The Tale of Shemyakin court Old Russian works of folk art. The writer states the main point stories in satirical form.
The work tells the story of two brothers and a situation that happened to one of the brothers.
Both brothers are villagers, but one of them is rich and the other is poor. The rich brother often lent money to the poor brother, but he still remained poor. Once a poor man asked for a horse for a while. The rich brother let him use the horse, but did not give him the bridle. Because of this, the poor man had to tie the cart to the horse's tail. When he was returning back, the horse caught on one of the parts of the gate, tearing off its tail.
When the rich man found out what happened to his horse, he was very angry and refused to take his horse back. Having thought about the situation well, I decided to go to the city court so that Judge Shemyaka would pronounce a sentence.
The road to the city was not easy, so the brothers decided to stop with a local priest, who was an acquaintance of his rich brother. In the evening, only two sat down to dinner at the table (the priest and the rich brother), but they did not invite the poor brother to the table. He watched them eat and suffered from unbearable thirst and hunger. After some time he lost consciousness. Having lost consciousness, he fell onto the cradle in which the child priest was sleeping. The priest's child died immediately. The priest was furious and decided to go to the city to the judge to get the poor worthy person punished.
Having climbed onto the bridge, the poor man decided that he had no way out of this situation, and he decided to commit suicide. At that moment, a son was passing under the bridge, taking his elderly father to the bathhouse. The beggar brother rushed down and landed directly on the old man, thereby killing him.
The beggar was dragged to court and at the same moment the poor man began to think what he could do to get out of this situation. Without a penny in my pocket. He picked up a stone from the ground, wrapped it in cloth and placed it in front of the judge.
The rich brother began to tell a story about how the poor brother crippled his horse. Then the judge asked the poor man what he could say in his defense, but he only pointed to the bundle of stone. The priest told a story about how a poor man killed his child, the judge again turned to the beggar to find out his opinion about this situation, but he again only pointed to a bundle with a stone. The young man outlined the situation about what happened to his father. After this story, the judge again gave the floor to the poor brother, he did not answer anything, but again pointed to the bundle of cloth.
Then the judge pronounced a sentence that the rich brother should give the horse to the poor one until the horse’s tail grows back. The priest must give his wife to the poor man so that she can give birth to a child, and the young man must kill the poor man in the same way as he killed his father.
Upon returning to the village, the rich man began to beg for the return of the horse, but the poor man refused him, paying attention to the sentence passed. Therefore, he offered him money to return the horse in the condition in which it is now. The poor man agreed to his proposal, took the money and gave the horse back.
The priest followed the example of the rich man and also paid money so that his wife would stay with him.
The young man did not carry out the judge’s sentence and also paid a certain amount of money to the poor man.
To find out what the package that the poor man had with him at the trial meant, the judge sent his servant to him. The poor man showed the traveler a bundle with a stone, which he took out of his pocket. The servant was surprised and asked what this could mean? Poor said that if Shemyaka had passed a different sentence, he would have killed him with this stone.
The servant conveyed everything that the poor man had told him. And then the judge was glad that he had pronounced the sentence correctly.
As a result, the story of the Shemyakin trial teaches us that the main thing in a person is how he can use his mental abilities, and not his material wealth.
Reader's diary.
There lived two peasant brothers: one rich and the other poor. For many years the rich lent money to the poor, but he remained just as poor. One day a poor man came to ask a rich man for a horse to bring firewood. He reluctantly gave the horse. Then the poor man began to ask for a collar. But the brother got angry and didn’t give me the clamp.
There is nothing to do - the poor man tied his logs to the horse's tail. When he was carrying firewood home, he forgot to open the gateway, and the horse, driving through the gate, tore off its tail.
A poor man brought his brother a horse without a tail. But he didn’t take the horse, but went to the city to see Judge Shemyaka to attack his brother. The poor man followed him, knowing that he would still be forced to appear in court.
They reached one village. The rich man stayed with his friend, the village priest. The poor man came to the same priest and lay down on the floor. The rich man and the priest sat down to eat, but the poor man was not invited. He watched from the floor what they were eating, fell, fell on the cradle and crushed the child. The priest also went to the city to complain about the poor man.
They were passing through the bridge. And below, along the ditch, one man was taking his father to the bathhouse. The poor man, foreseeing his death, decided to commit suicide. He threw himself off the bridge, fell on the old man and killed him. He was caught and brought before a judge. The poor man wondered what he should give to the judge... He took a stone, wrapped it in a cloth and stood in front of the judge.
After listening to the rich brother's complaint, Judge Shemyaka ordered the poor brother to answer. He showed the judge the wrapped stone. Shemyaka decided: let the poor man not give the horse to the rich man until it grows a new tail.
Then he brought the petition priest. And the poor man again showed the stone. The judge decided: let the priest give the priest his priest until he “gets” a new child.
Then the son began to complain, whose father had been run over by the poor man. The poor man again showed the stone to the judge. The judge decided: let the plaintiff kill the poor man in the same way, that is, throw himself at him from the bridge.
After the trial, the rich man began to ask the poor man for a horse, but he refused to give it, citing the judge's decision. The rich man gave him five rubles so that he could give away the horse without the tail.
Then the poor man began, by a judge's decision, to demand the priest's butt. The priest gave him ten rubles, just so that he would not take the hit.
Bedny suggested that the third plaintiff comply with the judge's decision. But he, on reflection, did not want to throw himself at him from the bridge, but began to make peace and also gave the poor man a bribe.
And the judge sent his man to the defendant to ask about the three bundles that the poor man showed to the judge. The poor man pulled out the stone. Shemyakin's servant was surprised and asked what kind of stone it was. The defendant explained that if the judge had not judged by him, he would have hurt him with this stone.
Having learned about the danger that threatened him, the judge was very glad that he had judged this way. And the poor man went home rejoicing.
Chekhov wrote the story “About Love” in 1898. The work completes the author’s “Little Trilogy,” which also included the stories “The Man in a Case” and “Gooseberry” studied in literature lessons. In the story “About Love,” the author reveals the theme of “caseness” in love, showing how people limit themselves and do not allow themselves to be happy. You can read the online summary of “About Love” directly on our website.
Pavel Konstantinych Alekhine- a poor landowner who shared with the guests his love story for Anna Alekseevna.
Anna Alekseevna– a kind, intelligent woman, Luganovich’s wife; Alekhine was in love with her.
Luganovich- “comrade chairman of the district court”, “dearest person”, Anna Alekseevna’s husband.
Burkin, Ivan Ivanovich- Alekhine’s guests, to whom he told his story.
Alekhine, Ivan Ivanovich and Burkin were talking at breakfast. The owner said that his maid Pelageya was very much in love with the cook Nikanor, but did not want to marry him, since he drank, became violent and even beat her.
Reflecting on the nature of love, Alekhine comes to the conclusion that “this secret is great.” The man believes that Russians decorate love with fatal questions: “is it fair or dishonest, smart or stupid, where will this love lead?” And Alekhine spoke about his love.
He moved to Sofiino immediately after graduating from university. Since “the estate had a large debt,” Alekhine decided to give in to his city habits and work hard until he paid everything off. Alekhine plowed, sowed, and mowed together with everyone else.
In the very first years, the man was chosen as an “honorary justice of the peace.” At one of the meetings he met Luganovich. He called Alekhine to dinner and introduced him to his wife Anna Alekseevna, who was then no more than twenty-two years old. Alekhine “felt in her a close, already familiar being.” The next time Alekhine saw Anna Alekseevna was at a charity performance.
Pavel Konstantinych visited the Luganovichs more and more often, becoming “one of their own” with them, he was always welcome. And every time Anna Alekseevna made on him “the impression of something new, unusual and important.” They could talk, be silent for a long time, or she would play the piano for him.
If Alekhine did not come to the city for a long time, the Luganoviches began to worry. They did not understand how an educated person could live in a village. The Luganoviches gave Alekhine gifts, and if he was “oppressed by some creditor,” they offered to lend him money, but he never agreed.
Alekhine was constantly trying to “understand the secret of a young, beautiful, intelligent woman who marries an uninteresting man, almost an old man, and has children from him.”
Every time he came to the city, the man saw that Anna Alekseevna was waiting for him. However, they did not admit their love, “they hid it timidly and jealously.” Alekhine was thinking about what their love could lead to, what he could not offer her interesting life, but only in a “more everyday environment”. “And she, apparently, reasoned in a similar way,” thinking about her husband and children. They often visited the city and the theater, and there were even unfounded rumors about them.
In recent years, Anna Alekseevna “was already being treated for a nerve disorder” and felt dissatisfied with life. In front of strangers, she experienced “some strange irritation” against Alekhine.
Soon Luganovich was appointed “chairman in one of the western provinces.” At the end of August, the doctor sent Anna Alekseevna to Crimea for treatment, and it was decided that she would come to the family later. Seeing the woman off, Alekhine ran into the compartment at the last moment. He hugged her and began to kiss her, she clung to him and cried. “I confessed my love to her, and with a burning pain in my heart I realized how unnecessary, petty and how deceptive everything was that prevented us from loving.” He kissed her on last time, and they parted forever.
Reflecting on what they heard, Burkin and Ivan Ivanovich regretted that Alekhine was not involved in science or something similar, and about what a sorrowful face the young lady must have had during farewell.
The main characters of the story “About Love” close themselves off from their feelings, trying to hide them not only from each other, but also from themselves. With the compositional technique of “story within a story,” Chekhov emphasizes how much Alekhine regrets his lost love even many years after what happened.
Check your memorization of the summary content with the test:
Comedy based Menander“The Court of Arbitration” is based on the unusual story of a young Athenian couple, in front of whose house the whole action takes place. The husband, named Charisius, was supposed to leave Athens soon after the wedding. In his absence, Pamphilus’s wife gave birth 5 months after the wedding and, fearing her husband’s anger, abandoned the newborn. Rab Onesimus told the returning Charisius about what had happened. He, considering himself deceived and insulted, left home, hoping to forget his grief in feasts and fun.
In the following scenes of the “Court of Arbitration,” Onesimus accidentally witnesses an argument between two slaves. One of the slaves found the abandoned baby and, by mutual agreement, decided to give it to another to raise. The latter demands that the trinkets found in the baby’s diapers be given to him along with the baby. He rightly calls them the child's property and reproaches his opponent for trying to rob the unfortunate baby.
To his surprise, Onesimus notices the ring of Charisius in the hands of the slaves. He immediately understands that his master, Kharisy, is the father of the child, but, not knowing his mother, he tells the hetera Gabrotonon, Kharisy’s mistress, about everything. Gabrotonon is burdened by his profession and dreams of freedom. During the story of Onesimus, she has an unexpected idea to marry the child to her son, born from Charisius. She recalls that last year, during the festival of Tauropolis, which was celebrated by girls at night in the sacred grove of Artemis, some drunken reveler secretly entered and dishonored one of the girls, who had carelessly left behind her friends. Gabrotonon was also there then and saw a tear-stained girl who came running in a torn expensive dress. Now Gabrotonon wants to impersonate the victim and show Kharisiya the evidence he dropped - the ring. Onesimus suggests what follows:
To you, as a mother,
He will give you vacation pay. without delay!
And thanks to me, Gabrotonon?
I swear to the goddesses! You, of course, I
I will consider the culprit to be a good deed!
I just wish I could be free.
The hetaera's plan succeeds. But in the continuation of the "Arbitration Court", Gabrotonon, feeling sorry for the child and his unknown mother, begins a search. In Pamphila, the wife of Charisius, the hetaera recognizes the same dishonored girl, and her offender is really Charisius, from whose finger she managed to tear off the ring, and then put the child she had thrown in diapers. It turns out that after the incident at Tauropolis, the parents hastily married Pamphila and by chance her husband became none other than Charisius, and both of them did not recognize each other.
So, all the troubles are over. At the end of the Arbitration, Menander describes how Charisius returns home to his wife and son. Further, we can assume that he bought the noble hetaera Gabrotonon from the pimp, who returned lost happiness to his house.
Menander with comedy masks. Roman relief
In “The Court of Arbitration,” as in “The Grump,” Menander leads the audience to the conclusion that people’s happiness depends on themselves, and a person’s fate, not free from chance, is always determined by his character. Even the servant Onesimus knows this truth, indisputable for Menander, who says that all the gods’ concerns about people come down to the distribution of appropriate characters among them:
There lived two brothers. One was poor, and the other was rich. The poor brother ran out of wood. There is nothing to light the stove with. It's cold in the hut. He went into the forest to collect firewood. The author of “The Tale of Shemyakin’s Court” is unknown, because she Researchers looked for works similar in content in Indian. Summary and analysis » Stories about Ersha Ershovich, son. Brief summary of the book “The Tale of Shemyakin’s Court”. Reads in 3 minutes. Shemyakin Court is the title of an old satirical story about a prudent state system, Shemyak in a short time.
The story of the Shemyakin trial. Reads in 3 minutes. There lived two peasant brothers: one rich and the other poor. For many years the rich lent money to the poor, but he remained just as poor.
One day a poor man came to ask a rich man for a horse to bring firewood. He reluctantly gave the horse.
Then the poor man began to ask for a collar. But the brother got angry and didn’t give me the clamp. There is nothing to do - the poor man tied his logs to the horse's tail.
When he was carrying firewood home, he forgot to open the gateway, and the horse, driving through the gate, tore off its tail. A poor man brought his brother a horse without a tail. But he didn’t take the horse, but went to the city to see Judge Shemyaka to attack his brother.
The poor man followed him, knowing that he would still be forced to appear in court. They reached one village. The rich man stayed with his friend, the village priest.
The poor man came to the same priest and lay down on the floor. The rich man and the priest sat down to eat, but the poor man was not invited. He watched from the floor what they were eating, fell, fell on the cradle and crushed the child. The priest also went to the city to complain about the poor man. They were passing through the bridge.
And below, along the ditch, one man was taking his father to the bathhouse. The poor man, foreseeing his death, decided to commit suicide.
He threw himself off the bridge, fell on the old man and killed him. He was caught and brought before a judge. The poor man wondered what he should give to the judge.
He took the stone, wrapped it in cloth and stood in front of the judge. After listening to the rich brother's complaint, Judge Shemyaka ordered the poor brother to answer. He showed the judge the wrapped stone.
Shemyaka decided: let the poor man not give the horse to the rich man until it grows a new tail. Then he brought the petition priest. And the poor man again showed the stone. The judge decided: let the priest give the priest his priest until he “gets” a new child. Then the son began to complain, whose father had been run over by the poor man. The poor man again showed the stone to the judge.
The judge decided: let the plaintiff kill the poor man in the same way, that is, throw himself at him from the bridge. After the trial, the rich man began to ask the poor man for a horse, but he refused to give it, citing the judge's decision. The rich man gave him five rubles so that he could give away the horse without the tail. Then the poor man began, by a judge's decision, to demand the priest's butt.
The priest gave him ten rubles, just so that he would not take the hit. Bedny suggested that the third plaintiff comply with the judge's decision. But he, on reflection, did not want to throw himself at him from the bridge, but began to make peace and also gave the poor man a bribe. And the judge sent his man to the defendant to ask about the three bundles that the poor man showed to the judge. The poor man pulled out the stone.
Shemyakin's servant was surprised and asked what kind of stone it was. The defendant explained that if the judge had not judged by him, he would have hurt him with this stone. Having learned about the danger that threatened him, the judge was very glad that he had judged this way. And the poor man went home rejoicing. Retold by O.V. Butkova.
26.09.2019
The story “Shemyakin Court” may interest the reader if you think about its content.
Why was one brother rich and the other poor, although the rich one helped his brother for many years? Should he have helped him again? The author describes the behavior of the characters, but does not explain the reasons for what happened. What follows is a comical description of what happened to the horse. Who was to blame? The one who, having given the horse, did not give the collar? Or the one who tied the wood to the horse's tail?
Stringing ridiculous coincidences on top of each other leads to the fact that the reader no longer becomes funny, but scary. This occurs before the court scene, where the comic element is again intensified.
Those ridiculous decisions that the judge proposes are taken quite seriously by people, victims of crimes. This strengthens the impression of complete arbitrariness and lawlessness taking place in court. If this is all Russian reality, then it becomes bitter and sad.
Many questions arise when we reach the end of the work. What does the final phrase mean: “Then the poor man returned to his home, rejoicing and praising God. Amen". I don’t want to assume that this is how the author approves of the actions of the poor man. This interpretation seems more correct: this ending of the story is grotesque, thus intensifying the impression of the absurdity of what is happening.
The sad thing is that the story depicts quite tenacious phenomena of Russian life. A similar Shemyakin trial is shown in many modern films, for example, “The Voroshilov Shooter.”
It turns out that this work is relevant to this day.
There lived two brothers. One was poor, and the other was rich. The poor brother ran out of wood. There is nothing to light the stove with. It's cold in the hut.
He went into the forest, chopped wood, but there was no horse. How to bring firewood?
I'll go to my brother and ask for a horse.
His rich brother received him unkindly.
Take a horse, but be careful not to put a lot of burden on me, and don’t rely on me in advance: give it today and give it tomorrow, and then go around the world yourself.
The poor man brought his horse home and remembered:
Oh, I don’t have a clamp! I didn’t ask right away, but now there’s no point in going - my brother won’t let me.
Somehow I tied the wood more tightly to the tail of my brother’s horse and rode off.
On the way back, the logs got caught on a stump, but the poor man didn’t notice and whipped up his horse.
The horse was hot, rushed and tore off its tail.
When the rich brother saw that the horse had no tail, he cursed and shouted:
Ruined the horse! I won't leave this case like this!
And he took the poor man to court.
How much or how much time has passed, the brothers are summoned to the city for trial.
They are coming, they are coming. The poor man thinks:
I haven’t been to court myself, but I’ve heard the proverb: the weak don’t fight the strong, and the poor don’t sue the rich. They'll sue me.
They were walking just across the bridge. There was no railing. A poor man slipped and fell off the bridge. And at that time, a merchant was riding below on the ice, taking his old father to the doctor.
The poor man fell and fell right into the sleigh and bruised the old man to death, but he himself remained alive and unharmed.
The merchant grabbed the poor man:
Let's go to the judge!
And three went into the city: a poor man and a rich brother and a merchant.
The poor man became very sad:
Now they'll probably sue you.
Then he saw a heavy stone on the road. He grabbed the stone, wrapped it in a rag and put it in his bosom:
Seven troubles - one answer: if the judge does not judge me and judges me, I will kill the judge too.
We came to the judge. New things have been added to the old ones. The judge began to judge and interrogate.
And the poor brother looks at the judge, takes out a stone in a rag from his bosom, and whispers to the judge:
Judge, judge, look here.
So once, and twice, and three times. The judge saw it and thought: Isn’t the man showing gold?
I looked again - there was a big promise.
If there is silver, there is a lot of money.
And he ordered the poor brother to keep the tailless horse until the horse grew a tail.
And he said to the merchant:
Because this man killed your father, let him stand on the ice under the same bridge, and you jump on him from the bridge and crush him to death, just as he crushed your father.
That's where the trial ended.
Rich brother says:
Well, okay, so be it, I’ll take the tailless horse from you.
“What are you doing, brother,” the poor man replies. “Let it be as the judge ordered: I will hold your horse until the tail grows.”
The rich brother began to persuade:
I'll give you thirty rubles, just give me the horse.
Okay, give me the money.
The rich brother counted out thirty rubles, and with that they got along.
Then the merchant began to ask:
Listen, little man, I forgive you for your guilt, you still can’t bring back your parent.
No, let's go, if the court has ordered, jump at me from the bridge.
I don’t want your death, make peace with me, and I’ll give you a hundred rubles,” the merchant asks.
The poor man received one hundred rubles from the merchant. And just as he was about to leave, the judge called him over:
Well, let's do what we promised.
The poor man took out a bundle from his bosom, unfolded the rag and showed the stone to the judge.
This is what he showed you and said: Judge, judge, look here. If you had sued me, I would have killed you.
It’s good,” the judge thinks, “that I judged by this guy, otherwise I wouldn’t be alive.”
And the poor man came home cheerfully, singing songs.
There lived two peasant brothers: one rich and the other poor. For many years the rich lent money to the poor, but he remained just as poor. One day a poor man came to ask a rich man for a horse to bring firewood. He reluctantly gave the horse. Then the poor man began to ask for a collar. But the brother got angry and didn’t give me the clamp.
There is nothing to do - the poor man tied his logs to the horse's tail. When he was carrying firewood home, he forgot to open the gateway, and the horse, driving through the gate, tore off its tail.
A poor man brought his brother a horse without a tail. But he didn’t take the horse, but went to the city to see Judge Shemyaka to attack his brother. The poor man followed him, knowing that he would still be forced to appear in court.
They reached one village. The rich man stayed with his friend, the village priest. The poor man came to the same priest and lay down on the floor. The rich man and the priest sat down to eat, but the poor man was not invited. He watched from the floor what they were eating, fell, fell on the cradle and crushed the child. The priest also went to the city to complain about the poor man.
They were passing through the bridge. And below, along the ditch, one man was taking his father to the bathhouse. The poor man, foreseeing his death, decided to commit suicide. He threw himself off the bridge, fell on the old man and killed him. He was caught and brought before a judge. The poor man wondered what he should give to the judge... He took a stone, wrapped it in a cloth and stood in front of the judge.
After listening to the rich brother's complaint, Judge Shemyaka ordered the poor brother to answer. He showed the judge the wrapped stone. Shemyaka decided: let the poor man not give the horse to the rich man until it grows a new tail.
Then he brought the petition priest. And the poor man again showed the stone. The judge decided: let the priest give the priest his priest until he “gets” a new child.
Then the son began to complain, whose father had been run over by the poor man. The poor man again showed the stone to the judge. The judge decided: let the plaintiff kill the poor man in the same way, that is, throw himself at him from the bridge.
After the trial, the rich man began to ask the poor man for a horse, but he refused to give it, citing the judge's decision. The rich man gave him five rubles so that he could give away the horse without the tail.
Then the poor man began, by a judge's decision, to demand the priest's butt. The priest gave him ten rubles, just so that he would not take the hit.
Bedny suggested that the third plaintiff comply with the judge's decision. But he, on reflection, did not want to throw himself at him from the bridge, but began to make peace and also gave the poor man a bribe.
And the judge sent his man to the defendant to ask about the three bundles that the poor man showed to the judge. The poor man pulled out the stone. Shemyakin's servant was surprised and asked what kind of stone it was. The defendant explained that if the judge had not judged by him, he would have hurt him with this stone.
Having learned about the danger that threatened him, the judge was very glad that he had judged this way. And the poor man went home rejoicing.
The work we are interested in is perhaps the most popular monument of the 17th century. Its name later even became a saying: “Shemyakin court” means an unfair trial, a parody of it. There are known poetic and dramatic adaptations of “The Tale of Shemyakin’s Court”, as well as its popular print reproduction. In addition, it gave rise to the famous fairy tale about the poor and rich brother.
Authorship issues, sources
The author of “The Tale of Shemyakin’s Court” is unknown, because it is folk in origin. Researchers looked for works with similar content in Indian and Persian literatures. It is also known that the famous writer Mikolaj Rey, who lived in the 17th century and received the honorary title “father of Polish literature,” worked with a similar plot. Some lists directly state: “The Tale of Shemyakin’s Court” was copied “from Polish books.” Questions about its sources, however, remained unresolved. There is no convincing evidence about the connection of the Russian monument with a specific work of foreign literature. The identified roll calls indicate the presence of so-called wandering subjects, nothing more. As often happens with monuments of folklore, jokes and anecdotes cannot belong to one people. They successfully migrate from one area to another, since everyday conflicts are essentially the same everywhere. This feature makes it especially difficult to distinguish between translated and original literary monuments of the 17th century.
“The Tale of the Shemyakin Court”: contents
The first part of the story tells about the incidents (at the same time hilarious and sad) that happened to a poor peasant. It all starts with his rich brother giving him a horse, but forgetting about the collar. The main character ties the firewood to his tail, and it breaks. The next misfortune happened to the peasant when he spent the night with the priest on a bed (that is, on a sunbed). Naturally, the greedy priest did not invite him to dinner. Looking at the table laden with food, main character accidentally kills a baby, the son of a priest. Now the poor fellow is facing trial for these offences. Out of despair, he wants to take his own life and throws himself off the bridge. And again - failure. The peasant himself remains intact, but the old man, on whom the main character landed, went to his forefathers.
So, the peasant will have to answer for three crimes. The reader is in for a climax - the cunning and unjust judge Shemyaka, mistaking a stone wrapped in a scarf for a generous promise, decides the case in favor of the poor peasant. So, the first victim had to wait until the horse grew a new tail. The priest was offered to give his wife to a peasant, from whom she should bear a child. And the son of the dead old man, as compensation, must himself fall from the bridge and kill the poor peasant. Naturally, all victims decide to pay off such decisions.
Specifics of the composition
“The Tale of the Shemyakin Court” is divided into two parts. The first part consists of three episodes described above. By themselves, they are perceived as ordinary funny anecdotes that serve as a set-up. Here they seem to be outside the scope of the main narrative, although this is not observed in classical examples of narratives about courts. In addition, all the events presented there are narrated in A and not in the present, which is what makes “The Tale of Shemyakin’s Court” different. This feature gives dynamism to the plot of the ancient Russian monument.
The second component of the composition is more complex: Shemyaka’s actual sentences, which are the adventures of a poor peasant, are preceded by a frame - a scene of the defendant showing the “reward” to the judge.
Traditions of satire
Satire was very popular in the literature of the 17th century. The fact of its demand can be explained based on the specifics public life of that time. There was a strengthening of the role of the trade and craft population, but this did not contribute to the development of their civil rights. In satire, many aspects of the life of society of those times were condemned and denounced - unfair trial, hypocrisy and hypocrisy of monasticism, extreme
“The Tale of the Shemyakin Court” fits well into the established tradition. A reader of that time would undoubtedly have understood that the story parodies the “Code” of 1649 - a set of laws that proposed choosing a punishment depending on the crime of the offender. Thus, murder was punishable by execution, and manufacturing was punished by pouring lead into the throat. That is, “The Tale of Shemyakin’s Court” can be defined as a parody of ancient Russian legal proceedings.
Ideological level
The story ended happily for the wretched peasant; he triumphs over the world of injustice and tyranny. “Truth” turns out to be stronger than “falsehood.” As for the judge himself, he learned a valuable lesson from what happened: “The Tale of Shemyakin’s Court” ends with the crook learning the truth about the “message.” But nevertheless, he even rejoices at his own sentences, because otherwise, this cobblestone would have knocked the wind out of him.
Artistic Features
“The Tale of Shemyakin’s Court” is distinguished by the speed of action, the comical situations in which the characters find themselves, and also the emphatically dispassionate manner of narration, which only enhances the satirical sound of the ancient Russian monument. These features indicate the closeness of the story to magical and social folk tales.
Today another work called Shemyakin Court came into my possession. reader's diary. We became acquainted with the story Shemyakin's Court in the 8th grade during a literature lesson.
the story of the Shemyakin court
The story of the Shemyakin trial talks about poverty and introduces us to an unfair trial, showing us a little man with his ingenuity. The work Shemyakin's court was written by an unknown author, and this satire dates back to the seventeenth century.
Shemyakin Court summary
To get acquainted with the plot of the work Shumyakin Court, we offer what will allow you to work with the work in the future and make it. An ancient Russian work from the second half of the seventeenth century tells about two brothers: a poor one and a rich one. The poor man constantly asked the rich man for a horse, and one day, having taken the horse and not receiving a collar for use from his brother, the horse’s tail came off, because the poor man had to attach the wood to the horse’s tail. The brother now does not want to take the horse and goes to court. In order not to pay the tax for summons to court, the poor brother follows.
On the way to the city, the brother stops at his friend's priest, where he invites him to the table, but the poor man is not given dinner and has to only look out from the floor. And then the poor guy accidentally falls onto the cradle with the baby. The child dies. Now the priest is going to court.
Along the way, the poor brother decides to commit suicide and throws himself off the bridge, only to fall onto a sleigh with a man. With his fall, he kills the father of one of the townspeople, who at that time is taking his father on a sleigh to the bathhouse.
And now three victims went to court, where the poor man showed ingenuity. During the accusations of all the crimes that befell the loser, he showed the judge a stone. The judge, thinking about the money and the fact that there was gold in the bundle, pronounced a verdict in favor of the accused, so the horse was left to the poor man, and the priest’s wife was sent to him, who was supposed to live with him until the child was born. And in the end, the poor man had to be killed by the injured townsman in the same way as he killed his father.
In the end, everyone paid the poor brother money so that the court verdict would not be carried out. Moreover, when the judge found out that the poor man had an ordinary stone instead of gold, he also seemed glad of his decisions that he awarded in favor of the poor man, because otherwise the poor man would have killed him with a stone.
If we analyze the work, we can clearly see who and what the story Shemyakin’s court is ridiculing. This includes bribery and injustice in judicial decisions during feudalism. Reading the satirical work Shemyakin Court, you involuntarily ask the question, whose side is the author on? And here, this is precisely the case when the author does not support anyone, he simply shows all the bitterness of what is happening, where every hero deserves sympathy, although it is unlikely that anyone will take the side of the judge. The judge can be condemned, because it was he who made unfair decisions that reached the point of absurdity.
Shemyakin Court main characters
In the Shemyakin Court, the main characters are the poor and rich brothers, the priest, the townsman and the judge Shemyakin. It was after his name that the court was named.
Year of writing: 17th century
Genre of the work: story
Main characters: Shemyaka- judge, brothers- peasants.
Plot
Two brothers lived in the village, a poor one and a rich one. The poor man needed a horse to transport firewood. He turned to his rich brother for help. He gave it, but without a collar. The sleigh had to be tied to the tail. But having forgotten to install a gateway, the poor man left the animal without a tail. The rich man went to the judge, his brother followed him, realizing that he would be summoned anyway. On the way to the city, the travelers stopped for the night with the priest. A poor man fell from his bed and killed a child. And while trying to commit suicide, he fell on an elderly man and he also died. In response to the accusations, the poor man shows Shemyaka a wrapped stone. The judge thinks it's a bribe. He sentenced the horse to stay with the poor man until the tail grows back, to make a new child with the butt, and the old man’s son can take revenge by falling on him in the same way. The plaintiffs give money to the defendant in order not to carry out the verdict. And the judge, having learned that there was a stone in the package, thanks God for salvation.
Conclusion (my opinion)
The story is satirical. Reveals the deceit and dishonesty of judges. The plaintiffs are doing wrong by dragging an innocent person to trial. Although he certainly deserves punishment, he has no evil intent in his heart. The events described could have been avoided if the rich man had not been greedy with his collar.
Of the two peasant brothers, one was rich, the other poor. The rich man often lent to the poor man. One day a poor brother asked a rich brother to borrow a horse - he had nothing to carry firewood with. The horse was given to him, but without a collar, so the poor man had to attach wood to the horse's tail. Due to the fact that the gateway was not installed, the horse's tail came off when passing through the gate.
The poor man wanted to return the tailless horse to his brother, but he refused to accept it without a tail and decided to sue his brother in the city court of Shemyaka. The poor man had to follow the rich man because one way or another he would be forced to stand trial.
On the way to the city they stopped in a village. The rich man was sheltered by a local priest - his old friend, the poor man lay in bed in the same house. The rich brother and the priest began to eat, but the poor brother was not invited to the table. The poor man looked from above as they were eating, and fell from the bed onto the cradle, killing the child. The priest also decided to complain about the poor man in Shemyake.
On the way to the judge, the poor man decided to throw himself off the bridge to avoid punishment. A man was carrying his father under the bridge. They were passing through the bridge. A poor man, flying from a bridge, ran over the man's father, but he himself survived. The son of the deceased also went to court. And the poor man was taken to Shemyaka. He had nothing to give to the judge, and he decided to wrap a scarf around the stone.
Each time, listening to complaints from victims, Judge Shemyaka called for the poor person to answer. The poor man showed the judge a stone in a scarf. Shemyaka took it for a bribe, so he decided all the cases in favor of the poor man. So, he must return the horse to his brother when its tail grows back; the priest must give his wife to the poor until the poor gets a new child; the man should try to kill the poor man the way he killed his father - by throwing himself off the bridge.
After the trial, the rich man asked the poor man for a horse, but the brother refused so as not to disobey the court's decision. Then the rich man bought his tailless horse from him for 5 rubles. The priest paid off the poor man with 10 rubles. The man also did not comply with the court decision, giving the poor man a bribe.
Shemyaka sent a confidant to the poor man to find out about the three packages that were shown to him. The poor man took out a stone. He was asked what kind of stone he had? The poor man explained: if the judge had judged incorrectly, he would have killed him with this stone.
When the judge learned of the threat, he was glad that he had decided this way and not otherwise. And the poor man went home joyful.
This work instills in the reader honesty, justice, and teaches him to feel responsible for his actions. The satire of “The Tale...” is directed against bribery and self-interest of judges.
Picture or drawing The Tale of the Shemyakin Court
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Today, another work called Shemyakin’s Court found its way into my reading diary. We became acquainted with the story Shemyakin's Court in the 8th grade during a literature lesson.
the story of the Shemyakin court
The story of the Shemyakin trial talks about poverty and introduces us to an unfair trial, showing us a little man with his ingenuity. The work Shemyakin's court was written by an unknown author, and this satire dates back to the seventeenth century.
Shemyakin Court summary
To get acquainted with the plot of the work Shumyakin Court, we offer what will allow you to work with the work in the future and make it. An ancient Russian work from the second half of the seventeenth century tells about two brothers: a poor one and a rich one. The poor man constantly asked the rich man for a horse, and one day, having taken the horse and not receiving a collar for use from his brother, the horse’s tail came off, because the poor man had to attach the wood to the horse’s tail. The brother now does not want to take the horse and goes to court. In order not to pay the tax for summons to court, the poor brother follows.
On the way to the city, the brother stops at his friend's priest, where he invites him to the table, but the poor man is not given dinner and has to only look out from the floor. And then the poor guy accidentally falls onto the cradle with the baby. The child dies. Now the priest is going to court.
Along the way, the poor brother decides to commit suicide and throws himself off the bridge, only to fall onto a sleigh with a man. With his fall, he kills the father of one of the townspeople, who at that time is taking his father on a sleigh to the bathhouse.
And now three victims went to court, where the poor man showed ingenuity. During the accusations of all the crimes that befell the loser, he showed the judge a stone. The judge, thinking about the money and the fact that there was gold in the bundle, pronounced a verdict in favor of the accused, so the horse was left to the poor man, and the priest’s wife was sent to him, who was supposed to live with him until the child was born. And in the end, the poor man had to be killed by the injured townsman in the same way as he killed his father.
In the end, everyone paid the poor brother money so that the court verdict would not be carried out. Moreover, when the judge found out that the poor man had an ordinary stone instead of gold, he also seemed glad of his decisions that he awarded in favor of the poor man, because otherwise the poor man would have killed him with a stone.
If we analyze the work, we can clearly see who and what the story Shemyakin’s court is ridiculing. This includes bribery and injustice in judicial decisions during feudalism. Reading the satirical work Shemyakin Court, you involuntarily ask the question, whose side is the author on? And here, this is precisely the case when the author does not support anyone, he simply shows all the bitterness of what is happening, where every hero deserves sympathy, although it is unlikely that anyone will take the side of the judge. The judge can be condemned, because it was he who made unfair decisions that reached the point of absurdity.
Shemyakin Court main characters
In the Shemyakin Court, the main characters are the poor and rich brothers, the priest, the townsman and the judge Shemyakin. It was after his name that the court was named.
There lived two peasant brothers: one rich and the other poor. For many years the rich lent money to the poor, but he remained just as poor. One day a poor man came to ask a rich man for a horse to bring firewood. He reluctantly gave the horse. Then the poor man began to ask for a collar. But the brother got angry and didn’t give me the clamp.
There is nothing to do - the poor man tied his logs to the horse's tail. When he was carrying firewood home, he forgot to open the gateway, and the horse, driving through the gate, tore off its tail.
A poor man brought his brother a horse without a tail. But he didn’t take the horse, but went to the city to see Judge Shemyaka to attack his brother. The poor man followed him, knowing that he would still be forced to appear in court.
They reached one village. The rich man stayed with his friend, the village priest. The poor man came to the same priest and lay down on the floor. The rich man and the priest sat down to eat, but the poor man was not invited. He watched from the floor what they were eating, fell, fell on the cradle and crushed the child. The priest also went to the city to complain about the poor man.
They were passing through the bridge. And below, along the ditch, one man was taking his father to the bathhouse. The poor man, foreseeing his death, decided to commit suicide. He threw himself off the bridge, fell on the old man and killed him. He was caught and brought before a judge. The poor man wondered what he should give to the judge... He took a stone, wrapped it in a cloth and stood in front of the judge.
After listening to the rich brother's complaint, Judge Shemyaka ordered the poor brother to answer. He showed the judge the wrapped stone. Shemyaka decided: let the poor man not give the horse to the rich man until it grows a new tail.
Then he brought the petition priest. And the poor man again showed the stone. The judge decided: let the priest give the priest his priest until he “gets” a new child.
Then the son began to complain, whose father had been run over by the poor man. The poor man again showed the stone to the judge. The judge decided: let the plaintiff kill the poor man in the same way, that is, throw himself at him from the bridge.
After the trial, the rich man began to ask the poor man for a horse, but he refused to give it, citing the judge's decision. The rich man gave him five rubles so that he could give away the horse without the tail.
Then the poor man began, by a judge's decision, to demand the priest's butt. The priest gave him ten rubles, just so that he would not take the hit.
Bedny suggested that the third plaintiff comply with the judge's decision. But he, on reflection, did not want to throw himself at him from the bridge, but began to make peace and also gave the poor man a bribe.
And the judge sent his man to the defendant to ask about the three bundles that the poor man showed to the judge. The poor man pulled out the stone. Shemyakin's servant was surprised and asked what kind of stone it was. The defendant explained that if the judge had not judged by him, he would have hurt him with this stone.
Having learned about the danger that threatened him, the judge was very glad that he had judged this way. And the poor man went home rejoicing.
Theme: “Shemyakin court.” The depiction of real and fictitious events is the main innovation of literature of the 17th century.
Lesson Objectives : show the ideological and artistic originality of the story as a satirical work;
develop skills
- text analysis,
- monologue speech skills,
- expressive reading,
- descriptions of illustrations.
Methodical techniques: conversation on questions, teacher comments, expressive reading by role, elements of text analysis, story based on illustrations.
Lesson progress
I. Checking homework.
1) Reading several essays about A. Nevsky.
2) Slide 1-2 . Conversation on the article “The Tale of the Shemyakin Court” (pp. 29 – 30)
- How do you understand what a democratic party is? (Created among the people. Among them and reflected people’s ideals and ideas about power, justice, the Church, truth, the meaning of life)
- Who was the hero of the democratic leader? (ordinary people who have not accomplished anything significant for history, who have not become famous for anything. Often losers, poor people).
II. Teacher's story about democratic literature. Russian literature at the turn of the 7th - 8th centuries. presented a very motley picture, characteristic of a transitional time. A stratification of the literature took place: in parallel with literature, a democratic literature developed. Every year expanding in volume and increasingly attracting public attention. This literature was created among the people and reflected popular ideals and ideas about power, court, church, truth, and the meaning of life. The heroes of the works of this literature were ordinary people, the so-called “little man”, not famous for anything, often disadvantaged, poor, and powerless.
In the history of Russian literature. The democratic language of the 7th - 7th centuries left a deep, indelible meaning. She poured two powerful streams into the book language developed by previous development - folk-poetic speech and living colloquial vernacular, which contributed to the formation of the literary language of the era.
Slide 3 One of the works of the democratic literature is “The Tale of the Shemyakin Court" The name of the hero was associated with the name of the Galician prince Dmitry Shemyaka, who blinded his brother, Moscow prince Vasily II, and was known as an unjust judge. The name Shemyakini became a household name.
P. is found in both prose and poetic versions.
Eldest of famous lists prose text dates back to the end of the 17th century. In the 18th century the prose text was arranged in unequal syllabic verse; There are also transcriptions of the work in tonic verse and iambic hexameter.
Starting from the 1st half. XVIII century popular print publications appear (Rovinsky D . Russian folk pictures. - St. Petersburg, 1881. - Book. 1.- P. 189-192), reproducing the plot of the work in an abbreviated form (reprinted 5 times, until the publication with a censorship mark in 1838).
During the XVIII-XX centuries. Numerous literary adaptations of P. appear; in the 1st third of the 19th century. the work was translated twice into German. The title of the story - “Shemyakin Court” - became a popular saying.
III. Reading the story role-playing by previously prepared students.
IV. Conversation on textbook issues.
V. Additional tasks:
- Plan Slide 4
1st part:
1. Two brothers: rich and poor
2. Horse without a tail
3. Broke off the floor
4. Surrender yourself to death
In the first part P. tells how the main character commits three crimes (he tears off the tail of a horse that belonged to his rich brother; falling from a platform, he kills the priest’s son; throwing himself from a bridge, he kills an old man whom his son was taking to the bathhouse). These three episodes can be seen as " simple shapes”, like unfinished jokes, like a plot. In themselves they are funny, but the plot is not completed, not “untied”.
Part 2: Slide 5
5. Shemyaka judge
6. Stone wrapped in a scarf
7. The poor man praised God
In the second part it is described how a poor man shows the unrighteous judge Shemyaka a stone wrapped in a scarf, which the judge takes as a promise - a bag of money, for which he sentences the rich brother to give the horse to the poor man until it grows a new tail, and orders the butt to be given to the butt until the poor man does not “get the child”, but invites the son of the murdered old man to also throw himself from the bridge at the murderer. Plaintiffs prefer to pay off their money in order not to comply with the judge's decisions. Shemyaka, having learned that the poor man had shown him a stone, thanked God: “as if I had not judged by it, but he would have hit me.”
Slide 6 The comedy of these anecdotes is enhanced by the fact that Shemyaka’s sentences are, as it were, a mirror reflection of the poor man’s adventures. The judge orders the rich brother to wait until the horse grows a new tail. The judge punishes the priest: “Give him your wife priest until those places (until) from your father he gets you a child. At that time, take papadya from him and with the child.”
Slide 7 A similar type of decision was made in the third case. “You go up to the bridge,” Shemyaka tells the plaintiff, “and after killing your father, stand under the bridge, and... You throw yourself at him from the bridge, and kill him, just as he is your father.” It is not surprising that the plaintiffs preferred to pay off: they pay the poor man so that he will not force them to comply with the judge’s decisions.
Reading the story, Russian people of the 17th century naturally compared the Shemyaka trial with the actual judicial practice of their time. This comparison enhanced the comic effect of the work. The fact is that according to the Code (code of laws) of 1649, retribution was also mirror image crimes. For murder they were executed by death, for arson they were burned, for minting counterfeit coins they poured molten lead down their throats. It turned out that the Shemyaka trial was a direct parody of ancient Russian legal proceedings.
The story introduces us to the tense situation of life in Russia in the second half of the 17th century. She denounced the unjust (“for bribe”) legal proceedings, but with complacent humor she painted the image of the judge himself, Shemyaka, who decided cases in favor of the poor man, and not in favor of the rich man and the priest.
VII. Slide 9 Try to identify the genre features of “Shemyakin’s Court”
- “Sh. court" is defined assatirical story,
- but the work is close to folklore, reminiscent everyday fairy tale : commoner heroes, the cunning and ingenuity of the main character, which turned the matter in his favor.
- “Sh. court" wears some features of the parable : edification, contrast between poverty and wealth, external unemotionality of the narrative, construction of phrases (anaphors), parallelism of episodes.
- The illustrated version of the work is reminiscent of comics
VIII. Working with illustrations. Group assignment:retell several episodes depicted in the illustrations close to the text.
IΧ. Slide 10 D. z. 1. What impression did the story make on you? Prepare a detailed answer, including the expression “Shemyakin’s court” as a proverb.
In a certain place lived two brothers, farmers, one rich, the other poor. The rich man lent money to the poor man for many years and could not fulfill his poverty. One day a poor man came to a rich man to ask for firewood for his horse. His brother didn’t want to give him horses and said to him: “He lent you a lot, brother, but couldn’t refill it.” And when he gave him a horse, the poor man began to ask him for a collar. And his brother got angry with him and began to blaspheme his squalor: “You don’t even have your own collar!” And he didn’t give him a collar. The poor man left the rich man, took his wood, tied it by the horse’s tail, rode into the forest and brought it to his court. He hit the horse with a whip, but forgot to put out the gateway. The horse rushed with all its might through the gateway with the cart and tore off its tail. The poor man brought a horse without a tail to his brother. The brother, seeing that his horse was without a tail, began to revile his poor brother for the fact that, having begged for a horse, he ruined it, and, without taking the horse, he went to beat him with his brow in the city to Shemyaka the judge.
(“Shemyakin court”)
Test on "The Tale of Shemyakin's Court"
A1 . Determine the genre of the work from which the fragment is taken.
1) fairy tale 2) story 3) life 4) lesson
A2 . What place does this fragment occupy in the work?
- opens the narrative
- ends the story
- is the climax of the plot
- is one of the stages of plot development
A3 . The main theme of this fragment is:
- debt theme
- the theme of human inner freedom
- labor theme
- theme of different lives of two brothers
A4. What determines the poor brother's lifestyle?
- desire to get rich
- taking care of rich brother
- the desire to take more from a rich brother
- desire to help all people
- reveals the lack of humanity in the hero
- shows neglect of brother's goodness
- characterizes the psychological state of the hero
- emphasizes the hero's social position
B1. Indicate the term with which in literary criticism words that have fallen out of use over time are characterized (“collar”, “vilify”, “drovni”).
B2. Name a means of creating the image of a hero, based on a description of his appearance (from the words: “Fuck off, you poor guy...”)
B3. From the paragraph beginning with the words: “And when he gave...”, write down a word that characterizes the attitude of the rich brother to the ignorance of the poor one.
Q4. Explain the meaning of the word brow
C1. What does the expression mean"Shemyakin court" ? Which of the two brothers was wrong? Why? Preview:
Part 2: 5. Shemyaka the judge 6. A stone wrapped in a scarf 7. The poor man praised God 5
The poor man shows the unrighteous judge Shemyaka a stone wrapped in a scarf, which the judge takes as a promise - a bag of money, for which he sentences the rich brother to give the horse to the poor man until it grows a new tail, and orders the butt to be given to the butt until the poor man “ will get the child,” and invites the son of the murdered old man to also throw himself from the bridge at the killer. 6
Copper engraving, first half of the 18th century. From an illustration to the fairy tale “Shemyakin Court”, first half of the 18th century). From the Rovinsky collection. “You go up onto the bridge,” Shemyaka tells the plaintiff, “and after killing your father, stand under the bridge, and from the bridge, throw yourself onto him, and kill him, just as he is your father.” It is not surprising that the plaintiffs preferred to pay off: they pay the poor man so that he will not force them to comply with the judge’s decisions. 7
Do you think the poor brother is a positive or negative image? (YES, positive. NO, negative) 2. Do you think the poor brother is a positive or negative image? (YES, positive." NO, negative) write in the table justify your position on a controversial issue using keywords. As a result, a similar table could appear: Yes (for) No (against) 1. Entrepreneurship 2. Activity 3. Pressure 4 . Ingenuity 1. Obsessiveness 2. Deceit 3. Cowardice 4. Impudence 5. Impudence 8
Genre features of “Shemyakin’s Court” A satirical story Reminiscent of an everyday fairy tale Find the features of a parable What do the illustrations on page 33 resemble? 9
D. z. 1. What impression did the story make on you? Prepare a detailed answer, including the expression “Shemyakin court” as a saying. 3. Read “The Minor.” 10
Resources http://www.peoples.ru/state/king/russia/dmitriy_shemyaka/shemyaka_7.jpg http://wiki.laser.ru/images/thumb/e/e4/%d0%a8%d0%b5%d0 %bc%d1%8f%d0%ba%d0%b8%d0%bd_%d1%81%d1%83%d0%b4.jpg/240px-%d0%a8%d0%b5%d0%bc%d1% 8f%d0%ba%d0%b8%d0%bd_%d1%81%d1%83%d0%b4.jpg http://www.rusinst.ru/showpic.asp?t=articles&n=ArticleID&id=4951 http: //www.ozon.ru/multimedia/books_covers/1000491396.jpg 11
And the publishers of the Nikolsky Market. It was published by Pypin in Kalachov’s “Archive of historical and practical information relating to Russia” (1859).
Encyclopedic YouTube
- “Archive” by Kalachov (1859; book IV, pp. 1-10);
- “Monuments” by Kostomarov (issue II, pp. 405-406);
- “Russian folk tales” by Alexander Afanasyev (ed. A. Gruzinsky, M., 1897, vol. II, pp. 276-279; see);
- “Historical Reader” by Buslaev (pp. 1443-1446);
- “Collection of the Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences” (vol. X, no. 6, pp. 7-12);
- “Russian folk pictures” by Rovinsky (book I, 189-191, book IV, pp. 172-175);
- “Chronicles of Literature” by Tikhonravov (vol. V, pp. 34-37);
- a separate publication of the Society of Lovers of Ancient Literature (St. Petersburg, 1879, etc.).
Brothers traditional for fairy tales - the rich and the poor - quarrel because the poor man spoiled the rich man's horse. Since the rich man did not give a collar, the poor man had to tie the sleigh to the horse's tail. While driving through the gate, he forgot to set the gateway, and the horse's tail broke off. The rich man refuses to accept the horse and goes to the city to complain about his brother to the judge. Shemyaka. The petitioner and the defendant make the journey together. A second involuntary misfortune happens to the poor man: while sleeping, he falls from the bed into the cradle and kills the priest's child. The pop joins the rich. Upon entering the city, the poor man decides to commit suicide and throws himself off the bridge, but falls on a sick old man, whom his son was taking across the ice to the bathhouse. The victim also goes to the judge with a complaint.
During the trial, the accused shows Shemyaka a stone wrapped in a scarf. The judge is sure that this is a “promise”, and decides all three cases in a very unique way: the horse must remain with the poor man until its tail grows; the priest gives his wife to the poor man so that the priest has a child from him, and the third plaintiff can take revenge on the poor man in exactly the same way that the latter killed his father. It is quite natural that the plaintiffs not only waive penalties (fines), but give the defendant a generous reward in the form of compensation.
It is further narrated that the judge sends his scribe to receive a bribe from the poor man, but, having learned that the latter showed him not money, but a stone intended to “hurt” the judge in the event of a guilty verdict, he thanks God for saving his life. Thus, all the characters in the story remain one way or another satisfied with the outcome of the case, which ended happily only thanks to the simplicity of the poor man.
Editions
In the first half of the 18th century, 12 pictures for the “Shemyakin Court” were engraved at the Akhmetyevsk factory, with text later printed by Rovinsky; The popular print was repeated five times, and for the last time, with a censorship mark, it was printed in 1839. Further development of the story was expressed in later literary adaptations in the style of “Adventures of the Poshekhontsy”, for example in the “Adventures of the Poshekhonians” published in 1860 The tale of Crooked Court, and how the naked Erema, the granddaughter of Pakhom, caused trouble with his neighbor Thomas, and about other things" The whole comedy of this “Fairy Tale” rests on the development of a well-known theme: “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” caricatured in a farcical spirit.
Editions of the story about the Shemyakin trial:
Research
Until eastern and western parallels were brought into play, the Shemyakin Court was looked at as a completely original, very ancient work of Russian satire, associated with the general view of Russian people on the sad state of legal proceedings; explained with proverbs such as “ hang out with the clerk, and keep a stone in your bosom”, and even commented on some articles of Alexei Mikhailovich’s Code and Tales of Foreigners about Russia in the 17th century. "
Besides the name Shemyaka, scientists were interested in the accidental victory of eternal truth over human falsehood carried out in the story, albeit with a tinge of some irony. Buslaev had no doubt about its Russian origin and was only surprised that the type of judge Shemyaka, from wise and fair (biblical Solomon), took on the opposite shade, and instead of an instructional story, the story of Shemyakin’s trial descended into a humorous parody, despite the early, eastern prototypes . Buslaev believed that the additions to the story were expressed in satirical antics against crooked justice and bribery with promises, as phenomena of a later time, that is, the legend turned into an ordinary satire on Russian clerks. Sukhomlinov explained this apparent opposition by various principles from which the version of Shemyak was gradually put together, and in the decline of morality he sees the influence of Semitic legends about the four Sodom judges - the “Deceiver” (Shakrai), the “Deceiver” (Shakrurai), the “Forger” (Zayfi) and “Krivosude” (Matzlidin). Like Jewish legends, in the Russian story the serious is mixed with the funny; That's why " favorite ideas of folk literature about the victory of truth over falsehood, about saving the unfortunate from malice powerful of the world merge with features from the legend of the courts, common among Indo-European and Semitic peoples". In “The Shemyakin Court” the judge acquits a poor man who has committed essentially involuntary crimes, and thereby saves him from the revenge of people who are morally guilty, thanks to which the satire on bribery has not lost its edifying purpose, - this is how A. N. Veselovsky looked at the tendency of the story: of course, the judge poses the questions casuistically, but in such a way that the penalties fall with all their weight on the plaintiffs and they prefer to abandon the claim.
Link to a historical character
Particularly intriguing was the historical name of the famous Galician prince Dmitry Shemyaka, who barbarously blinded Vasily the Dark. Sakharov even quoted the words of some Russian chronographer, who connected the saying with a historical event: “ From now on, in great Russia, every judge and admirer in reproaches was nicknamed the Shemyakin court" In the same spirit, Karamzin spread this observation of the ancient Russian scribe: “ having on his conscience neither the rules of honor nor a prudent state system, Shemyaka in the short time of his rule strengthened the affection of Muscovites for Vasily, and in civil affairs themselves, trampling under foot justice, ancient charters, common sense, he left forever the memory of his lawlessness in the popular proverb about the Shemyakin court, still in use" Solovyov and Bestuzhev-Ryumin repeat the same thing. Alexander Nikolaevich Veselovsky was the first to point out the accidental application of the eastern name Shemyaki to the historical figure of the Galician prince of the 15th century.
Western parallels
Wondering how this legend came to us, and based on the direct evidence of Tolstoy’s list of the “Shemyakin trial of the 17th century” (copied from Polish books), Tikhonravov believed that “ in its present form, the satirical story about the trial, already christened with the name of Shemyaki, went through the reworking of the Russian man and received purely folk colors, but individual episodes could have been borrowed from Polish books", and pointed to the joke "About an accident" in the popular story " The adventures of a new entertaining jester and a great rogue in love affairs, Sovest-Dral, a big nose”(a mason falls from a high tower and kills a man sitting below), as well as one episode in “Figei Kach” by the 16th century Polish writer Mikołaj Rey from Naglowice about the accused who “showed the stone to the judge.”
Eastern parallels
The German philologist Benfey cites a Tibetan fairy tale, which served as an intermediary between the supposed Indian source and the Russian “Shemyakin’s Court”: a poor Brahmin borrows a bull from a rich man for work, but the bull runs away from the owner’s yard; On the way to the judge, the Brahmin falls from the wall and kills a wandering weaver and a child sleeping under the clothes on which the traveler sat down to rest. The judge’s sentences are distinguished by the same casuistry: since the plaintiff did not “see” that the bull was brought to him, then his “eye” should be gouged out; the defendant must marry the weaver's widow and have a child with the injured mother. The German folklorist noticed the same similarity with the Indian tale of the Cairo merchant, which probably also goes back to an unknown Buddhist source. Such a harmonious and stable legend in detail refers more likely to