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Thursday, March 12, 2020 | March 12, 2020 |
A Dialogue With Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky is a Russian author and one of the world’s greatest novelists, whose works dramatize religious, moral, philosophical, political, and psychological issues.
*The setting of this one-act play is around the time when Dostoevsky became involved with a group of idealistic young men who met in secret to discuss social problems and social reform in Russia. The repressive Tsar Nicholas I, fearing the spread of revolutionary ideas, regarded the group as highly dangerous. In April 1849 Dostoyevsky and 23 others were arrested, tried, and condemned to death; however, the sentence was changed to imprisonment in Siberia. For the next four years Dostoyevsky lived in a prison in Omsk, sharing a barracks and doing hard labor with some of Russia’s most desperate criminals.*
Characters:
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Raskolnikov (from Crime And Punishment)
Underground Man (from Notes From Underground)
Ivan (from Brothers Karamazov)
Plot: Dostoevsky engages in an intimate conversation with select characters from some of his novels.
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*After a hard day’s labor, a very tired Dostoevsky enters his designated barracks with the intent of getting rest but was nonetheless beleaguered by his three other companions.*
Underground Man: “Hey Fyodor! How hard-working you are! If I hadn’t known better, I’d say you enjoy staying here.”
Fyodor: “There you are again with your sarcastic remarks. You do know our only option is to follow the orders.”
Raskolnikov: “You speak of option, but how can it be called ‘option’ when no freedom is present?”
Fyodor: “Ah, Raskolnikov! Ever the thinker! I think it is you who should rest and not me.”
Ivan: “Raskolnikov does have a point…why must you mock him so?”
Fyodor: “Bah! I give up. What is it then that you want? Speak up.”
Raskolnikov: “We wanted to have a discourse on the concept of freedom. Because that is exactly what we are deprived of, and man’s longing is obviously directed to that which he does not possess.”
Fyodor: “Freedom is the ability to act moral under the watchful eye of God.”
Ivan: “It is my turn to mock you now Fyodor, for such definition is anything but freedom. We must all realize that the concept of God is overrated and I for one propose a godless world where people would exchange their freedom for material security and comfort.”
Underground Man: “What is it with you Ivan? How could you think of sacrificing freedom? You do know that man is not truly human without freedom!”
Fyodor: “Let us all calm down before anything regretful happens. This is after all, a discourse. Now Raskolnikov, pray tell, what do you think?”
Raskolnikov: “I think that if man is truly free, then “everything is permitted” and he should be able to step beyond the accepted limits of right and wrong.”
Raskolnikov: “Meaning, if I wanted to kill that obnoxious soldier who supervises our daily labours then I am by no means wrong in doing so, for it is simply an act of doing the greatest good, that of ending the life of an oppressor; for the sake of the greatest number of people.”
Underground Man: “Ah, so here then enters the problem with freedom! If people have freedom then their human impulses to do evil may lead them to destroy themselves and others.”
Fyodor: “I strongly agree. Human life must be guided first of all by religious principles.”
Ivan: “You and your god, Fyodor! How can you take it to heart to praise a god who permits us, innocent children included, to suffer when we do not deserve it? How foolish it all is!”
Fyodor: “Ivan, intellectual that you are, but still quite naïve. It is clear that your only intent in this discourse is to bring about your conviction of a godless world.”
Ivan: “By all means it should be!”
Underground Man: “Just can it, Ivan. You’re going nowhere.”
*Ivan gets frustrated and instead of answering back, he sulks in a corner.*
Fyodor: “Ah well! Let him be.”
Underground Man: “Raskolnikov, you speak of killing an official when you are aware that I myself used to be one, and an obnoxious one at that. Would you not hesitate to have my blood on your hands, assuming that you think it beneficial to the people I supposedly oppressed?!”
Raskolnikov: “Depends if you want me to be a hypocrite.”
Underground Man: “Why you!”
*the Underground Man attacks Raskolnikov in a fit of rage but before anybody could calm him down, he fell back, the pain in his liver stopping him.*
Fyodor: “You really should see a doctor concerning your condition.”
Underground Man: “Bah! What do you care? What do the doctors care? This pain affects only me and no one else. My liver hurts? Good, let it hurt even more!”
Fyodor: “I could never comprehend your reasoning.”
Underground Man: “I do it out of spite! And I do not expect anyone to comprehend.”
*the Underground Man goes to his bunk muttering incoherencies, leaving the scene with only Raskolnikov and Fyodor.*
Raskolnikov: “Bah to the both of them! Always full of ideas that never get materialized! What this world needs is an innovative genius in the form of crime.”
Fyodor: “Pray tell, what is it that you mean?”
Raskolnikov: “Do you not realize it? Every single great man, leaders, conquerors and the like, in the history of mankind have all committed crime to bring about something noble. That…that is exactly what must happen again.”
*Fyodor observes Raskolnikov drift off into reverie, most likely musing about how he could be the innovative genius which he talks about.*
Fyodor: “That has been interesting. But I see we’re all tired by this time. Let us all rest for the night.”
*Strangely, Fyodor felt tired no more, instead a surge of ideas rushed through his mind. Giving his companions a final glance, he smiled.*
Fyodor: “Someday the whole world would know about the three of you and your ideologies. I’ll make sure of that.”
Labels: 2020, crime and punishment, fyodor dostoevsky, notes from underground, one act play, philosophical, philosophy, russian literature, the brothers karamazov
