Excitement and greed, the desire to deceive fate, in one fell swoop ascend to unattainable peaks - these are the aspirations of the main character of the story - engineer Herman. Later, Dostoevsky will show this passion that burns to ashes of a man, especially if one recalls Raskolnikov, who could not resist the direct murder. And all these are not mystical stories. The Queen of Spades had both prototypes and literary continuation.
The mystical story of the Queen of Spades card
In France, during the Hundred Years War, the clearly insane King Charles VI was on the throne . He ruled the misfortune of his people and despite the madness of thirty years: he was the anointed of God, and all his nightmarish actions were courtiers and the country had to take. There were sometimes gaps in insanity, but brief and rare. And during the period of exacerbation, he could imagine himself as a glass carafe, for example, and demand that he, glass, be treated very carefully so as not to break.
For his entertainment, playing cards were created. But they will get a more or less modern look during the reign of his son Charles VII, who was nicknamed the winner, since the Hundred Years War was ended under him , and France thanks to Joan of Arc acquired unity.
Suits in his time got their modern names, however, in different countries they differed. But if we talk about traditional ones, then in Russia they are still preserved. That is the story. The Queen of Spades among fortune-tellers means trouble, deceit, malice, quarrel, enemy and still divorced woman. These meanings played such a cruel joke with Herman. But the map acquired all these mystical properties especially widely after Pushkin published his story. Although the epigraph already means secret ill-will.
So for Pushkin it was a well-known story. The Queen of Spades acquired properties that drive a person crazy.
Historical facts
This is a typical St. Petersburg story "Queen of Spades", the story of which is directly related to two high-society elderly people. The image of the Countess, created by Pushkin, is collective. He took many of her features from Princess Golitsyna, a recognized beauty not only of the Russian, but also of the French royal court.
Moscou Venus shone both at the court of Louis XV, and at the court of Marie Antoinette, and was at her receptions and balls.
The handsome husband was completely subordinate to the imperious wife, as subsequently her children and grandchildren. She managed business affairs with a firm hand, but gave out a penny to the children for maintenance. She lived a long, almost a hundred years, life. After it remained a huge fortune - sixteen thousand souls. In her very old age, she entertained guests on certain days, especially on her birthday. These days the royal family honored her with a visit. Only before the highest persons did she get up: she took all the others sitting.
Either bowed her head in greeting, or said a few words, looking at the rank and nobility. She was arrogant with equals and friendly with those who stood lower on the social ladder. This is a very sophisticated way to humiliate a person. Pushkin was told the story of three cards from her grand-nephew, who recouped thanks to the prompting of her grandmother. So gradually the story was built. The Queen of Spades is the nickname of the Countess, which she received in St. Petersburg. However, besides her, Pushkin introduces the quality of personality of his wife’s aunt NK Zagryazhskaya into the story. In her youth she was far from a beauty, but in her old age she looked like Baba Yaga. This grand lady was of a manly complex character and, by the way, like Golitsyna, hosted the reigning persons.
Her character traits were included in the collective image of the countess. From the figures described by the ingenious writer, the work “The Queen of Spades” appeared, the contents of which are presented here.
The plot of the story
One night, a company of young people who regularly played pharaoh (or it was also called a “shtoss”) began to poke fun at the young engineer Herman. He never played, but always watched with keen interest.
Then Tomsky said that his grandmother-countess knows the surest way to win. In her youth in Paris, she (la Vénus moscovite) had a chance to recoup from a major loss. The secret of winning cards told her Saint-Germain.
The story made a deep impression on Herman. He began to think about what he could triple, triple his money and put himself in aces, ensuring a quiet, wealthy life. Thus began delusions and hallucinations.
What dreams come to
Starting from this episode, greed, lack of moral rules bring Pushkin to the forefront (The Queen of Spades). The main characters are both Napoleonic aspirations of Herman, and the destructive influence of gold on man.
German wandered through the night Petersburg, and his feet themselves led to the house of the mysterious countess. The countess had a poor companion Lisa, whom the old woman pushed around in the most terrible way. German began to watch this girl. He hoped that with her help he would fall into the old woman’s house and find out the secret of the cards. Correspondence ensued. Finally, Liza, unaware of greed, invited German after seven (fatal) days to come to her when the countess leaves for the ball.
After the ball
German made his way into the old woman’s office and waited for her to return. When the countess after the ball was finally left alone, Herman appeared in front of her and demanded that she make him happy by revealing the secret of the cards that everyone is talking about. But the countess in horror replied that this was just a joke. Herman refused to believe and began to threaten the old woman with a gun. But she died of fear right away. Herman climbed into the room to Lisa, told everything.
Horror filled the girl’s soul when she realized that it was not the gentle, but purely mercantile thoughts of the young man that led to such a terrible denouement. These are the characters of Pushkin ("Queen of Spades"). The main characters: Lisa, German, and earlier the countess - in confusion and fear. But Lisa took Herman out of the house, although she began to consider him a monster. Three days later (another fatal number), Herman went to the funeral service for the body of the deceased. And it seemed to him that the countess winked at him.
Crazy fantasies
And at night, German had a dream in which the countess appeared to him, as she said, against her will and informed which cards would certainly win: three, seven and ace.
Thus, Pushkin did not create hoaxes, this did not become a subject of the game, but continued and intensified the delusions and hallucinations of the young man. German could only think of one thing: how he would sit at the table, and happiness would pour in a golden rain. Finally, the opportunity presented itself. A big game has gone. Herman put on the top three and won. The next evening, German put on the seven. And again, a big win. On the third day everyone was waiting for Herman. He bet all his money - an ace fell out. But when Herman opened his card, he was horrified to see the lady of spades, who grinned. The game went further, and Herman, having run out of the room, lost both money and reason.
He really got mad. Delusions and hallucinations continued.
But for poor Liza everything turned out well. She married the young manager of the old countess. So this story ended for the girl. The Queen of Spades only slightly touched this pure creature.
Pushkin is an excellent connoisseur of both the card game and psychology, including the player, who offers no mystical and fantastic explanations. This is only an everyday life real situation, which the writer revealed with the fullness of his mature talent. And fantastic cards that make it possible to break a huge jackpot are nothing more than an artistic setting for the plot.