Pushkin. "Queen of Spades": a summary

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

Pushkin's work "The Queen of Spades" was written by the great poet in 1833. The basis for it was the mysterious salon legend known in the world about the sudden and amazing card luck of Princess Natalya Golitsyna. The story is solid, reminiscent of a fascinating story and reads "at first sight".

Pushkin begins the story from the usual story for the assembled card company (narrated by the landowner Tomsky). The "Queen of Spades" by its content introduces us to the hussars of the 18th century. The grandmother of the narrator, Count Tomsky, Anna Fedotovna, in her youth, lost everything to the Count of Orleans to the penny. Having not received funds from her outraged husband, she learned the secret of three cards from the famous occultist and alchemist Count Saint-Germain (whom she then asked for money). At the same time, the mysterious Frenchman stipulated that the countess would play only one game. Anna Fedotovna Tomskaya then recouped herself and left for Northern Palmyra. Never again did she sit at the gaming table. Only once did she reveal the secret to Mr. Chaplitsky, after securing from him a promise similar to her own. That word is notkept, having won once, did not stop in time and then, having lost millions, died in poverty. Agree, dear readers, Pushkin masterfully wove the intrigue of his story. The Queen of Spades is a fascinating and dynamic work.

The story didn't stay up in the air. He was heard by the young engineer Hermann, eaten by passions and ambition. He does not play, because his fortune is modest, and he has no other income than a salary. The passion for the game, suppressed by a strong will, makes him eagerly catch every nuance of it. Hearing the story of Count Tomsky shocked the young engineer, and the thirst for quick enrichment took possession of him.

The way of life of the count's house is described by Pushkin in the next chapter. The Queen of Spades introduces us to the Countess of Tomskaya, who lives in seclusion on her estate, mindlessly observing palace etiquette of the 17th century, obsessively looking after her attire and appearance. Her petty quibbles are endless. With this manner, the landowner harasses and gets everyone around, and especially the young pupil Elizabeth. Hot and ardent Hermann charms Lizonka, writes notes to her and achieves a secret meeting in the count's house. Acquaintance of young people is the theme of the third chapter. The pupil tells him in detail the plan of the rooms. But at the appointed hour, Hermann goes not to the girl, but to her mistress. He sees the lady sitting in insomnia at the window. The young man asks, and then demands from the Countess of Tomskaya the disclosure of the longed-for secret, but she stubbornly remains silent. When the engineer begins to threaten, pulling out a pistol, the landownerheart attack and she dies.

The fourth chapter is psychological, moral. Hermann rises to the pupil, tells her about the misfortune. Elizabeth is shocked by his selfishness. However, neither the tears of a girl in love, nor her feelings touch the greedy young man.

In the fifth chapter, Pushkin shows his talent as a mystical writer. At the funeral service for Countess Hermann, a mocking look and a wink of the deceased seem to him. The next night he was awakened by an unfamiliar noise, then the ghost of Anna Fedotovna floated into the room and announced to him a secret combination of cards - three, seven, ace. The vision ended with Hermann's forgiveness and a request to play only once and stop there, and then marry Elizabeth. Such a culmination of the plot was created by Pushkin. The Queen of Spades enhances the dynamics of its line.

An ideal situation for an enrichment game soon emerges. Rich players come to Moscow. On the first day, Hermann doubles his fortune, putting it all on a three, but does not stop there. Luck is favorable to him and on the second day - the seven also brings good luck, he becomes rich. However, the passion of the player, greed imperiously lead him to death. He decides on the third game, betting on the ace all his easy money obtained by the game - 200,000 rubles. An ace is thrown, but Hermann's triumph is interrupted by Chekalinsky's opponent's remark that his queen has lost. The engineer understands that the incomprehensible has happened: pulling an ace out of the deck, for some reason his fingers pulled out a completely different card - the queen of spades - a symbol of a secretmalevolence.

The desperate swindler is shocked, his mind can't cope with the stress, and he goes crazy. It was in the sixth chapter, containing both the fatal game itself and the retribution for it, that Pushkin outlined the inevitable denouement of the plot. The "Queen of Spades" rewards Hermann as he deserves: his house is now the seventeenth ward of the Obukhov hospital for the insane. The consciousness of the former engineer from that moment is forever closed in a combination of three cards. The fate of the pupil of Elizabeth develops happily: marriage, prosperity and family happiness.

The story "The Queen of Spades" made a splash. Among the players, even a fashion arose - to bet on the cards mentioned by Pushkin. Contemporaries noted the author's masterful psychological depiction of the image of the old countess, as well as her pupil. However, the "Byronian" character of Hermann is depicted most prominently. The success of the work is not accidental: the classic, in whose veins really hot blood flows, writes on the theme of luck, good luck, close to him. At the same time, we see his fatalistic convictions, saying that fate still dominates all life's fuss.