Summary of “Prince of Silver” by Tolstoy
Beginning the narrative, the author declares that his main goal is to show the general character of the epoch, its mores, concepts, beliefs, and therefore he allowed the deviation from history in detail – and concludes that his most important feeling was indignation: not so in John, as a society that is not indignant at him.
In the summer of 1565 the young boyar prince Nikita Romanovich Serebryany, returning from Lithuania, where he spent five years in painstakingly signing the peace for many years and not succeeding in that because of the dodging of Lithuanian diplomats and his own directness, drives up to the village of Medvedeva and finds festive fun there. Suddenly the oprichniks come running, they cut the peasants, they catch the girls and burn the village. The prince takes them for robbers, binds and sows, despite the threats of their main, Matvei Hamster. Telling his soldiers to take the robbers to the labial elder, he goes on with the stirrup Mikheich, the two captives
Observing in the way of a picture of terrible changes, the prince comes to Sloboda, where among the luxurious chambers and churches he sees plaster and gallows. While Serebryany is waiting in the courtyard for permission to enter, the young Fyodor Basmanov is poisoning him, for fun, with a bear. The unarmed prince is rescued by Maxim Skuratov, the son of Malyuta. During the feast, the invited prince wondered if the tsar knew about Medvedyev, how he would show his wrath, and marvel at the terrible surroundings of John. One of the neighbors of the prince, the tsar grants a cup of wine, and he dies, poisoned. They also pity the prince, and he fearlessly drinks a good, fortunately, wine. In the middle of a luxurious feast the tsar tells Vyazemsky a fairy tale, in allegories by which he sees his love story and guesses the permission of the tsar to take Elena away. There is a crumpled hamster, tells the case in Medvedevka and points to Serebryanyi, who is being dragged to death, but for him intercedes Maxim Skuratov, and the returned prince, having told about the excesses of Khomyak in the village, is forgiven – until the next, however, guilt and vows not to hide from the king in case of his anger, but meekly to wait for punishment. At night, Maxim Skuratov, explaining to his father and not finding understanding, secretly runs, and the king, terrified by the stories of Onufrevna’s mum about hell hell and started a thunder-storm, visit the images of the murdered ones. Raising the oprichniki with the help of the pious, dressed in a monastic robe, he serves as a matinee. Tsarevich John, who took from his father the worst of his features, is constantly ridiculed by Malyuta: Malyuta represents him to the tsar as a conspirator, who orders him to kill and cast him in the forest at Pogan’s Puddle. The gang of robbers assembling there about this time, among whom the Ring and the Kite, accepts the replenishment: a guy from Moscow and the second, Mitka, a clumsy fool with a truly heroic strength, from under Kolomna. The ring tells of his acquaintance, the Volga robber Ermak Timofeevich. The sentinels report the approach of the oprichniks. Prince Serebryany in Sloboda interprets with Godunov, not knowing how to understand the subtleties of his behavior: how, seeing the Tsar’s mistakes, he does not tell about it? Mikheich, who saw the prince, captured by Malyuta with Khomyak, comes running, and Serebryany rushes in pursuit.
Next, an old song intertwines in the narrative, interpreting the same event. After catching Malyuta, Serebryanyi gives him a slap in the face and enters into battle with oprichniki, and robbers are helping him. The oprichniks are beaten, the tsarevich is safe, but Malyuta and Hamster have fled. Soon, Vyazemsky arrives to Morozov with oprichniki, allegedly to announce that he has been disgraced from him, but in fact to take Elena away. And the silver one comes for the sake of 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 Silver, and starts a “kiss rite”, believing that Elena’s embarrassment will give her away. Silver penetrates into his design, but is not free to avoid the rite. Kissing Serebryany, Elena is deprived of feelings. In the evening, in the bedroom of Elena’s bedchamber, Morozov reproaches her with betrayal, but Vyazemsky breaks in with her assistants and takes her away, wounded by the Silver. In the forest, weakened from his wounds, Vyazemsky loses consciousness, and Helen brings a distraught horse to the mill, and he, guessing who she is, hides her, driven not so much by heart as by calculation. Soon the guardsmen bring bloodied Vyazemsky, the miller tells him the blood, but, frightening the oprichniks with all the devilry, he turns them away from spending the night. The next day Mikheyich arrives, looking for Vanya’s Perlnja for the prince, who was thrown into the pond by the oprichniki. The miller points the road to Perstnya, promising Mikheich a certain firebird on his return. After listening to Mikheich, Ring with uncle Korshun and Mitka go to Sloboda. Soon the guardsmen bring bloodied Vyazemsky, the miller tells him the blood, but, frightening the oprichniks with all the devilry, he turns them away from spending the night. The next day Mikheyich arrives, looking for Vanya’s Perlnja for the prince, who was thrown into the pond by the oprichniki. The miller points the road to Perstnya, promising Mikheich a certain firebird on his return. After listening to Mikheich, Ring with uncle Korshun and Mitka go to Sloboda. Soon the guardsmen bring bloodied Vyazemsky, the miller tells him the blood, but, frightening the oprichniks with all the devilry, he turns them away from spending the night. The next day Mikheyich arrives, looking for Vanya’s Perlnja for the prince, who was thrown into the pond by the oprichniki. The miller points the road to Perstnya, promising Mikheich a certain firebird on his return. After listening to Mikheich, Ring with uncle Korshun and Mitka go to Sloboda.
Malyuta and Godunov come to the prison for Silvery to interrogate. Malyuta, insinuating and affectionate, reveling in the prince’s disgust, wants to return him a slap in the face, but Godunov keeps him. The Tsar, trying to escape from his thoughts about Serebryany, goes hunting. There he gyrates Adragan, at first distinguished himself, falls into a rage, crushes the falcons and flies away; Trishka is outfitted in search of a suitable threat. On the road the king meets blind songwriters and, anticipating the fun and boredom of the old storytellers, tells them to come to their quarters. It is the Ring with the Kite. On the way to Sloboda, Korshun tells the story of his villainy, that for twenty years he has deprived him of sleep, and foretells his imminent death. In the evening, Onufrevna warns the king that the new storytellers are suspicious, and, putting the guard at the door, he calls them. The ring, often interrupted by John, starts new songs and fairy tales and, having begun the story about Golubin’s book, notices that the king fell asleep. At the head of the head are the prison keys. However, the allegedly sleeping king calls the guard, who, grabbing the Korshun, misses the Signet. He, running away, runs into Mitka, who opened the prison without any keys. The prince, whose execution is scheduled for the morning, refuses to flee, commemorating his oath to the tsar. He is forcibly taken away.
About this time Maxim Skuratov, wandering, comes to the monastery, asks for confession, blames in dislike for the sovereign, disregard of his father and receives forgiveness. Soon he leaves, suggesting to reflect the raids of the Tatars, and meets Tryphon with the captured Adragan. He asks him to bow to his mother and not to tell anyone about their meeting. In the forest Maxim grab robbers. The good half of them rebels, dissatisfied with the loss of the Korshun and the acquisition of the Silver, and demands a campaign to Sloboda for robbery, and the prince is beaten up. The prince liberates Maxim, takes over the bosses over the campsmen and persuades them to go not to Sloboda, but to the Tatars. The captive Tatar leads them to the camp. The cunning fiction of the Signet 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 life. Maksim,
At the banquet in the tent Basmanova Silver all the duplicity of Fyodor, a brave warrior, crafty slanderer, arrogant and low prince of a minion opens. After the defeat of the Tatars, the band of gangsters is divided in two: part goes to the forest, part, together with Serebryany, goes to Sloboda for royal forgiveness, and the Ring with Mitka, through the same Sloboda, to the Volga, to Ermak. In Sloboda, the jealous Basmanov slanders Vyazemsky and accuses him of witchcraft. He is Morozov, complaining about Vyazemsky. At the confrontation, he declares that Morozov himself attacked him, and Elena left on her own free will. The Tsar, wishing to kill Morozov, appoints them a “judgment of God”: fight in Sloboda with the condition that the defeated person will be executed. Vyazemsky, fearing that God will give victory to the old Morozov, goes to the miller to speak a saber and finds Basmanov there, unobserved, who came for the grass by the Tirlich to enter the royal mercy. Having consecrated the saber, the miller spies to know, at Vyazemsky’s request, his fate, and sees pictures of terrible executions and his imminent demise. The day of the match comes. Among the crowd are the Ring with Mitka. Coming out against Morozov, Vyazemsky falls from the horse, his previous wounds open, and he tears Melnikov off his own accord, due to ensure victory over Morozov. He exposes himself to Matvey Khomyak. Morozov refuses to fight with hiring and seeks replacement. Called Mitka, who learned in Khomyak the bride kidnapper. He refuses the saber and, given to him for the laughter of the fire, kills the Hamster The day of the match comes. Among the crowd are the Ring with Mitka. Coming out against Morozov, Vyazemsky falls from the horse, his previous wounds open, and he tears Melnikov off his own accord, due to ensure victory over Morozov. He exposes himself to Matvey Khomyak. Morozov refuses to fight with hiring and seeks replacement. Called Mitka, who learned in Khomyak the bride kidnapper. He refuses the saber and, given to him for the laughter of the fire, kills the Hamster The day of the match comes. Among the crowd are the Ring with Mitka. Coming out against Morozov, Vyazemsky falls from the horse, his previous wounds open, and he tears Melnikov off his own accord, due to ensure victory over Morozov. He exposes himself to Matvey Khomyak. Morozov refuses to fight with hiring and seeks replacement. Called Mitka, who learned in Khomyak the bride kidnapper. He refuses the saber and, given to him for the laughter of the fire, kills the Hamster
Calling Vyazemsky, the king shows him an incense and accuses him of witchcraft against himself. In prison Vyazemsky says that he saw it from sorcerer Basmanov, who was plotting the death of John. Not expecting bad Basmanov, having opened his chest on his chest, the king plunges into the jail. Morozov, invited to the king’s table, John offers again the place after Godunov, and after listening to his rebuke, Morozov complains of the buffoon coat.
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