2024-03-14 11:55:00
The novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin “Eugene Onegin” is not for nothing called the encyclopedia of Russian life. Sometimes randomly, sometimes suspending the plot for the sake of this, the poet notes in it many features of his era. Both everyday and ethical – especially the latter concerns the concepts and habits of the Russian aristocracy of the early 19th century. Nowadays, not every reader is able to understand the numerous hints and references that flash in the artistic space of Onegin.
For example, this concerns the most dramatic moment in the story written by Pushkin – the duel, as a result of which Lensky dies. Few people know regarding this, but Onegin, who did not want this duel (he went to it only because he did not want to dishonor his name), did everything to prevent it from taking place. For example, he was more than an hour late for it – according to the rules of that time, this was a significant reason for canceling the duel of honor.
…He forgot, he’s already a neighbor
The office enters silently
And he wakes up Lensky with a call:
“It’s time to get up: it’s past seven.
Onegin is surely waiting for us.”
But he was wrong: Evgeniy
At this time I was sleeping like a dead sleep.
The nights and shadows are already thinning
And Vesper was greeted by a rooster;
Onegin is sleeping deeply.
The sun is already rolling high,
And a migratory blizzard
Shines and curls; but the bed
Evgeniy hasn’t left yet,
A dream is still flying over him.
He finally woke up
And the curtain parted the floors;
He looks and sees that it’s time
It’s a long time to leave the yard.
The fight might have been canceled already at this moment, if not for the behavior of Zaretsky’s character, Onegin’s second. This, at first glance, minor character, according to researchers, was most interested in the scandalous, and therefore bloody, outcome of the fight. This is evidenced not only by the fact that he did not use Onegin’s lateness as an opportunity to reconcile him with Lensky, but this is a topic for a separate discussion.
So, the duel took place and as a result Lensky was mortally wounded. What was supposed to happen next? Contrary to some philistine opinions, even in this era any (!) duel became the subject of a criminal investigation. In the case of Onegin this did not happen – and here’s why.
The reasons why Onegin and Zaretsky (the seconds were also responsible) escaped punishment are subtly hinted at in the moment describing Lensky’s grave:
There is a place: to the left of the village,
Where did the pet of inspiration live?
Two pine trees have grown together by their roots;
The streams twisted beneath them
Streams of the neighboring valley.
The plowman likes to relax there,
And plunge the reapers into the waves
The ringing jugs come;
There by the stream in the thick shade
A simple monument was erected
Judging by the text, Lensky was buried outside the cemetery: that is, as a suicide. This was a common way to neutralize the consequences of a duel for the surviving participants – the parish priest simply recorded the cause of death as suicide or an accident.
What threatened Onegin if his shot was investigated? Officers were usually demoted to soldiers, following which they were given the right to length of service – the fastest way to rise in rank once more was to go to fight in the Caucasus. Since Onegin did not serve, the famous researcher of Pushkin’s work Yuri Lotman suggests, “most likely, he would have gotten away with a month or two of fortress and subsequent church repentance.”
It must be admitted that this is not the worst punishment for killing a person. But Onegin avoided her too.
Even more interesting things regarding “Eugene Onegin”
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#people #dont #notice #detail #Pushkins
