The Brothers Karamazov · Chapter
XII: And There Was No Murder Either explained
Fetyukovitch delivers a passionate defense of Dmitri, arguing that the prosecution's case is built on circumstantial evidence and psychological assumptions rather than irrefutable facts.
What happens
Fetyukovitch delivers a passionate defense of Dmitri, arguing that the prosecution's case is built on circumstantial evidence and psychological assumptions rather than irrefutable facts. He challenges the logic that Dmitri's presence in the garden proves murder, suggests Smerdyakov as the true culprit, and appeals to the jury's sense of justice and responsibility.
Themes in this chapter
Justice and Injustice
Fetyukovitch warns against a miscarriage of justice and emphasizes the jury's responsibility to weigh evidence carefully.
Free Will and Responsibility
The defense argues that Dmitri's actions, even if impulsive, do not prove premeditated murder, highlighting the complexity of human choice.
Suffering and Redemption
Fetyukovitch suggests Dmitri's despair and potential for redemption, contrasting with the prosecution's portrayal of cold-heartedness.
Characters to notice
- Fetyukovitch
Defense counsel delivering a powerful speech challenging the prosecution's case.
- Dmitri Karamazov
The defendant, whose innocence Fetyukovitch passionately argues.
- Smerdyakov
Pointed to as the possible real murderer by Fetyukovitch.
- Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov
The murdered father, whose death is central to the trial.
- Grigory
The old servant who was knocked down and whose testimony is questioned.
- Grushenka
Madame Svyetlov, whose absence from the house is key to Fetyukovitch's argument.
Key passages
“Gentlemen of the jury, beware of a miscarriage of justice! What is there unlikely in all I have put before you just now? Find the error in my reasoning; find the impossibility, the absurdity. And if there is but a shade of possibility, but a shade of probability in my propositions, do not condemn him.”
Fetyukovitch implores the jury to avoid an unjust verdict, challenging them to find any flaw in his reasoning and urging acquittal if there is even a hint of doubt.
Highlights the defense's emphasis on reasonable doubt and the gravity of the jury's decision.
“He did not kill himself just because ‘his mother’s prayers had saved him,’ and he was innocent of his father’s blood.”
Fetyukovitch argues that Dmitri did not commit suicide because he was innocent, saved by his mother's prayers, not because he lacked remorse.
Connects Dmitri's survival to innocence and divine intervention, countering the prosecution's claims.
“Why may I not draw the very opposite conclusion? There are two persons—the prisoner and Smerdyakov. Why can I not say that you accuse”
Fetyukovitch suggests that the jury could just as reasonably suspect Smerdyakov instead of Dmitri, given the same evidence.
Introduces the alternative theory of Smerdyakov's guilt, undermining the prosecution's case.