Eugene Onegin · Chapter
XVII explained
The chapter describes a lively and crowded theater scene, with bright lamps illuminating the audience and the stage.
What happens
The chapter describes a lively and crowded theater scene, with bright lamps illuminating the audience and the stage. The ballerina Istomina performs a dazzling dance, captivating the spectators with her grace and agility.
Themes in this chapter
The Role of Literature and Art
The chapter highlights the power of art and performance to captivate and transport an audience, reflecting on the cultural significance of theater in society.
Characters to notice
- The Muse
The Muse is invoked through the description of Istomina's dance, embodying the artistic inspiration of the performance.
- Alexander Pushkin
Pushkin narrates the scene, offering a vivid depiction of the theater and the dancer's performance.
Key passages
“The house is crammed. A thousand lamps On pit, stalls, boxes, brightly blaze, Impatiently the gallery stamps, The curtain now they slowly raise.”
The theater is packed with people, and countless lamps illuminate every section from the pit to the boxes. The audience in the gallery stamps their feet impatiently as the curtain is slowly raised.
Sets the scene of a full and eager theater audience awaiting the performance.
“Obedient to the magic strings, Brilliant, ethereal, there springs Forth from the crowd of nymphs surrounding Istòmina the nimbly-bounding;”
Responding to the enchanting music, the brilliant and airy Istomina leaps out from among the surrounding dancers, moving with nimble grace.
Describes the entrance and ethereal quality of the dancer Istomina.
“With one foot resting on its tip Slow circling round its fellow swings And now she skips and now she springs Like down from Aeolus’s lip, Now her lithe form she arches o’er And beats with rapid foot the floor.”
Balancing on one toe, she slowly turns around the other foot, then skips and leaps as lightly as a feather blown from the wind god's mouth. She arches her flexible body and rapidly taps the floor with her foot.
Vividly captures the intricate and lively movements of Istomina's dance.