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"The Lay of Igor's Host": a plan, a brief summary, the main characters

One of the most famous works of Old Russian literature is "The Lay of Igor's Host", the plan and content of which we will consider in this article.

The plot of the heroic tale

The work "The Lay of Igor's Campaign" describes the time when Kievan Rus lost its power and drowned in internecine strife. The fragmentation of the state and the feud between the princes (all because of the main throne) were supplemented by another factor - the Polovtsian invasions into their territory. The nomads plundered and killed, were taken prisoner, where they forced them to work hard for years.

Only by common efforts the Russian princes could pacify the steppe people. And there was more than one successful trip, which brought people back home, languishing in a yoke. However, the Novgorod-Severny prince decided to independently make a trek to get a lot of fame and booty. "The Lay of Igor's Host", the plan of which will be submitted a little later, tells about this event, which ended very badly. Igor is taken prisoner with his son and boyars, his squad is mostly killed in battle, and who survived - also became a slave.

Efforts of all the princes of Russia are going to a considerable ransom in order to rescue the kinsman. However, Igor manages to escape - not without the help of the Polovtsian Ovlur, whose mother was Russian. However, the collected money was enough to bring home every prince's prince, who participated in the unsuccessful campaign.

"The Lay of Igor's Host": a plan

A work that has come down from the depths of the ages only in retellings and copies, is very complex and versatile. It consists of several separate parts, which, like puzzles, create a single picture - the life and problems of Russia in the twelfth century. It:

  • The introduction , in which the author tells about the great singer of antiquity - Boyana, about the lands of Russia and their inhabitants, princes and their campaigns. Here mention (or retell) of folk tales about the heroic deeds of rulers, about pagan deities.
  • Igor's campaign. This part describes the very notorious campaign that began with the eclipse of the sun. But, despite the bad sign, the campaign begins, and it seems that luck accompanies the army. They win and capture a lot of prey. True, instead of immediately returning home, Russian militia organize a feast. They are overtaken by the main forces of the Polovtsi and mercilessly killed, captivating those for whom it is possible to obtain ransom.
  • The golden word of Svyatoslav. This part tells that bad news soon reaches Kiev. Grand Duke Svyatoslav is saddened, not for nothing that he foresaw the disaster and saw a bad dream. But here the author describes the great victory of the prince of Kiev in the recent campaign against the Polovtsians (in which the Novgorod-Severians did not participate). He calls for help from a deceased relative.
  • Appeal to the princes. It is not entirely clear whether the ardent call from the mouth of Prince Svyatoslav sounded, or whether the author expressed his own thought. But further in the "Word ..." a speech sounds, in which the idea of unification is given. The author mentions all the great rulers of the Russian land, the strongest princes and their descendants. He asks them to stop the strife and pay for the defeat of Igor.
  • Lamentations of Yaroslavna. This is the most romantic part of the work, where the main character is the wife of Igor - Yaroslavna. "The Lay of Igor's Host" draws her very in love with her husband, the news of his defeat and captivity she perceives as a tragedy. Every morning at the city gate the girl cries, turns to the wind, the sun and the Dnieper river, accusing them of failure. Itself is ready to fly a bird to heal wounds on the body of her husband.
  • Igor's flight from captivity. Since the prince understands that a large ransom, assigned for his head and head of his son, will severely undermine Russia's financial position, Igor dares to escape. The author seems to run along with him, restraining the excitement of the heart. The prince helps not only friends, but also the stars. Polovtsy pursue him on his heels, but escapees manage to escape and get to their native land.

The main characters of the Russian epic

Very interesting are the images presented in this work. "The Lay of Igor's Host" mentions Prince Igor, the ruler of Novgorod-Seversky, and his faithful wife Yaroslavna. These are the main characters. Prince - in the beginning a proud and violent person who is capable of emotional actions, not thought out to the end. At the end of the work, he appears as a repentant and wise ruler who has realized his mistake and is ready to atone for it. He liberates all the warriors from captivity, gentle with the other princes and is grateful for their help. Yaroslavna is tender and loving, she saves her husband with her feelings, she misses with him and calls to the aid of all the forces of nature.

Prince Svyatoslav appears as the wise ruler of the Russian land, he is the symbolic father of all princes and principalities. It is not for nothing that from his mouth it is a question of unity and mutual assistance. Boyan is a person who, allegedly, has been removed from events, but inspires and supports his abilities, given from above. And it does not matter that the singer is long gone, his memory lives in the heart of the people.

Features of the work

"The Lay of Igor's Host", the plan of which is given above, has a number of peculiarities. This is not only a heroic poem, akin to the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer. This is a real epic, created in the best traditions of the Middle Ages. He is distinguished by a special language, speeches full of pride in past victories. But there is sorrow between the lines, for the author sees how the rulers are smashed once by a great power. He delicately notes the main problem of Rus - the lack of unity between the princes, who can not divide the lot and are eager to settle on the throne of Kiev.

But not only about the unsuccessful hike tells "The Lay of Igor's Host". The characteristics of each prince makes it possible to restore the historical portrait of the rulers, to revive their wonders and hopes. They behaved nobly, in spite of the fact that the ruler of the Novgorod-Seversky principality acted extremely unreasonably. Together they collect money to redeem from the captivity of Igor and his vigilantes, joyfully greet the liberated prince. But still the lesson of history was forgotten by them, because the quarrels did not stop.

Mythology and artistic techniques

The work is filled with Slavonic folk motifs, poetic phrases, legends about epic heroes. I want to note that in the "Word ..." and used the ancient mythology. The author calls the princes grandsons Dazhbog, Boyana - a descendant of Veles, the winds are called the sons of Stribog. Also mentioned are such beings as Karna and Jel, the personifications of sadness and longing, the great is called the god Hors. It is not entirely clear who Troyan is - whether it's a Roman emperor, whether it's a message to a Greek city that has been under siege for ten years, or whether it's a fairy god of the Slavs. This gives every reason to believe that even at the end of the twelfth century, when the "Word ..." was written, people still did not forget their pagan gods, but worshiped them on a par with the Christian Lord.

And who is the author?

The greatest work "The Lay of Igor's Host". The author of his well-known relationship between the princes, the life of Russia from the inside. But he also describes in detail the campaigns, maneuvers that Igor made during the battle. This gives the right to assume that he himself took part in the military campaign, was a vigilante or close to the ruler. True, it is impossible to accurately name the name of this man for today.

Versions and assumptions

Sketches of his native land (Kiev, the steppes near Seversky Donets and Uda) are filled with "The Lay of Igor's Host". The author may have traveled a lot in Russia, so he knows the terrain well. Some researchers believe that the work was written by Kirill Turovsky, Prince Igor, Vladimir Svyatoslavovich himself, or the daughter of Svyatoslav Vselodovich Boleslav. There is a version that the work that went down in history was written by boyar Pyotr Borislavovich from Kiev, which is mentioned in the Ipatievsky list. But some historians believe that such a complex work has several authors, not one. There are also such scientists who consider the "Word ..." a qualitative fake, and not a real historical document, especially since the original did not reach our time. But anyway, the creator of the poem did a great job, which leaves no one indifferent.

Instead of an afterword

The work deserves to be read by every person - completely, in the original language.

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