Summary and Analysis: "The Death of Ermak" (Rileyev)

Let's proceed immediately to our topic and begin the analysis. "The death of Ermak" Ryleeva was largely due to the life of the writer himself. Therefore, we shall plunge a bit into the events that preceded the writing, and briefly get acquainted with the biography of the author - Kondratiya Ryleeva. This is necessary first of all in order to better understand what thoughts these moments were in the author's head and what prompted him to write this thought.

The poem "Death of Ermak" by Ryleyev is included in a unique cycle of philosophical and patriotic poems, which also include: "Demetrius Donskoy", "Bogdan Khmelnitsky", "Volynsky", "Prophetic Oleg", "Derzhavin", etc. As for the appreciation of Rileyev's work Pushkin, he wrote that in his thoughts there is nothing Russian and national, except for names.

short biography

Kondraty Ryleyev was a Russian poet and public figure who was born on September 18, 1795 in the village of Batovo, St. Petersburg province, in the family of a small nobleman. From 1801 to 1814 Kondraty studied in the first Petersburg Cadet Corps. He participated in the foreign campaigns of the Russian army in the period from 1813 to 1814.

But, unfortunately, the life of Ryleev tragically ended on July 13, 1826. He was only 30 years old, he was one of the leaders of the Decembrist uprising and was among the five officers who were executed on the scaffold.

Creation

And now we come very close to his work, in 1820 he created his famous satirical ode "To the Times." In 1821 he became a member of the Free Society of Lovers of Russian Literature and was on the service of the assessor of the St. Petersburg Criminal Chamber, and in 1824 he headed the management department of the Russian-American enterprise. From 1823 to 1825, together with Alexander Bestuzhev, Kondraty Ryleev worked on the production of the "Polar Star" almanac and was a member of the Masonic lodge "To the Flaming Star."

Ryleev, "The Death of Ermak": the idea

In 1822, Rileyev also wrote a duma dedicated to the ataman Ermak, which was partly put on music, and she became a song.

The Duma "Ermak's Death", the content of which will be presented further, is based on real historical events. The protagonist is a well-known historical figure - a Cossack ataman named Ermak Timofeevich, who played a major role in the annexation of Siberia to the Russian state in the second half of the 16th century under the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Ermak with his army constantly fought with Khan Kuchum, who did not want to obey the Russian tsar and pay tribute to Moscow. Kuchum wanted to rule West Siberia himself and did not subordinate to anyone, and then completely revolutionized and killed his Muslim brethren who agreed to accept Russian citizenship and pay bribes to the victors.

Khan Kuchum

The Duma "The Death of Ermak" further describes how in the next battle of Kuchum with Ermak many people were killed. Kuchum fled to the steppe, and Ermak, with the remaining soldiers, who numbered only 50 people, passing the Irtysh river, stopped to spend the night at the mouth of the Vagay River. At night, Kuchum suddenly attacked the sleeping Cossacks and killed almost everyone. Only a few people were saved. Ataman Ermak, burdened with two mail-chanels, one of which was donated by the tsar, and the weapon that he wore, rushed into the river to reach the ruts, but drowned in the Irtysh. However, according to Tatar traditions, he was wounded in the throat with the spear of the hero Kutugai.

Ermak's body was pulled to the land by a fisherman-Tatar, on the body of the ataman from all over the county came to see many murz and even Kuchum himself. For several days the Tatars shot the body of a brave Russian warrior from a bow and cheerfully feasted, but later his remains were thrown, and, according to eyewitnesses, they lay for a month in the air and did not spoil. Then the Tatars, having removed all the equipment and clothes from him, having divided them among themselves, buried him in a place of honor at the Muslim cemetery, in the village of Baishevo (Vagaysky district of the Tyumen region).

Analysis: "The Death of Ermak", Rileyev

Rileyev, inspired by the exploits of Russian soldiers, decided to devote his thoughts to them. So the thought "Death of Ermak" appeared. The poet well studied the ancient traditions of Ermak and knew that on the day of the hero's death there was a violent storm with a storm, and Ermak died in the waves of a raging river. Rileyev starts a thought with a description of that terrible stormy night, when nature itself is ominously worried, the storm is roaring, the rain is raining, lightning flies in the darkness of the night, thunder roars all the time, and the winds are raging.

The Duma "Ermak's Death" describes how on the bank of the Irtysh there is a deeply thoughtful Ermak, who, as if anticipating his imminent death, reflects on life, about friends and about whether they lived their lives right. After all, many Cossacks in the past were desperate criminals and cutthroats who went to the service of the king. Ermak in no way condemns them, and even on the contrary - admires their courage and courage. He believes that they have washed all their "crimes of violent life" with the blood of their enemies, and now they do not spare their lives for the Russian saint and the tsar.

The courageous and brave ataman Ermak in the Duma is opposed to the leader of the enemy camp Khan Kuchum - a crafty and mean man who, fearing to directly engage in battle with the Ermak's team, secretly crept up to them with his people and destroyed them all, the soldiers fell, "not exposing swords" .

Death

Ermak rushes into the river, straining with all his strength under the biting waves of a raging river, dressed in a "heavy carapace-gift of the king," he sinks. Rileyev believes that it was the heavy equipment of the hero who caused his death. The river almost immediately absorbed the brave warrior. The hero died, he exchanged his freedom and began to faithfully serve the autocracy. In any case, this is what the analysis talks about. "Ermak's death" Rileyev again ends with a description of raging winds and thunders.

For Ryleev, the very important issue of personal freedom, to serve Russia and serve the tsar, is not the same for him. He admires Ermak's courageous heroism and his service for the benefit of Russia, but does not agree that he accepted an expensive gift from the tsar, who caused his death. On this you can finish the consideration of the famous Duma. The analysis told us a lot. "Death of Ermak" Ryleeva shows that the author had his own negative attitude towards the autocracy, for which he paid with his own head.