# Esarhaddon, King of Assyria explained — The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories

> Chapter companion for The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy.

## What happens

King Esarhaddon, having conquered King Lailie, plans his execution. An old mystic appears and, through a magical immersion in water, forces Esarhaddon to experience life as Lailie—from his royal duties and joys to his defeat, capture, and impending brutal execution. Esarhaddon then experiences life as a mother ass whose colt is killed by hunters. Awakening, he learns that the entire ordeal lasted only a moment. The old man explains the unity of all life: harming others is harming oneself. Transformed, Esarhaddon frees his prisoners, abdicates his throne, and becomes a wandering preacher.

## Themes in this chapter

### Moral Philosophy and Virtue

The chapter's core is a moral lesson on empathy, non-violence, and the interconnectedness of all beings, arguing that evil done to others is self-harm.

### Fate, Injustice, and Suffering

Explored through the brutal suffering inflicted on Lailie and the captured warriors, and the visceral pain of the hunted animal, highlighting the cyclical nature of violence and victimhood.

### Faith, Spirituality, and Redemption

Centers on a mystical experience that leads to a complete spiritual transformation, renunciation of power, and a life dedicated to preaching a message of universal love and unity.

## Character check-ins

### King Esarhaddon

The Assyrian king; through a mystical experience, he lives the life of his captive, Lailie, and an animal, leading to a profound spiritual awakening about the interconnectedness of all life.

### The Stranger

An old man with a long gray beard and mild eyes who appears to Esarhaddon; he acts as a spiritual guide, using a font of water to reveal the truth of non-duality and universal life.

## Key lines

> "You and Lailie are one," said the old man. "You only imagine you are not Lailie, and that Lailie is not you."

The stranger reveals that Esarhaddon and his enemy are fundamentally the same being, separated only by illusion.

_Introduces the central philosophical concept of non-duality and the illusion of separate selves._

> "Life is one in them all, and yours is but a portion of this same common life."

All living beings share a single, universal life force; individual existence is just a part of this whole.

_The core revelation that dismantles Esarhaddon's worldview and justifies compassion._

> "To destroy the life that dwells in others is beyond your power... Life knows neither time nor space."

You cannot truly annihilate life; it is eternal and transcends individual forms, time, and physical limits.

_Explains the futility and self-deception of violence, positing life as the only fundamental reality._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se/chapters/esarhaddon-king-of-assyria306
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se/chapters