Crime and Punishment & Other Great Novels of Dostoevsky
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Contents
The Idiot — Part II — Chapter VI
Overview
Recovering at Lebedeff’s villa, Myshkin chafes at Lebedeff’s overprotectiveness while hearing that a woman wants a secret meeting, fearing Aglaya. The Epanchins and others visit, exposing social tensions. General Ivolgin is shamed yet stirred by memories. Aglaya extols her idealized “poor knight,” then prepares to recite as new arrivals interrupt.
Summary
Prince Myshkin settles into Lebedeff’s pleasant Pavlovsk villa after his seizure, but finds Lebedeff’s constant surveillance oppressive. Lebedeff hints that a woman urgently wants to meet Myshkin in secret, not from fear of Rogojin but of Aglaya, heightening Myshkin’s discomfort and resolve to see visitors freely.
Visitors begin to arrive: Gania, much altered; Varia and Ptitsin from nearby; and General Ivolgin, whom Lebedeff both flatters and restrains. Despite Lebedeff’s efforts to limit access, Myshkin insists on openness. Colia comes and announces that Lizabetha Prokofievna and her daughters are on their way.
The Epanchins arrive to find Myshkin healthier than expected, irritating Lizabetha Prokofievna. Vera appears with her infant sister, prompting Lebedeff’s theatrical display. Aglaya invites Lebedeff to lecture on the Apocalypse, which leads General Ivolgin to boast, then unexpectedly recall carrying the Epanchin girls in Tver. Lizabetha Prokofievna scolds him for his ruined life; contrite, he withdraws, moved by memory.
As talk resumes, Aglaya remarks that Gania has changed for the better. A running family joke about the “poor knight” resurfaces: Aglaya defends the knight as a man bound to an ideal of pure Beauty, regardless of his lady’s deeds, a serious Don Quixote. Her tone both provokes and pleases, while Myshkin blushes uncomfortably.
Aglaya rises to declaim the poem formally, but at the first words General Epanchin and a young man arrive noisily, interrupting the performance and setting a more public, charged tone for what follows.
Who Appears
- Prince Lev MyshkinConvalescing at Lebedeff’s villa; resists being isolated; learns a woman seeks him but fears Aglaya.
- Lukian Timofeyevitch LebedeffIntrusively manages Myshkin’s access; hints at a secret meeting; theatrically presents his family.
- Aglaya Ivanovna EpanchinVisits Myshkin; extols the idealized “poor knight”; prepares to recite before being interrupted.
- Lizabetha Prokofievna EpanchinArrives expecting an invalid; scolds General Ivolgin; oscillates between annoyance and concern.
- General Ardalion Alexandrovitch IvolginBoasts, then recalls past kindnesses; is shamed by Lizabetha; leaves moved and repentant.
- Colia IvolginMyshkin’s ally; announces the Epanchins; teases Aglaya about the ‘poor knight’ episode.
- Vera LebedeffAppears with her infant sister; becomes part of Lebedeff’s sentimental display.
- Gavrila Ardalionovitch (Gania)Arrives pale and changed; behaves with reserve; noted by Aglaya as improved.
- Varvara Ardalionovna (Varia)Greets Epanchin sisters warmly; notes Gania’s illness and change.
- PtitsinVisits briefly; tactfully withdraws during the gathering.
- Adelaida Ivanovna EpanchinJoins the banter about the ‘poor knight’; recalls childhood with Ivolgin.
- Alexandra Ivanovna EpanchinRemembers childhood episode with Ivolgin; observes the ‘poor knight’ talk.
- Prince S.Supports changing the subject; explains the ‘poor knight’ joke’s origin.
- General EpanchinArrives loudly at the end, interrupting Aglaya’s planned recitation.
- Unidentified young manEnters with General Epanchin at the close, causing a stir.