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Alexei Fyodorovich Karamazov (russian: Алёша Карамазов), usually referred to simply as Alyosha, is the protagonist in the 1880 novel ''
The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (russian: Братья Карамазовы, ''Brat'ya Karamazovy'', ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing '' ...
'' by Fyodor Dostoevsky. He is the youngest of the Karamazov brothers, being nineteen years old at the start of the novel. The preface and the opening chapter proclaim him as the hero. Dostoevsky intended to write a sequel, which would detail the rest of Alyosha's life, but died shortly after the publication of ''The Brothers Karamazov''. At the outset of the story Alyosha is a
novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...
in the local
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...
. In this way Alyosha's beliefs act as a counterbalance to his brother Ivan's atheism. He is sent out into the world by his Elder and subsequently becomes embroiled in the sordid details of his family's life. He becomes involved with, and later engaged to, a young girl named Liza (or Lise) Khokhlakov, daughter to a confidante of Katerina Ivanovna's. Later on in the novel, Lise sinks into depression and self-hatred, spurning her lover and crushing her finger in a door. Alyosha is also involved in a side story in which he befriends a group of school boys whose fate adds a hopeful message to the conclusion of an otherwise tragic novel. Alyosha's place in the novel is usually that of a messenger or witness to the actions of his brothers and others. He is very close to Dmitri. Alyosha is depicted as a positive character, kind, loving and sensitive. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka states that Alyosha, like
Prince Myshkin Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, князь Лев Николаевич Мышкин, knyazʹ Lev Nikoláyevich Mýshkin) is the protagonist of Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1869 novel ''The Idiot''. Dostoevsky wante ...
, the protagonist in another Dostoyevsky novel, ''
The Idiot ''The Idiot'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Идиот, Idiót) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–69. The title is an ...
'', are almost
Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...
-like characters, who are nevertheless unable to prevent the suffering of those around them. She suggests that as a witness or messenger, Alyosha is not a true moral agent, playing a passive role in the events of the novel. Rufus W. Mathewson states that Alyosha Karamazov is a more robust positive hero than Prince Myshkin. He describes Alyosha as relying on forgiveness, kindness and natural justice, rather than attempting to change the social order.


Concept and creation

Alyosha is named after Dostoevsky's son of the same name, who was born in 1875 but died in 1878 of
epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...
. Because of this Dostoevsky imbued Alyosha with qualities and characteristics which he sought and most admired, including that of
Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
. Dostoevsky is believed to have based the character of Alyosha on his friend, Vladimir Solovyov, a Russian philosopher and poet who led a generous life, to the point of giving away his clothes to people in the street.Zouboff, Peter, ''Solovyov on Godmanhood: Solovyov’s Lectures on Godmanhood'', Harmon Printing House, Poughkeepsie, New York, 1944; see Czeslaw Milosz’s introduction to ''Solovyov’s War, Progress and the End of History'', Lindisfarne Press, Hudson, New York 1990


Portrayals

*
Hermann Thimig Hermann Thimig (3 October 1890 – 7 July 1982) was an Austrian stage and film actor. He appeared in 102 films between 1916 and 1967. Biography Thimig came from a famous family of actors. His father, Hugo Thimig, was an actor, director and ...
is the first actor to play Alyosha in film in 1915's ''The Brothers Karamazov'' directed by Victor Tourjansky, now a
lost film A lost film is a feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing char ...
. *Italian actor Carlo Conso portrayed the character in the 1947
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
film '' I fratelli Karamazoff'' *Canadian-American actor
William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...
portrays Alyosha in the 1958 American film adaptation. *Russian actor Andrey Myagkov in the
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
1969 adaptation. *Russian actor Aleksandr Golubev portrayed Alyosha in the 2009 Russian TV miniseries ''Bratya Karamazovy''.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karamazov, Alyosha The Brothers Karamazov Fyodor Dostoyevsky characters Fictional monks Fictional Russian people in literature Male characters in literature Literary characters introduced in 1880