A. S. Pushkin lived a relatively short but eventful life. It is difficult to imagine how many wonderful literary works could still have come out from under his pen, if not for the bullet with which he was mortally wounded in a duel. Alas, history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood. The fatal shot took the life of the poet, who went down in history as the creator of the literary Russian language.
Duels in the life of Pushkin
Researchers believe that Pushkin, born at the very end of the 18th century, took part in more than twenty duels in his short life. He shot masterly, hitting a bullet with a bullet from more than twenty steps. But in these numerous duels, Pushkin never started shooting first and never shed someone else's blood.
The poet by his nature was not considered an evil person, but often, for no apparent reason, behaved defiantly and became cocky. This distinctive trait of his character forced the police to include Pushkin in a special list of people who are troublemakers, inclined to participate in duels.
It is possible that in this way the poet's restless and free nature rebelled against the existing order and the hopelessness of fate.
Death of a poet
One can imagine what Pushkin experienced with the appearance in his life of Dantes, a young cornet of the Cavalry Regiment and a Frenchman by birth. Dantes was the adopted son of Baron Heckern, the former Dutch envoy to Russia. With his beautiful and sophisticated features, women liked the Frenchman. The reason for Pushkin's dislike for him was the attention that Dantes began to show to the poet's wife Natalya Nikolaevna.
Gossip and malevolent grins began behind Pushkin's back. The situation in society was becoming difficult. Watching how his wife's hobby for the handsome Frenchman grows, Pushkin for the time being only patiently waited for the denouement and did not make decisions. But in early November 1836, the poet received an insulting anonymous letter, apparently written by a group of secular idlers.
The message was offensive to the reputation of Pushkin and his wife.
The next day, Pushkin, deciding not to endure insults, sent a challenge to Dantes, whom he considered guilty of insulting. This time, circumstances developed in such a way that the poet was forced to abandon the duel. But Natalya Nikolaevna continued to behave extremely frivolously, meeting with Dantes at balls. The annoyance of the offended husband grew and resulted in an angry letter to Baron Heckern, which made a duel with Dantes inevitable.
The duel took place on the Black River on January 27 (according to the old style - February 8), 1837 and ended in failure for Pushkin. After Dantes's shot, the poet was wounded by a bullet in the stomach, which at that time was a fatal wound. Pushkin's return shot did not harm Dantes - the bullet pierced the soft tissues of his hand, hit a metal button and bounced off. The mortally wounded poet, who at the time was only 37 years old, died two days later. Dying, Pushkin asked not to punish the second and not to avenge anyone for his death. This is how the sun of Russian poetry went down.
