Notes on “The Caucasian Chalk Circle”: Scene 3 - The Flight Into the Northern Mountains

Characters

Principals:
• The Singer as narrator (plus other musicians)
• Grusha, our protagonist
• Baby Michael

Fat Prince’s Entourage:
• Corporal
• Two Ironshirts

Other:
• Old man with milk
• Innkeeper
• Two elegant ladies
• Servant at the inn
• Peasant woman and her husband, who Grusha tries to leave Michael with
• Three merchants (two men, one woman)

Plot synopsis:

Grusha is on a long journey to reach her brother in the northern mountains, but Michael proves himself to be a burden. Being exposed to the outside world in such a vulnerable state allows Grusha to come to recognize the evils in the hearts of men. Nearly all the people she encounters put their own needs over hers, from the elegant ladies who sell her out for being a servant to the cowardly peasant woman who fails to protect Michael from the Ironshirts after showing such affection for the baby only minutes before. The fat Prince has sent a Corporal with two Ironshirts to track down the noble child, but despite some close calls, Grusha manages to escape them, proving her own strength and courage. By the end of the scene, she has come to see herself as a true mother to Michael, and that bond not only convinces herself of her own goodness compared to those she’s met, but also seems to be the source of her strength.