The Deluge · Chapter
XVII explained
Kmita successfully defeats the Hungarian and dragoon forces at Kyedani, but is troubled by the violence against fellow Poles.
What happens
Kmita successfully defeats the Hungarian and dragoon forces at Kyedani, but is troubled by the violence against fellow Poles. He pleads with Radzivill to spare the lives of Volodyovski, the Skshetuskis, and the old noble who called Radzivill a traitor. After a tense confrontation, Radzivill relents and agrees to send them to Birji instead of executing them. Radzivill then orders Kmita to bring Pan Billevich and his niece Olenka to Kyedani as hostages.
Themes in this chapter
- Honor and Betrayal
Kmita struggles with his loyalty to Radzivill versus his sense of honor toward Volodyovski and the other officers, highlighting the conflict between personal integrity and political allegiance.
- Political Intrigue
Radzivill manipulates Kmita and plans to use the Billeviches as hostages to control the Jmud nobility, demonstrating the ruthless political maneuvering of the time.
- Redemption and Transformation
Kmita's intercession for his former rivals shows his potential for moral growth, as he seeks to repay a debt of gratitude and protect the innocent.
Characters to notice
- Andrei Kmita
Triumphs in battle but is gloomy; pleads with Radzivill to spare Volodyovski and his friends, showing his sense of honor and gratitude.
- Yanush Radzivill
The grand hetman, now revealed as a traitor to the Swedes; reluctantly yields to Kmita's demands but remains vengeful.
- Pan Michael Volodyovski
Condemned to death by Radzivill but saved by Kmita's intercession; his life is spared and he is to be sent to Birji.
- Zagloba
The old noble who first shouted 'Traitor' at Radzivill; Radzivill initially demands his death but eventually spares him due to Kmita's pleas.
- Yan Skshetuski
One of the officers condemned alongside Volodyovski; spared and to be sent to Birji.
- Stanislav Skshetuski
Also condemned and spared; to be sent to Birji with the others.
- Olenka Billevich
Mentioned as the niece of Pan Billevich; Radzivill plans to bring her and her uncle to Kyedani as hostages.
- Tomash Billevich
The sword-bearer of Rossyeni; Radzivill orders Kmita to bring him and his niece to Kyedani by force if necessary.
Key passages
“Your highness, I do not like to hear praises, and would rather a hundred times fight the enemy than soldiers who might be of service to the country. It seems to a man as if he were spilling his own blood.”
Kmita tells Radzivill he would rather fight the enemy than kill fellow Polish soldiers, as it feels like shedding his own blood.
Kmita expresses his reluctance to fight against Poles, showing his internal conflict.
“Volodyovski had the power not to deliver to me the commission, for it was sent to him and left at his disposal. But he gave it. He plucked me out of the whirlpool. Through that act of his I passed into the jurisdiction of your highness. He did not hesitate to save me, though he and I were trying to win the same woman. I owe him gratitude, and I have vowed to repay him.”
Kmita explains that Volodyovski could have withheld the commission but chose to save him, despite being rivals for Olenka, and he is now bound by gratitude to protect him.
Kmita's plea to Radzivill to spare Volodyovski is based on a debt of honor.
“I determined death to him yesterday in my soul.”
Radzivill says he had already decided in his heart that the old noble must die.
Radzivill's vengeful nature is revealed as he insists on punishing Zagloba.
“What the hetman and voevoda of Vilna determined, that can the Grand Prince of Lithuania and, God grant in the future, the King of Poland, as a gracious monarch, efface.”
Kmita flatters Radzivill by suggesting that as a future king, he can reverse his own decrees of death.
Kmita uses political ambition to persuade Radzivill to show mercy.
