Pierre Bezukhov

The bastard son of the Catherine’s nobleman, Count Kirill Vladimirovich Bezukhov (his prototype is the Chancellor of the Russian Empire, Count Alexander Bezborodko ) - one of the richest people of the Russian Empire.

Young Pierre Bezukhov returned to Russia from abroad, where he received an education, shortly before the outbreak of the events of "War and Peace". The first chapters of the novel describe the evening in the salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer, at which Pierre first appears in St. Petersburg high society. He lives by this time with a relative of his father, Prince Kuragin. The simplicity of his manners and straightforward cause criticism among the representatives of the highest circles. Pierre's best friend is another central character in the novel, Andrei Bolkonsky .

Soon Cyril Bezukhov dies . Before his death, he leaves a will with a letter to the Emperor Alexander , in which he asks to recognize Pierre as his legitimate son. According to the merits of the count, his request is respected by the sovereign, so the whole state passes into the hands of Pierre , who becomes one of the most profitable suitors of Russia and soon marries Elena Vasilyevna (Helene) Kuragina , who is constantly changing him.

At the beginning of 1806, his old drinking companion, Fyodor Dolokhov, an officer from Semenov, settled in Bezukhov's St. Petersburg home, becoming Helene's lover. During dinner at the English Club, Dolokhov provoked Pierre, and he challenged him to a duel.

After a duel in which Pierre miraculously injured his opponent, while he himself remained intact, he departed with an unfaithful wife, and later in spiritual quest he became a Freemason , but then completely disillusioned with this organization.

Pierre is present on the battlefield during the Borodino battle in a ridiculous white hat; after the occupation of Moscow remains in the city and decides that he should become the killer of Napoleon . He fails to embody the idea - he is captured, where he spends 4 weeks and gets acquainted with the soldier Platon Karataev , as a result of communication with whom he comprehends the popular perception of the world.

At the end of the novel, Pierre makes a proposal to Natasha Rostov ; in the epilogue they are married and have four children. Bezukhov is depicted as the happy father of the family; it also says that he found his reason for living in the ability to help other people.

Character Formation

The character corresponding to Pierre is present in the novel’s original intent — the story of the Decembrist Peter Ivanovich Labazov returning from Siberia ^{[1] [2]} .

From the sketches and early editions of the novel, it is clear that Tolstoy changed many of the names of his hero before “christening” him Pierre — Prince Kushnev, Arkady Bezukhiy, Peter Ivanovich Medynsky ^[1] .

Unlike many other characters in the novel, Pierre does not have an exact prototype. His inner similarity with the writer himself, as well as with his earlier character - Dmitry Nekhludov, who, in turn, is based on a friend of his youth Dmitry Alekseevich Dyakov (1823-1891), Tolstoy's godfather's daughter, is fat and kind. However, in the final character, all these features are very much processed and changed ^[3] . Perhaps Peter Andreevich Vyazemsky , a witness of the Battle of Borodino, served Tolstoy as one of the sources ^[4] . Indicate the identity of Count Matthew Dmitriev-Mamonov , son of another Catherine's favorite; rich man, mason, holder of high growth, irascible character; Armed at own expense regiment ^[5] .

Appearance:

Character page on imdb

• In the screen version of King Widor, the role of Bezukhov was played by Henry Fonda .
• In the Soviet four-part film, Pierre embodied on the screen the director Sergei Bondarchuk . Taking into account the fact that in the last volume of the novel Bezukhov is almost the main character, Bondarchuk called the fourth series of the film his name.
• In the English TV version of "War and Peace" ( 1972 ) Pierre plays Anthony Hopkins .
• German actor Alexander Bayer - the role of Pierre in the TV version of " War and Peace " 2007 (dir. Robert Dornhelm , co-production: Russia , France , Germany , Italy , Poland ).
• In 2016, another English TV version of “ War and Peace (2016) ” was released, in which Pierre played Paul Dano .

• Krasnov G. In . - “ Pierre Bezukhov in the war // Leo Tolstoy. Sat articles. Gorky , 1960 ".
• Potapov I.A. - “On the historicism of the spiritual quest of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov in L. Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace // Volgograd Pedagogy, in-t them. A.Serafimovich. Proceedings of the XXI Scientific Conference. Volgograd , 1966 .
• Potapov I.A. - “Pierre Bezukhov in L. Tolstoy’s novel“ War and Peace ”// Proceedings of the IX scientific conference of Volga literary critics. Penza , 1969 ".
• Daniel Rancour-Laferriere. “ Tolstoy's Pierre Bezukhov: a psychoanalytic study. Bristol Classical Press, 1993 ".

• List of characters in the novel "War and Peace"