New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-28
THE CHARACTER OF IVAN.

Mr. Mansfield has himself described the character
OF Ivan the Terrible. in a note to Mr.. Tostoys
tragedy. follows:
The tragedy Of Ivan the Terrible" the first Of
deals with the death OF Ivan vassilyvich suTnamed
IsrriPe and the rise ana power OF boI i5
70 be fairly divided between the Car Ivan and
Boris Godunon. In order TO comprehend the re
that. in his boyhood, he was neglected, maltreated
controlled the oliga-chs. Men to whom Ivan
death. and he lived as it were alone in the Palace,
neglected and harassed The plan was to stunt
would be incapable OF rule. Meanwhile the boy.
impressionable and passionate. had great natural
gifts He read all the books that were accessible
The Bible Sacred History" Fathers of the
Church" Russian Chronicles The History of
the Roman Empire. Eastern and Western" Ivan
The shuiskis who hesitated at nothing in Selling
power and holding It, began 10y poisoning VANS
ala sSp Kim Dnr al S Van y9y b TTy
self has left a vivid picture Of what he endured
terrible hatred in Ivan. and later he paid his
enemies IN kind and with oHeri 10 measure f r
sons to strengthen his position resolved, with all the
cow what D3yi5 and SoioTnon had beeT IN Jerusa-
lem and the first Christian Emperor in CONSTANT
Of the Glinslis and the shuiskis and founded the
Oprlchhlks. a ooGy OF men organlzed I9r ms own
special service Hereafter Ivan ruled with an iron
hand Ivan died in 1854.
/ Concerning the events dealt with in the tragedy
time. the following may be Of interest:
declared that he wished to enter monastery, and
ordered them TO proceed to the choice of another
Gar. yielding, however, to the repeated prayers
/ OF the boyarS, he consented 10 remain upon the
( Losing his possessions one after another.
+ threatened every side by enemies, Ivan was
I cruelty stricken; his tortured feelings re-
hected in his manner and exterior. He had become
eyes had grown dim, his lower jaw dropped as in
advanced age. and only in the presence Of others
did he constrain himself. stand proudly erect and
J look with suspicion on those around him. to fld
In those moments he still more terrible
than in the days OF his grandeur.
Never before had Moscow been under such
pressure OF dependency and fear
The historian states elsewhere that '1vanS face
had grown greatly old; the burrows had sunk
deeper; his head there remained but little hair:
his beard had fallen out altogether" The statues
and pictures of Ivan depicting him, at his death
hour. with beard and long hair are therefore
7 incorrect.
Boris Fyodorovich (GodunonD at this period had
risen with rapidity. He the brother-in-law Of
the Czarevitch, whom his sister Trina had married.
near Godunof and his daughter-in-law were to his
heart, raised three fingers, and, counting them
the other, said: This is FyOdor (hs som, this
Trina this is Boris; and. II would be equally
cut of so would it be grievous TO my heart to
lose any of these beloved Godunon Is de-
scrhed as modest cordial TO every one. temperate
in speech and his bearing grave and dlgnined.' he
was, however. utterly false and unscrupulous, ano
overwhelming in his ambitions.
The CzareVitch Fyodor. Feeder, at this time
had been married two years. but he was weak
ling and looked more like a woman than a man
His expression was puerile. In stature ne was
small his constitution feeble, his face pale. He
smiled continually and looked timid and frightened
ivan remarked OF him: "Eyodur should have been
born a sacrfstan, not a Czarevitch