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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2020
Although some two hundred years separate the reigns of Catherine II (1762–1796) of Russia and Elizabeth (1558–1603) of England, both periods have much in common. Russia had so lagged behind the rest of Europe that in the eighteenth century her social life and intellectual radius were not much farther advanced than those of sixteenth century England. Her prolonged lethargy had been dissipated by Peter the Great (1672–1725) who, like Henry VIII, had succeeded in injecting new life into his kingdom at the expense of offending nearly the whole country; but it was Catherine who realized Peter's great vision of advancing Russia to a leading place among the nations, a service which Elizabeth had performed for England.
1 Cf. A. C. 
, “
” (
, 1897), p. 1.
2 For a list of her readings in these authors, cf. B. A. 
, “
” (
, 1900), I. 267–283, 318–326; also the Mémoires of Catherine in “
,” 
. A. H. 
(
., 1901), xii, 105, 215, 245, 348, 675. Unless otherwise stated all references to Catherine's works are to this edition.
3 Cf. “
” (
, 1787); cf. also 
, “
” (
., No. 6 [1871], 780).
4 “
.,” xii, 296.
5 His Brigadier (1766) and The Minor (1782) contain fine satirical studies of genuine Russian characters.
6 An excellent investigation of the subject is A. Lirondelle, Shakespeare en Russie, 1748–1840 (Paris, 1912). See also the following works, E. Friedricks, “Shakespeare in Russland,” Englische Studien, l (1916–17), 106–136; B. 
, “
” (
. III [1878], 73–91); C. 
, “
” (
, 1887).
7 “
.” (
, 1787), x, 103.
8 For a complete analysis of this play, see Lirondelle, pp. 18–24.
9 Sumarokov no doubt read Hamlet in the French translation of La Place.
10 “
” (
, 1781), 
. i, 66.
11 For a study of the literary influence of England on eighteenth century Russia, see the author's article, “English Literature in Russia,” Harvard Studies and Notes in Philology and Literature, xiii (1931), 259–287.
12 “
” (
, 1772), i, 14.
13 Essai des travaux de la libre assemblée russe auprès de l'université de Moscou (Moscou, 1775), ii, 257–260. See Lirondelle, pp. 29–31.
14 “
III, 
.” Cf. “
,” p. 57. This translation was not printed until 1787.
15 J. J. Eschenburg, William Shakespeare's Schauspiele, 13 vols. (Zürick, 1775–1782). This was the first complete translation of Shakespeare into prose in Germany. Essentially, it is a revised edition of Wieland's translation of 1762–1766.
16 A reference to her historical plays.
17 “
,” 
(
., 1878), p. 383.
18 “
,” 
(
, 1901), p. 6.
19 “
.” 
., ii, 354. Catiterine's title is a free rendering of Ford's exclamation: “this 't is to have linen and buck-baskets!” (iii, 5).
20 Cf. the second Satire of Kantemir, “
” (
., 1847), p. 23. Polkadov may well have been inspired by a similar character in Fonvizin's Brigadier. Ivanushka hits off the Frenchified Russian in his famous description: “Everyone who has been in Paris already has a right, in speaking about Russians, not to include himself in their number, because he has already become more French than Russian” (iii, 3).
21 For example, her comedies The Deceiver, The Deceived, and The Siberian Shaman (“
.,” i, 207–406) were aimed partly at the famous Cagliostro who visited Russia, and at the obscurantism so prevalent in the eighteenth century. They were very popular on the Russian stage.
22 In her “Shakespearian” plays Catherine never follows the division into acts and scenes indicated in the German translation. The appearance of a character on the stage is usually the signal for a new scene.
23 Eschenburg: “Was willst du, Mephistophilus?”
24 Eschenburg: “Nur ein bischen, sag' ich, pauca, pauca; ein bischen, dass ist meine sache.”
25 Cf. E. Friedricks, “Shakespeare in Russland,” Englische Studien, l (1916–17), 117.
26 For an excellent example of the way Catherine handles the dialogue of Falstaff, Pistol, and Nym, compare the Merry Wives of Windsor (i, 3) with the eleventh scene in the first act of her adaptation.
27 Critics have pointed out that Catherine is not consistent in her characterization of Madame Kela, for in one place she forgets her jargon and speaks in pure Russian (cf. v, 6).
28 Catherine is sometimes blamed for omissions and mistakes that are really the fault of the German translator. Thus one critic, 
(
[1898], iii, 72), censures her for omitting the famous passage about the “white luces” (i, 1). But Eschenburg, likewise, not quite comprehending the allusion, dropped the passage and added a note (Eschenburg, v, 174).
29 Catherine writes: “De ma vie je n'ai jamais su faire ni vers ni musique.” Cf. A. E. 
(
[1896], No. 12, 204).
30 That is, she omitted the planning (iii, 1), the loaning of the horses (iv, 3), and the stealing of the horses (iv, 5).
31 She omits portions of acts i, 3, 4; iii, 2, 3; iv, 1 in which William Page, Rugby, and Robin appear.
32 What seems to be the one technical error committed in her plot is the omission of the scene (iv, 6) in which Quickly makes arrangements for the third rendezvous in the forest. Cf. Catherine's play (iv, 12).
33 Sumarokov's Hamlet did not bear the name of Shakespeare on the title page.
34 
., iii, 301–344. Her source is again the translation of Eschenburg (vi, 213). Unlike her other plays connected with Shakespeare's name, The Spendthrift was not acted or printed in Catherine's time.
35 Cf. 
(Nov. 23, 25, 27; Dec. 1, 7, 11), pp. 11–12.
36 An interesting bit of local color is added at this point by Catherine. Timon graciously invites the masquers with: “Ladies, there is an idle banquet Attends you: please you to dispose yourselves.” But Catherine has Tratov say: “Bring quickly coffee, chocolate, tea, lemonade, arshad, and ices.”
37 She discards, however, part of the beginning and end of Shakespeare's fourth scene.
38 Timon of Athens, iv, 3.
39 Cf. 
pp. 8–9.
40 
., ii, 219–304.
41 
, op. cit., p. 65.
42 “
” (Sept. 24, 1786), pp. 383–4.
43 See 
(Sept. 21), p. 9.
44 Cf. A. C. 
(
, 1926), ii, 63, No. 289.
45 Catherine's historical plays were printed and acted with some success, and translations were made into French and German. Cf. 
., ii, 252–253, 306.
46 Her immediate source was probably 
Cf. 
., ii, 254. The date of the action is in the ninth and tenth centuries. For an excellent translation of the ultimate source material, see S. H. Cross, “The Russian Primary Chronicle,” Harvard Studies and Notes in Philology and Literature, xii (1930), 144–151.
47 One critic makes the observation that the Life of Rurik resembles Shakespeare's King John and was suggested by this play. At best, however, the resemblance is very farfetched. Cf. E. Friedricks, “Shakespeare in Russland,” Englische Studien, l (1916–17), 118.
48 King Henry IV (Part ii, iv, 5).
49 As usual with Catherine this play was written in great haste. Her secretary recopied the first act on Sept. 8, and the last on Oct. S. Cf. 
pp. 9–10.
50 The Greek emperor stages a fragment of Euripides' Alcestis for the entertainment of his guests.
51 Some critics profess to find further influence of Shakespeare on Catherine's comic operas, Fevei and the Novgorod Bogatyr Boeslavich, 
., ii, 332–399. However, beyond what might be termed “Shakespearian gestures,” Catherine is hardly indebted to the English dramatist for anything in these performances. Cf. 
. (
., No. 6 [1871], 778); A. C. 
(
, v-vi, [1894], 754).
52 For a study of the fortunes of Shakespeare in Russia after Catherine's time, see Lirondelle, Shakespeare en Russie, pp. 55 ff.
53 Although Catherine's name did not appear on the title page of her plays, it was generally known that she was the author.