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    The Live Corpse
    The Live Corpse
    The Live Corpse
    Ebook124 pages1 hour

    The Live Corpse

    By Aylmer Maude, Louise Maude and Leo Tolstoy

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArchive Classics
    Release dateApr 1, 2002
    The Live Corpse

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    Reviews for The Live Corpse

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    • 3/5
      An "unfinished" work by Tolstoy, the play's title is a reference to main character Fedor Protasov, the focal point of a love triangle that is more of a octagon once friends and family start weighing in. The central theme of the play seems to be the contradictory nature of love as both selfless devotion and selfish pursuit, and how attempting to assign moral certitude to affairs of the heart can backfire spectacularly. Having read that Tolstoy still considered this a work in progress (it was only published after his death), I'd have to agree that it feels a couple of drafts light. Also, a guest appearance by Chekhov's Gun.

    Book preview

    The Live Corpse - Aylmer Maude

    The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Live Corpse, by Leo Tolstoy

    This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with

    almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or

    re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included

    with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

    Title: The Live Corpse

    Author: Leo Tolstoy

    Translator: Louise Maude

    Aylmer Maude

    Release Date: September 20, 2008 [EBook #26664]

    Language: English

    *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIVE CORPSE ***

    Produced by Bryan Ness, Jana Srna and the Online Distributed

    Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

    Transcriber's Note:

    This e-book belongs to Tolstoy's Plays (Complete Edition). The front matter, including the table of contents, can be found in a separate e-book; it links to the other plays in the collection.

    Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of spelling and punctuation) made to the original text are marked like this

    . The original text appears when hovering the cursor over the marked text.

    THE LIVE CORPSE

    A PLAY IN SIX ACTS

    CHARACTERS

    THEODORE VASÍLYEVICH PROTÁSOV (FÉDYA).

    ELISABETH ANDRÉYEVNA PROTÁSOVA (LISA). His wife.

    MÍSHA. Their son.

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. Lisa's mother.

    SÁSHA. Lisa's younger, unmarried sister.

    VICTOR MIHÁYLOVICH KARÉNIN.

    ANNA DMÍTRIEVNA KARÉNINA.

    PRINCE SERGIUS DMÍTRIEVICH ABRÉZKOV.

    MÁSHA. A gipsy girl.

    OFFICER.

    MUSICIAN.

    FIRST GIPSY MAN.

    SECOND GIPSY MAN.

    GIPSY WOMAN.

    GIPSY CHOIR.

    DOCTOR.

    MICHAEL ALEXÁNDROVICH AFRÉMOV.

    IVÁN PETRÓVICH ALEXÁNDROV.

    VOZNESÉNSKY. Karénin's secretary.

    PETUSHKÓV. An artist.

    ARTÉMYEV.

    WAITER IN THE PRIVATE ROOM AT THE RESTAURANT.

    WAITER IN A LOW-CLASS RESTAURANT.

    MANAGER OF THE SAME.

    POLICEMAN.

    INVESTIGATING MAGISTRATE.

    MÉLNIKOV.

    CLERK.

    USHER.

    YOUNG LAWYER.

    PETRÚSHIN. A lawyer.

    LADY.

    ANOTHER OFFICER.

    ATTENDANT AT LAW COURTS.

    THE PROTÁSOVS'

    NURSE.

    THE PROTÁSOVS'

    MAID.

    AFRÉMOV'S FOOTMAN.

    KARÉNIN'S FOOTMAN.

    THE LIVE CORPSE

    ACT I

    Scene 1

    Protásov's[1] flat in Moscow. The scene represents a small dining-room.

    Anna Pávlovna, a stout grey-haired lady, tightly laced, is sitting alone at the tea-table on which is a samovár. Enter nurse, carrying a teapot.

    NURSE. May I have a little hot water, ma'am?

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. Yes. How's Baby?

    NURSE. He's restless.… There's nothing worse than for a lady to nurse her baby herself! She has her troubles, and the child must suffer. What can her milk be like, when she lies awake crying all night?

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. But she seems quieter now.

    NURSE. Quiet, indeed! It makes one ill to see her. She's been writing something, and crying.

    Enter Sásha.

    SÁSHA [to Nurse] Lisa is looking for you.

    NURSE. I'm coming, I'm coming. [Exit].

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. Nurse says she keeps on crying.… Why can't she control herself?

    SÁSHA. Well really, mother, you are amazing!… A woman has left her husband, her child's father, and you expect her to be calm!

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. Well, not calm … But what's done is done! If I, her mother, not only allowed my daughter to leave her husband, but am even glad she has done it, that shows he deserved it. One ought to rejoice, not to grieve, at the chance of freeing oneself from such a bad man!

    SÁSHA. Mother, why say such things? You know it's not true! He's not bad—but on the contrary, he's a wonderful man, in spite of his weaknesses.

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. Yes indeed, a wonderful man—as soon as he has money in his pocket—his own or other people's.…

    SÁSHA. Mother! He has never taken other people's!

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. Yes he has—his wife's! Where's the difference?

    SÁSHA. But he gave all his property to his wife!

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. Of course, when he knew that otherwise he was sure to squander it all!

    SÁSHA. Squander or not, I only know that a wife must not separate from her husband, especially from such a one as Fédya.

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. Then, in your opinion she ought to wait till he has squandered everything, and brought his gipsy mistresses into the house?

    SÁSHA. He has no mistresses!

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. That's the misfortune—he seems to have bewitched you all! But not me—no! He won't come over me! I see through him, and he knows it. Had I been in Lisa's place I should have left him a year ago.

    SÁSHA. How lightly you say it!

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. Not lightly at all. It's not a light thing for me, as a mother, to see my daughter divorced. Believe me it's not! But yet it is better than ruining a young life.… No, I'm thankful to God that she has at last made up her mind, and that it is all over.

    SÁSHA. Perhaps it's not all over!

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. Oh! If he only consents to a divorce.…

    SÁSHA. What good will that do?

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. This good; that she is young, and may again be happy.

    SÁSHA. Oh mother! It's dreadful to hear you speak so! Lisa can't love another.

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. Why not, when she's free? Many a man a thousand times better than your Fédya might turn up who would be only too happy to marry Lisa.

    SÁSHA. Mother, it's not right! I know you're thinking of Victor Karénin.…

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. And why shouldn't I? He has loved her these ten years, and she loves him.

    SÁSHA. Yes, but not as a husband! They have been friends from childhood.

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. We know those friendships! If only the obstacles were out of the way!

    Enter Maid.

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. What is it?

    MAID. The mistress has sent the porter with a note for Mr. Karénin.

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. What mistress?

    MAID. Our mistress—Mrs. Protásova.

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. Well?

    MAID. Mr. Karénin has sent back word that he will come round at once.

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA [surprised] We were just speaking of him! Only I can't think why … [to Sásha] Do you know?

    SÁSHA. Perhaps I do, and perhaps I don't!

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA. You always have secrets!

    SÁSHA. Lisa will tell you herself when she comes.

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA [shakes her head. To Maid] The samovár must be made to boil again. Take it, Dounyásha.

    Maid takes samovár, and exit.

    ANNA PÁVLOVNA [to Sásha who has risen and is going out] It turns out just as I told you! She sent for

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