October 1 and we embark once again the reading of The Master and Margarit. Many are easily turned off by its - at times -seemingly confusing stories. But when you look at when it was written and think about some of its themes and symbolism, the story begins to have much more meaning then just talking cats playing chess and naked witches flying around on pigs.
There are 32 chapters broken into two parts. For this summary, we use the unabridged translation by Michael Glenny. Are you ready?
Some characters/places you may run into:
Berlioz, Mikhail Alexandrovich – Also known as
Misha. He is the chairman at Massolit (Massovaia Literature – or literature of
the masses)
Ponyrev (Ivan Nikolaevich Bezdomny) – A poet
Woland - Also known as The Professor, The
Foreigner, The Devil
Styopa (Stepan Bogdanovich) Likhodeyev –
Director of the Theatre
Behemoth – A rather large, black, talking,
chess-playing cat
Koroviev – Part of Woland’s entourage. Always in
a checkered jacket and pince-nez glass.
Azazello – Part of Woland’s entourage
The Master – The book’s namesake. In love with
Margarita. He is a writer who cannot get his book about Pilate and Jesus
published
Margarita – The Master’s lover
Hella – A vampress with bright red hair who
works for Woland
Pilate - Roman procurator of the province of
Judea from 26-36 AD. He also has a dog in the story (Benga)
Yeshua Ha Nostri - Believed to be the Jesus we
know
Matthew – A disciple of Yeshua
Judas – Betrayed Yeshua
It is time!!!
The Master and Margarita annual reading begins now.
Chapter 1: Never Talk to Strangers
It is summer in Patriarch’s Ponds. Mikhail Alexandrovich
Berlioz, editor and chairman of the writer’s union Massolit, and the younger
poet Ivan Nikolaevich Ponyrev, who writes under the pseudonym Bezdomny.
The two men buy warm apricot juice at a refreshment kiosk
(it is oddly the only drink available). Berlioz, who has a bout of hiccups, and
then seemingly an anxiety attack, also sees an extremely tall, thin, and
transparent man who appears to be levitating just above the ground. Berlioz
tells Ivan about the sight, explaining it as “something like a hallucination”
and exclaiming dismissively, “Pah, the devil!”
Berlioz discusses with Ivan about a poem he has been
commissioned to write. While it is supposed to be “anti-religious”, Berlioz
comments that Ivan indeed made Jesus seem “too alive”.
The mysterious man appears again, and Berlioz dismisses him
as “foreign”. He is wearing an expensive grey suit, a beret, and carrying a
stick “with a black knob shaped like a poodle’s head.” He also has two crowns
on his front teeth, one platinum and one gold. Similarly, this stranger’s eyes
are also two different colors: black and green. He sits down on the next bench
down from Berlioz and Ivan.
After asking a series of questions, the stranger, predicts
the demise of Berlioz in an odd way, referencing Anna, sunflower seed oil, and
decapitation. Briefly producing a card with the words “Professor” and “W”
readable, the stranger proceeds to tell the gentlemen that “Jesus did exist.”
Chapter 2: Pontius Pilate
The Professor begins his story: It is the day before
Passover. Pontius Pilate has had an excruciating headache all day and he’s
blaming it on the smell of rose oil from the garden.
A beaten prisoner Yeshua is placed before Pilate, having
been sentenced to death for inciting the people. Of course, Yeshua, tries to
deny the charge. His humbleness seems to anger Pilate, who insists the prisoner
call him Hegemon. When asked if he told the people to destroy the temple.
Yeshua proceeds to tell Pilate that he has senses he has a
headache and would rather be with his dog, Banga, than dealing with himself,
the prisoner. That you can’t give all of your attention to a dog because you’ve
lost faith in the people. Shockingly, he also tells him to take a walk, while
also predicting a coming storm.
Pilate tells the guards to unbind the prisoner. He continues
his line of questioning, asking him if he’s a physician. Also, he questions
whey Yeshua calls everyone “good people.”
Explaining why he refers to everyone as “good,” Yeshua
states that “there are no evil people in the world.”
Pilate asks Yeshua if it is true that he has said anything
bad about the emperor Caesar and then questions Yeshua on whether he knows
Judas from Karioth and if Yeshua said what he was reported by Judas to have
said. Yeshua readily admits what he told Judas. This was when he was arrested.
Pilate becomes very angry and confirms Yeshua’s death
sentence. He orders that Yeshua be kept separate from the other prisoners and,
that no prison guard is allowed to talk to him.
Pilate is then visited by Joseph Kaifa, a high priest. In
honor of Passover, the Sanhedrin are allowed to choose a prisoner to set free:
either Bar-Rabban or Yeshua. Kaifa tells Pilate that Bar-Rabba is their choice.
Pilate seems bothered by their choice, asking several times
if that is really their choice. They argue over the reason as to not choose
Yeshua. It seems as of the “peaceful philosopher” has made an impact on Pilate.
But it is Bar-Rabba who is to be set free. Yeshua’s death sentence is final. It
is 10am.
Chapter 3: The Seventh Proof
The professor ends his story. Berlioz argues that this
foreigner’s story does not match what is in the Gospels. Amused, the Professor
whispers that he was there so he actually knows the story better…because he was
there (of course!).
The two look at the stranger as if he’s mad (no, they know
he’s mad).
Berlioz then inquires as to where the professor will be
staying during his visit to Moscow. The professor says he’ll be staying at
Berlioz’s. He then asks Ivan if he believes in the devil.
Berlioz decides to sneak off and make a phone call to the to
report the professor. As Berlioz hurries off, the professor calls to him to ask
if Berlioz would like a telegram sent to his uncle in Kiev. Berlioz is
confused, as he does have an uncle in Kiev but there’s no way the professor
would know.
Walking towards the train station, Berlioz notices the same
man that had seemed to be levitating earlier dressed in checkered directs
Berlioz to the turnstile and, taking off his jockey cap, asks Berlioz to spare
some change.
Berlioz steps through the turnstile to cross to the tram
tracks but notices a tram racing towards him. He moves back to safety but, as
he does so, slips and tumbles into the path of the tram and is decapitated.
Chapter 4: The Pursuit
Ivan runs to the turnstile and sees Berlioz’s head bouncing
on the pavement. He can barely stand as he hears two women discussing what
happened … Anna spilled sunflower oil by the turnstile, making the floor
slippery. Had thief foreigner planned that whole thing? How could he have
known?
He goes back to the bench, and finds the strange man still
sitting there, talking with a companion wearing checkered trousers and a jockey
cap.
The professor pretends to not speak or understand Russian as
Ivan asks the professor his identity. The companion tells Ivan not to bother
the foreigner. Ivan begins to suspect the companion is also in on the
charade…but disappears and re-appears when Ivan tries to grab him.
Ivan notices the two men suddenly far off in the distance …
joined by a big black cat the size of a pig walking on his hind legs. Ivan runs
after them and the large cat runs onto the tram, pushing a screaming woman off
to make room for himself, but also offers to pay the fare.
Ivan continues his chase of the professor but quickly loses
him. However, Ivan has the feeling that he will be at No. 13 flat 47. He bursts
through the front door of course the professor will be hiding in the bathroom!
In the bathroom is a woman taking a bath, who seems more alarmed that her
husband will return soon than of Ivan bursting through the door.
Oddly, Ivan steals a religious candle from the apartment and
heads to the Moscow River now convinced that this is where he will find the
professor. He dives into the water after removing his clothes and giving them
to a random person.
Not finding the professor, Ivan exits the water and finds
only underwear, a torn blouse, and the icon with a box of matches. He decides
to head to Griboedov’s, of course the professor will be there!
Chapter 5: The Affair at Griboyedov
Griboedov’s is building that houses Massolit, the literary
society headed up by Berlioz and boasts a fancy restaurant.
At this time, writers are waiting for Berlioz, who of
course, is on three tables down at the morgue.
At midnight, the restaurant comes to life with a band and
dancing. Just as suddenly, the restaurant manager, Archibald, runs in telling
all about Berlioz’s death. Shortly after, Ivan appears in his underwear and
torn shirt, of course, he is also holding the lit candle. Everyone agrees, Ivan
has gone delirious as he begins to share stores of a stranger, that Berlioz’s
death was perpetrated by none other than Professor W. Oh, and then there was
the walking, taking cat.
Ivan rants frenziedly about the events surrounding the
strange professor, making little sense to anyone in the restaurant. He tells
them that the professor killed Berlioz, but on being asked the professor’s name
can only remember that it begins with a “W.” As Ivan goes on describing,
amongst other things, a walking, talking cat, someone suggests calling a doctor
for him. Ivan is soon hauled off by the police to a psychiatric clinic.
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