The Power of Darkness

Focusing on the tragic lives of peasants Anísya and Nikíta, the drama explores their descent into moral decay through temptations such as adultery, drunkenness, and murder. Written in 1886 but suppressed until 1902, it offers a stark realist depiction of the darker aspects of Russian peasant life. The play delves into themes of human depravity while providing a critical commentary on the Russian Empire's complicity in sustaining poverty and ignorance among its most vulnerable populations.