin. At a fairly early age, Dostoevsky became acquainted with the classics of world literature: Homer, Cervantes, Hugo, and others.

But at the age of 16, the first tragedy happens in the life of the writer - consumption (pulmonary tuberculosis) takes the life of his mother.

After that, the father of the family sends Fedor and his older brother Mikhail to study at the Main Engineering School. No matter how much the sons protested, the father insisted on special education, which in the future could ensure material well-being.

In 1843, Dostoevsky graduated from college and was enrolled as a field engineer-second lieutenant in the St. Petersburg engineering team, but after a year of service he resigned in order to devote himself entirely to literature.

In 1845, the first serious novel, Poor People, was published, after which the literary community recognized the talent of the writer. They began to talk about the "new Gogol".

Soon, another tragedy is approaching the place of the sharply fallen glory on the writer. In 1850, Dostoevsky was sentenced to death. At the very last moment, she was replaced by hard labor and subsequent exile to Siberia for four years.

What illegal did the genius writer do? The fact is that since 1846 the writer began to make friends with Patrashevsky Mikhail Vasilyevich, a staunch socialist. He attended the so-called "Petrashevsky Fridays", where music, literature, and partly politics were discussed. The circle advocated the abolition of serfdom and called for the fight against corruption.

As a result, the entire group of dissidents, on the personal order of Emperor Nicholas I *, was taken under close scrutiny, then arrested and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

For reference

*Nicholas I- Emperor of All Russia, who ruled the country for 30 years (1825 - 1855). The throne was inherited from the elder brother of Alexander I. The reign of Nicholas I was marked by an increased number of officials. A critical look at the work of officials of that time was vividly conveyed by N.V. Gogol in "Inspector"

The arrested were accused of free-thinking and sentenced to death.

But then the sentence was commuted. Nicholas I added personally: “Announce pardon only at the moment when everything is ready for execution” .

image of the death penalty - execution

The initiation of the sentence took place on December 22, 1849. After such an improvisation, one of the condemned (Grigoriev) went crazy after a while. Dostoevsky just outlined his spiritual shock in one of the chapters of the novel The Idiot. Therefore, I propose to switch to the plot of the book, but we will certainly return to the biography of the writer a little lower.

Dostoevsky "The Idiot" summary

Prince Myshkin

The protagonist of the novel is a young man, Prince Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin, who is returning from Switzerland after a long treatment (for epilepsy). In his pocket, despite his princely title, he has nothing, and from the luggage - a small bundle.

His goal is to find his distant relative in St. Petersburg, General Lizaveta Prokofievna Yepanchina.

On the way to St. Petersburg, the prince meets the merchant's son Parfyon Rogozhin, who, in turn, goes to receive a colossal inheritance from his late father. Mutual sympathy develops between the two characters.

Rogozhin tells a new friend about his acquaintance with the extraordinary St. Petersburg beauty Nastasya Filippovna, who has a reputation as a fallen woman. This is where the new friends part ways.

Prince Myshkin arrives at the Yepanchins' house. General Ivan Fedorovich, the father of the family, at first reluctantly receives an uninvited strange guest, but then decides to introduce him to his family - his wife and three daughters Alexandra, Adelaide and Aglaya.

But, before meeting the women of this house, Myshkin has the opportunity to see the portrait of Nastasya Filippovna. He is literally captivated by the beauty of this woman.

From this moment begins an amazing and intriguing chain of events around the protagonist of the novel. To give a summary of the novel "The Idiot", as well as any other work, is more detailed - inappropriate and unfair to the author. Therefore, we once again adhere to our tradition and introduced you only to the plot of this plot.

The greatest interest in this work, of course, are the characters.

Characters in The Idiot

Prince Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin- the key character of the novel, embodying humility and virtue. Dostoevsky himself writes to A.N. Maikov. (poet, privy councilor) about his protagonist the following:

“For a long time already one thought had tormented me, but I was afraid to make a novel out of it, because thought is too hard and I am not ready for it, although the idea is quite smart and I love it. This idea is to portray a completely beautiful person.»

And setting such a task, Dostoevsky turns to the famous character of Cervantes - Don Quixote and Dickens - Samuel Pickwick. The author endows Prince Myshkin with the same virtue, but at the same time gives him a shade of seriousness.

The main features of the hero; "noble innocence and boundless credulity."

Autobiographical elements can also be found in the main character. The writer endowed Myshkin with epilepsy, which he himself suffered all his life. And from the lips of the prince sound ideas close to Dostoevsky himself. This is also a question of the Orthodox faith, the attitude towards atheism.

This theme is clearly shown in the episode where Myshkin examines painting by Hans Holbein the Younger "Dead Christ in the tomb". Dostoevsky saw her personally in Basel. According to the writer's wife, the picture shocked Fyodor Mikhailovich.

Hans Holbein the Younger "Dead Christ in the Tomb"

- Yes, this ... this is a copy of Hans Holbein, - said the prince, having managed to make out the picture, - and although I am not a connoisseur, it seems to be an excellent copy. I saw this picture abroad and I can't forget it...
“But I like to look at this picture,” Rogozhin muttered after a pause ...
- To this picture! the prince suddenly exclaimed, under the influence of a sudden thought, “at this picture! Yes, from this picture, another may still have faith!

The attitude towards the death penalty is also reflected in one of the prince's monologues:

“Murder by sentence is disproportionately worse than murder by robbers.<…>Bring and place a soldier against the cannon itself in the battle and shoot at him, he will still hope, but read the sentence to this very soldier for sure, and he will go crazy or cry.

“My friend was eighth in line, so he had to go to the poles in the third place. The priest went around everyone with a cross. It turned out that there were five minutes to live, no more. He said that these five minutes seemed to him an endless period, an enormous wealth; it seemed to him that in those five minutes he would live so many lives that even now there was nothing to think about the last moment, so he also made various orders: he calculated the time to say goodbye to his comrades, he set aside two minutes for this, then he set another two minutes to think for the last time about myself, and then, to look around for the last time "

Parfen Rogozhin- a gloomy, uncouth dork who lives only in impulses of passion. After reading the novel, it is difficult to understand whether his love for Nastasya Filippovna is sincere or whether it is an obsession that develops into a mental disorder. Rogozhin is the exact opposite of Myshkin.

The second author of the Hobbibook blog, Vladislav Dikarev, calls Parfyon Rogozhin his favorite character in Russian literary classics. Why? He does not quite agree that this is an uncouth dork. Rather, a soul lives in Rogozhin's chest, torn apart by contradictions. The soul is sick, feverish. And in many ways, his motives are dictated by a manic desire to possess Nastasya Filippovna. However, the constant resistance on her part, the feeling that the woman does not reciprocate him in any way, inflames Parfion's passion even more. And with it, rage. Rogozhin is literally going crazy before our eyes, his personality is crumbling under the weight of such a spiritual way of life.

If these two characters are combined into one whole, then in principle we will get all the advantages and disadvantages of Dostoevsky.

Nastasya Filippovna- a woman of complex fate. Smart, proud and beautiful, but it is difficult for her to find her place in society.

- Amazing face! - answered the prince, - and I am sure that her fate is not out of the ordinary. “Happy face, but she suffered terribly, didn’t she?” The eyes speak about this, these two bones, two dots under the eyes at the beginning of the cheeks. This proud face, terribly proud, and now I don’t know if she is kind? Ah, for good! Everything would be saved!

In addition to the main characters, there are a number of other characters.

Epanchin family which includes General Ivan Fedorovich, his wife and daughters.

Ivolgin family, who once occupied a significant position in society, but due to the promiscuity and impulsiveness of the father of the family, retired General Ivolgin, he is forced to make ends meet by renting out apartments in his house.

"Idiot", you are unlikely to succeed in reading the rally. Throughout the work, every now and then one has to come across roughness and little things that the author has not perfected. Elements that Dostoevsky did not have time to “lick out”. There were reasons for that.

Unlike the same Nekrasov or Turgenev, Dostoevsky did not have a high noble origin and was forced to earn his living by writing. He had deadlines that he could not violate in front of the publishers of the Russky Vestnik magazine. In addition, after the death of his older brother Mikhail, Fedor Mikhailovich took on the debt obligations of the deceased. As a result, his financial situation worsened even more. Creditors began to bother the author, threatening him with a "debt hole".

In such an environment, the writer could not work, and Dostoevsky was forced to leave Russia. It was abroad that the novel The Idiot was written. But the writing process dragged on for almost a year and a half and ended in 1869.

The novel "The Idiot" was published in parts in the journal "Russian Messenger". That is why when reading the book, you can notice some repetitions and reminders of the author about the development of the plot. And the abruptness at the sharp turns of the plot was supposed to lure readers of the magazine to read subsequent chapters. Approximately, as in modern television series.

If we open the veil of the plot a little more, then the novel presents a complex love vicissitudes.

• Prince - Nastasya Filippovna and Prince - Aglaya
• Gavrila Ivolgin - Nastasya Filippovna and Gavrila Ivolgin - Aglaya
• Parfen Rogozhin: Nastasya Filippovna

Thus, the author provides the reader with judgments about several types of love. This is the passionate and direct love of Rogozhin, the mercantile love on the part of Gavrila Ivolgin, and the Christian (out of compassion) love of Prince Myshkin.

The novel "The Idiot" is part of the so-called "Pentateuch", which absorbed all the best works of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. It includes:

1. "Crime and Punishment" (published in 1866)
2. "The Idiot" (published in 1868)
3. "Demons" (published in 1871)
4. "Teenager" (year of publication 1875)
5. The Brothers Karamazov (published in 1879)

Of course, all of them one way or another will be considered on our blog. So subscribe to the latest newsletters and stay tuned site

F.M. Dostoevsky "The Idiot" - films

It is also worth mentioning the domestic film adaptations of the novel.

The first film based on the novel was made in 1910 and is, of course, a silent adaptation. Directed by Pyotr Ivanovich Cherdynin.

In 1958, the second Russian film adaptation was released. The creator of the picture is Ivan Aleksandrovich Pyryev (who also directed the excellent screen version of The Brothers Karamazov). The picture already has color and sound.

film Idiot (1958)

The role of Prince Myshkin was played by a very young Yuri Yakovlev. But only one series of the film was released, based on the first part of the novel. Yuri Yakovlev refused further filming due to a nervous breakdown received after filming the first series. Pyryev refused to take another actor for the role.

After 45 years, another film, The Idiot, appeared on Russian screens. The film was directed by Vladimir Bortko, who brought together an impressive cast: Evgeny Mironov, Vladimir Mashkov, Olga Budina, Inna Churikova, Oleg Basilashvili and many others.

But in my opinion, the 2003 film was not very successful. Too much remains unsaid and unshown, which spoils the whole integrity of the story. To a viewer familiar with the original source, the film will seem rather boring. Thus, there is a risk that he will not watch the series to the end.

In conclusion, I would like to quote an excerpt from a letter from Dostoevsky to the same A.N. Maikov about how this novel ends:

“If there are readers of The Idiot, they may be somewhat surprised by the unexpectedness of the ending; but, on reflection, of course, they will agree that it should have ended like that. In general, this ending is one of the successful ones, that is, actually like an ending; I'm not talking about the dignity of the novel itself; but when I'm done, I'll write something to you as a friend, what I think about him myself...<...>The ending of The Idiot will be spectacular (I don't know if it's good?) ... I have no idea about the success or failure of the novel. However, the end of the novel will decide everything ... ”(To A. N. Maikov, December 1868, from Florence)

I hope we have intrigued you with Dostoevsky's novel "The Idiot" by briefly retelling the content of the work and revealing significant events from the life of the author. We will be glad to see your opinion in the comments. Read books - it's interesting!

The novel by F. M. Dostoevsky "The Idiot" is today one of the most popular and sought-after works of Russian literature. For many years, various interpretations of this great creation have been created and continue to be created: film adaptations, opera and ballet readings, theatrical performances. The novel is popular all over the world.

Work on the novel began in April 1867 and lasted almost a year and a half. The creative impulse for the author was the case of the Umecki family, where parents were accused of child abuse.

1867 is a difficult time for the writer and his family. Dostoevsky was hiding from creditors, which forced him to go abroad. Another sad event was the death of a three-month-old daughter. Fedor Mikhailovich and his wife experienced this tragedy very hard, but the agreement with the Russky Vestnik magazine did not allow the creator to give in to grief. Work on the novel completely absorbed the author. While in Florence, in January 1869, Dostoevsky completed his work, dedicating it to his niece S. A. Ivanova.

Genre, direction

In the second half of the 19th century, writers paid special attention to the genre of the novel. There were various subgenres associated with the direction, style, structure. The Idiot by Dostoyevsky is one of the best examples of a philosophical novel. This type of prose arose as early as the Enlightenment in Western European literature. What distinguishes him is his emphasis on the thoughts of the characters, the development of their ideas and concepts.

Dostoevsky was also interested in the study of the inner world of characters, which gives reason to attribute The Idiot to such a type of novel as a psychological one.

essence

Prince Myshkin comes from Switzerland to Petersburg. With a small bundle of things in his hands, dressed not for the weather, he goes to the Yepanchins' house, where he meets the general's daughters and secretary Ganya. From him, Myshkin sees a portrait of Nastasya Filippovna, and later learns some details of her life.

The young prince stops at the Ivolgins, where he soon meets Nastasya herself. The girl's patron asks her to marry Ganya and gives her a dowry of 70 thousand, which attracts a potential groom. But under Prince Myshkin, a bargaining scene takes place, where Rogozhin, another contender for the hand and heart of the beauty, participates. The final price is one hundred thousand.

Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin is deeply touched by the beauty of Nastasya Filippovna, he comes to her that evening. He meets many guests there: General Yepanchin, Ferdyshchenko, Totsky, Ganya - and closer to the night Rogozhin himself appears with a bundle of newspapers, in which the promised hundred thousand. The heroine throws money into the fire and leaves with her chosen one.

Six months later, the prince decides to visit Rogozhin at his house on Gorokhovaya Street. Parfion and Lev Nikolaevich exchange crosses - now, with the blessing of mother Rogozhin, they are brothers.

Three days after this meeting, the prince goes to Pavlovsk to visit Lebedev at his dacha. There, after one of the evenings, Myshkin and Aglaya Yepanchina agree to meet. After the meeting, the prince realizes that he will fall in love with this girl, and a few days later Lev Nikolayevich is proclaimed her fiancé. Nastasya Filippovna writes a letter to Aglaya, where she convinces her to marry Myshkin. Soon after this, a meeting of rivals takes place, after which the engagement of the prince and Aglaya is terminated. Now society is in anticipation of another wedding: Myshkin and Nastasya Filippovna.

On the day of the celebration, the bride runs away with Rogozhin. The next day, the prince goes in search of Nastasya Filippovna, but none of his acquaintances knows anything. Finally Myshkin meets Rogozhin, who brings him to his house. Here, under a white sheet, lies the corpse of Nastasya Filippovna.

As a result, from all the shocks received, the main character goes crazy.

Main characters and their characteristics

1. Prince Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin. In the drafts, the writer calls the protagonist Prince Christ. He is the central character and is opposed to all other heroes of the work. Myshkin interacts with almost all participants in the action. One of its main functions in the novel is to reveal the inner world of the characters. It is not difficult for him to call the interlocutor to a frank conversation, to find out his innermost thoughts. For many, communication with him is like confession.
2. Myshkin's antipodes are Ganya Ivolgin and Parfyon Rogozhin. The first of them is a weak-willed, feminine, seduced by money young man who wants to break into people at any cost, but still feel shame for it. He dreams of status and respect, but is forced to endure only humiliation and failure. The rich merchant Rogozhin is obsessed with only one passion - to own Nastasya Filippovna. He is stubborn and ready to do anything to achieve his goal. No other outcome will suit him, but life is in fear and doubt, and whether she loves him, whether she will run away, is not for Rogozhin. Because their relationship ends in tragedy.
3. Nastasya Filippovna. The fatal beauty, whose true nature was guessed only by Prince Myshkin. She can be considered a victim, she can be a demon, but what attracts her most is what makes her related to Cleopatra herself. And it's not just stunning beauty. There is a known case when the Egyptian ruler dissolved a huge pearl. A reminiscence of this act in the novel is the episode where Nastasya Filippovna throws one hundred thousand rubles into the fireplace. The prototype of the heroine is Apollinaria Suslova, Dostoevsky's lover. She feels contempt for money, because they bought her shame. The poor girl was seduced by a rich gentleman, but he became weary of his sin, so he tried to make a decent woman out of a kept woman by buying her a groom - Ganin.
4. The image of Nastasya Barashkova sets off Aglaya Yepanchina, antipode and rival. This girl is different from her sisters and mother. In Myshkin, she sees much more than an eccentric fool, and not all of her relatives can share her views. Aglaya was waiting for a man who could lead her out of her ossified, decaying environment. At first, she represented the prince as such a savior, then a certain Pole revolutionary.

There are more interesting characters in the book, but we do not want to drag out the article too much, so if you need a character description that is not here, write about it in the comments. And she will appear.

Topics and issues

1. The theme of the novel is very diverse. One of the main issues highlighted in the text is greed. The thirst for prestige, status, wealth makes people commit vile deeds, slander each other, betray themselves. It is impossible to succeed in the society described by Dostoevsky without having patrons, a noble name and money. In tandem with self-interest there is vanity, especially inherent in General Yepanchin, Ghana, Totsky.
2. Since The Idiot is a philosophical novel, it develops a great wealth of themes, an important one being religion. The author refers to the topic of Christianity repeatedly, the main character involved in this topic is Prince Myshkin. His biography includes some biblical allusions to the life of Christ, and he is given the function of "savior" in the novel. Mercy, compassion for one's neighbor, the ability to forgive - this is learned from Myshkin and other heroes: Varya, Aglaya, Elizaveta Prokofievna.
3. Love presented in the text in all its possible manifestations. Christian love, helping one's neighbor, family, friendship, romantic, passionate. In Dostoevsky's later diary entries, the main idea is revealed - to show three varieties of this feeling: Ganya - vain love, Rogozhin - passion, and the prince - Christian love.

Here, as well as with the heroes, it is possible to analyze the themes and problems for a long time. If something specific is still missing for you, please write about it in the comments.

the main idea

The main idea of ​​Dostoevsky is to show the decomposition of Russian society in the layers of the intelligentsia. In these circles there is spiritual decline, philistinism, adultery, and double life is practically the norm. Dostoevsky sought to create a "beautiful person" who could show that kindness, justice and sincere love are still alive in this world. Prince Myshkin is endowed with such a mission. The tragedy of the novel lies in the fact that a person who seeks to see only love and kindness in the modern world dies in it, being unadapted to life.

The meaning laid down by Dostoevsky is that people still need such righteous people who help them look themselves in the face. In a conversation with Myshkin, the heroes get to know their soul and learn to open it to others. In a world of falsehood and hypocrisy, this is very necessary. Of course, it is very difficult for the righteous themselves to get used to society, but their sacrifice is not in vain. They understand and feel that at least one corrected fate, at least one caring heart, awakened from indifference, is already a great victory.

What does it teach?

The novel "The Idiot" teaches to believe in people, in no case to condemn them. The text contains examples of how society can be instructed without placing oneself above it and without resorting to direct moralizing.

Dostoevsky's novel teaches to love, first of all, for salvation, always to help people. The author warns that about low and rude deeds committed in haste, after which one will have to regret, but repentance may come too late, when nothing can be corrected.

Criticism

Some contemporaries called the novel "The Idiot" fantastic, which caused the writer's indignation, since he considered it the most realistic work. Among researchers over the years, from the moment the book was created to the present day, various definitions of this work have arisen and continue to arise. So, V. I. Ivanov and K. Mochulsky call The Idiot a tragedy novel, Y. Ivask uses the term evangelical realism, and L. Grossman considers this work a novel-poem. Another Russian thinker and critic M. Bakhtin studied the phenomenon of polyphonism in Dostoevsky's work, he also considered The Idiot a polyphonic novel, where several ideas develop in parallel and several voices of heroes sound.

It is noteworthy that Dostoevsky's novel is of interest not only to Russian researchers, but also to foreign ones. The writer's work is especially popular in Japan. For example, critic T. Kinoshita notes the great influence of Dostoevsky's prose on Japanese literature. The writer drew attention to the inner world of a person, and Japanese authors willingly followed his example. For example, the legendary writer Kobo Abe called Fyodor Mikhailovich his favorite writer.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

The novel "The Idiot" by Dostoevsky, reviews of which you will find in this article, is one of the most famous works of this Russian author. It was first published in several issues of the journal "Russian Messenger" in 1868. It is believed that he was one of the author's favorite books, in which he fully managed to reveal his moral and philosophical position, as well as artistic principles. He thought about the idea on a trip abroad, he began to make the first recordings in Geneva, and finished the work already in Italy.

Characters

Reviews of Dostoevsky's The Idiot were mostly positive. The main characters of the novel are well known to all connoisseurs of Russian literature. Prince Myshkin becomes the main character. In Dostoevsky's The Idiot, we see a Russian nobleman returning to Russia from Switzerland, where he has been treated for epilepsy for the past four years. The author describes him as a young man of short stature, blond and with blue eyes. He is smart, pure in soul and thoughts, which is why in society he is called the Idiot. Dostoevsky prince is not at all embarrassed.

Another central character is Nastasya Filippovna Barashkova. In the novel The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky, we read the description of a pretty woman from a noble family. At the same time, she is in the position of a kept woman by Afanasy Ivanovich Totsky. With her position, Barashkova evokes pity from Prince Myshkin. Dostoevsky's "The Idiot" describes in detail their relationship, what the protagonist sacrifices to help her.

Finally, the third main character is Parfen Semenovich Rogozhin. In the novel "The Idiot" by F. M. Dostoevsky, he is described as a dark-haired and gray-eyed 27-year-old merchant. He is passionately in love with Nastasya Filippovna, receives a large inheritance, which he is entirely ready to spend on the object of his passion.

Among the other heroes of Dostoevsky's The Idiot, the Yepanchin family should be singled out. It consists of a distant relative of Myshkin, Lizaveta Prokofievna, her husband, General Ivan Fedorovich, and their three daughters, Alexandra, Adelaila, and Aglaya.

The Ivolgin family also plays an important role among the characters in Dostoevsky's The Idiot. This is a retired general Ardalion Alexandrovich, his wife Nina Alexandrovna. The hope of their family is their son - an ambitious middle-class official Gavrila, whom many call Ganya. He loves Aglaya Ivanovna, but for the sake of money he is ready for anything, even for going down the aisle with an unloved woman. He has a younger brother, Kolya, 16, and a sister, Varvara, with her husband Ivan Petrovich Ptitsyn, who works as a moneylender.

Among the other key characters of Dostoevsky's The Idiot, the reader must remember Ferdyshchenko, who rents a room from the Ivolgins, deliberately playing the role of a jester, the millionaire Totsky, who raised and supports Nastasya Filippovna, Kolya Ippolita, a consumptive friend, a retired lieutenant and boxer Keller, who drinks heavily and obsequious official Lebedev.

Reviews

The first reviews of the book "The Idiot" by Dostoevsky appeared from St. Petersburg correspondents when it was just coming out in print. Experienced critics immediately realized that this was a success, showed healthy curiosity, worried about the characters, noting what an original and difficult task the author sets for himself. In critics' reviews of Dostoevsky's The Idiot, almost everywhere one could meet invariable delight.

However, when the last chapters of the work appeared in the Russian Messenger, the attitude towards it changed somewhat. Completely different reviews began to appear about the "Idiot" by F. M. Dostoevsky. Critics wrote that the book gives a controversial impression, largely due to the fact that they considered the events described to be too fantastic and implausible. At the same time, in reviews of Dostoevsky's The Idiot, they emphasized that it was Myshkin who seemed to be the most real person, and all the rest seemed to live in some kind of fantasy world.

Having comprehended the work, some radically changed their attitude towards it. For example, in reviews of the book "The Idiot" by Dostoevsky, opinions began to appear that this was an undoubted failure of the author. Emphasizing its diversity and abundance of ideas, but noting that at the same time all works have a special flavor. Readers' reviews of Dostoevsky's The Idiot noted that many did not understand the author's intention, which once again confirmed the opinion that the writer writes exclusively for the elite.

Interestingly, the author himself agreed with some of the statements. In particular, he was not completely satisfied with the book. At the same time, the novel was popular, as evidenced by the reviews about Dostoevsky's The Idiot after the first chapters appeared in print.

Screen adaptations

The novel has always aroused great interest among Russian and foreign directors, so it has been repeatedly filmed. The first film, The Idiot, based on Dostoevsky, was directed by Pyotr Chardynin in 1910. This is a short film starring Lyubov Varyagina, Andrey Gromov, Pavel Biryukov and Tatyana Shornikova. The picture consists of only a few scenes, its total duration is 15 minutes.

In 1919, the first film adaptation of Dostoevsky's novel "The Idiot" appeared abroad. The film of the same name is directed by Salvatore Aversano in Italy. Following are the tape "The Idiot Prince" by the Italian Eugenio Perego in 1920, "Unfaithful Souls" by the German Karl Fröhlich in 1921.

In 1951, one of the most famous film adaptations of Dostoevsky's novel "The Idiot" was released, made by the cult Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. The action of the film is moved to Japan (for example, Myshkin returns from captivity from the island of Hokkaido).

In 1958, director Ivan Pyryev shoots the first domestic full-length adaptation of F. Dostoevsky's The Idiot with Yuri Yakovlev, Yulia Borisova, Leonid Parkhomenko and Nikita Podgorny in the lead roles. However, only the first series can be released, since the performer of the role of Prince Myshkin, Yakovlev, refuses to act in the sequel due to a difficult state of mind, and Pyryev refuses to accept another actor.

In 1966, a TV series by Alan Bridges appeared on the screens in the UK, in 1968 a TV movie was released in France, directed by Andre Barsac. In 1985, in France, the Polish director shoots the drama Crazy Love, which is based on Dostoevsky's novel. The protagonist named Leon returns from a psychiatric clinic, and the action has been moved to modern France.

The story of Prince Myshkin is even interested in India, where in 1991 the shooting of the series Mani Kaula was completed. In 1994, the Pole shoots the drama "Nastasya" in the style of kabuki. As conceived by the creator, the Japanese actor Bando Tamasaburo plays two roles at the same time - Prince Myshkin and Nastasya Filippovna.

In 1999, the Czech Sasha Gedeon presented his version (the picture is called "The Return of the Idiot"), and in 2001 Roman Kachanov decided on the black parody comedy "Down House". The action of this picture takes place in Russia in the second half of the 90s among foreign SUVs, "new Russians" and hard drugs.

The first full-fledged domestic film adaptation of the novel was released only in 2003 by the efforts of Vladimir Bortko. This is a 10-episode series starring Yevgeny Mironov. Vladimir Mashkov, Lidia Velezheva, Olga Budina also play in this film based on Dostoevsky's Idiot. The film received seven TEFI awards.

Interest in the work has not subsided in recent years. Already in 2008, the Frenchman Pierre Leon shot his version, and in 2011, the Estonian Rainer Sarnet.

In total, the novel consists of four parts. Ostoevsky in "The Idiot" begins the story from 1867, when Myshkin returns to St. Petersburg from Switzerland, where he was undergoing treatment. The prince suffered from a nervous illness in childhood, so his guardian Pavlishchev sent him to a sanatorium abroad. He spent four years away from his homeland, now he is returning with big, but unclear plans, which are not fully understood even by himself.

A summary of Dostoevsky's "The Idiot" will help you quickly recall the main events of the novel in order to prepare for an exam or test. On the train, Myshkin meets Parfen Rogozhin. This is the son of a wealthy merchant who inherited a huge fortune. It is from Rogozhin that Myshkin first hears the name of Nastasya Filippovna, whom he is passionately passionate about, dreams of winning her heart. Parfyon says that the girl is considered the mistress of the wealthy aristocrat Totsky.

In St. Petersburg, Myshkin first of all goes to the house of his distant relative, Elizaveta Prokofievna Yepanchina. Three daughters grow up in her family - the eldest is Alexandra, the middle is Adelaide, and the youngest is Aglaya. The latter is considered a universal favorite and an unsurpassed beauty.

The prince immediately wins everyone over with his gullibility, spontaneity, naivety and frankness. All this seems so unnatural to others that at first they are very wary of his words, only then they are imbued with sympathy and curiosity. It turns out that the prince, who seemed to be a simpleton and a fool, is very smart, and understands individual things incredibly deeply. For example, he heartily talks about the death penalty, which he observed abroad.

At the Epanchins', Myshkin meets General's secretary Ganya Ivolgin, in whom he notices a portrait of Nastasya Filippovna, for the second time he encounters people who know her. The prince carefully studies her proud and beautiful face, full of suffering and contempt. Her appearance strikes him to the very core.

The prince reveals some details related to the life of this woman. For example, he learns that her seducer Totsky now wants to get rid of her himself, as he plans to marry one of the Yepanchins' daughters. He himself woo Nastasya Filippovna for Ganya Ivolgin, giving 75,000 rubles as a dowry. Ganya does not like Barashkova, but cannot resist the temptation of money. He understands that this is his chance to break into people, there may not be another. He dreams of getting a dowry, and in the future to significantly increase his capital, at the same time, Ganya suffers from the humiliating position in which he is forced to find himself because of this. He himself is in love with his youngest daughter

As a result, he relieves himself of responsibility for making a decision, placing it on Aglaya, Ganya expects a decisive word from her. Myshkin unwittingly becomes an intermediary between them. Aglaya unexpectedly decides to make him her confidant, and he causes only anger and irritation in the secretary.

Rogozhin and Nastasya Filippovna

At the same time, Myshkin himself is offered to rent rooms at the Ivolgins, so that they will certainly be forced to meet. Myshkin arrives at the place, begins to get acquainted with Ganya's relatives, as well as the rest of the residents, among whom is the sloven and lazy Ferdyshchenko, who deliberately poses as a buffoon. At this time, two unexpected events happen to everyone. Firstly, Nastasya Filippovna herself comes to the house, who invites Ganya and her relatives to her for the evening. General Ivolgin, in response, begins to fantasize, while she listens to him openly amused. Because of this, the atmosphere in the house is heating up to the limit. The next uninvited guests are a noisy company led by Rogozhin. The merchant in love immediately lays out 18,000 rubles in front of Barashkova. Something like a bargaining begins, in which Nastasya Filippovna herself takes part with a contemptuous and mocking attitude towards everyone. She does not agree that they want to buy her so cheaply. Then Rogozhin raises the stakes to 100,000.

Gani's relatives understand how insulting everything that is happening looks. Everyone knows that Barashkova is a corrupt woman who should not be accepted in any decent house. For Ganya, she becomes the only hope to put together an initial capital and break out into the people. As a result, a huge scandal begins. Ganya's sister Varvara Ardalionovna spits in his face, in response, his brother is going to hit her. But then, unexpectedly for everyone, Myshkin stands up for her, who receives a slap in the face from the secretary. Myshkin is not going to fight back, noting how he will be ashamed of his act in the future. At this moment, the whole essence of Myshkin is revealed, who, even in a moment of his own humiliation, sympathizes with the offender. Then he turns to Barashkova, arguing that in reality she is not at all what she wants to seem to everyone. This phrase becomes the key to her proud soul, which suffers from shame. For the recognition of her purity, she falls in love with Myshkin.

That same evening, the prince, captivated by her beauty, comes to her. Everything is already there - from General Yepanchin to the jester Ferdyshchenko. Suddenly, she decides to consult with Myshkin whether she should marry Ganya, to which the prince replies in the negative. Around midnight, Rogozhin appears, who puts on the table 100,000 rubles, which he agreed on during the day.

The prince is hurt by what is happening, he confesses his love to Nastasya Filippovna, expressing his readiness to take her as his wife. At the same time, it turns out that Myshkin himself received a solid inheritance from a distant relative. Nastasya Filippovna leaves with Rogozhin, and throws a bundle of money into the fireplace, offering Ghana to get them out of there. He is holding back with difficulty. Then Barashkova herself snatches them out with tongs, leaving Ghana, who has fainted, as a reward for the torment. He would proudly return them later.

Six months later

Half a year passes before the second part of the novel. All this time, the prince travels around the country. All this time, unprecedented rumors have been circulating about Nastasya Filippovna. They say that she had already run away from Rogozhin to Myshkin several times, and once almost from under the crown. But every time she comes back to the merchant.

At the station, Myshkin feels someone's gaze on him, because of which he begins to languish with a premonition of death. He goes to Rogozhin's house on Gorokhovaya Street, which reminds Myshkin of a prison. During their conversation, the protagonist is constantly worried about the garden knife lying on the table, he constantly picks it up until Rogozhin takes it with irritation.

It is noteworthy that in the merchant's house, the prince draws attention to a copy of Hans Holbein's painting on the wall, which depicts the Savior just taken down from the cross. The merchant admits that he loves to look at this picture, the prince is surprised by this, he believes that someone can lose faith altogether from her appearance. At the end, they exchange crosses, and Rogozhin brings Myshkin to his mother for a blessing. Now they are called brothers.

Near his hotel, where he is staying, Myshkin notices a familiar female silhouette, he rushes after him up the narrow and dark stairs. But here, too, he sees a raised knife and Rogozhin's sparkling eyes. He suddenly has an epileptic fit, Parfyon runs away.

The prince comes to his senses after a seizure only three days later at Lebedev's dacha in Pavlovsk, where at the same time the whole Epanchin family, and, according to rumors, even Nastasya Filippovna, is resting. On the same evening, he gathers acquaintances, among them the Yepanchins, who decide to visit the sick Myshkin.

At the party, Ganya's brother Kolya Ivolgin begins to play a trick on Aglaya because of the "poor knight", who is mentioned in her poems, hinting at sympathy for the prince. The daughter is forced to explain herself, as her mother shows interest.

Later, a noisy company of young people appears, among whom Burdovsky stands out, who calls himself the son of Pavlishchev. They behave and reason like nihilists, but at the same time, as Lebedev notes, they went even further, because they are business people. Someone reads a dirty libel about the prince, which was published in the newspaper, and after that he is required to reward the son of his benefactor as an honest man.

The prince instructs Gana to figure everything out, who finds out that Burdovsky is not the son of Pavlishchev, after which the obviously embarrassed company retreats. The focus is only on Ippolit Terentyev, suffering from consumption, who makes a speech in order to assert himself. He wants to be praised and pitied, at the same time he is ashamed of his openness. As a result, his enthusiasm is replaced by rage, which is directed at the prince. Myshkin acts in his usual style: he listens attentively to everyone, feels guilty and sorry for them.

and Radomsky

A few days later, Myshkin comes to visit the Yepanchins. All together go for a walk, they are joined by Prince Yevgeny Pavlovich Radomsky, who seeks the location of Aglaya, Prince Shch., whom everyone considers Adelaide's fiancé.

At the station, they run into the company of Nastasya Filippovna. She familiarly calls out to Radomsky, telling that his uncle committed suicide by spending a large amount of government money. This is a provocation that outrages everyone.

A friend of Radomsky indignantly declares that a whip is needed to appease this woman. In response to this insult, Barashkova herself grabs a cane from someone's hands, with the help of which she cuts the face of the offender. In response, the officer is ready to hit Nastasya Filippovna, but Myshkin keeps him from this act.

Birthday

The next important scene takes place at the celebration for Myshkin's birth. Ippolit Terentyev reads "My Necessary Explanation" written by him. In fact, this is a confession that shakes everyone to the core. In it, Terentiev frankly talks about himself, who practically did not live, but changed his mind a lot. Now, due to consumption, he is doomed to a serious illness and a quick death.

Having finished reading, he makes an attempt to commit suicide, but fails here too. The primer on the pistol does not work. The prince is trying with all his might to protect Hippolyte, for whom the worst thing is to seem ridiculous in the eyes of others. He cannot bear to be ridiculed and attacked again.

In the morning in the park, Aglaya meets the prince and invites him to become her friend. Myshkin feels that he is beginning to love the girl, imbued with sincere sympathy for her. Later, in the same park, the prince sees Nastasya Filippovna. She kneels before him, demanding to tell the truth, whether he is happy with Aglaya, after which she again disappears with Rogozhin. It becomes known that Barashkova is corresponding with the youngest daughter of the Epanchins, persuading her to marry Myshkin.

Between two women

Literally a week later, Myshkin was officially announced as Aglaya's fiancé. High-ranking guests are invited to the peculiar "brides" of the prince to the Yepanchins. Aglaya herself believes that the prince is above all of them, but just because of this partiality of hers, he is afraid of any wrong gesture, more silent.

But then he nevertheless gets inspired, starting to talk about Catholicism as anti-Christianity. He declares his love to everyone, breaks the precious one, and then falls in another epileptic fit. It makes an awkward and depressing impression on everyone present.

Aglaya arranges to meet Nastasya Filippovna in Pavlovsk. But the prince and Rogozhin also come there. Aglaya arrogantly asks why Barashkova writes letters to her, interfering in her personal life. Nastasya Filippovna is offended by the behavior and tone of her rival. Wanting revenge, she persuades the prince to stay with her, and then drives Rogozhin away. Myshkin finds himself between two women. He loves Aglaya, and treats Nastasya Filippovna with love-pity, considering her crazy, realizing that he will never forgive himself if he leaves her now. At the same time, the condition of the prince himself is deteriorating.

The denouement of the novel

Everyone is preparing for the wedding of Myshkin and Barashkina. A large number of rumors circulate around this event, but Nastasya Filippovna is at least outwardly glad of what is happening. She orders outfits, but at the same time she is sometimes in sadness, sometimes in inspiration. On the wedding day, she rushes to Rogozhin, who is standing in the crowd, he grabs her in his arms and takes her away in a carriage standing at the ready. Her act strikes those around her to the core, until the last, most believed that she would really marry Myshkin and calm down.

The next morning after her escape, Myshkin arrives in Petersburg and immediately goes to Rogozhin. Togo is not at home, but it always seems to the prince that he is watching him from behind the curtains. The prince is looking. He visits Rogozhin's house several times, but still to no avail. The prince wanders around the city all day long, hoping that the Parthen will appear sooner or later. And so it happens, on the street he is met by Rogozhin, who asks the prince to follow him in a whisper. He leads the prince into a room where the dead Nastasya Filippovna lies on the bed under a white sheet, and around a special liquid so that the smell of decay is not felt. It turns out that he himself stabbed her with the same knife that the prince had taken from him a few days ago.

Rogozhin and the prince spend the night over the corpse, and the next day the police, who open the door, find Rogozhin rushing about in delirium and the prince reassuring him, who does not recognize anyone and does not understand anything. Everything that happens finally destroys Myshkin's psyche, turning him into an idiot, which he was initially suspected of.

Plot

This novel is an attempt to draw an ideal person, unspoiled by civilization.

Part one

In the center of the plot is the story of a young man, Prince Myshkin, a representative of an impoverished noble family. After a long stay in Switzerland, where he is being treated by Dr. Schneider, he returns to Russia. The prince was cured of mental illness, but appears before the reader as a sincere and innocent person, although he is well versed in relations between people. He goes to Russia to the only relatives left with him - the Yepanchin family. On the train, he meets a young merchant, Rogozhin, and a retired official, Lebedev, to whom he simply tells his story. In response, he learns the details of the life of Rogozhin, who is in love with the former kept woman of the wealthy nobleman Totsky, Nastasya Filippovna. In the Epanchins' house, it turns out that Nastasya Filippovna is also known in this house. There is a plan to marry her off to the protégé of General Yepanchin, Gavrila Ardalionovich Ivolgin, an ambitious but mediocre man.

Prince Myshkin meets all the main characters of the story in the first part of the novel. These are the daughters of the Yepanchins, Alexandra, Adelaide and Aglaya, on whom he makes a favorable impression, remaining the object of their slightly mocking attention. Further, this is General Yepanchina, who is in constant agitation due to the fact that her husband is in some contact with Nastasya Filippovna, who has a reputation as a fallen one. Then, this is Ganya Ivolgin, who suffers greatly because of the upcoming role of Nastasya Filippovna's husband, and cannot decide to develop his still very weak relationship with Aglaya. Prince Myshkin rather ingenuously tells the general's wife and the Epanchin sisters that he learned about Nastasya Filippovna from Rogozhin, and also amazes the public with his story about the death penalty he observed abroad. General Epanchin offers the prince, for lack of a place to stay, to rent a room in Ivolgin's house. There the prince meets Nastasya Filippovna, who unexpectedly arrives at this house. After an ugly scene with Ivolgin's alcoholic father, whom he is infinitely ashamed of, Nastasya Filippovna and Rogozhin come to the Ivolgins' house for. He arrives with a noisy company that has gathered around him quite by accident, like around any person who knows how to overspend. As a result of the scandalous explanation, Rogozhin swears to Nastasya Filippovna that he will offer her one hundred thousand rubles in cash in the evening.

That evening, Myshkin, anticipating something bad, really wants to get into the house of Nastasya Filippovna, and at first he hopes for the elder Ivolgin, who promises to take Myshkin to this house, but, in fact, does not know at all where she lives. The desperate prince does not know what to do, but he is unexpectedly helped by Ganya Ivolgin's younger teenage brother, Kolya, who shows him the way to Nastasya Filippovna's house. That evening she has a name day, there are few invited guests. Allegedly, everything should be decided today and Nastasya Filippovna should agree to marry Ganya Ivolgin. The unexpected appearance of the prince surprises everyone. One of the guests, Ferdyshchenko, positively a type of petty scoundrel, offers to play a strange game for entertainment - each tells about his lowest deed. The stories of Ferdyshchenko and Totsky follow. In the form of such a story, Nastasya Filippovna refuses Ghana to marry him. Rogozhin suddenly bursts into the rooms with a company that brought the promised hundred thousand. He trades Nastasya Filippovna, offering her money in exchange for agreeing to become "his".

The prince gives reason for amazement, seriously proposing Nastasya Filippovna to marry him, while she, in desperation, plays with this proposal and almost agrees. Nastasya Filippovna offers Ganya Ivolgin to take a hundred thousand, and throws them into the fire of the fireplace, so that he can snatch them completely whole. Lebedev, Ferdyshchenko and others like them are confused, and beg Nastasya Filippovna to let them snatch this wad of money from the fire, but she is adamant and offers Ivolgin to do it. Ivolgin restrains himself, and does not rush for money. Nastasya Filippovna takes out almost whole money with tongs, gives it to Ivolgin, and leaves with Rogozhin. This ends the first part of the novel.

Part two

In the second part, the prince appears before us after six months, and now he does not seem to be a completely naive person, while maintaining all his simplicity in communication. All these six months he lives in Moscow. During this time, he managed to receive some inheritance, which is rumored to be almost colossal. It is also rumored that in Moscow the prince enters into close communication with Nastasya Filippovna, but she soon leaves him. At this time, Kolya Ivolgin, who became on friendly terms with the Yepanchin sisters, and even with the general's wife herself, gives Aglaya a note from the prince, in which he asks her in confused terms to remember him.

Meanwhile, summer is already coming, and the Yepanchins are leaving for their dacha in Pavlovsk. Soon after this, Myshkin arrives in St. Petersburg and pays a visit to Lebedev, from whom, among other things, he learns about Pavlovsk and rents a summer house from him in the same place. Next, the prince goes to visit Rogozhin, with whom he has a difficult conversation, ending in fraternization and the exchange of pectoral crosses. At the same time, it becomes obvious that Rogozhin is on the verge of being ready to kill the prince or Nastasya Filippovna, and even bought a knife while thinking about it. Also in Rogozhin's house, Myshkin notices a copy of Holbein's painting "Dead Christ", which becomes one of the most important artistic images in the novel, often commemorated even after.

Returning from Rogozhin and being in a clouded consciousness, and anticipating the time of an epileptic seizure, the prince notices that “eyes” are following him - and this, apparently, is Rogozhin. The image of Rogozhin's tracking "eyes" becomes one of the leitmotifs of the story. Myshkin, having reached the hotel where he was staying, runs into Rogozhin, who seems to be already bringing a knife over him, but at that moment an epileptic seizure occurs with the prince, and this stops the crime.

Myshkin moves to Pavlovsk, where General Epanchin, having heard that he is unwell, immediately pays him a visit along with his daughters and Prince Shch., Adelaide's fiancé. Lebedev and the Ivolgins are also present in the house and participate in the subsequent important scene. Later, General Yepanchin and Yevgeny Pavlovich Radomsky, Aglaya's alleged fiancé, who came up later, join them. At this time, Kolya recalls a certain joke about the “poor knight”, and the incomprehensible Lizaveta Prokofievna forces Aglaya to read Pushkin’s famous poem, which she does with great feeling, replacing, among other things, the initials written by the knight in the poem with the initials of Nastasya Filippovna.

At the end of the scene, Hippolyte, who is sick with consumption, grabs all attention, whose speech, addressed to all those present, is full of unexpected moral paradoxes. And later, when everyone is already leaving the prince, a carriage suddenly appears at the gates of Myshkin's dacha, from which the voice of Nastasya Filippovna shouts something about bills, turning to Yevgeny Pavlovich, which greatly compromises him.

On the third day, General Yepanchina pays an unexpected visit to the prince, although she has been angry with him all this time. In the course of their conversation, it turns out that Aglaya somehow entered into communication with Nastasya Filippovna, through the mediation of Ganya Ivolgin and his sister, who is a member of the Yepanchins. The prince also lets slip that he received a note from Aglaya, in which she asks him not to show herself to her in the future. Surprised Lizaveta Prokofievna, realizing that the feelings that Aglaya has for the prince play a role here, immediately orders him to go with her to visit them "intentionally". This ends the second part of the novel.

Characters

Prince Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin- A Russian nobleman who lived in Switzerland for 4 years and returns to St. Petersburg at the beginning of Part I. Blond-haired with blue eyes, Prince Myshkin behaves extremely naively, benevolently and impractically. These traits lead others to call him an "idiot"

Nastasya Filippovna Barashkova- An amazingly beautiful girl from a noble family. She plays a central role in the novel as the heroine and love object of both Prince Myshkin and Parfyon Semyonovich Rogozhin.

Parfyon Semyonovich Rogozhin- A dark-eyed, dark-haired twenty-seven-year-old man from a family of merchants. Having passionately fallen in love with Nastasya Filipovna and having received a large inheritance, he tries to attract her with 100 thousand rubles.

Aglaya Ivanovna Yepanchina- The youngest and most beautiful of the Epanchin girls. Prince Myshkin falls in love with her.

Gavrila Ardalionovich Ivolgin- Ambitious middle class official. He is in love with Aglaya Ivanovna, but is still ready to marry Nastasya Filippovna for the promised dowry of 75,000 rubles.

Lizaveta Prokofievna Yepanchina- A distant relative of Prince Myshkin, to whom the prince first turns for help. The mother of the three beauties of the Yepanchins.

Ivan Fedorovich Yepanchin- Rich and respected in St. Petersburg society, General Yepanchin gives Nastasia Filippovna a pearl necklace at the beginning of the novel

Screen adaptations

Links

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• Idiospermum australis
• Idiot (TV series 2003)

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