The sons of Taras Bulba, Ostap and Andriy, return after many years of study at the Kyiv Bursa. Upon meeting, Taras begins to mock his sons’ clothes. The eldest son, Ostap, did not like his father’s ridicule, and he asks him to stop laughing. Taras and Ostap begin to fight. Their playful fight is interrupted by their mother. She hugs her children. Taras did not like the tender attitude of his sons towards their mother. In his opinion, a true Cossack needs only an open field and a good horse. He decides that in a week Ostap and Andriy will have to go to the Zaporozhye Sich to gain Cossack science. The mother is very upset that her sons will spend so little time at home next to her. On the occasion of the arrival of his sons, Taras convenes his closest colleagues for a friendly feast. He introduces Ostap and Andriy to them. Taras asks his sons about their studies in Kyiv. After drinking vodka, Taras decides to “kick back the old days” and go to the Zaporozhye Sich with his sons tomorrow. Taras’s wife has long been accustomed to her husband’s extravagance, but such a quick separation from her children saddens her to tears. All night, without closing her eyes for a minute, she sits by her sons’ beds, thus saying goodbye to them before their inevitable separation. Her fate as a woman was not easy. She endured insults and even sometimes beatings, and grew old without love and affection. All her unspent love turned to her sons. But tomorrow their husband will take them to the flogging, and it may happen that she will never see them again. Taras was terribly stubborn. Only in the 15th century, in the scorched southern region devastated by the raids of the Tatars and Turks, could such a character arise. In the vicinity of formidable and dangerous neighbors, the Cossack spirit was born. The Cossacks can be considered the most extraordinary phenomenon of Russian power. In place of scattered small towns and plots, formidable smoking villages and Cossack villages arose, bound by hatred of non-Christians. The Polish authorities quickly realized the significance of such a neighborhood and in every possible way encouraged and flattered the Cossacks. Many representatives of the Russian nobility succumbed to Polish influence. They adopted Polish customs and love of luxury. Taras Bulba did not like this. The simple life of the Cossacks was to his heart. He even quarreled with his comrades, who leaned towards the Polish side. He called them the master's slaves. Bulba sincerely considered himself a legitimate defender of Orthodoxy. If in some village they complained about the oppression of Jewish tenants, mocked Orthodoxy, and did not respect the elders, Taras and his Cossacks restored order in this village. Against the Turks and Tatars, he considered it permissible to raise weapons. Now he consoled himself with the thought of coming to the fray and boasting about his sons, what kind and efficient Cossacks he raised and educated them. And in the morning Bulba, waking up very early, began to prepare for departure. The former students changed into trousers and Cossacks. After sitting in front of the road, Taras asks his mother to bless her sons. When they set off on the road, the mother, as if mad with grief, rushed to hug first Ostap and then Andriy. She was taken into the hut by servants, and her sons could hardly hold back their tears. Taras was also embarrassed, but did not show his condition to his sons.
Taras, Ostap and Andriy rode in silence, each thinking about his own. The old father recalled the past, thinking about the upcoming meeting in the battle. The sons remembered the bursa. Ostap fled from it in the first year of study. When he was returned to the bursa, he was terribly flogged and forced to study. He even buried his primer four times, they whipped him and bought a new textbook. Only when Taras promised to keep him in the monastery service for 20 years did Ostap begin to study with unusual zeal. He was rarely the leader of the daring pranks of schoolchildren, but he was a devoted friend and never betrayed his friends. His younger brother, Andriy, studied willingly, and he did not shy away from leadership in school squabbles. But unlike Ostap, he was more cunning, and most often others were responsible for the tricks, and he, as a rule, “got away unscathed.” Already at the age of 18, Andriy dreamed of women, but did not admit his desires to his friends, fearing their ridicule. Now, rocking in the saddle, on the way to the battle, Andria remembered a meeting with a beautiful Polish woman. Once, while walking around Kyiv, Andria was almost hit by a Polish gentleman's car. The coachman hit the unwary student with his whip, then Andriy boiled with rage and stopped the carriage with one hand on the wheel. But the horses rushed, and he fell face first into a muddy puddle. That’s when he made the unfamiliar beauty laugh. It is this meeting and the face of the beautiful Polish woman that Andriy cannot forget. He even dared to sneak into her bedroom through the chimney. But he was so shy at the meeting that he only made her laugh again. Andriy thought about this beautiful Pole on the way to the Zaporozhye Sich. They drove through the steppe for a long time, stopping only for lunch and overnight. We ate bread and lard for lunch and cooked kulesh over a fire before going to bed. During the journey they did not meet a single traveler or horseman. Only once did Taras point out to his sons a flashing black dot, saying that it was a Tatar who had galloped by. Having crossed the Dnieper, they entered the battlefield. She met them peacefully, some were sewing up their shirts, some were dashingly dancing the hopak, some were simply sleeping. Soon Taras found his old acquaintances.
Taras and his sons lived in the battle for almost a week. Ostap and Andriy practiced little military art; the slaughter educated the Cossacks through the experience of battles. The Zaporozhye Sich was a continuous feast, noisy and endless. But it was not bitter drunkards walking here, but cheerful, carefree Cossacks. This was a close circle of comrades who, at the first call, went to fight the enemy. The Sich was a kind of refuge for outcasts. Schoolchildren who had escaped from the Bursa and from the landowners, serfs, officers who did not care where to fight, as well as hunters for big money flocked to it. Only admirers of women could not be found here, since women did not dare to show themselves in battle. The reception ceremony was simple; only Orthodox Christians were accepted into the flogging. Everything was common here - money, food, clothing. Theft was considered a dishonorable act, and murder was punished terribly - the murderer was buried alive in the same grave as the murdered man. Ostap and Andriy easily fit into the Cossack riotous sea. They liked the cheerful customs of the battle, and even its harsh and strict laws. The brothers quickly made friends. Soon they stood out noticeably among the young Cossacks for their daring and dexterity. Taras did not particularly like such an idle life. He was thinking about a brave enterprise in which his sons would gain military experience. But the Sich concluded peace treaties with the Turks and Tatars, and could not break them. The Koshevoy Ataman, the head of the Cossack Sich, was against the outbreak of war. Then Taras incited some of the Cossacks to revolt. The Cossacks re-elected the Kosh Ataman. Bulba’s old friend, the Cossack Kirdyaga, became the new koshev.
Kirdyaga was a cunning and seasoned Cossack. He did not himself order the Cossacks to break their peace oaths. At his instigation, part of the Cossacks convened a general meeting and decided to make a military attack on the Turks. While preparations were underway, a ferry approached the shore. The Cossacks who arrived on it began to shame the revelers of Zaporozhye. After all, while they are having fun and drinking here, in their native Ukraine the Poles are oppressing Orthodox Christians. At such words the whole crowd rose up as one. Pogroms and murders of Jews began. Taras saved one of his Jew acquaintances, Yankel, from death. The Cossacks began to prepare for a campaign against the Poles.
The Zaporozhye army went to war with the Poles. And ahead of him was fear. Fires engulfed villages and cattle and horses were stolen. The Cossacks burned Catholic monasteries and killed Jewish tenants. Young Cossacks shunned robberies and murders of the weak. They honed their military skills in battles with Polish troops. Ostap and Andriy quickly matured and became hardened in battles with enemies. Bulba was very proud of his sons' successes. Ostap, as it seemed to Taras, was destined to become a commander, fearless and judicious. Andriy amazed his father with his reckless prowess in battle. Soon the Cossacks decided to storm the rich city of Dubno, but met fierce resistance from the inhabitants and garrison. The Cossacks retreated, besieged the city and began looting the surrounding villages. Soon the siege became boring for the Cossacks, especially the young ones. Discipline began to decline, and drunken patrolmen could be seen more and more often. One evening, a servant of a Polish lady, a Kyiv acquaintance of Andria, sneaked into the Cossack camp by a secret passage. She saw him among the Cossack army and sent a maid to him for food, since supplies ran out in the city and hunger began, from which the mother of the beautiful Polish woman was dying. Andriy collected food and went with his Tatar servant to the besieged city.
Having passed through an underground passage, Andriy and his maid entered the city. Hunger reigned in the city, people were dying of exhaustion, even cats and dogs were caught and eaten. The townspeople did not have the habit of keeping large supplies of food. The city was ready to surrender, but the townspeople were warned that help was coming to them. Andriy met with his Kyiv friend. The Polish woman was so beautiful that Andriy fell in love with her, so much so that he was ready to do the craziest thing. For the sake of her love, he betrayed his homeland, father, brother and friends. That night not only the terrible betrayal of Andriy Bulba took place. Reinforcements arrived in the city, breaking through the Cossack siege. They brought with them not only food, but also captured Cossacks.
The Cossacks, bored with nothing to do, got drunk on patrol and missed reinforcements to the Poles. Koshevoy gathered an army and scolded the Cossacks for drunkenness. One of the Kurenny atamans promised to beat the Poles. The Cossacks began to prepare for battle. And Taras could not find Andriy anywhere, worrying that he could be captured. Yankel, a Jewish acquaintance, approached him. He told Bulba that he went to the city and saw his youngest son there. Yankel told Taras that Andriy was not in captivity there. He asked to tell his father that he was renouncing his homeland, comrades and father. Now Andriy will fight against his comrades. Soon a sortie of besieged Poles took place. The Cossacks bravely repelled the attack. Ostap distinguished himself in battle. After the battle, the Cossacks of the Uman kuren chose Ostap as their chieftain, instead of the kuren who died in battle. Taras was proud of his eldest son, but his heart ached for his youngest.
Sad news came from the battle. Having heard about the absence of the Cossacks from Zaporozhye, the Tatars raided. Having beaten the Cossacks remaining in the kurens and taken them prisoner, they stole cattle and horses, and also took away the military treasury. The Cossacks hastily assembled a council to solve the problem. After all, if they do not rush to the rescue, the Tatars will sell the prisoners into captivity. Koshevoy decided to lift the siege of Dubno and go to recapture the prisoners and the treasury. But Taras was against this plan. He says that in the besieged city there are also captured Cossacks who are threatened with torture and death. Then they decided that part of the Cossack army, led by the Kosh chieftain, would go to rescue their comrades and the treasury from Tatar captivity, and the rest, having chosen Taras Bulba as a temporary chieftain, would continue the siege of Dubno. At night, some of the Cossacks go in search of the Tatars. After parting, the Cossacks became depressed, but Taras ordered the wine to be unpacked. The Cossacks drank to their faith and flogged them.
The city ran out of provisions again. The Poles tried to make a sortie for food, but the Cossacks killed half of them, the other half returned to the city empty-handed. The Jews, taking advantage of the foray, made their way into the Cossack camp and learned about the Cossacks who had gone to the Tatars. They immediately spread this news in the city. The Poles perked up and began to prepare for battle; they decided to lift the siege, killing the Cossacks. Taras, seeing the revival in the city, began hastily preparing the Cossacks for battle. He makes a speech that inspires the Cossacks. The battle was terrible and cruel. Many good Cossacks laid down their lives for their faith and fatherland. In this battle, Taras Bulba killed his son Andriy. “I gave birth to you, I will kill you,” Taras said. But even before his death, Andriy whispered the name of his Polish girl. But the brave and honest Ostap was captured.
In that last battle, Taras also suffered quite a bit. He spent two whole weeks in feverish delirium. He miraculously managed to escape capture. Faithful comrade Tovkach brought Taras to the flogging almost alive, and even found a doctor. Only a month later Taras felt better. But his soul was heavy because of Ostap. And not everything was in order in the battle. Everyone he knew died or was captured. And those Cossacks who went with the Koshevoy to the Tatars, and those who stayed with him near Dubno. Taras missed his son so much that he could not stand it and decided to find out about Ostap’s fate. He found the Jew Yankel and for 5 thousand gold pieces he persuaded him to take him to Warsaw.
Arriving in Warsaw, Yankel and Taras stayed with Yankel’s acquaintances. Bulba, hoping that Yankel’s acquaintances will help him arrange a date with his son, asks them for this favor. Taras even hopes to arrange Ostap's escape. Dressed in rich count clothes, Taras goes on a date with his son. Through bribery and flattery, he and Yankel manage to get into prison, but even after taking the money, the guard basely deceived them and did not let them see Ostap. Then Taras decides to go to the square to at least look at his son from afar. A large crowd of people gathered in the square where the execution took place. Everyone was waiting for the execution to begin. Before execution, prisoners were subjected to severe torture. Ostap bravely endured all the inhuman torment. Taras was proud of his son’s perseverance. And when Ostap called his father before his death, Taras loudly responded to his son’s call. They tried to find Taras in the crowd, but he disappeared safely.
The entire Cossacks rose up to fight the Polish invaders. One hundred and twenty thousand troops marched against the Poles. Among this army there was one regiment. The most selective. They were commanded by Taras Bulba. Bulba was driven by a fierce hatred of his enemies. The Cossacks, liberating cities, hanged traitors. The Poles tried to conclude a peace agreement with the Cossacks, promising them the return of their former rights and benefits. The crown hetman was saved from death by the Russian clergy. Only the Cossacks bowed their heads before the Christian Church. And they agreed to release the Poles, taking oaths from them to forget previous grievances against the Cossack army and leave Christian churches free. Only Taras Bulba did not believe the oaths of the Poles and urged other Cossacks not to believe either. But the Cossacks did not listen to Taras and signed peace terms. Then Bulba left the army and took his regiment away. The Poles really deceived the Cossacks and killed the chieftain and many colonels. And Taras burned churches and settlements throughout Poland, plundered rich castles and the best lands. No one could be saved from the righteous Cossack wrath, neither women nor children. Taras celebrated cruel funerals for Ostap throughout Poland. Hetman Potocki himself was instructed by the king to deal with Bulba. For ten days the Cossacks evaded the pursuit and fought with the Polish troops. The Cossacks broke through the Polish army, only Bulba returned to look for the dropped pipe. That's when he was captured. And they decided to burn Taras alive, in front of everyone. Bulba died, but his comrades were able to escape.
That's how it is summary story " Taras Bulba» N.V. Gogol.
Good luck with your studies!
Gogol's story "Taras Bulba" is part of the "Mirgorod" cycle. There are two editions - 1835 and 1842. Gogol was against publishing the second version without agreeing with him on certain points. However, the story was still published without copyright edits.
The events in the book “Taras Bulba” take place around the 17th century. It is interesting that the author himself often mentions the 15th century, thus emphasizing the fantastic nature of the story. In the work, two narrative plans can be roughly distinguished: on one plan, the life of the Zaporozhye Cossacks and their campaign against Poland is described, and on the other, a dramatic story about the glorious Cossack Taras Bulba and his two sons.
For a deeper understanding of the story “Taras Bulba”, a summary of the chapters is given below.
Main characters
Taras Bulba- main character. A respected Cossack in the Sich, a good warrior. The main values for him are the Christian faith and the Fatherland.
Ostap- Bulba’s eldest son, graduated from the seminary. In battles he proved himself to be a prudent and brave Cossack, able to analyze the situation and make the right decisions. A worthy son of his father.
Andriy- Bulba's youngest son. He subtly senses the world around him and nature, is able to see beauty in insignificant details, nevertheless, in battles he was distinguished by courage and an unconventional approach.
Other characters
Yankel- a Jew, looking for his own benefit in everything. Taras Bulba turned to him for help.
Pannochka- daughter of a Polish gentleman, beloved Andria.
Tatar- the lady’s servant, who informed Andriy about the underground passage in Dubno and about the terrible famine in the city.
Chapter 1
Bulba meets her sons - Ostap and Andriy, who returned from Kyiv after graduating from the seminary. The father kindly makes fun of their appearance, but Ostap does not like it. Instead of a greeting, a small scuffle begins between father and son, ending as suddenly as it began.
Taras decides to send his sons to the Sich so that they become real young men and brave Cossacks, and studying at the academy, books and maternal care will only spoil and pamper them. The mother does not agree with this decision, but what can she do but meekly agree. Such is her lot - to serve her husband and wait for him for months after his campaigns. On the occasion of the arrival of Ostap and Andriy, Bulba convened all the centurions, who approved the idea of sending their sons to the Sich. Inspired by the strength and excitement of the upcoming trip, Taras decides to go with his sons.
The old mother did not sleep - she hugged her sons, dreaming only that the night would not end. It was very difficult for her to part with them. Until recently, she hoped that her husband would change his mind or decide to leave a week later. But Taras Bulba was stubborn and unshakable.
When the sons were leaving, the mother rushed to them with ease and speed, not typical of her years. She couldn’t stop her family - the Cossacks took her away twice.
Chapter 2
The riders rode in silence. Taras thought about his youth, which was full of adventures, about his Cossack comrades, about how he would show off his sons to them. Ostap and Andriy were busy with other thoughts. When they were twelve years old, they were sent to study at the Kyiv Academy. Ostap tried to escape several times, buried his primer, but each time he was returned back and bought a new book, until finally his father threatened to send him to a monastery for disobedience. From that moment on, Ostap became much more diligent, and soon became on par with the best students.
Andriy studied more willingly, without making much effort. He was more inventive and was often the instigator of some kind of adventure. He managed to avoid punishment thanks to his flexibility of mind. Andriy's soul was open to other feelings. One day he saw a beautiful Polish girl and fell in love at first sight. Andriy was fascinated by her beauty and femininity. The next night the young man decided to sneak into her chambers. At first the lady was scared, but later she laughed merrily, putting various jewelry on Andriy. The Tatarka, a servant of the Polish lady, helped Andriy get out of the house as soon as there was a knock on the door.
The travelers galloped across the endless expanses of the steppe, which became more and more beautiful. Everything here seemed to breathe freedom. Soon they arrived on the island of Khortitsa. Ostap and Andriy entered the Sich with some fear and pleasure. On the island, life went on as usual: the Cossacks walked, danced, mended clothes, and fought.
Chapter 3
The Sich was a “continuous feast.” There were artisans and merchants and traders there, but most walked from morning to evening. On Khortitsa there were those who never studied or dropped out of the academy, and there were also learned Cossacks, there were fugitive officers and partisans. All these people were united by faith in Christ and love for their native land.
Ostap and Andriy quickly became imbued with the atmosphere that reigned there and joined that environment. The father did not like this - he wanted his sons to be hardened in battle, so he was thinking about how to raise the Sich for such an event. This leads to a quarrel with the Koshevoy, who does not want to start a war. Taras Bulba was not used to things not going his way: he planned to take revenge on the Koshevoi. He persuades his comrades to get the others drunk so that they overthrow the Koschevoy. Bulba’s plan works - Kirdyaga, an old but wise Cossack, Taras Bulba’s comrade in arms, is elected as the new Koshevoy.
Chapter 4
Taras Bulba communicates with the new Koshevoy about the military campaign. However, he, being a reasonable person, says: “let the people gather, but only by my own desire, I will not force anyone.” But in fact, behind such permission lies a desire to relieve oneself of responsibility for violating peace between states. A ferry with Cossacks who managed to escape arrives on the island. They bring disappointing news: priests (Catholic priests) ride on carts, harnessing Christians in them, Jewish women sew outfits for themselves from the priest’s vestments, and people are not allowed to celebrate Christian holidays without the approval of the Jews. Such lawlessness angered the Cossacks - no one had the right to insult their faith and people like that! Both old and young are ready to defend their Fatherland, fight the Poles for disgracing their faith and collect booty from captured villages.
The Cossacks made a noise and shouted: “Hang all the Jews!” Let not the Jewish women sew skirts from the priest’s vestments!” These words had a huge impact on the crowd, which immediately rushed to catch the Jews. But one of them, Yankel, says he knew the late brother of Taras Bulba. Bulba saves Yankel's life and allows him to go with the Cossacks to Poland.
Chapter 5
The earth is full of rumors about the military glory of the Cossacks and about their new conquests. The Cossacks moved at night and rested during the day. Taras Bulba looks with pride at his sons who have matured in battle. Ostap, it seemed, was destined to be a warrior. He proved himself to be a brave warrior with an analytical mind. Andriy was more attracted to the romantic side of the journey: knightly deeds and battles with the sword. He acted at the behest of his heart, without resorting to special thoughts, and sometimes he managed to do something that no experienced Cossack could do!
The army came to the city of Dubno. The Cossacks climbed onto the rampart, but from there stones, arrows, barrels, sandbags and pots of boiling water rained down on them. The Cossacks quickly realized that a siege was not their strong point, and decided to starve out the city. They trampled all the fields on horses, destroyed the crops in the gardens, and then settled down in kurens. Ostap and Andriy do not like this kind of life, but their father encourages them: “Be patient with the Cossack - you will become an ataman!”
Esaul brings icons and blessings from his old mother to Ostap and Andria. Andriy misses her, but does not want to return, even though he feels the stuffiness squeezing his heart. At night he admires the sky and stars.
The warriors, tired during the day, fell asleep. Everyone except Andriy. He wandered around the kuren, looking at the rich nature. Suddenly he accidentally notices a certain figure. The stranger turns out to be a woman whom Andriy recognizes as a Tatar who serves the lady with whom he was in love. The Tatar woman tells the young man about the terrible famine, about the lady who had not eaten anything for many days. It turns out that the lady saw Andriy among the soldiers and immediately remembered him. She told the maid to find Andriy and ask him to give him some bread, and if he did not agree, then let him come just like that. Andriy immediately begins to search for supplies, but the Cossacks even ate the porridge that had been prepared in excess. Then the young Cossack carefully pulls out the bag of food from under Ostap, on which he was sleeping. Ostap wakes up only for a moment and immediately falls asleep again. Andriy quietly sneaks through the kuren to the Tatar woman, who promised to lead him to the city through an underground passage.
Andria’s father calls out, warning that women will not lead to good things. The Kozak stood neither alive nor dead, afraid to move, but Bulba quickly fell asleep.
Chapter 6
Andriy walks along an underground passage and ends up in a Catholic monastery, finding the priests praying. Zaporozhets is amazed by the beauty and decoration of the cathedral, he is fascinated by the play of light in the stained glass. He was especially struck by the music.
A Cossack and a Tatar woman go out into the city. It's starting to get light. Andriy sees a woman with a child who died in the throes of hunger. A man mad with hunger appears on the street, begging for bread. Andriy fulfills the request, but the man, having barely swallowed a piece, dies - his stomach has not received food for too long. The Tatar woman admits that all living things in the city have already been eaten, but the governor ordered not to surrender - not today, tomorrow, two Polish regiments will arrive.
The maid and Andriy enter the house. Where the young man sees his beloved. Pannochka became different: “she was a lovely, flighty girl; this one is a beauty... in all its developed beauty.” Andriy and the Polish girl can’t get enough of each other; the young man wanted to say everything that was in his soul, but he couldn’t. Meanwhile, the Tatar woman cut the bread and brought it - Panna began to eat, but Andriy warned her that it was better to eat in pieces, otherwise you might die. And neither words nor the painter’s pen could express how the Polish woman looked at the Cossack. The feelings that possessed the young man at that moment were so strong that Andriy renounces his father, his faith, and his Fatherland - he will do everything to serve the young lady.
A Tatar woman appears in the room with good news: the Poles have entered the city and are taking captured Cossacks. Andriy kisses the lady.
Chapter 7
The Cossacks decide to attack Dubno and avenge their captured comrades. Yankel tells Taras Bulba that he saw Andriy in the city. The Cossack changed his outfit, he was given a good horse, and he himself shines like a coin. Taras Bulba was dumbfounded by what he heard, but still couldn’t believe it. Then Yankel reports on the upcoming wedding of Andriy with the master’s daughter, when Andriy and the Polish army will drive the Cossacks out of Dubno. Bulba is angry with the Jew, suspecting him of lying.
The next morning it turns out that many Cossacks were killed while they were sleeping; Several dozen soldiers were captured from the Pereyaslavsky kuren. The battle begins between the Cossacks and the Polish army. The Cossacks are trying to break the enemy regiment into pieces - this will make it easier to win.
One of the Kurky chieftains is killed in battle. Ostap takes revenge for a Cossack killed in battle. For his courage, the Cossacks choose him as chieftain (instead of the killed Cossack). And immediately Ostap was given the opportunity to consolidate his fame as a wise leader: as soon as he ordered to retreat from the walls of the city, to stay as far away from them as possible, all sorts of objects fell from there, and many got it.
The battle is over. The Cossacks buried the Cossacks, and tied the bodies of the Poles to wild horses so that the dead would drag along the ground, along hills, ditches and ravines. Taras Bulba wondered why his youngest son was not among the warriors. He is ready to take cruel revenge on the lady, because of whom Andriy renounced everything that was dear to him. But what does the new day have in store for Taras Bulba?
Chapter 8
The Cossacks say goodbye to each other, raise toasts to the faith and the Sich. So that the enemy would not see the decline in the Cossack army, it was decided to attack at night.
Chapter 9
Due to incorrect calculations, the city again lacks food. The military leader hears rumors about the Cossacks who have set out to take revenge on the Tatars, and preparations for the battle begin.
The Poles admire the fighting skills of the Cossacks, but the Cossacks still suffer heavy losses - guns were brought out against them. The Cossacks do not give up, Bulba encourages them with the words “there is still gunpowder in the flasks.” Bulba sees his youngest son: Andriy is riding a black argamak as part of a Polish cavalry regiment. Bulba went mad with anger, seeing how Andriy was cutting down everyone - both his own and strangers. Bulba catches up with the young man, who, at the sight of his father, suddenly loses his fighting spirit. Andriy obediently dismounts from his horse. Before his death, the Cossack uttered not the name of his mother or homeland, but the name of his beloved Pole. The father kills his son with a shot, uttering the phrase that has become famous: “I gave birth to you, I will kill you!” .
The eldest son of Taras Bulba becomes an involuntary witness to the murder, but there is no time to grieve or understand: Ostap is attacked by Polish soldiers. Broken, but still alive, Ostap is captured by the Poles.
The Cossack army is greatly thinned out, Taras Bulba falls from his horse.
Chapter 10
Bulba is alive, he is being taken by the Cossack Tovkach to the Zaporozhye Sich. After a month and a half, Bulba was able to recover from his wounds. Everything in the Sich is new, the old Cossacks are no longer there, and those who left to fight the Tatars have not returned. Taras Bulba was stern, indifferent, did not participate in parties and general fun, he was burdened by thoughts of his eldest son. Bulba asks Yankel to take him to Warsaw, despite the fact that there was a reward of two thousand ducats on Bulba’s head. Having accepted the reward for the service, Yankel hides the Cossack at the bottom of the cart, covering the top with bricks.
Chapter 11
Bulba asks the Jews to release his son from prison - but it is too late, because the execution is scheduled for the next day. You can only see him at dawn. Taras agrees. Yankel dresses the Cossack in foreign clothes, both enter the prison, where Yankel flatters the guards. But Taras Bulba, offended by a remark from one of them, reveals his incognito identity.
Bulba demands to be taken to the place of his son’s execution.
The Cossacks walked to execution with “quiet pride,” Ostap Bulbenko walked ahead. Before his death, deprived of any hope of an answer, Ostap shouts into the crowd: “Father, where are you now: Can you hear me?” . And they answered him: “I hear!”
Chapter 12
The entire Sich has gathered under the leadership of Taras Bulba, the Cossacks are marching towards Poland. Bulba became more cruel, and hatred of the Poles only intensified. With his Cossacks he reached Krakow, leaving behind 18 burned cities. Hetman Potocki was tasked with capturing Taras Bulba, which led to a bloody battle that lasted 4 days. Victory was close, but Taras Bulba was captured while he was looking for a lost cradle in the grass. He was burned at the stake.
The Cossacks managed to escape, sailing on boats, they spoke and praised their chieftain - the irreplaceable Taras Bulba.
Conclusion
The themes and problems raised in the work “Taras Bulba” will be relevant at all times. The story itself is fantastic, and the images are collective. Gogol successfully combines easy writing language, colorful characters, an adventure plot with subtly written psychologism. His characters are memorable and remain in the memory forever. By reading “Taras Bulba” in an abridged version, you can get information about the plot and plot, but stunningly beautiful descriptions of nature, monologues imbued with the spirit of freedom and Cossack valor will only be in the original work. In general, the story was warmly received by critics, although some aspects were condemned (for example, the assessment of Poles and Jews).
Despite the above brief retelling of Gogol's Taras Bulba, we strongly recommend that you read the full text of the work.
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We are publishing a review by Dariusz Klechowski, a literary scholar and doctoral student at the University of Lodz (Poland), on “Taras Bulba” by Vladimir Bortko - a film that caused a lot of discussion in Russia, Ukraine and did not go unnoticed in Poland.
The author, taking into account that the object of his consideration is commercial cinema intended for mass audiences, reflects on the objectives of the film (creating a mythological image of the Cossacks, strengthening the state identity of the Russians), about the complex interaction of the picture with its literary prototype, about the possibilities of harmony in the film epic between reality and myth, analyzes individual strong and weak points of the resulting film interpretation. D. Klekhovsky's view draws attention to many aspects of this film adaptation that have so far remained outside the scope of broad discussion.
I would like to emphasize right away that I do not consider the film “Taras Bulba” by Vladimir Bortko to be consciously anti-Polish, as suggested by some Polish critics (for example, Vaclav Radzivinovich on the pages of “Gazeta Wyborcza”). I think that the director, although he made a film fulfilling a specific state order, did not set himself, nor did the customer, such short-sighted political goals. If anyone could be addressed with such a reproach, although also with caution, it would be the author literary basis of the film.
And the remarkable material, as V. Bortko himself emphasized, the almost ready-made script for the film, was, of course, the text by Nikolai Gogol. Published for the first time in 1835 (the second edition in 1842), the romantic story (better to say, a romantic epic), which created the myth of the Cossacks, from the very beginning aroused a variety of emotions among readers: from absolute delight to absolute denial. The Russian reader is delighted. This is understandable, because the story connected the history of the Zaporozhye Cossacks with the idea of a great, royal, Orthodox Russia. It was received negatively by some Ukrainian readers, who considered it to falsify the history of this part of the world. Polish readers perceived Gogol's story as anti-Polish. This is best demonstrated by the fact that 150 years passed between the first Polish edition of Gogol’s work (1850) and the second. It couldn't be any other way. Gogol's text encourages polemics. After all Ukraine has been the subject of controversy for many peoples who lay claim to ownership of this piece of land. Objective interpretation of Ukrainian historyXVI And XVIIcenturies - the task is still impossible. I'm not even talking about the Cossack myth, which has been and is being subjected to a wide variety of interpretations.
Vladimir Bortko, an experienced director, decided to measure himself by this myth. However, I think that he did not have much chance of success even at the moment of making the decision to shoot the film. Whoever gives money sets certain conditions. It is clear what goals the state order pursues. The film, at its core, should strengthen the spirit of Russian statehood and relate to a certain understanding of history. It is clear that a system of this kind of orders operates in every state. Just look at the American, English and Polish experience in this matter. But a good director will be able, even in such a difficult situation, to carry out his interpretation, in this case of historical events and a literary work. How did V. Bortko cope with this task?
The beginning of the film is disappointing because it is perceived as an unambiguous courtesy to the customer. The first scene, which is a kind of epigraph to the film, corresponds to chapter 9 of the story. This is Taras’s speech, preparing the Cossacks for the decisive battle near the city of Dubno, besieged by them. However, it also shows that the director is not going to be completely faithful to the original text. Black and white footage in the rain and with the echoes of thunder, with the text accentuated by the actor, are largely an appeal to the modern Russian viewer, who must remember the tradition of their ancestors (the idea of commonwealth and Cossack camaraderie), which is so necessary today, but does not enjoy much respect in society . So, Gogol's words become part of the promoted unity of Russia. This, unfortunately, determines the direction of the film.
If this compositional rearrangement can be understood, then other deviations from Gogol’s text make us think. In order to justify the actions of the Cossacks in the eyes of the audience, the director introduces a scene with Taras’s wife killed by the Poles. In Gogol, the motivation for Cossack actions is often associated with impulse, with the desire to obtain temporary benefit. As the main character states this, a Cossack should take a walk, this corresponds to his nature. The word “take a walk” contains a lot of meanings, but least of all there are serious political intentions in it. Although Bortko retains this word, he still tries to make Taras an avenger and a fighter for faith and homeland. In the film, the scene of the arrival of Bulba's comrades with the corpse of his wife at the Zaporozhye fortress gives the main character a motive for revenge. In Gogol, Taras becomes an avenger only at the end of the story, after the execution of the sentence on his eldest son Ostap. Before, it seems, Gogol's Taras was ruled by a boundless sense of freedom. This is all he is, real, and the words about defending the homeland and faith in the story are rather signsXIX V., partly conditional and intended for the writer’s contemporaries.
Feature of the CossacksXVIIV. there was their reluctance to submit to anyone: the Turks, Poles, Moscow. But the Cossacks did not create their own statehood. Their freedom is special, freedom to the point of anarchy. Bortko is trying to give the Cossacks features that Gogol does not have many of (and they can be justified by the genre characteristics of the epic) and which are little consistent with the historical circumstances of that time.
In my opinion, the film breaks the harmony between reality and myth.
And if we are already talking about this, then it is worth saying a little about the specific features of the historical era depicted in the story and in the film. Gogol talks about historyXVcentury, which, of course, is a literary fiction, because the events described date back to the first halfXVIIV. But in the work, historical time is deliberately deprived of specificity, because the writer set himself the task of creating a mythological image of the Zaporozhye Sich. Bortko's narrator talks aboutXVIcentury, but the realities of the historical era date back to the 30sXVIIV. The film, indeed, by visualizing it, clarifies what remains unidentified in the work: details of Cossack and Polish clothing, architecture, weapons.
For example, pleasant, not only for the eyes of Polish spectators, images of Polish hussars with huge wings attached to their backs. However, this detail, as in the film “1612” by Vladimir Khotinenko, poorly correlates with real military practice. These wings were very uncomfortable for riders. They were worn only before a battle in open space, where the hussars could develop greater speed, due to which the wind, moving the wings, created a specific noise that frightened the enemy’s horses. In the film, Polish hussars ride with these wings all the time. Clearly, this creates an aesthetic effect. The “aesthetic” portrayal of Poles is, in my opinion, an argument against those who consider the film anti-Polish. The Poles in the film are elegantly dressed, proud, and skillfully defend the city besieged by the Cossacks. Their position seems quite justified, because they are trying to maintain the limits of their influence. Sometimes they go to the extent of cruel measures (the director emphasized this in the scene of the execution of the sentence on the Cossacks, which Gogol does not have), but in this one does not feel any special hatred towards the enemy; most likely, this is punishment for the purpose of intimidation. The Poles, of course, are enemies, and one cannot love or admire enemies. It’s only a pity that the director omitted what we find in Gogol’s text - the cruelty of the Cossack army. In the story we can read the following: “A hair would now stand on end from those terrible signs of the ferocity of the semi-savage age that the Cossacks carried everywhere. Beaten babies, cut off breasts of women, torn skin from the legs up to the knees of those released - in a word, the Cossacks repaid their former debts with large coins.”. I quote this fragment not to emphasize the particular atrocities of the Cossacks, but to show the cruelty of that era, the cruelty that was the norm for all warring parties.
In general, for a modern viewer, even a viewer of commercial cinema, it would be important and honest to explain the basis of the tragic struggle in Ukraine inXVIIV. At least with a short text at the beginning of the film. Of course, we won’t find this in Gogol, but the romantic epic didn’t need it. And in the film, a few words about the struggle of the Cossacks for equal rights with the Polish gentry would give a true idea of what will subsequently be shown on the screen. But, apparently, this was not the director’s task.
Returning to the problem of the violation of harmony between myth and historical reality in the film, it must be emphasized that Bortko took from Gogol’s text everything that can be considered patriotic in the understanding of a modern Russian. So, the Cossacks go to fight the Poles for the Orthodox faith and the Russian land. They make patriotic speeches characterizing their struggle as fair and the enemy as an aggressor. This, of course, is not entirely consistent with history, but it is consistent with Gogol’s idea and the style of his story. However the pathos of these scenes, which does not offend in a literary work, is exaggerated in the film. Embodied through realistic aesthetics, it becomes unbearable. This is especially jarring in the scenes of the death of the Cossacks during the last battle near the besieged Dubno: they, like ancient heroes, kill dozens of enemies and, before falling in battle, pronounce praise on the Russian land. I am now talking about the impressions of the viewer who perceives this film as historical. But V. Bortko’s painting, as I have already emphasized several times, is designed for a mass audience who does not strive for a historical and artistic understanding of what they see.
I will add that the battle scenes of the film are striking in their naturalism, the abundance of blood, so striking in the clash with the pathetic and poetic words uttered by the Cossacks at the moment of death. The music hurts the ear, as if from a synthesizer, so inappropriate to the scenes of the battle, as well as to the Cossack lifestyle.
Despite these points in Bortko’s painting, I find several interesting aspects in it that could still confirm the previously expressed idea that a good director, even in the most difficult situation, can resist the proposed circumstances.
The first remarkable move is the performance of the main role by Bogdan Stupka. His playing, expressive and smooth, without any psychological overtones, gives an idea of the Cossack nature and strength. Taras, played by Stupka, is harsh, merciless, and stingy in expressing his feelings. This is the embodiment of the Cossack, the Cossack lifestyle. The pathos of his speeches seems authentic, in contrast to the speeches of his comrades. Let us add that Stupka is, in a sense, a real legionnaire. He played the roles of Cossacks in Ukrainian, Polish, and now in Russian cinema. I remember him in Bohdan Khmelnytsky’s film “With Fire and Sword” (dir. Jerzy Hoffman, based on the novel by G. Sienkiewicz). Taras, performed by Stupka, gives a wonderful insight into Gogol’s “great Cossack”.
The film, in my opinion, does not confirm the point of view according to which Bulba’s sons - Ostap and Andriy - express two sides of the nature of Taras himself. Ostap, performed by Vladimir Vdovichenkov, is a rather pale character. Even the scene of his terrible execution does not have the expressive effect for which it is intended. The viewer was simply taught a lesson entitled: my father and I are one, even when I oppose him.
It seems to me that the director put much more into the story of Andria (a very average role played by Igor Petrenko) than we could find in Gogol. First of all, he added scenes that are not in the story. The first is the birth of Andriy and his baptism in the Dnieper. Taras himself delivers the baby, and then immerses the baby in the river three times and signs him with the Orthodox sign of the cross. Then he passes the boy into the hands of his eldest son and hugs them both as a sign of acceptance into the ranks of the Cossack comradeship. These memories of the protagonist express his ideas about the ideal and are the backdrop for the family tragedy that unfolds later. It is necessary to emphasize the secondary role of a woman in Cossack life, because it was not her - the mother - who was given the first opportunity to hold her newborn son in her arms.
The second scene is a conversation between the brothers in the Zaporozhye Sich, immediately after burying alive a Cossack who killed his friend for fun. When Ostap feels sorry for the executed Cossack, Andriy asks whether he would feel sorry for him even if in the place of the Cossack there was an ordinary person or a Lyakh. The director denotes two different approaches of the brothers to personality, law, homeland. Ostap divides humanity into his own, the Cossacks, and strangers, that is, everyone else. He is only interested in the Cossack land and the rights established on it. Ostap speaks of the Latin tradition, which he became acquainted with with his brother at the Kiev-Mohyla Academy, as alien to him and Ukrainian (one might guess also Russian) soil. Therefore, for him the Lyakh is not a person, but an enemy who must be destroyed. Andriy, imbued with the spirit of humanism, is inclined to think about common (Roman) law and humanity, without division into tribes or nations (although the latter concept, of course, did not yet exist). A dispute between brothers foreshadows a future split. For a viewer who knows a little about historyXVIIc., it becomes clear that this is an expressive sign of the situation of choice carried out in this part of the world not only in former times.
The third scene added by the director is the birth of the son of a beautiful Polish woman and Andriy. This love (which for Andriy from Bortko’s film became a logical consequence of his way of thinking) is hampered by all conceivable circumstances. The only road for Andriy, who is trying to win his beloved, is class elevation, which for the son of a rich and respected Cossack means betrayal of his own, especially since Andriy’s love unfolds in military conditions. But love turns out to be stronger than the inevitable shame of a traitor. Let us add that in both Gogol and Bortko this love is of a romantic nature, and Andriy, before becoming a knight, saves a Polish woman from starvation. Andriy's betrayal has a connotation of a romantic tragedy, and not the usual for XVII V. utilitarianism. Let us recall that one of the reasons for the Cossack riots was the refusal of the Polish king and magnates to equalize the rights of the Cossacks with the Polish gentry.
In Bortko's painting, the Cossack Andriy and the knight Andriy are as if two different characters (how a suit changes a person!) The metamorphosis here occurs in the spirit of the romantic transformation of the hero, however, with a tragic ending, as in the story - death at the hands of the father. The director remained faithful to Gogol and showed how, from a terrible knight dispensing blows in the midst of battle, Andriy again becomes an unconditionally obedient son, accepting the words of his father: “I gave birth to you, I will kill you.”. This may seem paradoxical, but this behavior is connected in some sense with the legal consciousness of Andriy, who, despite the strength of his love, ultimately still recognizes the right of primacy of his father.
Birth of son Andriy and Polish noblewoman (she also dies during childbirth) - probably one of the most important symbols, according to the director’s plan. In the face of death and the terrible tragedy that we are witnessing, new life is the promise of continuity in the history of two peoples. The voivode, the baby’s grandfather, does not dare to kill his grandson, which may also indicate weakening Polish influence and loss of vitality. The development of Andriy's storyline in the film may indicate an attempt by the director to go beyond the propaganda depiction of the tragedy of UkraineXVIIV. with an expressive message for our modern times.
To add to the list of episodes that are important for my understanding of the film, I would like to mention another collective scene that Bortko saved in the film. In a speech - a toast before the battle - Bulba drinks for the third time to all Christians in the world, while making a broad gesture with his hand towards the besieged Poles. Thismeaningfully .
In conclusion, I want to emphasize that in an artistic sense, in my opinion, the best part in Bortko’s film is the one that shows the Zaporozhye Sich. This is important, because it is Gogol’s Sich who is the main character of the story. Colorful images of Cossack life, full of energy, cruelty and humor, can give the modern viewer an idea of both that place and that time. The weakening of anti-Semitic notes in the film also deserves mention, which is probably the merit of Sergei Dontsov, who played the role of the cunning but understanding Jew Yankel. But the Polish actress Magda Melzaz in the role of the lady does not convince. For some reason, extras - Polish knights - use exclusively modern profanity. The translation of Polish expressions into Russian can be strange, for example, the words of the governor: “ du ż o ich jest ? (are there many of them?) translated: “what do you say?”, and the phrase: “ w polu ich jak szara ń czy “(in a field of them like locusts) for some reason the translation sounds: “I’m the only one who got through.”
Of course, V. Bortko's film is not a masterpiece. This is a commercial film designed for mass audiences who succumb to propaganda slogans. For strengthening the unity of the state was one of the main cultural goals of the film. As I already suggested at the beginning of the text, the essential task was not the attack on the Poles, whose image in the film is quite balanced.
Without a doubt, the director tried to create a mythological image of the Cossacks in his film, following Gogol in this. How difficult it is to make a film based on a national epic was also seen by other film masters, for example, Andrzej Wajda, who created a film based on “Pan Tadeusz” by Adam Mickiewicz. It is difficult to translate the style of the epic and the specific kind of romantic pathos into the language of cinema. Therefore, directors sometimes fall into a kind of “comic book style”. Nevertheless, I believe that V. Bortko’s film can be an important word in the discussion about the history of that time and that territory.
Dariusz Klechowski,literary critic,doctoral student at the University of Lodz (Poland).Area of scientific interests: Russian-Polish cultural relations.
- Very briefly
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Very briefly
Year: 1835 Genre: story
Main characters: Taras Bulba is a Cossack colonel, Ostap and Andriy are his sons.
Two sons return to Taras from the seminary, whom he decides to send into battle so that they do not waste their young strength and will. The mother cries over the sleeping heads of her sons and says goodbye to him in the morning. During the war, Andriy sees his beloved’s maid in a dream, abandoning his father, he wanders at night to his beloved clearing. In one of the battles, his father meets him one on one and kills him for betrayal. Ostap is captured and executed in front of his father. The father, consumed by revenge, is also captured and dies with thoughts of his sons, life and comrades.
The main idea. The story talks about how children can do rash things for the sake of love.
Read the summary of Gogol Taras Bulba
Two sons come to the colonel. Two healthy and strong guys were embarrassed by their father’s ridicule about their clothes. The father greets his eldest son with cuffs instead of greetings. The mother protected her youngest son from such a fatherly greeting.
Taras Bulba, seeing the strength in the young Cossacks, decides to send them to the Zaporozhye Sich. The mother sat grieving all night by the bed of the fellows. Along the way, the sons experience separation from their mother, the father, remembering the past years, sheds a tear. The youngest son, Andriy, dreamed of a Polish woman with whom he spent the night, and recalled how he ran away from the servants at night.
Taras does not want to waste time on military exercises. After consulting with his comrades, he decides to organize a campaign in order not to waste the young Cossack strength. The new Koshevoy decides to go to Poland, to answer for all the shamed Cossack forces and faith in it.
In battles, good fellows showed valor and were always among the first. The father was proud of his sons. But one night Andriy had a dream about a clearing, how her maid was calling for help, telling him that his sweetheart was starving. The guy, without thinking twice, loads up some bread and follows the Tatar woman’s trail to his beloved. Helping his beloved, Andriy has to renounce his father. He is full of courage and confidence to protect her from his yesterday’s comrades until death overtakes him.
The father, having found his youngest son, knows about his betrayal. During the battles with the Poles, news comes that due to the lack of military power, the Tatars captured the remaining Cossacks and took the treasury.
The time for a decisive battle is coming. Andriy is lured into the forest, he appears before his father. Taras Bulba deals with Andriy. At this time, Ostap was captured, and the wounded Taras returned to the Sich.
Having healed his wounds, the father rushes in search of his eldest son, his father’s pride. Having found him, she tries to save him, to get him out of captivity, but all attempts bring no benefit. Taras is present at the execution of his eldest son. Not a single cry for help escapes from the chest of the valiant young man, only the question of whether his father hears him. Bulba tells him that he hears, they begin to pursue him, but they never find him.
The Cossack army, led by Taras, attacks the Poles with particular ferocity. The enemy is defeated and their leader no longer dares to offend the Cossack army. But this does not stop Taras Bulba, he intends to take harsh revenge for the death of his eldest son, Ostap, and destroys everything in his path.
The last battle lasts about four days. The Cossack regiment was resting in a fortress on the river bank, while they were overtaken by the enemy. The chieftain was captured, tied to a huge oak tree, and there he died. Before his death, he shouts to his comrades to save themselves and tells them which way to return home. Before his death, Taras thinks about his comrades and the path he has taken in life.
Summary of Taras Bulba in Chapters (Gogol)
Chapter 1
In this chapter, Taras Bulba meets Ostap and Andriy. They returned from Kyiv, having completed their studies there. He begins to joke about their appearance, but naturally with kindness. But the elder is outraged by this. And instead of greeting each other in a family way, some misunderstanding occurs between them, but it quickly ended.
But it was not easy for his mother to accept his decision, and she hugged them and wanted the night to last forever.
When the children were leaving, she ran towards them with an ease and speed that no one had seen in her before. She couldn’t just let her blood loved ones go. And the Cossacks even had to dismiss her aside.
Chapter 2
In this chapter, Taras Bulba recalls his youth, his friends - the Cossacks and the adventures in which he found himself, and also imagines how he will tell his sons about this. But his sons have completely different thoughts. When they turned 12 years old, they were sent to the Kyiv Academy. The eldest son wanted to run away from there and even buried the primer, but everyone unsuccessfully returned it, and bought the book. But he still did not want to give up if his father had not said that he would send him to a monastery. Naturally, he didn’t want to go there, so he began to try to do everything correctly and slowly took a place among the best students.
But Andriy wanted to study, so he didn’t need much effort for this. He grew up as an inventive boy, so he often became the author of adventures. But, nevertheless, he was not punished, because his flexible mind allowed him to avoid it. He was an open and sincere boy. But one day he saw a Polish girl and fell in love. Literally the next night he was looking for a way to get into her chambers. Of course, the lady was scared at first, but then she became cheerful and even put various jewelry on him. The Tatar woman helped Andriy leave the house when there was a knock on the door.
They continued to gallop across the beautiful endless steppes. Everything here breathed freedom and purity. After some time they were already on the island of Khortitsa. The sons arrived at the Sich. People here lived an ordinary life.
Chapter 3
They saw the Sich as a “constant feast.” Craftsmen, merchants and traders lived here, but many people were just walking.
But on Khortitsa everything was different. People lived here who had no education or simply dropped out of the academy, but you could also meet learned people. All of them were united by faith in God and immeasurable love for their native land.
The sons very quickly joined this environment and liked it. But Taras Bulba was against it, because he brought them here so that they could participate in the battles. And now he constantly thinks about the event that would lead to war. And then, by the way, there was a quarrel with the Koshevoy. Of course, Taras does not intend to retreat from his plans, even despite the fact that the Koshevoy does not want war at all. And Taras came up with revenge. He persuades his friends to get everyone drunk so that they drive away the Koschevoy. Everything works out as he planned, and Kirdyag is elected.
Chapter 4
In this chapter, Taras asks the new Koshevoy for permission to go on a new campaign. But that wise man answers him the following: “It is necessary for the people to gather independently without any coercion.” But the whole point is that he did not want to take responsibility for violating the peace between states. But then a ferry arrives on the island, carrying the Cossacks who were able to escape. They say very scary things. Both old and young are ready to go defend their homeland, defeat the Poles and take trophies from the villages that will be captured.
The Cossacks began shouting: “Hang the ass up! So they don’t make skirts from the priest’s vestments!” These words became parting words for the Cossacks. But here’s the problem, because Taras Bulba had a Jewish friend. He tries with all his might to save his life and saves it, and then even gives permission to go to Poland.
Chapter 5
The glorious Cossacks create legends about their conquests.
The Cossacks moved at night and rested during the day. Taras Bulba was proud of his sons, who had become mature. It always seemed to him that Ostap was simply a born warrior. He has shown himself to be a brave, courageous warrior who has an analytical mind. But Andriy saw romance in the Ryazan campaigns and battles with the sword. All his actions were done intuitively, but sometimes he could do something that more than one experienced warrior would not do.
Here the army had already approached the city of Dubno. And the Cossacks rushed to the rampart, but they were met with arrows, covered with stones, thrown with sand and poured boiling water on them. The Cossacks realized that they were under siege, but it was not a strong point and they decided to starve out the city. They began to trample their fields with their roots, all the crops in the gardens were also destroyed. The sons did not like such a life, but their father encouraged them with the words: “Be patient with the Cossack, and you will become an ataman!”
Esaul brought his sons an icon from their mother. Andriy misses her very much, but his father’s orders do not allow him to return, although his heart shrinks from separation. When everyone is sleeping, he admires the night sky. Looks at the beautiful nature and enjoys. But then a figure catches his eye. Having looked closely, I saw in her a Tatar who was serving the lady. The Tatar woman tells him about hunger and the lady who has not eaten for several days. As it turned out, she recognized him and asked to find him. Maybe he will give her some bread, but if not, then let her just come. Andriy immediately begins to look for supplies, but it turns out that everything has been eaten. Then he decides to take a desperate act, pulling out a bag of groceries from under his older brother. Ostap woke up for a moment and immediately fell asleep. He carefully goes out into the street, where the Tatar woman was waiting for him, promising to lead him through the underground passage.
But suddenly the father calls out, saying that women are no good. Then Taras quickly fell asleep.
Chapter 6
As promised, the Tatar woman leads Andriy through an underground passage, they end up in a Catholic monastery, where they found priests reading a prayer. Andriy really liked the interior decoration of the monastery, especially the stained glass windows on the windows, how they shimmer and play with colors in the light. But most of all he liked the music.
They enter the city and already at dawn. Andriy noticed a woman holding a child in her arms, but, unfortunately, she turned out to be dead from hunger. Then, out of nowhere, a man appears, begging for a pile of bread. Andriy fulfills his request, but as soon as he eats it, he immediately dies, because he has been hungry for a long time. The Tatar woman says that all living things that could be eaten have been eaten. But, nevertheless, the governor ordered not to surrender, so one of these days two regiments from Poland should come to the rescue.
Andriy and the maid enter the house, where he sees his beloved. Now she is completely different - a beauty that cannot be described in a fairy tale. And then he saw her as a lovely, flighty girl. They can't look at each other enough. The Tatar woman cut the bread and brought it, then the lady began to eat it, but Andriy warned that you need to eat in parts or you might die. The feelings that flared up between them were so strong that he was ready to renounce everything just to be with her and serve only her alone.
A cheerful Tatar woman appears in the room and says that the Poles have arrived and are leading the captured Cossacks. Andriy kisses his beloved.
Chapter 7
The Cossacks decide to attack Dubno in order to strike back for their captured friends. But Yankel tells Taras about what Andriy saw in the city. “They gave him another horse, changed his clothes and now he shines like a coin.” But Taras doesn’t believe it, he seemed dumbfounded by what he heard.
Then Yankel presents him with another piece of news about the upcoming wedding of Andriy and the master’s daughter. Which should take place after he drives the Cossacks out of the city. But Taras Bulba still doesn’t believe it, he is furious and suspects that Yankel is lying to him.
In the morning they learn that many Cossacks were killed, and many Cossacks were taken prisoner from the kuren. And then a battle breaks out between the Cossacks and the Poles. They want to break the Polish army into pieces, then they can quickly win.
But in the battle one of the Cossack atamans is killed, then Ostap takes revenge for him. And in response, the Cossacks elect him ataman for his courage. Ostap had the opportunity to prove himself as a wise leader; he ordered to retreat from the walls, and after a while various objects fell from there.
The battle is over. The Cossacks buried their comrades, but they tied the Poles to wild horses so that they would be dragged across the steppes and ravines. Taras was worried about the only question: why his youngest son did not participate in the battle. He hated the lady and was ready to take revenge on her for his son, who renounced everything for her. But what awaits Taras Bulba tomorrow?
Chapter 8
From the Sich they bring news that during the absence of the Cossacks, Khortitsa was attacked by the Tatars. Koshevoy gathers a council, but he addresses them not as a boss, but as a friend, comrade. Everyone decided to catch up with the Tatars and return what they took. But Taras did not share this decision. He talks about the main value of the Cossacks - this is camaraderie, and that you cannot go after the Tatars if their comrades have not yet been freed from Polish captivity. But the Cossacks agree with both Taras and the Koshevoy. But no one knows how to solve this situation. Then Kasyan Bovdyug comes. He is a wise and respected Cossack. And he proposes to split up: those who want to take revenge on the Tatars should go with the Koshevoy, and those who rescue their own from captivity should stay with Bulba.
The Cossacks say goodbye, drink to their faith and the Sich.
Chapter 9
Due to poor calculations, the city is starving again. News reaches the chief that the Cossacks have left after the Tatars and are beginning active preparations for the battle. The Poles admire the fighting tactics of the Cossacks, but, nevertheless, they lost a lot of people. But the Cossacks are not going to give up; Taras Bulba invigorates them. Then he notices his son, who is riding at the head of a Polish regiment. He was simply enraged by what he saw. He starts chasing him. And the son, at the sight of his father, lost all his fighting spirit. Then Andriy gets off his horse. And before his death, he only managed to name his mother and Polish girl. Taras Bulba shoots at him, while uttering a phrase that has long become a “catch phrase”: “I gave birth to you, I will kill you!” Ostap sees all this, but there is no time to figure it out, because the Poles are attacking him.
Chapter 10
But Bulba remains alive, he is brought to the Sich. A month and a half later, he is recovering from his wounds. In Sich everything is completely different. The Cossacks are no longer the same, and those who left to fight the Tatars simply did not return. Taras Bulba was very stern, indifferent, and he did not take part in festivities and fun. Taras turns to Yankel for help to take him to Warsaw. He was not afraid that a lot of money was promised for his head. Taking payment for the service, he hides it in a cart and covers it with bricks.
Chapter 11
Taras appeals to the Jews to let his son go. But it’s too late, the execution is scheduled. But he is allowed a meeting at dawn. Naturally he agreed. Yankel dresses him in different clothes, they end up in prison. Yankel flatters the guards. But then Taras is touched by the word, and he reveals the whole secret.
Bulba demands that he be taken to the place of execution. The Cossacks walked drooping, Ostap walked ahead. He shouted into the crowd: “Do you hear?”, and in response, “I hear.”
Chapter 12
The entire Sich gathered under the leadership of Taras Bulba for Poland. He became very cruel and hated the Poles. He reached Krakow with his army and burned 18 cities. But Hetman Pototsky was ordered to seize Bulba. The battle lasted 4 days. Victory was almost won, but Taras was captured while looking for a cradle in the grass. And he was burned.
About the product
This work belongs to the cycle called “Mirgorod”. Moreover, there are two editions from 1835 and 1842. But Gogol wanted to make some adjustments and not publish the book yet. But still it was published without his amendments.
The events described in the book date back to approximately the 17th century, but the author deliberately mentions the 15th century, which may well indicate the fantastic nature of the story. In the work itself, two plans can be distinguished, but this is a conditional division. The first tells about the life of the Zaporozhye Cossacks, and also describes their campaign against Poland, but the second tells the story of the Cossack Taras Bulba, as well as his sons.
As in any story, there are main characters and secondary characters. So the main ones are:
Taras Bulba is the main character, he is respected, he is a good warrior. His virtues are considered to be strong faith and love for the Fatherland.
The next main character is his eldest son Taras Ostap. He graduated from seminary. He took part in battles, where he showed himself to be Khrabrovo, a calculating person, he perfectly analyzes the situation and therefore is able to make the right decision. He's a good son.
There is also a younger son, Andriy. He sees beauty in every insignificant detail, feels nature, but, despite his delicate nature, while participating in battles, he showed himself to be a brave warrior and uses a non-standard approach when fighting.
In addition to the main characters, there are other people worthy of attention:
Yankel is a Jew, he often seeks benefit for himself in any situation.
Pannochka is the daughter of a Polish gentleman; Taras’s youngest son is in love with her.
Tatarka is the lady's servant. It is she who tells Andriy that there is a famine in Dubno and how to get there through an underground passage.
The main idea: the work tells the story of a father and sons, loyalty to the homeland, heroism and love. These topics are still relevant today.
Picture or drawing of Taras Bulba
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Gogol's story "Taras Bulba" - a story about the Zaporozhye Cossacks - is a very interesting school work. If you haven’t read it, or want to remember the main points, then our summary will be very useful.
Chapter 1
The novel begins with the meeting of the main character - the Cossack Taras Bulba - with his sons, Andriy and Ostap. The young people came from Kyiv, where they studied at the seminary. Taras laughs kindly at his sons’ clothes and appearance; Ostap is offended, and a small fight begins between him and his father. The kind mother tries to stop Taras, but he himself stops beating his son, pleased that he was able to test him. The man wants to “say hello” to Andriy in the same way, but his mother, who hugged him, did not allow Taras to do this.
Taras Bulba wants to send his sons to the Sich so that they become real Cossacks; he believes that if Ostap and Andriy are surrounded by books and maternal affection, they will become spoiled sissies. The mother does not want her sons to leave, but she cannot object to her husband. The centurions invited by Taras on the occasion of the return of Ostap and Andriy, on the contrary, approved the idea of the old Cossack; Taras Bulba himself wants to go with his sons.
At night the mother did not go to bed; she hugged her sons and dreamed that this night would last forever. After a long separation, it was difficult for the old woman to part with Ostap and Andriy again. Until the last minute, she hoped that her husband would change his decision or at least postpone his departure for a week. But he did not do this, and the next day he and his sons went to the Sich. As they drove away, the mother, with a speed unusual for her age, ran to the children and blessed them. She could not bring herself to leave her beloved sons; the Cossacks had to take her away by force twice.
Chapter 2
Three men - a father and two sons - rode in silence and thought about their own things. Taras Bulba recalled his turbulent youth and imagined how he would show off his sons to his comrades.
Ostap and Andriy were sent to study at the Kyiv Academy at the age of twelve. Ostap repeatedly tried to escape and buried the primer, but they returned it and bought a new textbook. Once, after another escape attempt, his father said that he would send Ostap to a monastery if this happened again. Then the boy began to study diligently and after a while became one of the best in academic performance.
Andriy studied well, and without making any special efforts. He often started some kind of adventure, but thanks to his ingenuity and flexible mind, he almost always avoided punishment. One day he saw a beautiful Polish girl and fell in love with her; the next night the young man snuck into her chambers. The girl was scared at first, but soon she was laughing, putting her jewelry on the young man. When there was a knock on the door, the lady’s maid, a Tatar, helped Andriy leave the house.
After some time, the father and sons arrived on the island of Khortitsa. The young people, entering the Sich, felt some fear mixed with strange pleasure. The Cossacks on the island walked, fought, mended their clothes - life went on as usual.
Chapter 3
In the Sich one could meet a variety of people: artisans, traders, partisans and fugitive officers. Some Cossacks were scientists, and some never studied. All these people were united by a common love for their native land. Most of them spent whole days in merry revels; the young sons of Taras Bulba quickly got used to such an atmosphere. However, this did not please the old Cossack, who wanted young people to strengthen their character in battle. He began to think about how to raise the flog to battle; this led to a quarrel with the Koshevoy - he, on the contrary, did not want battles to start. Taras Bulba, who is used to everything being the way he needs it, decides to take revenge. To do this, he persuades his friends to get all the inhabitants of the Sich drunk so that they themselves overthrow the Koshevoy. Everything goes according to plan, and a new Koshevoy is elected in the Sich - Kirdyaga, an old comrade of Taras Bulba.
Chapter 4
Taras discusses a military campaign with Kirdyaga, but he says that he will not force anyone, and will start fighting only at the request of the Cossacks; The new Koshevoy does not want to be responsible for disturbing the peace. Soon a ferry carrying the fugitive Cossacks arrives at Khortitsa. They say that Catholic priests and priests ride on carts drawn by Christians, and people are not allowed to celebrate Orthodox holidays without the consent of the Jews. Such an insult to the people and faith greatly angered the Cossacks, and they decided to fight the Poles for their faith and Fatherland. There was noise and shouting, and the Cossacks immediately began to catch the Jews. But one of them - Yankel - told Taras Bulba that he knew his late brother; the old Cossack did not kill him and allowed him to go with them to Poland.
Chapter 5
The Cossacks made transitions at night and rested during the day. Rumors about their military power and new conquests spread more and more often. Taras's sons matured noticeably during the battles, and he was very proud of them. Ostap showed himself to be a brave warrior with an analytical mind. Andriy did not think much during battles, acting at the behest of his heart; however, it also helped him win various difficult fights.
Soon the army approached the city of Dubno. The Cossacks climbed the rampart, but were stopped by stones, sandbags, arrows and pots of boiling water flying from above. Then they decided to starve the city out: they trampled all the fields, destroyed the plantings in the gardens and began to wait. Ostap and Andriy did not like this battle tactics; the father consoled them: “Be patient, Cossack - you will become an ataman.” At this moment, the captain brought icons and a blessing from his mother to Ostap and Andria. Young people miss her a lot.
At night, when everyone has fallen asleep, Andriy looks at the stars, and then walks and looks at nature. Then he notices a female figure; it turns out that this is a Tatar, the lady’s servant! She tells the young man that all the people in the city are starving, and the beautiful Polish woman has not eaten anything for several days; Noticing Andriy, the lady asked her to find him and ask her to bring some bread. The young man immediately sets out in search of food; seeing that all the prepared porridge was eaten by the Cossacks, he pulls out from under his brother the bag of supplies on which he slept. Ostap wakes up for a moment, but immediately falls asleep again. Andriy carefully sneaks up to the Tatar woman, who promised to show the underground passage to the city. Then the young man hears his father’s voice; Taras Bulba tells him that women will not lead to good things. The young man was very frightened, but the old Cossack quickly fell asleep.
Chapter 6
Making his way through an underground passage, Andriy finds himself in a monastery where priests pray. He is amazed by the beauty of the cathedral and the music sounding in it. Soon he and the Tatar woman go out into the city; on the street, a man who has gone mad from hunger approaches him; he asks for bread. Andriy gives him a piece, but the man dies after eating it, because his stomach has not received food for a very long time. Tatarka reports that the city’s residents have eaten every living thing, but, according to the governor, they only need to hold out for a couple of days, and then several Polish regiments will arrive to help.
They enter the lady's house; Andriy and the girl can’t stop looking at each other. Meanwhile, the Tatar woman brought bread; the young Cossack warned the lady that she needed to eat little so as not to die. Nothing can convey the look with which the girl looked at him. In a fit of love, Andriy renounces his faith, father and homeland - he is ready to do anything just to be close to the young lady.
Here the Tatar woman reports the news: Polish regiments have entered the city and are leading captured Cossacks. Andriy joyfully kisses the lady.
Chapter 7
The Cossacks, wanting to avenge their captured comrades, decide to organize an attack on Dubno. Yankel tells Taras Bulba that he saw him in the city of Andria on a good horse and in a new outfit. The old Cossack did not believe him; then Yankel reported that in Dubno the wedding of the master’s daughter and Andriy was being prepared, which would take place when Andriy, as part of the Polish army, drove out the Cossacks. Taras Bulba thinks that the Jew is lying.
In the morning the battle begins; The Cossacks want to break the enemy regiment into several parts. One of the atamans is killed, and Ostap bravely avenges him. For this, the Cossacks choose his atamans instead of the murdered one. Ostap's first decision was to retreat somewhat from the city walls; As soon as the Cossacks carried out this order, various objects fell from the walls, injuring many who remained under them.
After the end of the battle, the Cossacks buried their dead comrades, and tied the bodies of the dead Poles to wild horses. Taras Bulba wonders why he did not see his son among the enemy warriors.
Chapter 8
Bad news comes from the Sich: the Tatars attacked Khortitsa. At a council convened by the Koshevoy, the Cossacks decided to go after the Tatars and return what was stolen. Only Taras Bulba disagrees with this. He believes that you cannot leave your comrades in Polish dungeons: you must first rescue them, and then go against the Tatars. The Cossacks believe that Taras is also right; then one old and respected Cossack Kasyan Bovdyug proposes to split up: someone with the Koshevoy goes after the Tatars, and someone with Taras Bulba goes against the Poles. After this, the Cossacks began to say goodbye to each other. It was decided to attack at night so that the opponents would not notice the decrease in the Zaporozhye army.
Chapter 9
Meanwhile, famine begins again in Dubno. Soon a battle begins, during which the Poles admire the courage of the Cossacks; but they use cannons, and the Cossacks have a hard time. Taras Bulba encourages his comrades. Then he notices Andriy, who is part of a cavalry regiment. Seeing how his son indiscriminately killed both his own and strangers, Taras Bulba felt strong anger. He caught up with Andriy; At the sight of his father, he lost his fighting spirit. Taras kills his son with a shot, before saying: “I gave birth to you, I will kill you!” The last word spoken by Andriy was not the name of his mother or Motherland, but the name of the beautiful lady.
Ostap sees his father killing his younger brother, but does not have time to figure it out: he is captured by the Poles. As a result of the battle, the Zaporozhye army was greatly thinned out. Taras Bulba fell from his horse.
Chapter 10
Kozak Tovkach takes Taras to the Sich. After a month and a half, he recovers from his wounds. Those Cossacks who left to fight the Tatars did not return. Taras Bulba became thoughtful and indifferent; all his thoughts are occupied with the fate of his eldest son. The old Cossack asks Yankel to take him to Warsaw, not being afraid that there is a reward of two thousand ducats for his head in Poland. Yankel, for a certain sum, hides Taras at the bottom of the cart, covering the top with bricks.
Chapter 11
Taras Bulba turns to the Jews with a request to free his son, but it is too late: the execution will take place the next day. Taras agrees to see Ostap at dawn. Yankel gives him foreign clothes; In prison, the Jew flatters the guards, but because of an offensive remark from one of them, the old Cossack reveals his incognito. Then he demands to be taken to the place of execution.
During the execution, Ostap, who was walking ahead of everyone, shouts into the crowd: “Father, where are you now: Can you hear me?” Taras replies: “I hear you!”
Chapter 12
After some time, all the Cossacks are preparing to march on Poland; they are led by Taras Bulba, whose hatred of the Poles has become very strong. The Cossacks reached Krakow; Along the way they burned eighteen cities. Hetman Pototsky promises never to attack the Cossacks, but Bulba does not believe him and convinces all the Cossacks of his regiment that the Pole is deceiving them; Bulba's regiment leaves. Soon the Poles defeat the Cossacks who believed them. A few days later they catch up with Taras’s regiment. The fierce battle lasts four days. The Cossacks were close to victory, but the Poles managed to grab Taras Bulba when he was looking for his cradle in the grass. The old Cossack is burned at the stake; before his death, he shouts to his comrades to run to the river and escape the pursuit in canoes. Until his death, the ataman thinks about the Cossack army and about its future victories. The Cossacks, sailing in their canoes, also talk about their glorious chieftain.