Premise: Masquerade (Russian: Маскарад ) is a verse play written in 1835 by the Russian Romantic writer Mikhail Lermontov. The four-act play, set in 1830's St. Petersburg aristocratic society, highlights the rebellious spirit and noble mind of the protagonist, Yevgeny Arbenin. It is often compared with Shakespeare's "Othello" in its essential story line.
Hypothesis: The play is very popular