Eugene Onegin · Chapter
Canto the Fifth: The Fête explained
Tattiana, deeply superstitious, has a prophetic dream in which Onegin kills Lenski.
What happens
Tattiana, deeply superstitious, has a prophetic dream in which Onegin kills Lenski. At her name-day feast, the guests arrive, including Monsieur Triquet who sings couplets to her. Onegin, annoyed at being seated opposite Tattiana and observing her distress, feels a flicker of sympathy. The chapter culminates in the festive dinner and the beginning of the evening's entertainments.
Themes in this chapter
Fate and Missed Opportunity
Tattiana's prophetic dream foreshadows the tragic duel, highlighting the inescapable nature of fate.
Love and Rejection
Tattiana's emotional turmoil at the fête contrasts with Onegin's detached sympathy, setting the stage for future rejection.
Social Class and Convention
The fête showcases the rigid social hierarchy and provincial customs, from seating arrangements to the performance of couplets.
Characters to notice
- Tattiana Larina
Host of the name-day fête; experiences a prophetic dream and is overwhelmed by Onegin's presence.
- Eugene Onegin
Attends the fête with Lenski; annoyed by the situation, he shows a moment of sympathy toward Tattiana.
- Vladimir Lenski
Arrives at the fête with Onegin; introduces him to the gathering.
- Olga Larina
Tattiana's sister; appears in the dream and wakes Tattiana in the morning.
- Monsieur Triquet
A French tutor who sings couplets in Tattiana's honor at the fête.
- Poustiakova
A guest at the fête, arriving with her corpulent partner.
Key passages
“Right opposite Tattiana placed, She, than the morning moon more pale, More timid than a doe long chased, Lifts not her eyes which swimming fail.”
Tattiana is seated directly across from Onegin, looking paler than the morning moon and more frightened than a hunted deer, unable to raise her tear-filled eyes.
Highlights Tattiana's extreme nervousness and emotional vulnerability in Onegin's presence.
“He bowed to her nor silence broke, But somehow there shone in his look The witching light of sympathy; I know not if his heart felt pain Or if he meant to flirt again, From habit or maliciously, But kindness from his eye had beamed And to revive Tattiana seemed.”
Onegin bowed without speaking, but his eyes showed a glimmer of sympathy, whether genuine or flirtatious, which seemed to revive Tattiana's spirits.
Captures the ambiguous nature of Onegin's feelings and its effect on Tattiana.
“Tattiana in traditions old Believed, the people’s wisdom weird, In dreams and what the moon foretold And what she from the cards inferred.”
Tattiana held superstitious beliefs in folk traditions, dreams, lunar omens, and card readings.
Establishes Tattiana's superstitious nature, which leads to her prophetic dream.