A brief retelling of the story Prince of Silver. Prince of silver. New plot twists
In 1862, the publishing house of M.N. Katkov in the journal "Russian Bulletin" published the historical novel by A. Tolstoy "Prince Silver" (a story from the time of Ivan the Terrible). The main source of the work was the "History of the Russian State" by N. Karamzin, episodes of the novel use "The Servant" by V. Gusev, "Tales of the Russian People" by I. Sakharov, A. Tereshchenko's monograph "Life of the Russian People", books of the Old and New Testaments ...
Summary of the novel
XYI century, 1565, summer. Prince Nikita Romanovich Silver with people, returning
After a 5-year stay in Lithuania with ambassadorial assignments, he drives up to Moscow. In the village of Medvedevka, a boyar suddenly becomes an eyewitness to a strange event: during a holiday, a group of newcomers (he takes them for robbers) attacks peasants, robbing, killing, committing violence and setting houses on fire. The prince's guardsmen twist the "dashing" people, but then it turns out that these are not robbers, but the sovereign's guardsmen. Nikita Romanovich refuses to believe it and sends the prisoners to the provincial headman.
Continuing the journey, Prince Serebryany stops for the night at the miller, who is known in the neighborhood as a sorcerer. Prince Afanasy Vyazemsky comes to the village sorcerer and, not paying attention to the sleeping strangers, demands love spells. From the conversation between A. Vyazemsky and the miller, the awakened Nikita Romanovich learns a lot.
It turned out that Serebryany's beloved Elena Dmitrievna had broken the word given to him and, fleeing the harassment of A. Vyazemsky, married the old boyar Druzhina Andreyevich Morozov. And since A. Vyazemsky enjoyed the favor and patronage of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, the Druzhina Morozov immediately fell into disgrace.
Arriving in Moscow, Prince Nikita Romanovich discovers striking changes in the capital: everywhere there are many oprichnina people, drunk and robbers, rampaging and committing lawlessness. The holy fool Vasily (blessed) calls out to the boyar and, calling him his brother, predicts something unkind in the house of D. Morozov. The prince immediately goes to the Druzhina Morozov. Druzhina Andreyevich informs Serebryany about the departure of Tsar John to the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, the oprichnina, denunciations, and dissuades the guest from going to the Emperor. Not considering it possible to hide from his tsar, the prince explains himself with Elena Dmitrievna in the garden and travels to the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda.
The Sloboda amazes Nikita Romanovich with its appearance: among the rich chambers and temples, gallows and blocks are seen everywhere ...
During the tsarist feast, the boyar becomes a witness of yet another injustice: John the Terrible allows Afanasy Vyazemsky to take Elena Dmitrievna. At the same time, Grozny was told how Prince Serebryany punished the Tsarev's guardsmen in Medvedevka. Ivan Vasilyevich, angry, condemns the disobedient boyar to death, and only the intercession of Maxim Skuratov saves him from death.
The misadventures of the protagonist of the novel do not end there. Boyarin Nikita Romanovich finds himself in the center of the palace "fuss" and more than once miraculously saves his life ...
Prince Afanasy Vyazemsky manages to take Elena Dmitrievna away by force. The Morozov squad demands the restoration of justice from the tsar. Ioann the Terrible, believing the machinations of A. Vyazemsky and wishing death to D. Morozov, sentenced him to "the judgment of God" - a duel (with Vyazemsky), the winner of which will be executed.
Druzhina Andreyevich Morozov denounces the tsar and, forcibly dressed in a buffoon's caftan, prophesies of irreparable damage to the country from the reign of John.
As a result, D. Morozov, A. Vyazemsky, the miller and many other people are executed on Red Square. Blessed Basil, who came to the execution, demands to be executed, but the people do not allow to kill the holy fool.
Elena Dmitrievna retired to a convent and, refusing to tie her fate (after the terrible death of D. Morozov and in memory of him) with Prince Serebryany, takes monastic vows under the name Evdokia (ancient Greek - Grace).
Prince Nikita Romanovich rejects the offer to serve in the guardsmen and is appointed to serve as a voivode in the guard regiment ...
Years later, Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible learns that the brave Prince Silver has died. And over the country the prophecy of the Druzhina Andreyevich Morozov begins to come true. The sovereign suffers defeat on the borders and only in the Far East, where Yermak's squad is serving, is everything going well ...
Brief analysis of the work.
A. Tolstoy admitted that he only wanted to recreate the external atmosphere of the XYI century. Therefore, the novel should not be mistaken for a historical and reliable essay. The author was interested exclusively in human relations and the characters of people. Prince Nikita Romanovich Serebryany is a fictional character that came into the novel from a folk song and has the main features of a romantic epic hero (a typical embodiment of courage, virtue and honor).
For many connoisseurs of Russian history, the image of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich seems to be not at all correct ... But despite some “non-historicity”, contrived “artificiality”, naive romanticism and sentimentality, A. Tolstov's novel rightfully attracts the attention of the modern reader ...
Starting the narrative, the author declares that his main goal is to show the general character of the era, its morals, concepts, beliefs, and therefore he allowed deviations from history in detail, and concludes that his most important feeling was indignation: not so much at John as at society, not indignant at him.
In the summer of 1565, a young boyar, Prince Nikita Romanovich Serebryany, returning from Lithuania, where he spent five years trying to sign peace for many years and did not succeed in that because of the evasiveness of Lithuanian diplomats and his own straightforwardness, drove up to the village of Medvedevka and found festive fun there ... Suddenly the guardsmen come running over, chopping down the men, catching the girls and burning the village. The prince takes them for robbers, ties and whips them, despite the threats of their chief, Matvey Khomyak. Telling his soldiers to take the robbers to the laborer, he goes on with the stirrup Mikheich, two prisoners he has taken from the guardsmen take to accompany him. In the forest, having turned out to be robbers, they protect the prince and Mikheich from their own comrades, bring them to the miller for the night and, saying one Vanyukha Ring, the other Korshun, leave. Prince Afanasy Vyazemsky comes to the mill and, considering the Melnikovs asleep, curses his unrequited love, demands love herbs, threatening the miller, forces him to find out if he has a happy rival, and, having received a too definite answer, leaves in despair. His sweetheart Elena Dmitrievna, daughter of the devious Pleshcheev-Ochina, orphaned to avoid Vyazemsky's harassment, found salvation in marriage to the old boyar Druzhina Andreevich Morozov, although she had no disposition towards him, loving Serebryany and even giving him a word, but Serebryany was in Lithuania. John, patronizing Vyazemsky, angry with Morozov, dishonors him, offering to sit down below Godunov at the feast, and, having received a refusal, declares him disgraced. Meanwhile, in Moscow, Serebryany, who returned, sees many guardsmen, impudent, drunk and robbers, stubbornly calling themselves "royal servants." The blessed Vasya he meets calls him a brother, also a holy fool, and predicts bad things in boyar Morozov. To him, his old and parental friend, the prince goes. He sees Elena in a married kokoshnik in the garden. Morozov talks about the oprichnina, denunciations, executions and the tsar's move to the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, where, according to Morozov, Serebryany is going to certain death. But, not wanting to hide from his king, the prince leaves, having explained with Helen in the garden and tormented mentally.
Observing on the way pictures of terrible changes, the prince arrives in Sloboda, where he sees the chopping blocks and gallows among the luxurious chambers and churches. While Serebryany is waiting in the courtyard for permission to enter, young Fyodor Basmanov hounds him, for fun, with a bear. The unarmed prince is saved by Maxim Skuratov, the son of Malyuta. During the feast, the invited prince wonders if the tsar knows about Medvedevka, how he will show his anger, and marvels at the terrible environment of John. One of the prince's neighbors is given a cup of wine by the king, and he dies, poisoned. The prince is also favored, and he fearlessly drinks good, fortunately, wine. In the middle of a sumptuous feast, the tsar tells Vyazemsky a fairy tale, in the allegories of which he sees his love story and guesses the king's permission to take Helen away. A dented Khomyak appears, tells the incident in Medvedevka and points to Serebryany, who is being dragged to execute, but Maxim Skuratov intercepts for him, and the returned prince, having told about Khomyak's atrocities in the village, is forgiven - until the next, however, he swears not to hide from the tsar in the case of his anger, but meekly await his punishment. At night, Maxim Skuratov, having an explanation with his father and not finding understanding, secretly flees, and the king, terrified by the stories of his mother Onufrevna about the hellish hell and the thunderstorm that began, visit the images of those killed by him. Raising the guardsmen with the gospel, putting on a monastic robe, he serves Matins. Tsarevich John, who took his worst features from his father, invokes his vengeance with constant mockery of Malyuta: Malyuta introduces him to the king as a conspirator, and he orders, having caught the prince on a hunt, kill and throw him away in the forest near the Bad Puddle. A gang of robbers gathering there about this time, among whom is the Ring and the Korshun, is accepting replenishment: a guy from near Moscow and a second, Mitka, a clumsy fool with a truly heroic strength, from near Kolomna. The ring tells about his acquaintance, the Volga robber Ermak Timofeevich. The sentinels report the approach of the guardsmen. Prince Silver in Sloboda talks with Godunov, unable to grasp the subtleties of his behavior: how, seeing the tsar's mistakes, should he not tell about it? Mikheich comes running, seeing the prince, captured by Malyuta with the Hamster, and Silver rushes in pursuit.
Further, an old song is woven into the narrative, interpreting the same event. Having caught up with Malyuta, Silver gives him a slap in the face and engages in battle with the guardsmen, and robbers come to the rescue. The guardsmen were beaten, the prince was intact, but Malyuta and Khomyak fled. Soon Vyazemsky came to Morozov with the guardsmen, supposedly to announce that the disgrace had been removed from him, but in fact to take Elena away. The invited Silver also comes for such joy. Morozov, who heard his wife's love speeches in the garden, but did not see the interlocutor, believes that this is Vyazemsky or Serebryany, and starts a "kissing ceremony", believing that Elena's embarrassment will betray her. Silver penetrates into his plan, but is not free to avoid the ceremony. Kissing Silver, Elena faints. In the evening at Elena's bedchamber, Morozov reproaches her for treason, but rushes in with Vyazemsky's henchmen and takes her away, however, severely wounded by Silver. In the forest, weakened from his wounds, Vyazemsky loses consciousness, and a distraught horse brings Elena to the miller, and he, guessing who she is, hides her, guided not so much by his heart as by calculation. Soon the oprichniks bring the bloody Vyazemsky, the miller speaks blood to him, but, having frightened the oprichniks with all sorts of devilry, he turns them away from spending the night. The next day Mikheich arrives, looking for Vanyukha's ring to be sewn up for the prince, thrown in prison by the guardsmen. The miller points the way to the Ring, promising Mikheich some firebird upon his return. After listening to Mikheich, the Ring with Uncle Korshun and Mitka set off for Sloboda.
In prison, Malyuta and Godunov come to Serebryany to conduct an interrogation. Malyuta, insinuating and affectionate, amused by the disgust of the prince, wants to return his slap in the face, but Godunov holds him back. The Tsar, trying to distract himself from thoughts of Silver, goes hunting. There his gyrfalcon Adragan, who distinguished himself at first, falls into a rage, destroys the falcons themselves and flies away; Trishka is equipped for the search with appropriate threats. On the road, the king meets blind songwriters and, anticipating the fun and boredom of the former storytellers, orders them to appear in their chambers. This is the Ring with the Kite. On the way to Sloboda, the Korshun tells the story of his villainy, which has been depriving him of sleep for twenty years, and heralds his imminent death. In the evening, Onufrevna warns the king that the new storytellers are suspicious, and, setting up guards at the door, he calls them. The ring, often interrupted by John, starts up new songs and tales and, starting the story about the Pigeon Book, notes that the king has fallen asleep. There are prison keys at the head. However, the supposedly sleeping king summons the guard, koya, seizing the Kite, misses the Ring. He, running away, stumbles upon Mitka, who opened the prison without any keys. The prince, whose execution is scheduled for the morning, refuses to run, remembering his oath to the king. He is taken away by force.
About this time Maxim Skuratov, wandering, arrives at the monastery, asks to confess, blames his dislike for the sovereign, disrespect for his father, and receives forgiveness. Soon he leaves, intending to repel the raids of the Tatars, and meets Tryphon with the captured Adragan. He asks him to bow to his mother and not tell anyone about their meeting. In the forest, Maxim is seized by robbers. A good half of them are rebelling, dissatisfied with the loss of the Korshun and the acquisition of Silver, and demanding a march to the Sloboda for robbery - they incite the prince to this. The prince frees Maxim, takes command over the villagers and convinces them to go not to Sloboda, but to the Tatars. The captive Tatar leads them to the camp. With a cunning invention of the Ring, they manage to crush the enemy at first, but the forces are too unequal, and only the appearance of Fyodor Basmanov with a motley army saves Silver's life. Maxim, with whom they fraternized, dies.
At a feast in Basmanov's tent, Silver reveals all the duplicity of Fedor, a brave warrior, a crafty slanderer, an arrogant and low tsar's henchman. After the defeat of the Tatars, the bandit gang is divided in two: part goes into the forests, part, together with Serebryany, goes to Sloboda for royal pardon, and Ring with Mitka, through the same Sloboda, to the Volga, to Ermak. In Sloboda, the jealous Basmanov slanders Vyazemsky and accuses him of witchcraft. Morozov appears, complaining about Vyazemsky. At the confrontation, he declares that Morozov himself attacked him, and Elena left of her own free will. The Tsar, wishing the death of Morozov, appoints them "the judgment of God": to fight in Sloboda on the condition that the defeated one will be executed. Vyazemsky, fearing that God will give victory to old Morozov, goes to the miller to speak his saber and finds Basmanov, remaining unnoticed, there, who has come for grass with tirlich to enter the royal favor. Speaking with a saber, the miller conjures up in order to find out, at the request of Vyazemsky, his fate, and sees pictures of terrible executions and his impending death. The day of the duel is coming. Among the crowd are the Ring with Mitka. Leaving against Morozov, Vyazemsky falls from his horse, his old wounds open up, and he rips off Melnikov's amulet, which should ensure victory over Morozov. He puts Matvey Khomyak in his place. Morozov refuses to fight the hireling and looks for a replacement. Mitka is called, who recognized the kidnapper of the bride in Hamster. He refuses the saber and kills the Hamster with the given to him for a laugh.
Summoning Vyazemsky, the tsar shows him the incense and accuses him of witchcraft against himself. In prison, Vyazemsky says that he saw her at the sorcerer Basmanov, who was plotting the death of John. Not expecting bad Basmanov, opening his amulet on his chest, the tsar plunges him into prison. Morozov, invited to the tsar's table, John offers again a place after Godunov, and after listening to his rebuke, bestows Morozov a buffoon's caftan. The caftan is put on by force, and the boyar, as a jester, tells the tsar everything that he thinks about him, and warns what damage to the state, in his opinion, will result in John's rule. The day of execution comes, terrible weapons grow up on Red Square and people gather. Morozov, Vyazemsky, Basmanov, the father, whom he showed during torture, the miller, Korshun and many others were executed. The holy fool Vasya, who appeared among the crowd, reads to execute him and incurs the royal wrath. The people do not allow to kill the blessed one.
After the executions, Prince Serebryany comes to Sloboda with a detachment of villagers and at first comes to Godunov. He, partly shy of his intercourse with the tsar's disgraced, but noting that after the execution the tsar softened, announces the voluntary return of the prince and brings him. The prince says that he was taken out of prison against his will, talks about the battle with the Tatars and asks for mercy for the stanitsa, reprimanding them for the right to serve where they indicate, but not in the oprichnina, among the "profane". He himself also refuses to fit into the oprichnina, the tsar appoints him as a governor of the guard regiment, in which he assigns his own robbers, and loses interest in him. The prince sends Mikheich to the monastery, where Elena retired, in order to keep her from tonsuring, announcing his imminent arrival. While the prince and the villagers swear allegiance to the king, Mikheich gallops to the monastery, where he delivered Elena from the miller. Thinking about the coming happiness, Serebryany goes after him, but Mikheich, upon meeting, reports that Elena has cut her hair. The prince goes to the monastery to say goodbye, and Elena, who has become sister Evdokia, explains that there is Morozov's blood between them and they could not be happy. Having said goodbye, Serebryany goes with his detachment to carry out patrols, and only the consciousness of the duty being performed and of an unclouded conscience retains some light in life for him.
Years pass, and many of Morozov's prophecies come true, John suffers defeats on his borders, and only in the east his possessions are expanding through the efforts of the squad of Ermak and Ivan Kolts. Having received gifts and a letter from the Stroganov merchants, they reach the Ob. Ermakov's embassy arrives to John. Ivan Ring, who brought him in, turns out to be the Ring, and through his companion Mitka, the tsar recognizes him and gives him forgiveness. As if wishing to please the Ring, the Tsar calls on his former comrade, Silver. But the governors answer that he died seventeen years ago. At a feast at Godunov, who has entered into great power, the Ring tells a lot of wondrous things about the conquered Siberia, returning with a sad heart to the deceased prince, drinks in his memory. Concluding the story, the author calls for forgiving Tsar John his atrocities, for he is not alone responsible for them, and notes that people like Morozov and Serebryany also often appeared and knew how among the evil that surrounded them to resist goodness and walk the straight path.
Retold
AK Tolstoy's interest in historical songs about the times of Ivan IV prompted him to write the novel "Prince Silver". The writer dreamed of telling in his work about the harsh times of the "formidable" tsar, when the silent Russian people had to endure all the horrors of the oprichnina. It became possible to start working on the novel only after the death of Nicholas I. According to the writer, another tyrant tsar would certainly see a parallel drawn between himself and Ivan IV. Tolstoy could pay too dearly for his "liberties".
While working on the book, the writer used the monograph by A. V. Tereshchenko "Life of the Russian People" and the popular book by N. M. Karamzin "History of the Russian State". Before the novel was published, the author read it in the Winter Palace. The Empress liked the book very much. Maria Alexandrovna presented the writer with a gold keychain in the form of a miniature book.
Summer 1565. Prince Nikita Romanovich Silver returns from Lithuania. After spending 5 years in a foreign country, the prince could not cope with the task assigned to him - the signing of a peace between the two states. Passing the village of Medvedevka, Serebryany becomes a witness of how a gang of robbers attacked a small settlement. After the prince's squad tied the "dashing people", it turned out that they were the royal guardsmen. Silver does not believe that the servants of the tsar are in front of him and sends them to the provincial headman, accompanied by his soldiers.
The prince goes on. On the way, he stopped at the sorcerer's place. Here Nikita Romanovich learns that his beloved Elena Dmitrievna is married. When the girl was orphaned, there was no one to protect her from the persistent harassment of Prince Athanasius Vyazemsky. Elena Dmitrievna loved Serebryany and gave him her word to become his wife. However, Nikita Romanovich stayed in Lithuania for too long. To save herself from an annoying boyfriend, Elena married boyar Morozov. Since Vyazemsky enjoyed the location of Ivan the Terrible, Morozov became disgraced.
Silver returns to Moscow and goes to Morozov. The boyarin tells the prince that the tsar has moved to the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, and meanwhile the tsar's servants, the oprichniks, are doing arbitrariness in the city. Boyarin is sure that Serebryany should not go to Ivan the Terrible. But the prince does not want to hide from the sovereign. After explaining himself with Elena, Nikita Romanovich leaves.
The Tsar gives permission to Vyazemsky to take Elena away. Upon learning that Serebryany has dealt with the guardsmen in Medvedevka, Ivan the Terrible wants to execute the prince. But Maxim Skuratov stands up for Nikita Romanovich. Subsequently, Prince Silver finds himself entangled in a whole network of court intrigues. He is repeatedly threatened with death from the enemy's hand or the death penalty. Vyazemsky still managed to kidnap Elena Dmitrievna. Morozov appeals to the Tsar in the hope that he will restore justice. As a result, both the boyar and the prince find themselves in disgrace: Ivan the Terrible ordered the execution of both. Elena leaves for a monastery, refusing to link her fate with Nikita Romanovich. Silver asks the king to appoint him to the service. Many years later, Ivan the Terrible learns that the brave prince died, fulfilling his duty to the fatherland.
The young prince is the embodiment of courage and honor. Nikita Romanovich puts the interests of his homeland above his own. Because of his openness and honesty, Silver has many enemies, the most dangerous of which becomes the king. Loyalty to his sovereign and feelings do not leave the prince for a long time, even in the most dangerous situations. Despite the fact that Nikita Romanovich sees the obvious injustice of Ivan the Terrible towards some of his subjects, he obediently obeys all the orders of his master, he is ready to suffer the punishment he did not deserve, and does not try to escape from prison when such an opportunity arises.
Elena Dmitrievna
The wife of the old boyar Morozov can be compared to Pushkin's Tatyana Larina. Elena remains faithful to her unloved husband. She refuses her happiness even after Morozov's death, believing that between her and Nikita Romanovich her husband's blood, which means that there will be no family well-being. Elena blames herself for not being able to fall in love with the man she was married to. According to noblewoman Morozova, only a complete rejection of female happiness can atone for her guilt.
Prince Vyazemsky
Afanasy Ivanovich Vyazemsky was able to achieve a lot in life: to become the head of the guardsmen and get the location of Ivan the Terrible. Only in his personal life the prince did not expect success. Elena Dmitrievna is the only woman he would like to marry. But the beloved hated him so much that she preferred to marry the old boyar, just not to get to Vyazemsky. However, the prince refuses to accept defeat. He goes to the sorcerer to get a love spell from him. Elena's hatred does not stop Afanasy Ivanovich, and he decides to kidnap. Having not achieved reciprocity from his beloved, having lost the Tsar's disposition, Vyazemsky ingloriously dies.
Ivan the Terrible
Ivan IV became one of the most controversial figures not only in the novel, but also in Russian history. The tyrant king combined monstrous cruelty and boundless piety. Winning the king's favor is as easy as hating. Extremely suspicious, the tyrant sees enemies at every turn.
Historians note the strange love of the "formidable" tsar for repentance. As a child, little Ivan brutally killed animals, and then went to church and sincerely repented. In the novel, the king appears to the reader as an adult. But his childhood habits remained in him. All kinds of instruments of execution stand around the king's residence. At the same time, Ivan the Terrible imagines images of people killed by his order, the tsar is tormented by his conscience.
Despite all his shortcomings, the tyrant king has respect for Nikita Romanovich. Prince Silver is not afraid to say what he thinks, remaining submissive. Ivan the Terrible destroys even the once beloved Vyazemsky, but repeatedly forgives Silver.
Analysis of the work
According to the author himself, his main goal is to describe to the reader the atmosphere of a bygone era. It is not Tolstoy's task to create a historical sketch with reliable details. The author considers only the characters of people and human relations, which have changed little since the time of Ivan the Terrible.
Portrait of Ivan the Terrible
In the novel, Tolstoy's desire to denigrate the stern tsar is not noted. On the contrary, not the king, but the subjects are blameworthy. Many crimes were committed on behalf of Ivan the Terrible, which the tsar did not even know about.
One of these atrocities took place in the village of Medvedevka. The service of the guardsman gave unlimited opportunities to lovers of violence and arbitrariness, which was used by the most ignoble people of the state. Citizens always dream of a just ruler, while they themselves are rarely merciful towards each other.
Perhaps the author was in vain to fear the anger of Nicholas I. The strict tsar was no less suspicious than his predecessor, who lived in the 16th century. Nevertheless, Nicholas I was far from being a stupid person and would hardly have seen sedition in Tolstoy's novel.
The historical novel "Prince Silver" by Tolstoy was written in 1862 and published a year later in the literary magazine "Russian Bulletin". The work is based on an important period in Russian history - the centralization of the power of the Moscow prince and its opposition to the boyars.
For reader's diary and preparing for a literature lesson, we recommend reading online summary "Prince Silver" chapter by chapter. You can check your knowledge using a special test on our website.
main characters
Nikita Romanovich Silver - a prince, a royal governor, a brave, honest and straightforward young man.
Ivan IV the Terrible - Moscow Tsar, despotic ruler.
Elena Dmitrievna - beloved of Prince Serebryany, wife of boyar Morozov.
Druzhina Andreevich Morozov - Moscow boyar, the elderly husband of Elena Dmitrievna.
Other characters
Malyuta Skuratov - favorite guardsman and assistant of Ivan the Terrible.
Maxim Skuratov - 17-year-old son of Malyuta, an opponent of the oprichnina.
Fedor Basmanov - Oprichnik, favorite of Ivan the Terrible.
Boris Fedorovich Godunov - boyar, confidant of Ivan the Terrible.
Afanasy Ivanovich Vyazemsky - the head of the guardsmen, the king's favorite.
Ring - a brave chieftain of robbers.
Kite - an old robber chieftain.
Mikheich - an aspirant of Prince Serebryany and his tutor.
Miller - local medicine man and sorcerer.
Onufrevna - the old mother of Ivan the Terrible.
Foreword
Chapter 1. Guardsmen
In the summer of 1565, "the young boyar Prince Nikita Romanovich Serebryany" returned to his native village Medvedevka after a five-year stay in Lithuania, where he tried in vain to "sign peace for many years" with King Zhigimont.
Suddenly, the village is attacked by the guardsmen, whom the prince takes for robbers. He manages to repulse the attack, and from the local residents he learns that the guardsmen are "the people of the king," whom the tsar himself allowed to "rob and rip off" the common people.
Chapter 2. New comrades
The prince gives orders to his soldiers to take the captive oprichniks to the laborer, and he himself, along with the stirrup Mikheich, makes his way further. In the forest, they are already attacked by real robbers, but the prince and his companion are rescued from certain death by Vanyukh Ring and Korshun - prisoners of the guardsmen, whom the prince set free.
Chapter 3. Witchcraft
Prince Silver stops for the night at the miller's. At night, the head of the guardsmen, Prince Afanasy Vyazemsky, comes to the owner, who demands a love potion from the "sorcerer" for his sweetheart.
Chapter 4. Druzhina Andreevich and his wife
The wife of the boyar Druzhina Andreevich Moroz was the first Moscow beauty - “twenty-year-old Elena Dmitrievna”. The girl was forced to marry an old, but kind boyar, because she feared Prince Vyazemsky, persistent in her passion. Elena herself loved Prince Silver, and even promised to become his wife, but he stayed for a long time in Lithuania.
Chapter 5. Meeting
Elena is sitting in the garden with the girls. Suddenly, a dashing horseman appears behind the palisade - Prince Silver. Noticing "a pearl kokoshnik on Elena's head" Nikita Romanovich turns pale - his beloved is married.
Chapter 6. Reception
Prince Silver enters Morozov's chambers. He "knew the prince as a child, but they have long lost sight of each other." In the meantime, Elena Dmitrievna enters, but at the sight of her beloved, she is unable to control herself, and her husband notices her excitement.
Boyarin tells the guest about denunciations, oprichnina and terrible executions. Upon learning that Serebryany was heading to the Tsar's Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, Morozov discouraged him from this trip, which promised death to the young prince. However, Nikita Romanovich hit the road.
Chapter 7. Aleksandrova Sloboda
On the way to Sloboda, the prince observes a picture of terrible changes. In the place of churches and luxurious mansions, there are now gallows and blocks everywhere, poverty and robbery flourish, and honest people have no life at all from the guardsmen.
In the royal court, Nikita becomes a victim of a bear, which, for the sake of amusement, was set on him by the favorite of Ivan IV - the young Fyodor Basmanov. Young Maxim Skuratov, the son of Malyuta, saves the prince from certain death.
Before meeting with the Tsar, Silver "prepared for everything and read a prayer in his mind."
Chapter 8. Feast
Nikita Romanovich expects the tsarist anger for tying his guardsmen in his native village. However, he shows his mercy to the prince, because he does not yet know about his outrage.
At the table, Ivan the Terrible tells Vyazemsky a fairy tale, thereby hinting at his permission to take Elena from Morozov by force.
Chapter 9. Court
Meanwhile, the tsar is reported on the events in Medvedevka. Having learned about the arbitrariness of Serebryany, an angry Ivan IV is going to execute him immediately. And only one guardsman - Maxim Skuratov - stands up for the prince. The Tsar calms down and, remembering that Nikita has always shown himself as a "good servant", cancels the execution.
Chapter 10. Father and Son
Impressed by the act of Serebryany, who defeated the tsar's guardsmen "for murder and did not lock himself in front of the tsar in his rightful cause," Maxim Skuratov decides to leave his father and go "wherever they look."
Chapter 11. Night procession
The tsar still had his mother, Onufrevna, who was almost in her tenth grade. Due to her age and special position, she without fear reproaches the king for the sins he has committed. Ivan the Terrible sees before his eyes "a picture of future retribution" and is frightened of his fate. Having lifted all his servants out of bed, he goes to church to serve Matins.
Chapter 12. Slander
The next morning, the king is ashamed of his nightly fears, and decides to "punish the traitors as before and put to death his villains, although there would have been thousands of them."
Meanwhile, Malyuta, who is no longer able to endure the endless bullying from the cruel Tsarevich John, decides to take revenge on him for all the insults. He slanders Ivan the Terrible about his son, and he orders to kill him while hunting.
Chapter 13. Vanyukha Ring and his comrades
A gang of robbers gathers in the forest, including the Kite and the Ring. They accept into their ranks a man whose family was slaughtered by the guardsmen, and the young, clumsy strongman Mitka, from whom the guardsmen "took a navest.
Chapter 14. Slap in the face
In a conversation with Godunov, Silver does not understand how he, seeing all the injustice of the tsar's rule, will not tell him about it. To which Godunov replies that "it is good to stand for the truth, but one in the field is not a voivode."
Mikheich comes running, and says that Malyuta and the guardsmen are taking the captive prince somewhere. Silver immediately rushes in pursuit. Having caught up with Malyuta, he gives him a slap in the face and enters the battle. Soon robbers come to his aid. Together they manage to defeat the guardsmen and save the prince from death, but Malyuta manages to escape.
Chapter 15. The kissing ceremony
In the house of the Morozovs, under a plausible pretext, Vyazemsky appears with his retinue. Morozov is having a feast. He suspects Elena of treason, but does not know exactly who his rival is. To confirm his guess, Morozov starts a "kissing ceremony". When the prince kissed Elena, "she trembled as if in a fever, her legs buckled under her."
Chapter 16. Abduction
At the end of the feast, Morozov reproaches Elena for treason and recalls "the punishment for adultery." Suddenly, Vyazemsky bursts into the bedchamber with his faithful guardsmen and kidnaps Elena, and then sets fire to all the "roofs of human services." However, Silver manages to severely wound Vyazemsky, but he himself is captured by his guardsmen.
Chapter 17. Blood Conspiracy
Vyazemsky tirelessly rides all night in order to have time to "transport Elena to his Ryazan patrimony." From the inflicted wounds, he loses consciousness and falls to the ground, and the frightened Elena is taken by the horse to the miller.
He quickly "realized what was the matter": having recognized Vyazemsky's horse, he understood who the girl was. He barely has time to hide Elena, when riders with the wounded Vyazemsky appear near his house. The miller manages to stop the blood from the terrible wounds of the prince and send the intruders to the inn.
Chapter 18. An Old Friend
The next morning Mikheich appears at the miller and asks him for advice on how to free Serebryany, who stood up for the truth. The miller shows him the way to the robber's lair, and hints at a certain firebird, for which "the proceeds" will need to be divided in half.
Chapter 19. Russian people remember good
Having found the refuge of the robbers, Mikheich asks the Ring and the Kite for help. Mitka joins them, and together they go to the Sloboda to rescue Serebryany from the dungeon.
Chapter 20. Cheerful people
During a falconry, the king stumbles upon blind storytellers who manage to amuse the king. He orders them to go to the royal chambers and wait for his return, while he continues to hunt.
Chapter 21. Fairy tale
When meeting with the king, Onufrevna says that the storytellers sent by him are very suspicious. It seems to her that "they have up to something unkind," and the king should be very careful with them.
Listening to the tales of the blind, Ivan the Terrible pretends to be asleep. The vulture decides to take advantage of this and pick up the prison keys that lay near the king.
At this moment, the king opens his eyes and calls the guards. The guardsmen grab the Kite, but the Ring manages to escape. He hurries to the prison and takes the prince away by force.
Chapter 22. Monastery
Maxim Skuratov, leaving his father's house, arrives at the monastery. He confesses and asks the Lord for forgiveness for his dislike of the king and disrespect for his own father.
Chapter 23. Road
After a short stay at the monastery with the good hegumen, Maxim sets off on a journey. His path lies through the forest, where robbers soon attack him.
Chapter 24. Riot of the villagers
The robbers, having learned that their pet Kite was in imperial captivity, revolt. They demand that the Ring transfer his chieftainship to the Silver Prince, and he led them to the Sloboda for robbery.
Seeing the tied Maximus, the prince convinces the robbers to let the young man go, since he is “the same enemy of the oprichnina,” like all of them. Instead of going to Sloboda, he convinces the villagers to go against the Tatars - to destroy the "Basurman tribe."
Chapter 25. Preparation for battle
The ring shares with Serebryany his cunning plan of how to cut the Tatars. Knowing the resourcefulness of the robber leader, the prince "gave him to act according to his thoughts."
Chapter 26. Twinning
Maxim thanks Prince Nikita for saving and confesses to him in sincere sympathy for him. Before the battle with the Tatars, he asks the prince to fraternize "according to the ancient Christian custom," and the brothers exchange body crosses.
Thanks to the cunning invention of the Ring, the robbers at first manage to lay down many Tatars, but the forces are too unequal. Only thanks to the army of Fyodor Basmanov, who came to the rescue in time, is it possible to defeat the enemy. Maxim dies on the battlefield.
Chapter 27. Basmanov
In honor of the victory over the Tatars, the Basmanov arrange a feast. He himself is "a strange mixture of guile, arrogance, unviable debauchery and careless prowess." He is surprised to learn that Silver decides to return to the king and surrender himself to his mercy.
Chapter 28. Parting
With Silver goes to Sloboda and part of the robbers, while the rest, led by the Ring and Mitka, decide to join Ermak.
Chapter 29. Confrontation
“A week after the defeat of the Tatars,” the tsar receives Basmanov, who wants to appropriate only for himself all the laurels of the winner. Wanting to slander the royal favorite - Prince Vyazemsky, Basmanov accuses him of witchcraft.
Morozov comes to the tsar and asks to summon Vyazemsky, and he agrees to a confrontation. Ivan the Terrible decides - let the opponents go to court "be judged by the judgment of God" and fight in Sloboda in front of witnesses. Whoever loses will be executed.
Chapter 30. Conspiracy for iron
Fearing that the victory will be for the strong and still strong Morozov, Vyazemsky goes to the miller to make "his blows irresistible through witchcraft."
Approaching the mill, he, unnoticed, finds Basmanov. He asks the miller for herbs to enter "again into royal favor."
Speaking with a saber, at the request of Vyazemsky, the miller begins to enchant and sees pictures of terrible executions.
Chapter 31. God's Judgment
On the day of the duel, two opponents meet on the square - Vyazemsky and Morozov. Weakened by recent wounds, Vyazemsky falls off his horse and asks to replace him with another warrior. This is against the rules, but Ivan the Terrible allows him to put Matvey Khomyak in his place. Morozov refuses to fight the hireling. Mitka comes out of the crowd to "stand up for the truth." He refuses to fight with sabers and kills the Hamster with the shafts.
Chapter 32. Vyazemsky's Ladanka
The Tsar accuses Vyazemsky of witchcraft against himself. He orders to throw the former pet in dungeon and bring the miller to testify.
Chapter 33. Ladanka Basmanov
During the terrible interrogation Vyazemsky does not utter a word "out of pride, out of contempt, or because he is sick of life." Basmanov is glad that his main rival is in disgrace. He does not yet know that the miller caught under torture told about Basmanov's desire to "spoil the state's health."
Chapter 34. Jester's caftan
Morozov receives an invitation to come to the tsar's table, where Ivan the Terrible invites him to sit down below Godunov. Morozov angrily refuses. Those present are waiting for "how the royal wrath will manifest."
The Tsar orders Morozov to put on a buffoon's caftan and thereby publicly humiliate him. On the legal rights of the jester, he expresses in his face everything that he thinks about him and the methods of his government.
Ivan the Terrible orders to throw Morozov into prison and "not to torture, so as not to die before the time."
Chapter 35. Execution
On the day of the general execution, "on a large trading square, inside Kitay-gorod," people gather, and terrible torture instruments are being built. The tsar introduces to the public Morozov, Vyazemsky, Basmanov, the miller, Korshun - terrible criminals "who wanted to betray the state to their enemies." All convicts are tortured and executed.
Chapter 36. Return to Sloboda
Terrifying Moscow with cruel executions, "the tsar wanted to appear merciful and magnanimous" and released all the condemned.
Meanwhile, Godunov has Silver - "the disgraced sovereign, condemned to death." He has no choice but to announce the return of the disgraced prince to the king.
Chapter 37. Forgiveness
Nikita Romanovich explains to the tsar that he was taken out of prison by his will. He also talks about the victory over the Tatars and asks for mercy for the robbers, who now want to serve the king, but not in the ranks of the guardsmen.
Silver, in spite of the tempting offer of the king, also refuses to serve him among the guardsmen. Then Ivan the Terrible appoints him as the commander of the guard regiment, in which all his robbers are assigned.
Chapter 38. Departure from Sloboda
The faithful Mikheich tells the prince how he found Elena Dmitrievna at the mill. The girl refused to go to the patrimony of Morozov, and Mikheich, at her request, "left in the hands of the abbess" the nunnery.
Upon learning of this, Serebryany asks the servant to gallop at full speed to the monastery and beg Elena not to take tonsure before meeting him.
Chapter 39. Last Date
The prince is already looking forward to a happy life next to his beloved, but the returned Mikheich reports that there is no more Elena Dmitrievna, and "there is only sister Evdokia" - Elena managed to get a haircut as a nun.
In deep sorrow, the prince goes to the monastery to say goodbye to Elena. His only consolation is “the consciousness that he has fulfilled his duty in life,” and has not committed a single meanness.
Chapter 40. Ermak's Embassy
After many years, Ivan the Terrible continues to execute "the best, most famous citizens." However, his power is weakening: the tsar is increasingly defeated on the borders, and only in the east his possessions are expanding thanks to the efforts of Ermak and Ivan Kolts, a former robber ataman nicknamed the Ring.
Godunov, who became "the brother-in-law of Tsarevich Fyodor", is gaining strength at court every year. But the unprecedented royal mercy did not give Godunov "neither arrogance, nor arrogance."
Prince Serebryany seventeen years ago was "killed by the Tatars, and his entire squad perished with him."
Conclusion
In the work of Alexei Tolstoy, the psychology of the Russian person in the Middle Ages is surprisingly accurately and vividly shown. The writer is sure that no order or law will create a just society if people are not ready to sacrifice something for the sake of this justice.
After reading the brief retelling of Prince Silver, we recommend that you read the entire novel.
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Retelling rating
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The novel by A.K. Tolstoy's "Prince Silver". It is rather difficult to retell the summary of this work by chapters, since the storyline and composition are complex and many unexpected turns, dynamic scenes, and the constant introduction of new characters into the text. Remembering the course of events is also difficult due to the fact that it is complicated by numerous descriptions, which, however, convey the flavor of the era.
General characteristics of the work
One of the main novels of Tolstoy was the work "Prince Silver". By chapters, the summary of this essay should be retelling, grouping the plot lines according to the main events that are associated with certain characters. But for a more detailed answer, one should take into account the most characteristic features of the novel, which greatly distinguish it from other works of literature.
The novel was published in 1863 and immediately attracted public attention. Some considered it a colorful and expressive story about the time of Ivan the Terrible and praised the author for reproducing one of the most dramatic and interesting periods in russian historyothers, on the contrary, argued that the work was too romantic and sublime in spirit and meaning, which, under the dominance of realism, was perceived as a step backward. The sources for the writer were Karamzin's History of the Russian State, a monograph about the life of the Russian people, as well as folk songs, legends, and traditions.
Tie
The novel "Prince Silver" is dedicated to the reign of Ivan the Terrible and his oprichnina. By chapters, a summary of this work must be memorized in accordance with the appearance of the characters. The first three of them are dedicated to the arrival of the protagonist, governor Nikita Romanovich Serebryany to Russia after the unsuccessful Lithuanian embassy, \u200b\u200bduring which he tried to achieve peace, but did not achieve his goal, because he was too straightforward, while foreign diplomats turned out to be cunning. Driving through the village, he witnesses the atrocities of the guardsmen and, mistaking them for robbers, repels the attack with the help of local residents. One of them remembers him and promises to complain to the tsar himself about the boyar's behavior.
Further development
The novel "Prince Silver", a summary of which is the subject of this review by chapters, is interesting for scenes from the 16th century. The next four chapters are devoted to the description of the main character's arrival at the royal court, his reception and feast in the chambers. Here the author sets out in detail the new order that was established while the voivode was abroad. The writer shows with particular expressiveness the terrible behavior of the new royal henchmen in the novel "Prince of Silver". Chapter 8, a summary of which is a description of the feast, is especially important for understanding how the author imagined this difficult time in Russian history. It is here that the main henchmen of Ivan the Terrible are shown and their description is given. But first, Tolstoy reproduces the picture of the richness of the decoration of the room, a plentiful dinner - all this luxury, as it were, further accentuates the terrible events that followed. Here the author introduces Malyuta Skuratov, Afanasy Vyazemsky, as well as Boris Godunov, whose figure is especially interesting in view of the fact that, while remaining a supporter of the ruler, he nevertheless managed to avoid participating in his atrocities.
New plot twists
The novel "Prince of Silver" is distinguished by a special expressiveness of the depiction of historical figures. Chapter 8, a summary of which is the relationship between the king and the governor, reveals the skill of the writer with renewed vigor.
The tsar has mercy on the voivode, but at the same time shows his mercilessness towards unwanted persons when, on his order, one old nobleman was poisoned. From chapter 15, a love affair is more actively tied between the main character and his ex-fiancee Elena Dmitrievna, who, however, is already married. The next two chapters tell about her abduction by Vyazemsky, who was also in love with her. So, one of the difficult questions in school is a summary of the chapters "Prince Silver". Tolstoy in 20 chapters tells about the misadventures of his hero, who went to prison, but was rescued by his acquaintance, a robber, and how he later took part in the battle with the Tatars and met Fyodor Basmanov.
Conclusion
At the same time, the author tells about the fate of Elena Dmitrievna's husband, who was executed for his honesty and frankness. The same fate befell other guardsmen, to which the 30th chapters are devoted. The description of the adventures of the protagonist, who, after parting with his beloved, went to fight in Siberia, where he died, came to its end. Thus, the summary of the novel "Prince of Silver" by chapters shows how complex and serious this work is.
