Summary. "Stone Guest" - a small tragedy of Alexander Pushkin

"Small tragedies" - a cycle of dramatic works, which A.S. Pushkin wrote in the autumn of 1830, "locked" in the village of Boldino, Nizhny Novgorod province, when this part of Russia was swept through by the epidemic of cholera. One of the tragedies included in the cycle is the "Stone Guest" - a small but very capacious work written on the popular story about Don Juan. The legendary seducer of women's hearts, the duelist and the "hooligan" was a very popular character in literary works, beginning with the Renaissance. Pushkin used the famous story about the seduction of Donna Anna, the widow of the dueled Don Juan Commander, who came from the underworld to take revenge on his murderer.

A.Pushkin. "The Stone Guest." Summary

There are four scenes in the tragedy. The first is the secret arrival of Don Juan with the servant Leporello from exile to Madrid. Waiting for the darkness near the monastery walls, he learns that Donna Anna is coming here to the grave of her husband, who was killed in a duel. João wants to get to know her, he is attracted by excitement, he dreams of new victories over women, and the inconsolable widow is a suitable goal. Darkness descends on Madrid, and the voluptuary hastens to his former beloved Laura.

Summary "The Stone Guest". Scene two

Laura receives guests in her room. One of them - the brother of Don Juan killed commander Don Carlos. He is annoyed and annoyed, because Laura sings a song composed once by her windy lover Juan. Suddenly, he appears. There is his encounter with Carlos, a quarrel, a duel, and he falls dead.

"Stone Guest": a short summary. Scene Three

After spending the night at Laura, Don Juan returns to the monastery the next day and, disguised as a monk, waits for the arrival of Donna Anna. A young widow appears. She offers to pray with her, but the Spaniard admits that he is not a monk, but a caballero in love with her. He tempts the woman with passionate speeches and asks for a secret meeting at her house. She agrees. Anticipating the next victory and triumphantly, Don Juan sends his servant to the grave to the commander, so that he invited him to a joint dinner with the widow. The servant who performs the order, it seems that the statue nodded in response. Frightened, he reports this to the owner. Don Juan, not believing, decides to repeat himself his invitation and with horror notices the nod of the statue.

Summary. "Stone Guest": the fourth scene, the final

In the evening in her house Donna Anna takes in her husband's murderer unknowingly. Don Juan, calling himself Diego, confesses to her in passionate love, trying to seduce a young widow. Seeing her favor, he decides to admit who he really is. Donna Anna, seeing and understanding who in front of her, in confusion. Steps are heard, the door swings open, a statue of the commander enters. All in horror. Don Juan, however, boldly welcomes him, holding out his hand. Together they fall into the nether regions.

This is only a summary. "Stone Guest" is a work entering the cycle, united by the name "Little Tragedies", small, but very capacious and significant. In the plays of other authors about Don Juan this character is depicted sharply negatively. He is a terrible sinner, a molester and a destroyer of women, who turned love into a game of chance. A.S. Pushkin's Don Juan, despite his negative characteristics, is very attractive. Due to what? This image is one-piece and strong. Boredom of the surrounding life makes him constantly seek adventure and challenge destiny. "There is a rapture in battle and a gloomy abyss on the edge," Pushkin wrote in another of his works. This is a rapture on the edge of a gloomy abyss and attracts Don Juan. Being constantly on the edge of the abyss, he runs the risk of falling, disappearing. Is it scary for him? Perhaps, but the excitement always conquers fear. To convey only the surface plot of the work, it is sufficient to give a brief summary. "Stone Guest" is a complex philosophical drama, the meaning of which can be understood by reading it completely and thinking about each phrase.