The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
"The Master and Margarita" is a novel by Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov, blending elements of fantasy, romance, and political satire. Set against the backdrop of Soviet Moscow, the narrative begins with a chance meeting between two writers who engage in a philosophical debate about atheism when they encounter a mysterious stranger named Woland, who claims to be a professor of black magic and is later revealed to be an incarnation of the Devil. The story intricately weaves together the lives of several characters, including the Master, a writer of a novel about Pontius Pilate, and his lover, Margarita, who makes a Faustian bargain with Woland to reclaim her lost love.
The novel explores themes such as good and evil, the struggles of artistic expression under oppressive regimes, and the complexities of faith and doubt. As Woland and his companions wreak havoc on Moscow's literary elite, the narrative shifts to the Master's retelling of the events surrounding Jesus' trial and execution, highlighting the conflict between political power and moral integrity. Ultimately, "The Master and Margarita" serves as a profound commentary on the nature of creativity, love, and the human condition, while reflecting Bulgakov's own experiences and challenges during a tumultuous period in Russian history. The novel's rich symbolism and philosophical inquiries invite diverse interpretations, making it a significant work in the canon of 20th-century literature.
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The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
First published:Master i Margarita, 1966-1967 (English translation, 1967)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Satire
Time of plot: 30 c.e. and 1920
Locale: Jerusalem and Moscow
Principal characters
Woland the Devil , who arrives in Moscow as a foreign expert in theaterBerlioz , a high-ranking member of the literary eliteIvan Bezdomny , a poetThe Master , a Soviet writer who has written a novel about Jesus and Pontius PilateMargarita , the Master’s beloved and the wife of a successful Soviet scientistPontius Pilate , the Roman procurator of JudaeaYeshua Ha-Notsri , an accused rabble-rouser from Galilee
The Story:
On a warm spring afternoon, two Russian writers meet in a Moscow park. One of them, Berlioz, is the editor of a leading literary journal; the other is a poet named Ivan Bezdomny, who has been reviled for writing a poem about Jesus that depicts him as if he had really existed. The two writers are discussing atheism, the official Soviet policy, when they are joined by a strange, foreign-looking person who asks them provocative questions and gives even more provocative answers to their questions. He even prophesies about their immediate future, telling them, for example, that Berlioz will die before the day is over. In the ensuing philosophical debate, he tells them the story of Pontius Pilate. By the end of the afternoon, Berlioz has been decapitated by a streetcar. Bezdomny ends up in a mental hospital because no one would believe his story about the strange visitor.
The visitor, who has the German-sounding name Woland, professes to be a professor of black magic. He is actually an incarnation of the Devil, and he is accompanied by a black cat named Behemoth, a naked maid, a disreputable clown, and an evil trickster. Woland and his minions proceed to play tricks on the Soviet literary and theatrical establishments and on the ordinary people of Moscow. Various people are packed off to places thousands of miles away, their vices dramatized, their moribund consciences awakened or called to answer, and their philistine natures exposed.
The unnamed Master, an aspiring writer, has written a novel about Pontius Pilate. When he tries to get the novel published, he is unsuccessful. In fact, the book is criticized severely and the author himself subjected to various forms of persecution from both the literary and the political powers in Moscow. As a result, the author burns his manuscript, resolves never to write again, and then, confirming the judgment of his critics that he is mentally ill, turns himself in at the insane asylum. He is placed in the same ward where Bezdomny is languishing.
The Master’s lover, Margarita, is frantic when her lover disappears. Hoping to find him, she makes a Faustian pact with Woland and agrees to preside as queen over the annual Satan’s ball, which is to take place in the tiny apartment of the deceased Berlioz. At the ball, Woland demonstrates his links with the supernatural world by producing a copy of the Master’s burned manuscript. The Devil knows its contents and declares that he has talked to Pilate himself. In the Master’s novel, the New Testament account of the Passion of Jesus, or Yeshua, is retold in fresh terms. Yeshua has been betrayed by Judas. Pilate, while acting as Roman procurator and responding to the political pressure, tries to keep Yeshua from incriminating himself. Yeshua is not eager to suffer or to die, but he refuses to admit that any temporal power has jurisdiction over him. As a result, the procurator is unable to release him, and Yeshua is executed. Matthew arrives too late to relieve his pain, just as Margarita has come too late to keep the Master from burning his manuscript.
While presiding over the ball, Margarita observes a parade of human vices and follies as hundreds of dead are brought back to life to answer once more for their deeds. When Margarita shows compassion for a grief-stricken woman who has choked her baby to death, Woland grants her wish for the Master’s return and leaves the lovers in a peaceful life together in death. Soviet agencies find rational explanations for all the irrational events.
Bibliography
Barratt, Andrew. Between Two Worlds: A Critical Introduction to “The Master and Margarita.” New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. One of the most astute treatments of the novel, examining many interpretations of it, including that of the Gnostic message and the messenger in the person of Woland. A challenging study.
Curtis, J. A. E. Bulgakov’s Last Decade: The Writer as Hero. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987. A thoughtful study of Bulgakov’s literary profile that includes comparisons with Molière, Alexander Pushkin, and Nikolai Gogol. The Master and Margarita is discussed in detail on pages 129 to 187.
Drawicz, Andrzej. The Master and the Devil: A Study of Mikhail Bulgakov. Translated by Kevin Windle. Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 2001. Drawicz analyzes all of Bulgakov’s works, placing them within the context of the author’s life and times. The initial chapters focus on his life, providing new biographical information, while subsequent chapters concentrate on his novels and other writings.
Haber, Edythe C. Mikhail Bulgakov: The Early Years. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1998. Discusses Bulgakov’s early life and career, describing how his novels and other works arose from his experiences during the Russian Revolution, civil war, and early years of communism. Traces the themes and characters of his early works and demonstrates how he perfected these fictional elements in The Master and Margarita.
Milne, Leslie, ed. Bulgakov:The Novelist-Playwright. New York: Routledge, 1996. Twenty-one essays survey Bulgakov’s works from a wide variety of perspectives. Several essays examine The Master and Margarita, including one comparing the novel to Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses. Includes an index of Bulgakov’s works.
Proffer, Ellendea. Bulgakov: Life and Work. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Ardis, 1984. One of the best book-length studies of Bulgakov, discussing both his life and his works in scholarly detail. The Master and Margarita is examined at length on pages 525 to 566.
Weeks, Laura D., ed. “The Master and Margarita”: A Critical Companion. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages, 1996. Collection of essays discussing various aspects of the novel, genre and motif, mythic structure, political structure, the apocalyptic horse and rider, and the book’s connection to Johann Wolfgang van Goethe.
Weir, Justin. The Author as Hero: Self and Tradition in Bulgakov, Pasternak, and Nabokov. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, 2002. Weir analyzes novels by three Russian authors—Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, Boris Pasternak’s Dr. Zhivago, and Vladimir Nabokov’s The Gift—to describe how these authors reveal themselves through their writing, transforming the traditional author into the hero of their novels.
Wright, Anthony Colin. Mikhail Bulgakov: Life and Interpretations. Buffalo, N.Y.: University of Toronto Press, 1978. Includes a solid treatment of The Master and Margarita. Good select bibliography.