Standalone Plays
The Power of Darkness is a play written by the renowned Russian author Leo Tolstoy. The story revolves around a peasant family living in rural Russia, and the tragic consequences of their actions. The central character, Nikita, is a simple man who is married to Akulina and has a son named Mitry. Nikita is a hardworking farmer, but he is also an alcoholic who frequently neglects his family. Akulina is a devoted wife and mother who tries to keep the family together, but she is powerless against Nikita's destructive behavior. The play explores themes of love, betrayal, and redemption. Nikita's father, Peter, is a wealthy landowner who wants to take Mitry away from his parents and raise him as his own. Nikita agrees to sell his son to Peter in exchange for a large sum of money, but he soon realizes the gravity of his mistake. Meanwhile, Akulina is tormented by guilt and despair, and she turns to religion for solace. As the play unfolds, the characters are forced to confront the consequences of their actions. Nikita's greed and selfishness lead to tragedy, and he is ultimately consumed by his own darkness. Akulina, on the other hand, finds redemption through her faith and her love for her son. The Power of Darkness is a powerful and thought-provoking work that explores the human condition with Tolstoy's characteristic insight and compassion. It is a timeless masterpiece that continues to resonate with audiences today.THIS 108 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: The Dramatic Works of Leo Tolstoy, by Leo Tolstoy. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1417923202.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
The Man Who Was Dead, The Cause of it All, and The Light That Shines in the Darkness are the three plays left by Tolstoy for publication after his death. The Light That Shines in the Darkness -- the last of Tolstoy's plays, was left unfinished. In Russia it is prohibited on account of its allusions to the refusal of military service. Yet it is in some ways the most interesting of Tolstoy's posthumous works. It is obviously not strictly autobiographical, for Tolstoy was not assassinated as the hero of the piece is, nor was his daughter engaged to be married to a young prince who refused military service. But like some of his other writings, the play is semi-autobiographical. In it, not only has Tolstoy utilised personal experiences, but more than that, he answers the question so often asked: Why, holding his views, did he not free himself from property before he grew old?
Of the three plays left by Tolstoy for publication after his death, one is a short two-act Temperance play called in English The Cause of it All (the Russian title is a colloquialism difficult to render, but "From it all evil flows" is as near as one can get to it). It does not claim to be a piece of much importance, but if ever it is staged, it should act easily and well. Another of these posthumous plays is The Man Who Was Dead (The Live Corpse), a powerful piece, in which Tolstoy introduces one of those gipsy choirs which had such an influence on him (and still more on his brother Sergius) when he was a young man of twenty to twenty-three, before he went to the Caucasus and entered the army. The last of Tolstoy's plays, The Light That Shines in Darkness, was left unfinished.
The drama The Living Corpse was written in 1900, at Pirogov (the estate of Sergey Nikolaevich, Tolstoys brother) and at Yasnaya Polyana (Tolstoys own estate).
Excerpt from The Fruits of Enlightenment Greg. I'll put them up, my lady, at once. [takes down a fur cloak and envelops tanya in it] Tanya, dear, listen to what I've got to say to you....