The list of fairy tales in verses written by the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin is not as huge as, for example, Charles Perrault or Hans Andersen. And, quite frankly, some of the works as children’s works were not planned by the poet himself. But the creations of the Russian storyteller today every schoolchild knows. Among them is the Tale of the Golden Cockerel. A summary of this work will fit on one page of a paper sheet. But the attractiveness of the images and the inherent potential far exceed the simplicity of the plot. Let us remember: what is this work about?
"The Tale of the Golden Cockerel." Summary
This poetic work is a fairy tale written by Pushkin in 1834. Published in 1835. Pushkin's tale "On the Golden Cockerel" was the last of this series written by the poet. And according to the conclusions of some researchers of creativity, and the most incomprehensible in the plot and sense. The main characters of the tale of the golden cockerel: the stargazer, the damsel queen, King Dadon. He, in fact, was presented with a cockerel of gold, capable of warning of impending danger. And he gave a lively golden weather vane to a stargazer, a sage and a copsy. Instead, demanding the fulfillment of a desire left for later. The king vowed to do so.
At first, the cockerel did its job properly, warning of the arrival of enemies. The army successfully repels attacks. It even comes to the fact that the enemies are afraid to attack Dadon. But something went wrong, and the royal offspring, sent with a part of the army (one at a time) to the places indicated by the golden cockerel, disappear for no reason and news. Then the king decides to go hiking himself.
Climax and denouement
But what does he see? The sons are dead (they kill each other in battle near the tent), and a maid, the Shamakhan queen, who magically charms the elderly Dadon with her beauty and youth, leaves the room. For some time, the king feasts with the Queen of Shamakhan. And then, together with her, she returns to her homeland, to her kingdom. On the way, he meets an old stargazer who demands from Dadon to fulfill his promise - to cede the Shamakhan beauty. But the king does not agree with such an interpretation and, at first offering something in return, then he kills the stargazer with his wand. Then the golden cockerel, presented by the old man, descends from the knitting needle on which he sat, and pecks Dadon right in the crown. The king is dying. And the girl at first laughs, and then completely disappears, dissolving in the air.
Morality
It seems that everyone understands what the "Tale of the Golden Cockerel" is about. It seems Dadon himself is to blame. The stargazer is right in his claims. And the cockerel acts as a sword of fate, punishing for violation of universal human rules and given promises. But this is only at first glance. “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” (for a summary see above) is not so simple. In fact, in the work itself there are a lot of inconsistencies and incomprehensible moments, which to this day have confused many researchers of the poet's work. And Pushkin's fairy tale "On the Golden Cockerel" has the title of the most obscure of all written by the author.
Opinions of literary scholars
Some of the Pushkin scholars believe that the meaning of the plot is not fully disclosed by the author. After careful reading of the famous creation in poetry (if we take aside all the magic and skill of the poetic syllable), the attentive reader has many questions. Especially in children, and in adults. Why did the stargazer’s golden gift shout for the first time, because no one tried to attack? Why did the royal siblings kill each other? Why would a stargazer a Shamakhan girl if he is an eunuch? Where, in fact, does the queen disappear at the end of the work? And many others, no less logical. Accusing the great Russian poet of inconsistency and inconsistency seems unreasonable. Rather, Pushkin deliberately allows some inconsistencies. For what? This is a separate issue. Maybe this is what the poet wants to say, that the main point of the magic tale is that the internal enemy is stronger and more dangerous than external enemies?
Plot sources
According to the latest literary data, sources have been found in which the "Tale of the Golden Cockerel" draws its existence. A brief summary of such a plot was found both in the Coptic folklore (Arabic tales) and in the legend of V. Irving “On the Arab Starship”.