The forest (Ostrowski)

Data
Title:	The forest
Original title:	Лес (Les)
Genus:	comedy
Original language:	Russian
Author:	Alexander Ostrowski
Publishing year:	1871
Premiere:	November 1, 1871
Place of premiere:	Alexandrinsky Theater , Saint Petersburg
people
Raíssa Páwlowna Gurmýschskaja , widow over 50, very rich landowner Axinja Danílowna , also called Axjúscha , her distant relative, a poor thing Jewgénij Apollónytsch Milónow , 45 years old Uár Kiríllytsch Bodájew , 60 years old, cavalryman ret . D. Iwán Petrówitsch Wosmibrátow , merchant, timber merchant Pyotr , his son Alexéj Sergéjewitsch Bulánow , a young man Gennadius , called The Unfortunate , Wanderer Arkadius , called The Happy , ditto Karp , Gurmyshskaya lackey Ulíta , decision- maker Terénka , Vosmibrátow's errand boy

The forest ( Russian Лес ) is a comedy in five acts by Alexander Ostrowski . It appeared in 1871 and was premiered in the same year.

content

Nikolai Jakowlew as The Happy in a Maly Theater production (1898).

first act

Axinja lives with her rich relative, the widow Gurmyshskaya. According to their will, she is apparently supposed to marry Bulanov, the destitute son of a friend of Gurmyshskaya from St. Petersburg. Bulanov also lives with her. However, Axinja is not interested in the somewhat retarded Bulanov, quite unlike Gurmyshskaya, who apparently has broader interests in the much younger man.

Gurmyshskaya tells her two wealthy neighbors Milonov and Bodayev about a missing relative, a nephew of her husband whom she raised with an iron fist and who is still grateful to her today. However, she has not heard from him for a few years, even if he sends her presents from time to time.

Allegedly in order to be able to give something to Axinja when she got married, Gurmyshskaya sold part of her forest. In order to sell another part, she hired the timber merchant Wosmibratow.

She told Axinja that she made sure that Bulanov was seen everywhere as her future bridegroom, but that this didn't have to be the end goal.

Second act

In the forest, Axinja secretly meets with Pyotr, Vosmibratov's son. They are in love and familiar with each other and discuss the obstacles that stand in their way: Gurmyshskaya and Vosmibratov.

At another point in the forest, the two hikers Gennadius (the “unfortunate”) and Arkadius (the “lucky”) meet. The two have known each other for years and exchange experiences (about their experiences as a provincial actor). In the end it turns out that Gennadius is the long-lost nephew of Gurmyshskaya Mann, who now wants to contact her.

Third act

The Gurmyshskaya tells Bulanov about a dream: her nephew is returning after 15 years and she is obliged to take care of him financially. Although that is actually not that bad, "it would be superfluous here now" ("он теперь лишний"), since she would have to redistribute her assets.

At this very moment Gennadius enters. He has dressed properly and has claimed to be discharged from service as a colonel. He also gives the impression that he is only staying briefly - although we know from his conversation with Arkadius that he has other plans. Incidentally, Arkadius is supposed to play his lackey for the others.

In the meantime Vosmibratov has arrived to buy two parcels of Gurmyshskaya forest. However, he only gives her 2000 instead of the agreed 3000 rubles. When Gennadius notices this, he quickly ensures that the missing 1,000 rubles are paid out. His aunt is grateful to him for that. Later, however, she passed the money on to Bulanov so that he could equip himself in the city.

Fourth act

Arkadius criticizes Gennadius for not keeping the additional money Vosmibratow obtained. Instead, he had to watch Bulanov enjoy it. Gennadius doesn't want to know anything about it and chases Arcadius away. Out of frustration, he tells the owner of the house, Ulita, that both are just wandering comedians and that Gennadius just wanted to get his aunt's money.

Pyotr and Axinja can no longer see any way out of getting permission to marry. They decide that Axinja should try to ask the cousin for a dowry that would satisfy Pyotr's father.

When Axinja describes her situation to Gennadius and asks for help, he confesses to her that he has nothing himself and that he is just a poor actor. Axinja then feels so lost that she doesn't care about anything. Gennadius would like to persuade them to tour the world with him and Arkadius as an acting trio.

Everything seems to be working out in favor of Gurmyshskaya. Axinja cannot be found, Gurmyshskaya would prefer it to disappear entirely. And after Ulita tells her what her Arkadius confessed, she feels encouraged to send her unexpectedly arrived nephew Gennadius away again as soon as possible. She then goes for a walk with Bulanov and admits that she loves him, whereupon he hastily makes to kiss her, but is pushed away from her.

Fifth act

Bulanov asks Gurmyshskaya for forgiveness for his stormy moods and is already behaving like the gentleman in the house.

Gennadius succeeds in stealing a box with money from Gurmyshskaya, which she also gives him because he has a pistol. He wants to set off with Arkadius. Axinja appears and describes her hopeless situation again. Pyotr's father had reduced the desired dowry to 1,000 rubles, but he insisted on it. Gennadius makes a plan.

Gurmyshskaya invited her neighbors to breakfast to introduce them to her young bridegroom Bulanov and to justify the age difference between them. However, Gennadius used the meeting for other purposes: He asked everyone in front of everyone whether she would not give her relative Axinja that little bit of dowry after all. But she refuses in front of everyone and appears as the opposite of the selfless lady she has always portrayed herself as. With great effect, Gennadius himself gives the 1000 rubles to Axinja, which she then passes on to Pjotr ​​and which he then passes on to his father, who is also present. This promises to host a lavish wedding.

Since Axinja is under the hood after all, Gennadius and Arkadius move on again alone to hire the next theater. As a farewell, Gennadius gives an impressive speech that deals with the depths of human existence and is aimed at Gurmyshskaya. He quotes from Schiller's robbers , of which he is carrying a copy: “O people, people! False, hypocritical crocodile brood! "

Full text

• the comedy in the Russian original at Lib.ru

expenditure

Alexander N. Ostrowskij: The forest. Comedy in five acts. In: A. N. Ostrowskij: Dramatic works in 4 volumes. Volume 3, pp. 97-208. Berlin: Aufbau-Verlag 1951.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Personal names based on the translation by Johannes von Guenther published by Aufbau-Verlag .