Download or read book Boris Godunov (illustrated) written by Aleksandr Pushkin and published by . This book was released on 2020-03-07 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pushkin wrote Boris Godunov while in exile, never to be performed during his lifetime. The history play, later to be the basis of Modest Mussorgsky's operatic masterpiece, begins in 1598 with the election of Godunov as tsar, after the death of Fyodor, the son of Ivan the Terrible and the last Rurikid Tsar of Russia. Godunov had been the regent for Fyodor and had Fyodor's younger brother killed, but rumors persisted that the younger brother, Dmitri, had somehow survived. An ambitious young monk Gregory hears of these rumors and decides to grab the throne with the help of the Polish army, waiting for any excuse to invade Russia. The resulting "Time of Troubles" caused the worst political crisis of Russia until the twentieth century, ultimately leading to the rule of the Romanovs. Pushkin was inspired by Shakespeare's history, and this masterful play equals the great Bard in its discussion of power, corruption, and the rule of law. The play offers a wealth of interpretation and thought about the relationship between rulers and the people, ambition and piety, and Russia and its future. The work is a fascinating read about this terrible time in Russian history by its most celebrated artist.