Acquaintance with the work of this writer does not begin with books, but with feature films. Amazing right? Nothing unusual, and yet incredible, wonderful, magical, when it comes to Eugene Schwartz - the great Soviet storyteller. He was remembered to us both by amazing movie scripts for good old fairy tales, and children's stories and poems, and, of course, by his famous fairy-tale productions. Among the latter is the play “Shadow” (Schwartz). A summary of the work will help you familiarize yourself with this beautiful work.
Small southern country
One fine day, a young scientist named Christian Theodore arrives in a small hotel in a small hotel. He settled not somewhere, but in the room in which the famous storyteller Hans Christian Anderson lived before him. Apparently, this is no accident, how do you know?
Knows Annunziata - the daughter of the owner of the hotel. Usually she is silent, but here, out of a feeling of goodwill towards the new guest, she shares with him the secret. It turns out that in a small southern country, fairy tales are true. A sleeping beauty, a cannibal, and a little boy live in this place. And once the king ruled here. He died long ago and left an extraordinary will. In it, he commands his daughter Louise to look for husbands of a man who is not rich and noble, but simple, honest and kind. This punishment is a great mystery, but in a fairy land and near the walls there are ears. So even street boys know about him. To fulfill the last will of the parent, the princess secretly leaves the palace. Many want to find her refuge in order to marry and take the royal throne.
Meet the Princess
We continue to explore the play “Shadow” (Schwartz). The summary of the work does not end there. We continue ... Listening to the story of a simple girl, the scientist is constantly distracted. He all looks at the balcony of the neighboring house, which the beautiful stranger constantly goes to. The Annunziata notices the strange behavior of the new guest and warns him that perhaps this is the beginning of a new fairy tale, and its end may be sad. Christian Theodore reassures her, and at the same time decides to speak with a stranger. He falls in love at first sight, and his feeling seems to be mutual. Eugene Schwartz (The Shadow, which we continue to summarize) imperceptibly leads the reader to the assumption that perhaps she is the very escaped princess?
The scientist longs to continue the conversation and, with a degree of irony, invites the shadow lying at his feet to go instead of him to the young beauty and tell her about his love. Unexpectedly, the shadow really separates, deftly slips into the door of the neighboring balcony and disappears into the dark space. The young man becomes sharply ill. The master's daughter runs into the room. Her fears and fears were not in vain: there is no shadow, and this is a very bad omen. She runs after the doctor.
Shadow
Everyone knows about the amazing events taking place in the southern country: the journalist Caesar Borgia, the hotel owner Pietro, the singer Julia, and, of course, the ministers. This does not end the tale (Schwartz E. L., "Shadow"). The summary of the work cannot convey all the subtleties of the experiences of the heroes. The author further narrates that all the inhabitants of the city, without exception, did not approve of those sincere feelings that arose between the scientist and the princess in an instant and continued to grow, despite the illness and separation. This is dangerous. Christian Theodore may soon become king, but he is not a bandit, not extortionist, and not a rogue, but a simple honest man. And, as you know, it is impossible to predict the actions of such people. What to do? There is only one way out - we must get rid of it. You can kill or bribe. To carry out this very task is not so simple. For this you need a friend. Only he knows what a scientist loves and how to buy it, or what is a mortal danger for him. And here the Shadow enters the scene, which seems to be the old faithful friend of the protagonist.
Conspiracy
How does the plot of the tale “Shadow” (Schwartz) unfold further? The summary does not end there, nor does the work itself. Shadow has its own cunning plan. In a deceitful way, he forces Christian Theodore to sign the rejection of the princess. Allegedly, this will lull the vigilance of the ministers, and then she and Louise will be able to escape from the hated country. Meanwhile, he himself shows the princess a paper signed by her lover on the abdication. The unfortunate girl is unable to forgive the traitor. Like the wind, her moods and feelings are changeable, and she at once succumbs to them. "What is your name?" She asks Shadow. In response, he hears the name Theodore-Christian. It is almost the same as Christian Theodore. So she decides not to be sad anymore, but to marry Shadow.
Execution
The scoundrel and trickster celebrates his coronation and prepares for a magnificent wedding with Princess Louise. The only unresolved issue is the Scientist. It makes no sense to kill him, but there is a great desire to subjugate and become his master. Now let him follow on his heels, inaudibly, imperceptibly. He orders Christian Theodore to give him a note at midnight with the consent to submit.
The scientist understands that in case of failure he faces imminent death. But he cannot do otherwise. Yes, the Annunziata was right; he ended up in a fairy tale with a sad ending.
From far away comes the beat of the drums. The death sentence was carried out. The scientist’s head was demolished ... But suddenly, the head of the Shadow flies off his shoulders. The courtiers understand that a fatal error has occurred. What to do? They decide to get living water hidden under seven locks, which has the miraculous power to heal from all diseases and to resurrect from the dead. In order to save Theodore-Christian, one must bring Christian-Theodore back to life.
A happy ending
The true master of all possible and impossible fairy kingdoms is Schwartz. “Shadow” (a brief summary for the reader’s diary is the subject of this review) - a play about the most magical - about fidelity, dignity, kindness and the ability to love, which will never end.
The Shadow's head returns to its original place. But what happened does not allow him to regain its former power. From now on, he is afraid for his life and is struggling to please his former master. The Princess in extreme indignation drives away this lover. A shadow is wrapped in a black robe, pressed against the wall and disappears. The scientist is sure that this is not the end. More than once he will meet him on his way. Well, let him, but for now he is happy. He takes the hand of his true love - the Annunziate, and they leave the palace.
Once again, I want to remind you that this article is devoted to the play-tale "Shadow" (Schwartz). The summary cannot describe all the feelings and emotions of the main characters, unable to convey the fine line between magic and reality, which the author so vividly and naturally portrayed. Therefore, reading the work in full is simply necessary.