This is what happens when motogs intermingle excessively.
Somehow, even though I believe in blowing the brains out of someone who insulted your wife, I don’t find this scene so pretty or graceful.
According to the official Russian story, Pushkin wanted to defend his wife’s honor, but was not bloodthirsty, so he shot off baron d’Anthès’s coat button. Pushkin’s opponent was not so honorable. (Another “official” version, which the above clip follows, is that d’Anthès cheated, firing a step before reaching the boundary.)
Also, I’ve read the detailed pathologist’s report of Pushkin’s autopsy here. Apparently, in the last hours before his death, he was in so much pain, he tried to find a handgun to shoot himself, which his friend did not allow. According to the tissue damage report, the scene above actually seems rather accurate.
A story by Pushkin himself about a duel.
17 comments:
Good for you.
Would you do it?
Read the autopsy?
Call someone out. (If you lived in different times and it was not an aveira.)
Oh. Well, in many cultures, what choice was there?
Hire a bunch of thugs who would attack the guy as he was leaving a ball late at night and break his legs. Less honorable or satisfactory but safer.
Without honor, what is there?
Vodka.
Fair enough.
Anyway, Lincoln didn’t do it. Jackson did. Both are considered to be badasses.
Hamilton also did it, albeit too late (he should’ve been killed before he had a chance to make National Bank).
Actually, I stand corrected. Lincoln was ready to go for it. http://www.beallmansion.com/about/History/AltonHistory/Lincoln/LincolnShieldsDuel.html
The article is a little confusing, though. A tall man has advantage in rapiers, but not necessarily in broadswords.
No more Russian examples that you're forced to turn to Americans? Disgraceful.
I am just using examples you’d know about. If I gave you Lermontov or Gumilyov, you’d have no cultural associations with them.
Russian literature is actually more packed with duels than almost any other. Pushkin himself wrote quite a lot about it. The most famous one is, of course, Eugene Onegin (the duel with Lenski), but my personal favorite is The Shot.
Ahh. Thank you.
sheesh. so many important people were killed in duels: Alexander Hamilton, Galois, Pushkin. Didn't they realize it's stupid?
A more interesting question is: how shitty must have Pushkin’s wife felt after this?
(Although, probably not as shitty as that “lightheaded” wife of the rav from Gemara who hanged herself.)
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