“Arbenin” - Lermontov’s drama in five acts, in verse. It is the third edition of the drama "Masquerade . "
| Arbenin | |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama |
| Author | M. Yu. Lermontov |
| Original language | Russian |
| Date of writing | 1836 |
Content
Actors
- Evgeny Alexandrovich Arbenin
- Nina, his wife
- Olya, chaperone
- Athanasius Pavlovich Kazarin
- Prince Zvezdich
- Adam Petrovich Shprikh
- Players
- Guests
- Maids
History
The play was written in 1836 . Dreaming of seeing his play “Masquerade” on stage, Lermontov subjected it to overhaul and finally received a favorable review of the censor [1] .
It is impossible not to notice that Lermontov redid the play, following the instructions of the censor, and - received the desired: favorable review. “Now,” the censor wrote about the new edition, “the play is completely redone, only the first act remains the same. There is no more poisoning, all the vile things are removed. ” In fact, the censor pointed to “dramatic horrors adopted from Paris,” and Lermontov removed “dramatic horrors” from the play. “Arbenin is poisoning his wife,” the censor pointed out. Lermontov replaced poisoning with hoax. [...] The censor was horrified that Arbenin had poisoned an innocent wife. In the new edition, Nina became a guilty wife, and Arbenin punishes her not with poison, but with her departure. “The prince challenges Arbenin to a duel, but the latter ... goes insane,” the censor listed the dramatic horrors of the play. In the new edition, Arbenin is not "going crazy", etc.
Reading the five-act “Arbenin,” you see how reluctantly Lermontov “etched” everything the censor pointed out from the play.
- K. N. Lomunov . "Lermontov's Masquerade as a Social Tragedy"
Story
Action One
Card game. At the table pont. Arbenin saves the honor of Prince Zvezdich. Kazarin tells the prince that he saw how he traveled to Nina during the departure of Arbenin. The prince decides to go to Nina.
Action Two
Ball. Olenka thinks about the prince, she loves him. The prince goes to Nina and declares her love. Nina does not reciprocate and then the prince tears off the bracelet from her hand. Olenka stands between the prince and Nina and warns them that a mask is watching them. Behind the mask is Hazarin. He tells Arbenin that he saw the prince declaring his love to Nina.
Action Three
Cabinet of the Arbenins. Arbenin accuses Nina of treason. Nina, saving her honor, says that Kazarin saw Olenka. Arbenin causes Olenka. She takes all the blame on herself. Arbenin apologizes to his wife.
Action Four
Arbenin accuses Kazarin of lying and wants to strip him of honor. Kazarin leads the prince. He says that he does not know about Olenka’s love. He shows Arbenin the bracelet of Nina and accuses her of treason.
Action Five
Cabinet of Arbenin. Nina sleeps on armchairs. Olya is about to leave. Arbenin stops her. Nina wakes up. Arbenin wants to know the truth, so she lies to Nina that the lemonade she drank is poisoned. Nina admits treason, Arbenin says that he lied about poisoned lemonade. Enter Prince Zvezdich and Kazarin. The prince wants to shoot. Arbenin says that Nina will betray him as well. The prince and Kazarin leave. Arbenin says goodbye to Olenka and leaves.
Conclusion
The drama “Arbenin” was written for censorship, therefore it cannot be considered much higher than “Masquerade” in artistic terms. The title of the drama "Arbenin" once again emphasizes the importance of the protagonist for Lermontov [1] .