Romantic poem
M. J. Lermontov’s Masquerade, the outstanding masterpiece of world romanticism, was written in the same year as Mácha’s May. It is situated in the environment of Petrograd aristocracy and constructed as a typical drama of love, jealousy and revenge. When Prince Arbenin’s wife loses her bracelet at a masquerade, it is found by a baroness who gives it as a present to her lover. However, Prince Arbenin suspects her wife of infidelity. This originally trifling affair results, due to further coincidences, malicious gossip and misunderstandings, in a tragedy. The author himself did not live to see the presentation due to censorship pressures. The drama depicting a contemporary society had and still has been so topical that it had been taboo for world stages for almost twenty-six years.
