This piece. Speaking about the history of writing the story, we note that it is known from Leskov's biography: the author himself was involved in criminal court cases, and this suggests that the story of "Lady Macbeth" could well be based on real events, because we are talking about crimes and concepts of morality. The work was written in 1864.
Genre, composition and main theme
Although this article has already noted that the work is a story, Nikolai Leskov himself defined the genre as an essay, since it contains elements of the narration of real events and has its own prehistory. Therefore, it would not be a mistake to name both an essay and a story as genre.
Since in any classical work there are certain problems, making an analysis of "Lady Macbeth Mtsensk district", we also do not miss the mention of the problems raised by the author. And the main one is a moral problem that the heroes of the work do not talk about, but this topic is clearly expressed if you follow the events and dialogues. The analysis is provided to readers, because everyone can to have their own understanding of morality, but there are certain yardsticks, to deviate from which means to act immorally.
Another problem is the manifestation of love, or rather, the consideration of what ardently capable of loving woman... What is the main theme of the work?
Of course, this is the theme of love. Intoxicated with feelings, but cold at the moment of committing a crime, Katerina shows by her example what she is ready for for her own happiness. Although we cannot call her happy after everything she has done. That is why this is an essay - there is no assessment of the characters and the characteristics of their personality, but only terrible crimes are described, which can be assessed from the outside.
Basic images
- Katerina. The main character of the essay. She was not beautiful in appearance, but she was an attractive woman, charismatic. Lonely, living without children and husband. From the description of her life, we understand that she is not a potential criminal. And she is ready to enter into a relationship with the first comer who pays attention to her.
- Sergei. The clerk, who did not like Katerina, but played with her and with her feelings.
- Father-in-law who mocked Sergei. He was later killed by Katerina.
- Fedya Lyamin. Son of a murdered husband little boy... It was his murder that prompted the heroine to think that it was difficult for her to stop killing.
Important details of the analysis of "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District"
Of course, "Lady Macbeth" is a morally difficult work about the consequences of the love of an eternally lonely woman. Each murder is described in detail. Love was not an impulse of feelings in the life of the main character, she was withdrawn and boring, spent all the time at home and lounged around. Katerina Lvovna understood that love is a certain characteristic of a person that everyone should have, including her. But then she did not realize what such reasoning would lead her to.
Sergei, being her accomplice, hiding the body of his father-in-law together, went to crimes for the sake of profit. But Katerina was obsessed, she could not be stopped. After this murder, she felt like the mistress of the house, gave orders to everyone, but Sergei was always with her. For him and their love, she was ready for anything. Which she confirms by the fact that she follows his lead and does not dare say a word against.
When Fedya arrived at their house, Sergey became the initiator of the murder. He instilled in the woman that the boy is an obstacle to their family happiness. In his opinion, the boy will destroy their union. The image of Fedya is one of the most significant in the essay "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District", which we are analyzing. Together with the boy, the soul of Catherine also dies. She decides to commit a brutal murder, even when she is pregnant.
Committing murder after murder, changes are noticed in Sergei's portrait, such as trembling lips, chin tremors and others, but Katerina remains completely soulless. But in the denouement of the essay, Katerina herself becomes a victim, and I even feel sorry for her. She no longer loves anyone, including herself.
The work caused a storm of condemnation and indignation. It did not fit the literary criteria and political mood of the time. The image of Katerina was not recognized as a typical female Russian image.
In this article, we have introduced you brief analysis story "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District", you will find more information on the topic by visiting our literary
Katerina Lvovna, “a very pleasant woman in appearance,” lives in the well-to-do house of the merchant Izmailov with her widow-in-law Boris Timofeevich and her middle-aged husband Zinovy Borisovich. Katerina Lvovna has no children, and “with all the contentment” her life “for an unkind husband” is the most boring one. In the sixth year of marriage
Zinovy Borisovich leaves for the mill dam, leaving Katerina Lvovna “alone”. In the courtyard of her house, she competes with the impudent worker Sergei, and from the cook Aksinya learns that this fellow has been serving with the Izmailovs for a month already, and from the former house he was expelled for "love" with the mistress. In the evening, Sergei comes to Katerina Lvovna, complains of boredom, says that he loves, and stays until morning. But one night Boris Timofeevich notices Sergei's red shirt coming down from his daughter-in-law's window. The father-in-law threatens that he will tell everything to Katerina Lvovna's husband, and send Sergey to prison. On the same night, Katerina Lvovna poisons her father-in-law with the white powder reserved for the rats and continues the "aligoria" with Sergei.
Meanwhile, Sergei becomes dry with Katerina Lvovna, is jealous of her husband and talks about his insignificant state, confessing that he would like to be her husband “before the saint before the eternal temple”. In response, Katerina Lvovna promises to make him a merchant. Zinovy Borisovich returns home and accuses Katerina Lvovna of "cupids". Katerina Lvovna takes Sergey out and boldly kisses him in front of her husband. The lovers kill Zinovy Borisovich, and the corpse is buried in the cellar. They are looking for Zinovy Borisovich uselessly, and Katerina Lvovna "lives on with Sergei, due to his widow's position at large."
Soon, the young nephew of Zinovy Borisovich, Fyodor Lyapin, comes to live with Izmailova, whose money was in circulation with the deceased merchant. Instigated by Sergei, Katerina Lvovna conceives the limelight of the God-fearing boy. On the night of Vigil on the eve of the Feast of the Introduction, the boy remains in the house alone with his lovers and reads the Life of Saint Theodore Stratilates. Sergei grabs Fedya, and Katerina Lvovna strangles him with a down pillow. But as soon as the boy dies, the house begins to shake from the blows, Sergei panics, sees the late Zinovy Borisovich, and only Katerina Lvovna realizes that it is with a crash that the people are bursting, seeing what is going on in the “sinful house”.
Sergei is taken to the unit, and at the first words of the priest about the Last Judgment, he confesses to the murder of Zinovy Borisovich and calls Katerina Lvovna an accomplice. Katerina Lvovna denies everything, but at the confrontation confesses that she killed "for Sergei." The murderers are punished with lashes and sentenced to hard labor. Sergei arouses sympathy, and Katerina Lvovna behaves steadfastly and even refuses to look at the child when she is born. He, the only heir of the merchant, is given to education. Katerina Lvovna thinks only about how to get to the stage as soon as possible and see Sergei. But at the stage, Sergei is uncomfortable and secret dates do not please him. At Nizhniy Novgorod, a Moscow party joins the prisoners, with which a soldier Fiona of a free disposition and a seventeen-year-old Sonetka, about whom they say: "it twists around the hands, but is not given," go.
Katerina Lvovna arranges another date with her lover, but finds the trouble-free Fiona in his arms and quarrels with Sergei. Still not reconciling with Katerina Lvovna, Sergei begins to "cheat" and flirt with Sonetka, who seems to "play". Katerina Lvovna decides to leave her pride and put up with Sergei, and during a date Sergei complains of pain in his legs, and Katerina Lvovna gives him thick woolen stockings. The next day, she notices these stockings on Sonetka and spits in Sergei's eyes. At night, Sergei, together with a friend, beats Katerina Lvovna while Sonetka giggles. Katerina Lvovna weeps grief on Fiona's chest, the whole party, led by Sergei, mocks her, but Katerina Lvovna behaves with "wooden calm". And when the party is transported by ferry to the other side of the river, Katerina Lvovna grabs Sonetka by the legs, throws herself overboard with her, and both drown.
You have read a summary of the story of Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. We also invite you to visit the Abstracts section of our website to familiarize yourself with other presentations of popular writers.
Nikolay Leskov
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
"Singing the first song, blushing."
Proverb
Chapter first
Sometimes in our places such characters are set that no matter how many years have passed since meeting them, you will never remember some of them without emotional trepidation. Among such characters is the merchant's wife Katerina Lvovna Izmailova, who played the once terrible drama, after which our nobles, with someone's easy word, began to call her Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk district.
Katerina Lvovna was not born a beauty, but she was a very pleasant woman in appearance. She was only twenty-four years old; She was not tall, but slender, her neck was as if carved from marble, her shoulders were round, her chest was strong, her nose was straight, thin, her eyes were black, lively, her high white forehead and black, as much as blue black hair. They gave her in marriage to our merchant Izmailov from Tuskari from the Kursk province, not out of love or any attraction, but because Izmailov took hold of her, and she was a poor girl, and she did not have to go through with suitors. The Izmailovs' house in our city was not the last: they traded in grain, kept a large mill on lease in the district, had a profitable garden near the city and a good house in the city. In general, the merchants were well-to-do. Their family, moreover, was quite small: father-in-law Boris Timofeich Izmailov, a man of about eighty years old, has long been a widow; his son Zinovy Borisych, Katerina Lvovna's husband, a man in his fifties too, and Katerina Lvovna herself, and that's all. Katerina Lvovna had no children for the fifth year since she married Zinovy Borisych. Zinovy Borisych did not have children from his first wife, with whom he lived for twenty years, before he became a widow and married Katerina Lvovna. He thought and hoped that God would give him, even from his second marriage, an heir to a merchant's name and capital; but again he was not lucky in this and with Katerina Lvovna.
This childlessness grieved Zinovy Borisych very much, and not only Zinovy Borisych alone, but old Boris Timofeich, and even Katerina Lvovna herself was very saddened. Once, that exorbitant boredom in a locked merchant's mansion with a high fence and lowered chain dogs more than once made the young merchant's lady sad, reaching into a stupor, and she would be glad, God knows how glad she would be to babysit the child; and the other - and she was tired of reproaches: “Why did you go and why did you get married; why did she tie fate to a person, neruditsa, "as if she really did commit a crime before her husband, and before her father-in-law, and before all their honest merchant family.
For all the contentment and kindness of Katerina Lvovna's life in her mother-in-law's house was the most boring one. She did not go to visit a lot, and even if she and her husband went to her merchants, it would also not be for joy. The people are all strict: they watch how she sits down, but how she passes, how she gets up; but Katerina Lvovna had an ardent character, and, living as a girl in poverty, she was accustomed to simplicity and freedom: she could run with buckets to the river and swim in a shirt under the pier or sprinkle sunflower husks through the gate of a young fellow; but here everything is different. The father-in-law and her husband would get up early, drink tea at six o'clock in the morning, and for their own business, and she alone mumbles the elephants from room to room. Everywhere it is clean, everywhere it is quiet and empty, the lamps shine before the images, and nowhere in the house there is not a sound of a living, not a human voice.
It looks like Katerina Lvovna is walking around empty rooms, starts yawning with boredom and climbs up the ladder to her spousal bedchamber, set up on a high little mezzanine. Here, too, she will sit, gaze, like they hang hemp or gritty grain at the barns, pour it in, - she yawns again, she is glad: she will take a nap for an hour or two, and wake up - again the same Russian boredom, the boredom of a merchant's house, from which, they say, even strangle yourself. Katerina Lvovna was not a hunter to read, and besides, except for the Kiev patericon, there were no books in the house.
Katerina Lvovna lived a boring life in a rich mother-in-law's house for the whole five years of her life with her unkind husband; but no one, as usual, paid the slightest attention to this boredom of her.
Chapter two
On the sixth spring of Katerina Lvovnin's marriage, the Izmailovs' mill dam burst. At that time, as if on purpose, a lot of work was brought to the mill, but a huge gap was made: the water went under the lower bed, hide it blank, and it was not possible to grab it with a quick hand. Zinovy Borisych drove the people to the mill from the whole neighborhood and he himself sat there forever; the old man alone ruled the affairs of the city, and Katerina Lvovna toiled at home all day alone. At first, she was even more bored without her husband, but then it seemed even better: she became freer alone. Her heart never really lay for him, and without him at least one commander over her became less.
Once Katerina Lvovna was sitting in her tower under the window, yawning, yawning, not thinking about anything definite, and, at last, she was ashamed to yawn. And the weather outside is so wonderful: warm, light, cheerful, and through the green wooden lattice of the garden, you can see how different birds flutter up and down the trees from knot to knot.
“What am I really yawning for? Thought Katerina Lvovna. - Well, at least I'll get up in the yard for a walk or walk into the garden.
Katerina Lvovna threw on her old damask coat and left.
It is so light and breathing in the courtyard, but in the gallery near the barns there is such a merry laugh.
- Why are you so happy? Katerina Lvovna asked her father-in-law clerks.
“But, mother Katerina Ilvovna, they hanged a live pig,” the old clerk answered her.
- What pig?
“But the pig Aksinya, who gave birth to her son Vasily, but didn’t invite us to the christening,” boldly and cheerfully told the young man with a daring handsome face framed by jet-black curls and a barely piercing beard.
At that moment the thick face of the ruddy cook Aksinya peeped out of the flour cadi, which was hung on the weighing beam.
- Devils, devils are smooth, - the cook cursed, trying to grab the iron rocker and get out of the swinging cadi.
- Eight poods before dinner pulls, and a fir hay will eat, and there won't be enough weights, - the handsome fellow explained again and, turning the kettle, threw the cook on a sack folded in the coal.
Baba, cursing playfully, began to recover.
- Well, how much will it be in me? - Katerina Lvovna joked and, grasping the ropes, stood on the board.
- Three pounds seven pounds, - answered the same handsome fellow Sergei, throwing the kettlebell on the weight sky. - Curiosity!
- Why are you wondering?
- Yes, that three pounds in you pulled, Katerina Ilvovna. You, I think so, have to be carried in your arms all day - and then you will not starve yourself, but only for the pleasure you will feel it for yourself.
- Well, I'm not a man, or what? I suppose you'll get tired, too, '' answered Katerina Lvovna, slightly blushing, unaccustomed from such speeches, feeling a sudden rush of desire to blabber out and utter cheerful and playful words.
- Oh my God! I would bring a happy one to Arabia, - Sergey answered her to her remark.
- Not so you, well done, reasoning, - said the peasant who was pissed off. - What is heaviness in us? Does our body pull? our body, dear man, does not mean anything by weight: our strength, our strength pulls - not the body!
“Yes, I was passionate in girls,” said Katerina Lvovna, again unable to bear it. - Even a man did not overcome me.
- Well, let me have a pen, if it's true, - asked the handsome fellow.
Katerina Lvovna was embarrassed, but held out her hand.
- Oh, let the ring go: it hurts! Cried Katerina Lvovna when Sergei squeezed her hand in his hand, and with her free hand pushed him into the chest.
The good fellow let go of the mistress's hand and flew two steps to the side from her push.
Plot
The main character is a young merchant's wife, Katerina Lvovna Izmailova. Her husband is constantly at work, away from home. She is bored and lonely in the four walls of a large rich house. The spouse is sterile, but together with his father he reproaches his wife. Katerina falls in love with a handsome young clerk Sergei, gradually her hobby turns into passion, the lovers spend the night together. She is ready for anything for the sake of her sinful, criminal love, for the sake of her beloved. And a series of murders begins: first, Katerina Lvovna poisons her father-in-law to save Sergei, whom his father-in-law locked in the cellar, then, together with Sergei, kills her husband, and then strangles her young nephew Fedya with a pillow, who could challenge her inheritance rights. However, at this moment, a crowd of idle men rushes in from the yard, one of whom looked through the window and saw the scene of the murder. An autopsy proves that Fedya died of suffocation, Sergei confesses everything after the priest's words about the Last Judgment. Investigators find the body of Zinovy Borisovich buried in the basement. The murderers are brought to trial and, after being lashed, go to hard labor. Sergei instantly loses interest in Katerina as soon as she ceases to be a rich merchant's wife. He is carried away by another prisoner, looks after her in front of Katerina and laughs at her love. In the finale, Katerina grabs her rival Sonetka and drowns with her in the cold waters of the river.
Summary of the story "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District"
Katerina Lvovna, “a very pleasant woman in appearance,” lives in the well-to-do house of the merchant Izmailov with her widow-in-law Boris Timofeevich and her middle-aged husband Zinovy Borisovich. Katerina Lvovna has no children, and “with all the contentment” her life “for an unkind husband” is the most boring one. In the sixth year of marriage
Zinovy Borisovich leaves for the mill dam, leaving Katerina Lvovna “alone”. In the courtyard of her house, she competes with the impudent worker Sergei, and from the cook Aksinya learns that this fellow has been serving with the Izmailovs for a month already, and from the former house he was expelled for "love" with the mistress. In the evening, Sergei comes to Katerina Lvovna, complains of boredom, says that he loves, and stays until morning. But one night Boris Timofeevich notices Sergei's red shirt coming down from his daughter-in-law's window. The father-in-law threatens that he will tell everything to Katerina Lvovna's husband, and send Sergey to prison. On the same night, Katerina Lvovna poisons her father-in-law with the white powder reserved for the rats and continues the "aligoria" with Sergei.
Meanwhile, Sergei becomes dry with Katerina Lvovna, is jealous of her husband and talks about his insignificant state, confessing that he would like to be her husband “before the saint before the eternal temple”. In response, Katerina Lvovna promises to make him a merchant. Zinovy Borisovich returns home and accuses Katerina Lvovna of "cupids". Katerina Lvovna takes Sergey out and boldly kisses him in front of her husband. The lovers kill Zinovy Borisovich, and the corpse is buried in the cellar. They are looking for Zinovy Borisovich uselessly, and Katerina Lvovna "lives on with Sergei, due to his widow's position at large."
Soon, the young nephew of Zinovy Borisovich, Fyodor Lyapin, comes to live with Izmailova, whose money was in circulation with the deceased merchant. Instigated by Sergei, Katerina Lvovna conceives the limelight of the God-fearing boy. On the night of Vigil on the eve of the Feast of the Introduction, the boy remains in the house alone with his lovers and reads the Life of Saint Theodore Stratilates. Sergei grabs Fedya, and Katerina Lvovna strangles him with a down pillow. But as soon as the boy dies, the house begins to shake from the blows, Sergei panics, sees the late Zinovy Borisovich, and only Katerina Lvovna realizes that it is with a crash that the people are bursting, seeing what is going on in the “sinful house”.
Sergei is taken to the unit, and at the first words of the priest about the Last Judgment, he confesses to the murder of Zinovy Borisovich and calls Katerina Lvovna an accomplice. Katerina Lvovna denies everything, but at the confrontation confesses that she killed "for Sergei." The murderers are punished with lashes and sentenced to hard labor. Sergei arouses sympathy, and Katerina Lvovna behaves steadfastly and even refuses to look at the child when she is born. He, the only heir of the merchant, is given to education. Katerina Lvovna thinks only about how to get to the stage as soon as possible and see Sergei. But at the stage, Sergei is uncomfortable and secret dates do not please him. At Nizhniy Novgorod, a Moscow party joins the prisoners, with which a soldier Fiona of a free disposition and a seventeen-year-old Sonetka, about whom they say: "it twists around the hands, but is not given," go.
In 1864, an essay by Nikolai Leskov appeared in the Epoch magazine, based on the real story of a woman who killed her husband. After this publication, it was planned to create a whole series of stories dedicated to the fatal fate of women. The heroines of these works were supposed to be ordinary Russian women. But there was no continuation: the Epoch magazine was soon closed. Summary"Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" - the first part of the failed cycle - is the topic of the article.
About the story
This work was called an essay by Nikolai Leskov. "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District", as already mentioned, is a work based on real events. However, often in articles literary critics it is called a story.
What is Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk about? Analysis artwork involves a description of the characteristics of the main character. Her name is Katerina Izmailova. One of the critics compared her to the heroine of Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm". Both the first and the second are married to an unloved person. Both Katerina from "The Groza" and Leskova's heroine are unhappy in marriage. But if the first is not able to fight for her love, then the second is ready for anything for the sake of her happiness, which is described in a short summary. "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" is a work whose plot can be summarized as follows: the story of a woman who got rid of her husband for the sake of an unfaithful lover.
The fatal passion, pushing Izmailova to a crime, is so strong that the heroine of the work hardly evokes pity even in the last chapter, which tells about her death. But without getting ahead of ourselves, let us present a summary of "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District", starting with the first chapter.
Characteristics of the main character
Katerina Izmailova is a stately woman. Has a pleasant appearance. A summary of "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" should begin to retell with a description of Katerina's short life together with her husband, a wealthy merchant.
The main character is childless. Father-in-law Boris Timofeevich also lives in her husband's house. The author, talking about the life of the heroine, says that the life of a childless woman, and even with an unloved husband, is completely unbearable. As if justifying the future killer Leskov. "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" begins with the departure of Zinovy Borisovich - Katerina's husband - to the mill dam. It was during his departure that the young merchant's wife began an affair with the worker Sergei.
Beloved Katerina
It is worth saying a few words about Sergei, the second protagonist of the story "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District". An analysis of Leskov's work should be done only after a careful reading of the literary text. Indeed, already in the second chapter, the author tells briefly about Sergei. The young man does not work for long for the merchant Izmailov. Just a month ago, before the events described by Leskov, he worked in another house, but was expelled for having an affair with the mistress. The writer creates the image of the femme fatale. And she is opposed by the character of a sly, mercantile and cowardly man.
Love connection
The story "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" tells about the fatal passion. The main characters - Katerina and Sergey - indulge in amorous pleasures during the departure of their husbands. But if a woman seems to be losing her head, then Sergei is not so simple. He constantly reminds Katherine of her husband, depicts bouts of jealousy. It is Sergei who pushes Katerina to the crime. Which, however, does not in any way justify it.
Izmailova promises her lover to get rid of her husband and make him a merchant. It can be assumed that the employee originally hoped for this when he entered into a love affair with the hostess. But suddenly the father-in-law finds out about everything. And Katerina, without thinking twice, pours rat poison into Boris Timofeevich's food. With Sergey's help, he hides the body in the basement.
Husband murder
The husband of the unfaithful soon "goes" to the same basement. Zinovy Borisovich has the imprudence to return from the trip at the wrong time. He learns about his wife's betrayal, for which he is subjected to cruel reprisals. Now, it would seem, everything is going the way the criminals wanted. Husband and father-in-law in the basement. Katerina is a rich widow. She has only, for the sake of decency, to wait a while, and then she can safely marry a young lover. But unexpectedly another character from the story "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" comes to her house.
Reviews of the book by critics and readers of Leskov indicate that, despite the cruelty of the heroine, she causes, if not sympathy, then some pity. After all, her further destiny develops tragically. But the next crime she commits after the murder of her husband and father-in-law makes her one of the most unattractive characters in Russian literature.
Nephew
New actor essay Leskov - Fyodor Lyapin. The boy comes to visit his uncle's house. The nephew's money was in the merchant's turnover. Either out of mercantile considerations, or perhaps out of fear of being exposed, Katerina goes to a more terrible crime. She decides to get rid of Fedor. At the very moment when she covers the boy with a pillow, people begin to burst into the house, suspecting that something terrible is happening there. This knock on the door symbolizes the complete moral fall of Katherine. If the murder of an unloved husband could somehow be justified by passion for Sergei, then the death of a young nephew is a sin, for which a cruel punishment must follow.
Arrest
The essay "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" tells about a strong, strong-willed woman. When the lover is taken to the station, he confesses to the murders. Katerina is silent to the last. When it makes no sense to deny, the woman confesses that she killed, but did it for the sake of Sergei. The young man causes some pity among the investigators. Katerina is just hate and disgust. But the merchant widow is worried about only one thing: she dreams of getting to the stage as soon as possible and being closer to Sergei.
Conclusion
Once on the stage, Katerina is constantly looking for meetings with Sergei. But he finds it difficult to be alone with her. He is no longer interested in Katerina. After all, she is no longer a rich merchant's wife, but an unfortunate prisoner. Sergei quickly finds a replacement for her. In one of the cities a party from Moscow adjoins the prisoners. Among them is the girl Sonetka. Sergei falls in love with a young lady. When Izmailova finds out about the betrayal, she spits in his face in front of other prisoners.
In conclusion, Sergei becomes a completely different person. And it is in the final chapters that Katerina is able to evoke sympathy. The former employee not only finds a new passion, but also scoffs at the former lover. And once, in order to take revenge on her for a public insult, Sergei, along with his new friend, beats a woman.
Death
Izmailova, after Sergei's betrayal, does not go into hysterics. She only needs one evening to cry all the tears, the only witness of which is the prisoner Fiona. The day after the beating, Izmailov seems extremely calm. She pays no attention to Sergey's mockery and Sonetka's giggling. But, seizing the moment, he pushes the girl and falls with her into the river.
The suicide of Katerina became one of the reasons for critics to compare her with the heroine of Ostrovsky. However, this is where the similarities between these two female images end. Rather, Izmailova resembles the heroine of Shakespeare's tragedy, a work to which the author of the essay "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" makes an allusion. Cunning and willingness to do anything for the sake of passion - these features of Katerina Izmailova make her one of the most unpleasant literary characters.