The author’s early death, albeit a tragic one, compels readers, one might even say, more than one generation of literature lovers, somehow in a special way relates to works whose creators left too early. Regrettably, A.V. is among them. Vampilov. “Duck hunting” (summary) is the topic of this article.
Funeral wreath. The first action. First picture
In people, it usually ends with a wreath, while in Zilov it all started. The main character of the play wakes up from a phone call with a terrible headache. Zilov picks up the phone, but there is silence, at the other end they break the connection.
He hardly gets out of bed, touches his jaw (it hurts him), goes to the kitchen, takes out beer from the refrigerator, returns to the hall and begins to do exercises without releasing the bottle from his hands. Another bell rings, but the story repeats itself exactly: on the other end of the wire they again do not want to speak.
Zilov finishes his beer and dials the number himself. It turns out that he calls his classmate Dima, who now works as a waiter in the Forget-Me-Not Cafe. In the latter, he usually likes to be Zilov. Dmitry is surprised that Vitya is calling him (that’s the name of the main character), because from their conversation it becomes clear: according to rumors, Zilov died. The hero laughs and says that he is alive and well. And he also informs his classmate of his determination to go duck hunting with him. Also from the same conversation, Zilov finds out: yesterday there was a terrible scandal in a cafe. He, not missing a moment, asks: “And nobody beat me in the face?” Very jaw hurts. " To which he receives a negative answer. This ends the conversation, it is interrupted by a knock on the front door.
A boy arrived with a funeral wreath, which he passes directly to Zilov. But more interestingly, he is dedicated to the main character of the play. In the process, on the one hand, quite amusing, on the other hand, a little strange and terrible dialogue with a boy, a young man (and Zilov is about 30 years old) is unable to figure out anything properly.
This is how exciting the work of A. V. Vampilov begins. Duck Hunt (a summary is presented in the article) is a very intriguing play.
He says goodbye to the boy and first imagines (fantasizes) how his wife (Galina), the “new bride” (Irina), friends would have been killed according to him, if the death was genuine, and then he recalls the events of recent days.
Cafe "Forget-me-not"
During the lunch break, Zilov and Sayapin decided to refuel with wine, we can’t say that it was their habit to get drunk during a break in work, just this time there was a reason - Zilov got an apartment. Friends decided to "warm up red" in anticipation of the main action - an evening feast on the occasion of a housewarming party.
They invited their boss, Vadim Andreevich Kushak, to “warm up”. But before him came Vera - Zilov's lover. Victor said that their boss is a man of high moral standards and does not accept any such irregular relationships, so it is better for her to pretend to be a classmate. The girl, verbally playing and teasing Zilov, agrees.
Faith does not change the frivolous manner of behavior, which attracts Kushak and gives him involuntarily certain hopes. And Kushak recently (very incidentally) escorted his wife south and is now temporarily free.
Even relying only on a brief summary of Vampilov’s play “Duck Hunt”, one can say that the composition is extremely pleasant to read.
Zilov did not want to push his wife and mistress in the same room (albeit a new apartment), but there was nothing to be done, he had to invite Vera to a housewarming party too, in order to justify in some way the expectations of the boss.
Housewarming
The housewarming scene is remembered primarily by the fact that everyone drinks there, as in Remarque’s novels, i.e. a lot and tasteful. Also, new characters appear in it: Sayapin's wife - Valeria, another friend of Zilov - Kuzakov. He gives the young couple a holiday garden bench. Everyone laughs, everyone has fun. Vera brought a soft plush cat with her. And Sayapin and his wife gave Zilov hunting equipment: wooden ducks, a bandoleer, a knife, which was very respected by the owner of the house, because he really loves this kind of leisure.
Also, the first picture of the first action is remembered by inept and at the same time cheeky attempts by the boss - Vadim Andreyevich - to seduce Vera Zilov's mistress.
The first picture ends with a conversation between Zilov and his wife, whose subject is a child. She wants, but he does not want. At the end of the conversation, upset Vadim Andreich runs up and says that he missed Vera in the most direct, physical sense: she disappeared from his field of vision.
The story begins quite blissfully for the Vampils. The “Duck Hunt”, the brief content of which is presented here, preserves some secret and intrigue, which are vaguely guessed by the reader.
The wreath continues to awaken memories. Act One, Scene Two
It is important that Zilov and Sayapin are sitting at work. They need to report, but they have nothing. They work in some central bureau of technical information. Zilov offers Sayapin "rub points" to the authorities and write a report "from the bulldozer", but he wrinkles for a long time and does not dare. Zilov offers to throw a coin, the comrades throw it, it somehow falls, but they don’t yet know the decision of fate, because at the very moment when the coin lands, a girl of 18 years old enters their office. She wants to print an ad. The girl believes that she got to the newspaper or magazine. Zilov immediately makes a stand, like a hunting dog, and tries to win the girl to himself. Then Kushak comes in and spoils everything. He asks about the report and tells the girl that here she is not the editorial board, she, resentful, leaves. Zilov jumps out after her and, apparently, manages to make an appointment. This hero gave the features of a real womanizer Vampilov. “Duck hunting” (a brief summary cannot contain all the details) only benefits from this.
The picture ends with Galina’s call to her husband’s work and the news that she is pregnant. Zilov is not very happy with this news, so his wife hangs up. The memory ends. Zilov is back in his room. There are two of them - he and a wreath.
Early arrival of Zilov home. Memories of the "youth" of Victor and Galina. The second action. The second picture
The word "youth" is in quotation marks, because the heroes at the time of history are 29 and 26 years old, respectively. There can be no talk of any old age.
Zilov is still there - in his new apartment. First he calls the weather center, tries to find out something about the weather (it is raining, but it should be cloudy), then he decides to just talk with a voice on the other end of the wire. They refuse him. He hangs up and begins to remember.
Zilov arrives home early in the morning and discovers that his wife fell asleep at a table over notebooks (she is a school teacher). The arrival of her husband wakes her up. Zilov begins to lie that he was on a business trip, but his wife stops the flow of lies and says that he was seen at a grocery store yesterday, which means that he did not go anywhere.
Here he embarks on the standard explanations of all the unfaithful husbands who were caught: they say, you have to believe me, not other people, we will even have a child. Galina says that no child will be gone. She was in the hospital and had an abortion. Zilov feignedly indignant, threatening that the next time she would not take a step without his word. Galina says: “There is no need for a performance; everything is over between us.”
Zilov, in order to save the situation, is trying to recreate the very beginning of their relationship. Galya and Vitya must again “play in love”. At first everything is going well, then it turns out that Zilov does not remember what happened 6 years ago. Spitting on everything, he tries to force his wife to be close, but she breaks out and cries.
The memory ends. Zilov lies on the couch.
An unattractive character was created by Zilova Vampilov ("Duck Hunt"). A summary of the chapters of history leaves just such a feeling. Although, of course, there are no chapters in the play, there are only actions and pictures, but the narrative itself has reference points. They are conditionally and can be called chapters. Nevertheless, it still seems that Zilov hides in himself some personal tragedy and sadness, which is expressed in his chaotic behavior.
Evidence of the loneliness of the hero
When Zilov again finds himself in a dull and rainy present (although it cannot be said that his past sparkles with joy), he calls Dima in "Forget-Me-Not" and tells him that he is completely alone and that the waiter is his only friend. Zilov suddenly realized that he was abandoned by everyone.
The conversation briefly distracts the owner of the new apartment, but then he again floats on the waves of his memory.
The death of the hero’s father and the evidence of Zilov’s infidelity
The following memory concerns everything at once: both work and Victor's family. They are sitting with Sayapin. Kuzak claims to them and shakes in their faces with what the employees decided to the boss to “rub the glasses” (report on the lime porcelain factory). Vadim Andreich is becoming more and more ruined. Zilov takes all the blame on himself, and Sayapin denies this report, saying that he signed without looking and basta. Kuzak threatens Zilov with dismissal, but he doesn’t care.
Then Sayapin’s wife appears, she tries to soften the situation and takes the boss away to football. Zilov and Sayapin remain in the office. Friend and co-worker Viti makes excuses for putting all the blame on him. Zilov is not listening. At this time, a telegram arrives and the hero finds out about the death of his father. He quickly gathers and leaves the office. Previously, Zilov, of course, called Galina and told her the sad news. They agreed to meet at Forget-Me-Not, because Victor needs a drink before going to the funeral.
In the cafe between the spouses, a scene happens again: Galina says that everything is over between them and talks about the letters of her longtime admirer. Victor is furious, although he already made an appointment with Irina today in this institution a little later. Then they put up, then Galina leaves. The cafe includes Irina. Zilov confesses that he is married and his father died, so they will not see each other for the next week. Zilov’s wife finds this explanation of young people (she brought her husband a cloak and a briefcase on the road). Without saying a word, the hero’s wife leaves the institution.
Zilov decides to go tomorrow. The memory ends. Zilov is back in his apartment.
A conversation with his wife. Scene Three of the same action
Zilov calls Irina in the hostel - she left, then calls the institute, and he is told that she left. But the main thing happens not in the hero’s apartment, but in his head. The next memory is coming.
Galina leaves for relatives and packs things. Zilov in another room collects hunting equipment. Then the wife leaves, says she will be back in a month. Zilov immediately calls Irina and invites her to visit.
Suddenly, Galina returns and admits that she is leaving not for relatives and not for a month, but for “former love” and forever. Then Zilov becomes furious, calls her the last words. Chasing after her, but she manages to lock him in the room. He falls into the abyss of self-disclosure sweet for a Russian person, says that he has no one but Gali and that he does not need anyone except her. He promises her “golden mountains and rivers full of wine”, but it turns out that the performance was not for Gali, who had long left the apartment and even unlocked the door of Zilov’s room, but for Ira. It was she who liberated him.
We have almost completed consideration of the play (author A.V. Vampilov) "Duck Hunt". Summary of actions is very close to its finale.
The moral decay of Zilov reaches its peak. Last action
In the play it’s said in between cases that the main character is a bad shooter, but he is a first-rate accuser and busoter! At the beginning of the action, the reader sees that Zilov was going to hunt, and in full uniform he recalls his last boorish behavior.
It turns out that yesterday was a holiday at which he gathered all his friends and the “new bride” - Irina. On it, Zilov began to blur out the truth in all directions indiscriminately. It ended up that he got drunk to insensibility, the waiter "lit" him in the jaw, and his friends left. True, after some time they returned (their male part) and carried it in their arms. Then the idea arose to send him a wreath and telegrams, for he is like a dead man (dead drunk).
Here is such a chronicle of Zilov’s life before his awakening at the beginning of the first action. The brilliant master of dialogue is Alexander Vampilov. “Duck hunting” (a brief summary, we hope, makes it feel at least a little) - a masterpiece of world drama.
Remembering all this, Victor decides to bring the matter to the end and commit suicide. Previously, he calls his friends and invites them to a funeral right now and reports that he does not go hunting.
He himself prepares everything for suicide and even writes a suicide note. Everything is as it should be. Friends have time to save him. Then, after much wrangling, they leave him alone. Zilov falls on the couch and shakes his whole body for a while. He cries or laughs - it is impossible to understand. At this time, the telephone rings periodically. The hero falls asleep in the same position, then wakes up. He approaches the phone, calls Dmitry and says that he will still keep him company on the hunt.
What is this play about when viewed from above or deep into the lines?
We examined the play written by Vampilov, “Duck Hunt” (summary). Her analysis boils down to stating the fact that this is an essay on the tragedy of human loneliness. For Zilov, only one thing was important: to be understood. He did not want neither love nor friendship, he sought only a deep, spiritual connection with another person, and since he did not find him, he tried to replace this need with rudeness and profligacy.
This was the review of the play that A.V. presented to the world Vampilov. “Duck hunting” (a brief summary of actions and phenomena) was analyzed by us in detail, maybe even too detailed for a brief retelling.