This epic poem of the most famous Georgian poet was written in the XII century. Studying the theme of "Shota Rustaveli" The Knight in the Tiger Skin ": a summary", it should be noted that in its authentic form the ancient work did not reach contemporaries. The poem has undergone various additions and changes, both in the title and in the writing of the text. There were many kinds of imitators and copyists. Only in St. Petersburg since 1712, the poem “The Knight in the Tiger Skin” (a summary is presented below) was reprinted several times. And it is not surprising that only in Georgian there are already more than 50 of its publications.
Shota Rustaveli “The Knight in the Tiger Skin”: summary
Once upon a time, Arabia was ruled by the just king Rostvan, who had his only beloved daughter, the beautiful Tinatin. The king, foreseeing that his earthly clock was already running out, once informed his viziers that he was passing the throne to his daughter, and they meekly accepted his decision.
The famous poem “The Knight in the Tiger Skin” begins with this. The summary tells that when Tinatin ascended the throne, Rostvan and his loyal military commander and beloved pupil Avtandil, who had long been in love with Tinatin, went hunting. Amusing themselves with this favorite pastime, they suddenly noticed in the distance a lonely saddened horseman in tiger skin.
Sad wanderer
Burning with curiosity, they sent a messenger to a stranger, but he did not obey the call of the Arabian king. Rostevan was offended and very angry, and sent for him the twelve best soldiers, but he swept them away and did not allow them to captivate themselves. Then the king himself went with faithful Avtandil, but the stranger, spurring his horse, disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.
So the plot of the poem "The Knight in the Tiger Skin" famously spins. The summary continues its narrative by the fact that, having returned home, on the advice of his daughter, Tinatin sends the most reliable people to look for a stranger and find out who he is, where he came from in their area. The king’s messengers traveled all over the country, but did not find a warrior in tiger skin.
Tinatin, seeing how his father is puzzled by the search for this mysterious man, calls Avtandil to him and asks him to find this strange horseman in three years, and if he fulfills this request, she will agree to become his wife. Avtandil agrees and goes on the road.
Search
And now the work “The Knight in the Tiger Skin” approaches the most important thing. A summary of the chapters tells how the long search for this mysterious hero took place. After all, for three years Avtandil wandered around the world, but never found him. And then one day, when he decided to go back home, he met six wounded travelers who were repulsed by a warrior dressed in tiger skin.
Avtandil again went in search of him, and once, looking around the neighborhood, climbing a tree, he saw a man in tiger skin meeting a girl named Asmat, she was a slave. Hugging, they cried, their grief was due to the fact that for a very long time they could not find one beautiful girl. But then the hero again hit the road.
Avtandil met with Asmat and found out from her the secret of this unfortunate knight, whose name was Tariel. Soon after Tariel returned, Avtandil made friends with him, because they were united by one common desire - to serve his beloved. Avtandil spoke about his beauty Tinatin and the condition she set, while Tariel told his very sad story.
Love
So, once in Hindustan seven kings ruled, six of them considered their master the wise ruler of Farsadan, who had a beautiful daughter Nestan-Darejan. Tariel's father Saridan was the closest person to this ruler, and revered him as his brother. Therefore, Tariel was brought up at the royal court. He was fifteen years old when his father passed away, and then the king put him in the place of the chief commander.
Love quickly began between the young Nestan and Tariel. But her parents in the suitors have already looked after the son of the Shah of Khorezm. Then slave Asmat calls to her mistress Tariel, where they had a conversation with Nestan. She rebuked him that he was inactive, and that soon she would be given to marry another. She asks to kill the unwanted guest, and Tariel to seize the throne. And so it was all done. Farsadan was angry and thought that this was the work of his sister, the sorceress Davar, who thought of such treachery of the young lovers. Davar begins to scold the princess, as soon as some two slaves appear and send Nestan to the ark, and then let him go by sea. Davar plunges a dagger into his chest from grief. From this day the princess could not be found anywhere. Tariel goes in search of her, but also does not find her anywhere.
King Freedon
The poem “The Knight in Tiger Skin” (a very brief summary) continues with the fact that later the knight met the ruler of Mulgazanzar Nuradin-Fridon, at war with his uncle, who wanted to split his country. Tariel becomes a twin with him and helps him defeat the enemy. In one of the conversations, Freedon mentioned that he once saw a strange ship sailing towards the shore, from where an incomparable beauty came out. Tariel immediately recognized his Nestan by description. Having said goodbye to a friend and received a black horse as a gift from him, he again goes off in search of his bride. So he found himself in a secluded cave, where Avtandil met him, who, satisfied with the story, goes home to Tinatin and Rostevan and wants to tell them everything, and then returns again to help the heroes find his beautiful Nestan.
Return
Returning from his native land to the cave, he does not find a sad knight there, Asmat tells him that he again went to look for Nestan. After a while, overtaking a friend, Avtandil sees that he is mortally wounded after a fight with a lion and a tigress. And helps him survive.
Now Avtandil himself is looking for Nestan and decides to visit the ruler of Freedon to learn more about the story of the beautiful girl. Afterwards, he met with a caravan merchant, whose leader was Osam. Avtandil helped him cope with the sea robbers and then, disguised as a simple dress to hide from prying eyes, pretended to be a senior merchant caravan.
Further, the poem “The Knight in the Tiger Skin” (a brief summary we are considering) tells that after a while they arrived in the paradise city of Gulansharo. From the wife of one very rich nobleman, Fatma, he learns that this woman bought the sunshine beauty from the robbers and hid her, but then she could not stand it and told her husband about her, who wanted to make her the bride of the local king, bringing the girl as a gift to him. But the captive managed to escape, and Fatma herself helped her. However, as it turned out later, she was captivated again, and Fatma, who began to look for her too, heard rumors that now this beauty was engaged to Tsarevich Kadzheti. His aunt Dularzhukht, who ruled instead of her brother, went to the funeral of her sister-witch, and gathered all the sorcerers and sorcerers to this ceremony.
Reunion of hearts in love
While she was gone, Avtandil came to the Kadzheti fortress, Fridona with her beloved Nestan Tiriel.
A lot was waiting for the adventures of these friends. However, soon, finally, the long-suffering hearts of lovers united. And then there was Avtandil’s wedding with Tinatin, and Tariel and Nestan got married after them.
The poem “The Knight in the Tiger Skin” received a very happy ending. Its summary ends with the fact that loyal friends sat on their thrones and began to rule gloriously: Tariel in Hindustan, Avtandil in Arabia, and Fridon in Mulgazanzar.