GALINA SEDOVA’S BULGAKOV. LXIII.

“…Quidquid latet, apparebit,

Nil inultum remanebit.”

Thomas de Celano. Dies Irae.

 

Woland’s Justice.

 

The other half of Bulgakov’s devil in Master and Margarita is the spitting image of the notorious and fierce chief of secret police under Ivan Grozny, known to history as Malyuta Skuratov. This Malyuta (which was in fact his nickname, indicating his small height, amply compensated for by an uncommonly broad span of shoulders… just like--- what do you know!--- Azazello!) was a no-nonsense fellow, always fighting in the front ranks of Ivan’s soldiers in war, and never delegating the murder business to his underlings. (He strangled with his bare hands St. Philip, the Metropolitan of Moscow and the most outspoken critic of the Tsar.)

One of the most striking characteristics of Malyuta Skuratov, at least according to the latter-day Russian painters who have left us with images of him was his flaming-red hair. Bulgakov through Margarita makes a note of that too, at Woland’s ball.

It should come as no surprise then that Bulgakov borrows the external characteristics of Woland and Azazello from Russian Oprichniks (the erstwhile Russian secret service under Ivan Grozny). In the case of Azazello, Bulgakov goes out of his way to convey to the reader his acute sense of Russian history by giving him--- predictably, I must say,--- that selfsame red color of hair [not so useful for an assassin, who must prefer to look inconspicuous] that characterized his bloody prototype.

Master’s impression of Azazello focuses not on the color of his hair, nor on the broadness of his shoulders, but on his manner of dress:

“Just that his dress was not quite ordinary: some kind of cassock or cloak.”

Bulgakov writes that “Azazello was dressed like Woland in black” and Woland himself “was sitting… dressed in his black soutane.”

We also know that Azazello never parts with his knife which he always has conspicuously tucked behind his belt. It is also perfectly clear that Azazello put his knife to use in Moscow, which I am writing about in my chapter on Cannibalism.

Bulgakov’s Woland has a long and broad sword. Although Bulgakov does not equip him with a dog’s head and a broom: to sniff out, chew up, and sweep away treason from the Russian State, it is none other than Woland who “sniffs out and sweeps away” Berlioz and Meigel. Their meeting with Woland brings grief to both of them. In Berlioz’ case---

“…The eyelids of the slain man lifted up, and in his dead face Margarita, shuddering, saw eyes very much alive, full of thought and suffering.”

Only now do we understand why Woland’s retinue unquestioningly obeys him…

“Your tears, your groan,

Will be appearing laughable to him;

And everything in him will be terrible and dark…”

(From M. Yu. Lermontov’s poem Prediction.)

 

This scene is not merely representative of Woland’s peculiar macabre humor. Here he stands as he truly is, no compassion, an evil demon. A terrifying scene.

It is also remarkable how Bulgakov chooses to combine the two lethal scenes: the transformation of Berlioz’ head into a chalice and the killing of the “former baron” Meigel, whose blood fills the newly-made cup. What is striking in both scenes is that even though Woland in both cases makes fairly lengthy speeches, both Berlioz and Meigel are silent. Remembering the chapter on Andrei Fokich the buffet vendor, we can come to the conclusion that Woland possesses the power to deprive not just people, but even his own demonic retinue of the ability to speak, if such is his wish. This is how Bulgakov describes the death of Meigel:

“The guest was literally shaking with anxiety. Bright spots were burning on his cheeks, and his eyes shifted restlessly in great alarm. The guest was stupefied, and that was quite natural: he was struck by everything [he saw], and especially, Woland’s attire. [He was wearing a “dirty patched up nightshirt.”]”

Here is how Woland himself explains the murder of the “former baron”:

“‘Yes, by the way, baron, said Woland in a suddenly intimate lowered tone of voice, ‘rumors are going around about your excessive curiosity. They say that, in conjunction with your no less developed talkativeness, it has started attracting general attention. Furthermore, wicked tongues have already dropped the word--- a snitch and a spy. And even more, there is a supposition that this is about to bring you to a sad outcome no later than in a month. So, guess what, in order to spare you from the depressing anticipation, we have decided to come to your assistance, taking advantage of the circumstance that you insinuated yourself on me to be a guest of mine, precisely with the purpose of spying and eavesdropping on everything you can.’

…The baron became whiter than Abadonna... who took off his glasses for a second... At that very moment something sparked with fire in the hands of Azazello… The baron started falling down backwards, scarlet blood gushed from his chest…”

Bulgakov clearly shows that neither Berlioz nor Meigel were some innocent victims. In so far as Berlioz is concerned, his case is obvious: Taking advantage of his being a magazine editor, Berlioz brainwashes not just the “virgin” poet Ivan-Durák [Ivan-the-fool], but also the whole reading public, which has the misfortune of reading his magazine. Such brainwashing of other people’s heads is an unforgivable crime, in Bulgakov’s eyes, deserving the punishment by decapitation. What goes around, comes around.

As for the “former baron” Meigel, Bulgakov also treats him in a beastly fashion. It is not enough to simply kill him. Bulgakov burns his corpse: only his burnt bones were found under the burned parquet wooden floor of the apartment. Why is he being punished like that?

The only way how we can interpret this Aesopian language is that Meigel, who loved to live large and did not discriminate between us and them, wrote denunciations on his compatriots, who were then investigated and prosecuted on the basis of such reports, leading to their imprisonment and execution by the firing squad. So, once again, what goes around, comes around… The following passage points to that:

“…a snitch and a spy. And even more, there is a supposition that this is about to bring you to a sad outcome no later than in a month. So, guess what, in order to spare you from the depressing anticipation, we have decided to come to your assistance…”

Bulgakov here makes it perfectly clear that even if some of Meigel’s insinuations were true, there were false ones as well, and having checked them and found them false, the investigators figured out what was going on, and Meigel was about to be arrested and tried for bearing false witness. In Stalin’s time, Meigel’s crime was punishable by the firing squad. “To each according to his faith” was Woland’s motto, that is, an eye for an eye. Meigel had to pay with his life for the lives of the people whom he foulmouthed and robbed of their lives. Prewar time, wartime laws.