Alexey Tolstoy, "Orca": a summary

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The work of Alexei Tolstoy "The Killer Whale", a summary of which is presented below, was written in 1916. Events are developing in pre-revolutionary Russia. The first act of the two-act play takes place in Petrograd, then the author takes his characters to a provincial estate on the Volga.

For decades since the creation of the work, performances based on it were staged in many theaters of our country. And today, the audience enthusiastically accepts "Kasatka" performed by stage groups of large and small cities throughout Russia.

Names and characteristics of the main characters

Starting to retell the summary of Tolstoy's play "The Killer Whale", first let's find out whose name is in the title of the work. Orca in a close circle is called Marya Semyonovna Kosareva. A young woman of humble origin earned her living by her labor. In her own words, she was a laundress, a maid, and a store clerk.

In addition, Masha, having taken the pseudonym "Killer Whale", sang romances on amateur stages, performed acrobatic numbers for the entertainment of the public. Marya Semyonovna did not disdain the patronage of rich men. She considers herself a sinful and deeply unhappy woman. This is how the main character A. N. Tolstoy draws for us. Kasatka… The summary, as well as the full text of the work, will allow the reader to understand that this name hides a person with conflicting feelings, but with a kind and open heart.

During the period described in the play, Masha is in a close relationship with Prince Anatoly Petrovich Belsky. A thirty-two-year-old nobleman squandered his fortune by indulging in idle amusements, including drinking and card games. The killer whale cannot count on the financial support of the prince; on the contrary, a man literally lives on her means. They met when Anatoly Petrovich was in distress after another card loss. Marya Semyonovna's compassion for Belsky grew into a feeling that she mistook for love.

Other characters in the play

Together with a couple in love in one of the hotels in St. Petersburg there is a certain Abram Alekseevich Zheltukhin - a middle-aged man who calls himself a friend of the prince. As the story progresses, other characters appear on the stage.

In the house of a kind landowner, her pupils live - Ilya Ilyich Bykov and Raisa Glebovna. They are about to get married. Young people who have known each other since childhood are connected by mutual interests and tenderfeelings for each other. Minor characters include Uranov and Stivinsky, the prince's partners in playing cards, his relative Anna Apollosovna with her daughter Vera, the maid Dunyasha and a sailor at the Volga pier Pankrat, and Varvara Ivanovna Dolgov, a distant relative of Anatoly Petrovich, who is his aunt.

Another card fiasco

How does Tolstoy's play "Killer Whale" begin? A summary of the chapters, or rather, theatrical performances, of which there are only four, invites us to plunge into the atmosphere of the closed space of a St. Petersburg hotel. While preparations are underway for the wedding of Ilya and Raisa in a distant estate, Prince Belsky is trying to win back his gambling debt in a smoky, untidy hotel room.

His partners, Uranov and Stivinsky, do not want to join the game, because Anatoly Petrovich has no money left. The prince begs, looks hopefully at Masha. Taking pity, Marya Semyonovna puts her ring on the line and sits down to play herself. But luck is not on her side. As a result, Belsky's debt only grows. Uranov makes Kasatka an obscene proposal, promising to settle financial problems. Masha refuses with tears, the prince signs the bill of exchange, the players leave the room. However, it is too early to put an end to the summary of Tolstoy's Killer Whale.

Escape from debt

Left alone in the room, Marya Semyonovna and Belsky begin to quarrel. A sleepy Abram Zheltukhin appears. Upon learning of the plight of his friends, heinvites everyone to go somewhere together. The prince remembers that he has an aunt who lives in a rural estate on the Volga. Zheltukhin clings to this idea, makes Anatoly Petrovich write a letter to Varvara Ivanovna with the news of the arrival of guests, he dictates the necessary words.

Kasatka at first refuses to go, referring to the fact that she, a sinful girl, is ashamed to show herself in front of a virtuous relative of the prince. But Zheltukhin and Belsky persuade her. The prince promises to present Marya Semyonovna as his wife, and in the future he will indeed bind himself to her by marriage. This ends the first act of A. Tolstoy's play "Killer Whale". The summary of the remaining parts is devoted to describing more interesting events.

Mixed feelings

Masha and Anatoly Petrovich have been living in the house of a hospitable aunt for several days. Abram Zheltukhin should arrive a little later. The arrival of guests disrupted the usual order of a quiet estate. It seems that some changes are brewing. The prince is increasingly quarreling with Marya Semyonovna. He admires the local nature, rural life and is simply fascinated by Raisa, the bride of Ilya Ilyich. A sincere and naive village girl awakened in Belsky's soul unknown bright experiences to himself. In the retelling of the brief content of Tolstoy's Killer Whale, it is impossible to display the fullness of the feelings that torment the characters. But still, we see that each character opens from an unexpected side.

Kasatka recognizes in Ilya Bykov her old admirer, who pursued her for severalyears ago in Petersburg. Masha then sang on the stage of the summer garden in the Aquarium, enjoyed great success with the public, had no end to the gentlemen, so she was more than indifferent to the courtship of the black-eyed young man and even mocked them. Ilya also recalls Marya Semyonovna, a conversation that is not entirely pleasant for both takes place between them. Past passions flare up again, disturb the heart of a man, and Kasatka feels that, probably, for the first time in her life, she fell in love for real. Ilya Ilyich is trying to put an end to this, urging Aunt Varvara to start his wedding with Raisa as soon as possible.

The long-awaited wedding day

The young are getting ready to go to church, the house is in turmoil, preparations are underway for the wedding feast. The day before, Abram Alekseevich Zheltukhin arrived at the estate. He had already secured the confidence of Aunt Varvara Ivanovna, persuaded the maid Dunyasha to remind the hostess as often as possible that guests in the person of Prince Belsky, Kasatka and his own person would bring happiness to the house. Zheltukhin has his own selfish interest, he wants to stay here longer, since there is always delicious food and drink on the tables. Meanwhile, in the plot of Tolstoy's play "The Killer Whale", the summary of which we are trying to convey, the climax comes.

Another aunt of the prince arrives, Anna Apollosovna, invited as the appointed mother of the bride. Her daughter, Verochka, a rather mature young lady, whispers something to Raisa Glebovna, and then approaches Belsky. She tells Anatoly Petrovich,that Raisa does not want to marry her fiancé at all and asks to disrupt the wedding by insulting Ilya and challenging him to a duel. The prince recalls that during a joint walk, Raisa hinted about her feelings for him, but Belsky did not have the determination to answer her in the same way. No, of course, he will not upset the upcoming marriage of the girl he likes.

Varvara Ivanovna, in the presence of guests, blesses the young, reads out her will, where she writes to each of them an equal share of the estate. The bride and groom, accompanied by relatives, go to church. Marya Semyonovna, burning with unrequited feelings for Ilya, decides to stay alone in the house.

An unexpected turn of events

A few minutes later, Ilya Ilyich bursts into Masha's room. He confesses his love to the woman and offers to run away, especially since under the windows there is a harnessed troika of horses, prepared for a wedding walk. Kasatka tries to object. Picking up the weakly resisting Marya Semyonovna in his arms, Ilya puts her in the wagon.

On a dark night, Masha and her lover are waiting on the Volga pier for a steamboat that will take them away from these places. Sailor Pankrat explains that the riverboat is late for some reason. Kasatka and Ilya leave for the banks of the Volga to pass the time before the steamer arrives.

In their absence, Zheltukhin appears on the pier. He explains to Pankrat that he came here from the estate on foot, since Varvara Ivanovna drove him out of sight. Still would! After allof what happened, Abram dared to utter his favorite phrase that such guests as he, Marya Semyonovna and Belsky, fortunately in the house.

A bell sounds. It was the landowner Dolgova who came to look for the fiancé who had run away from the wedding. Having met with Zheltukhin, Varvara reprimanded him for disgracing her, leaving on foot - after all, she could have given a wagon. Auntie goes to the shore, hoping to reason with Ilya.

Soon Prince Belsky and Raisa approach the pier. They also decided to leave. The former bride is not yet sure of the feelings of her escort. After some reproaches, the prince and Raisa Glebovna confess their love to each other.

In the finale of the summary of "Killer Whale" Tolstoy prepared a beautiful happy ending for viewers and readers. Newly created couples reconcile with each other, forgive previously inflicted insults. Finally, the steamer approaches, the lovers set off. Varvara Ivanovna wishes everyone happiness and motherly admonitions. Zheltukhin also did not go unnoticed - his aunt invited him to live in her estate.