Bachelor Thesis English Language and Culture

Dostoyevsky’s Women: Crime and Punishment’s Female Archetype on the Stage

By Jasmijn Myrthe Ooms

5975204

6863 Words

BA Thesis English Language and Culture UU

Supervisor: Roselinde Supheert

Second Reader: Mia You

July 2020
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Abstract

This thesis analyses how Crime and Punishment (1866) reinforces a female

Dostoyevskyan archetype and whether Campbell and Columbus’ 2003 theatre

adaptation emphasises this typology. The representation of women in Dostoyevsky’s

Crime and Punishment reiterates the 19th century Christian belief that female suffering

is pre-ordained by God, as well as necessary in order to achieve spiritual rebirth of

oneself and others. Campbell and Columbus’ adaptation has been praised for its

conciseness and faithfulness to the novel, and adds onto the idea of a single female

archetype by specifically asking one actress to perform all female roles. By closely

analysing the portrayal of the female characters in both the text of the novel and the

script of the adaptation it can be argued that the adaptation recognises the archetype

that is present in Dostoyevsky’s work. This thesis demonstrates how Campbell and

Columbus acknowledge the 19th century female archetype of the suffering woman in

the adaptation. While the adaptation is faithful to the archetype, Campbell and

Columbus’ adaptation has failed to serve as a critique of this antiquated female

archetype for the 21st century theatregoer.

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Table of Contents

Chapter I: Introduction 4

Chapter II: The Adaptation and the Archetype 7

Chapter III: Dostoyevsky’s Theological Typology 10

Chapter IV: The Women in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment 12

Chapter V: The Woman in Campbell & Columbus’ Crime and Punishment 19

Chapter VI: Conclusion 27

Works Cited 31
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Chapter I: Introduction

Creating an adaptation is an opportunity for the adapter to accentuate literary themes

and outline characters that may have been only touched upon in the source material in

the original medium. For instance, Paula Vogel’s Desdemona: A Play About a

Handkerchief (1994) describes the themes of betrayal and relationships in

Shakespeare’s Othello (1604) from the point of view of the women in the story,

repurposing the characteristics and identity of the female characters from the original.

Strictly speaking, these alterations are not entirely faithful to the plot of Othello, yet

they offer the opportunity to create a portrayal of female characters in a different and

interesting way. By using another medium, an adaptor may strive for a better

understanding of the themes and characteristics of the source material. Theatre, for

instance, can be an ideal setting for visualising certain themes of the adapted story.

American authors Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus adapted the 1866

novel Crime and Punishment to a theatre script in 2003. Their adaptation of

Dostoyevsky’s work has been praised by critics and awarded the Joseph Jefferson

Award for Best New Adaptation in 2003 and has been performed as recent as 20191.

The adaptation is a concise retelling of the lengthy novel, while using the medium of

theatrical performances to portray Crime and Punishment’s religious themes and the

presentation of its female characters. Critics have applauded this adaptation and its

performances for its faithfulness to the novel without appearing as though it carries

“all of Dostoyevsky’s narrative baggage” (Helbig). The adaptation has been described

as “a radical distillation of the work,” which brings focus to the inner turmoil of its

central characters (Giorgetti). While critics have discussed the clarity of the

1
It is possible to view the production history of Campbell & Columbus’ adaptation on Campbell’s personal

website. The adaptation of Crime and Punishment has been performed many times from 2003 to 2019. The last

known performances were by Penfold Theatre Company in Austin, and Prague Shakespeare Company.
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adaptation, few have mentioned how the adaptation alters the overall experience of

Crime and Punishment’s cast, especially its female characters.

The novel of Crime and Punishment has 21 characters, most of which are

instrumental for the plot, yet Campbell and Columbus made the noteworthy decision

to only use three actors in the adaptation. While one actor performs Crime and

Punishment’s protagonist Raskolnikov, the other actors, one female and one male, are

cast to perform the other roles in the play. The actress performs four roles total, while

the actor performs two, with a heavy emphasis on the role of detective Porfiry. The

erasure of characters when adapting is nothing out of the ordinary, yet in a character-

heavy narrative such as Crime and Punishment, where every seemingly insignificant

character has a purpose, choosing to portray different female characters using a single

actress encourages the audience to consider these characters’ similarities.

A particularly fascinating question after reading Campbell and Columbus’

adaptation is whether the decision to use a single actress to perform all present female

characters might refer to a female archetype in Crime and Punishment. To answer this

question, it is necessary to compare the literary source and its adaptation, and analyse

the context in which the female characters occur in both media. By exploring the

themes surrounding Crime and Punishment’s female characters, it is possible to

conclude whether there is a female archetype in the novel. Though double-cast roles

do not necessarily suggest similar characteristics of the roles, Dostoyevsky’s interest

in recurring personalities in characters is especially noteworthy. Using this

knowledge, it is possible to assume that Campbell and Columbus refer to these

archetypal characters in their adaptation.

This thesis will discuss the meaning behind the visualisation of character in the

adaptation of Campbell and Columbus, while consulting the 1993 translation of Crime
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and Punishment by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, whose award-winning

translations are frequently used in literary research.

The next chapter will be an introduction to the subject and touches on the act of

adapting a novel into a theatre script, as well as explain the presentation of archetypes.

The third chapter sheds some light on Dostoyevsky’s autobiographical influences in

the novel as it explains the presence of women in his novels, and thus the type of

representation Campbell and Columbus decided to portray. The fourth chapter is an

analysis of the novel Crime and Punishment, as well as an exploration of the

characteristics, background and nature of its female characters. The fifth chapter

focuses on the roles that the actress portrays in the adaptation, taking note of the text

of the female characters and references to female suffering. The final chapter is a

conclusion about the portrayal of a possible Dostoyevskyan female archetype within

Campbell and Columbus’ adaptation for the stage.

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Chapter II: The Adaptation and the Archetype

From the Novel to the Stage

Before touching on Crime and Punishment and its theatre adaptation, it is necessary to

define the nature of an adaptation. Various theories about adaptations have existed

since the Victorian era, as novels, poems, theatre and more were adapted to become

suitable for other media (Hutcheon XI). Many adapters search for a kind of

equivalence in the new medium in order to conform to various elements of the story

and reposition themes, characters, symbols or imagery. Yet an adaptation is not only

an intermedial recreation or reference of an earlier work, it is also an opportunity to

evaluate a work of cultural or historical importance. In an adaptation, it is possible for

the adapter to reconstruct the thematic focus of the source. The adaptation will always

have an overt defining relationship to the source of the adaptation, “always shadowing

the one that we are experiencing directly” (idem 6), yet the adapter has the means to

provide insight in the literary work that might allude to different meanings or call the

original work in question. The adapter is “frequently involved in a process of reading

between the lines, offering analogues or supplements to what is available in a source

text” (Sanders 60), which causes a change in the recreation of the original. The act of

adapting raises the question of motive behind updating the source, and the reason as

to why the story must be brought to the audience’s frame of reference (Sanders 45).

The alterations made to the source material in order to conform to the new medium

are therefore an opportunity for the adapter to focus on factors of the story that the

adapter wishes to emphasize.

The theatre adapters of Crime and Punishment have adopted strategies in

order to accommodate the source material to the space of the theatre. There is a clear
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juxtaposition between the two media: the novel as a linguistic medium and in contrast,

dramatic theatre as a verbal and visual art. Theatrical performances rarely strive for a

certain naturalism that is possible in a cinematic medium. Instead, theatre can

embrace the significance of the performance itself, to highlight the meaning of the

story, through representational mechanisms such as costume, set and other

dramaturgical elements (Babbage 23). By using the visibility between performance

and realism, theatre is able show the spectator a story through a focused lens that can

present a theme or meaning by using various visual and auditory means. The medium

of theatre has these aspects and thus is able to “vividly [convey] the abundant

potential of every text and celebrates the possibilities for reconsideration and

renewal” (idem 218).

Typology and Representation

Campbell and Columbus made the defining choice to visualise their focus on

character in their adaptation of Crime and Punishment. The adapters wrote the theatre

script with the intention to only use three actors, as the script mentions that “the actors

playing Porfiry and Sonya will also play all other roles where indicated in the script”

(Campbell & Columbus). Thus the adaptation has the ability to narrow the spectator’s

focus and support the recognition of the similarities between its double-cast

characters. This decision to alter the experience that the audience has of the story’s

characters may encourage the recognition of a type of character or archetype.

The adaptation adds onto the canonical representation of its characters and

therefore alters the recognition of literary archetypes like the one that is present in

Crime and Punishment. An example of this is how Ophelia of Shakespeare’s Hamlet

has become an archetype of “the [female] mind in crisis” (Sanders 54), which is of
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great interest for feminist adaptors. Adapters who are motivated to portray or subvert

a female archetype would most likely create a contemporary typology that reflects the

period in which the adaptation was made. Theatrical adaptations might have a motive

to portray characters with an archetype in mind, in order to assure the recognition of

the nature of a character by the audience. This could be Campbell and Columbus’

motivation behind representing multiple female roles through a single actress, as

specifically indicated in the script of their adaptation.

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Chapter III: Dostoyevsky’s Theological Typology

Dostoyevsky indicated in his biographical works that his interests lied in “creating

human types […] endowed with a capacity to express and embody the whole of

humanity” (Avramenko & Ying 6). Dostoyevsky frequently wrote about the Russian

citizen, types of people who “are bound to exist in our society, taking into account the

circumstances that have shaped our society”, taking into account his criticism of

Russian politics and poverty (Harrison 2). In his works, Dostoyevsky frequently

expressed the “pressures on women in different strata of society, including views of

marriage, and what is considered suitable and respectable in their behaviour and

education” (Briggs 19). The character of the suffering woman is also present in his

earlier work like Poor Folk (1846) and Netochka Nezanova (1849), in which “female

characters [are] struggling to survive in what was so obviously a man’s world” (23).

Dostoyevsky suggests that suffering of any kind is part of the human condition, and

notably in his later work his exploration of Christian attributes of self-sacrifice

becomes more apparent.

The central theme of religion in Crime and Punishment influences all

characters in the novel. It has been suggested that the novel reflects Dostoyevsky’s

own conflict with his faith as it exhibits many autobiographical aspects. While he was

raised as a Christian, during adulthood he found himself heavily critiquing the

political, social and philosophical influence of Christianity and eventually questioning

his beliefs (48). Dostoyevsky’s opinion of religious faith is reflected in Crime and

Punishment’s protagonist, or antagonist rather, named Raskolnikov. The name

Raskolnikov is derived from “the word ‘raskolnik’, meaning ‘schismatic’, one who

has split away from the body of the church; but he is also divided against himself”
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(Pevear XV). His loss of self is compared to, and is argued to derive from, his loss of

faith, which makes the religious impact of the women in Raskolnikov’s life of such

importance.

The relationship with religion is an important theme because of the

characteristics that women in Crime and Punishment share. The female characters

have similar beliefs, as they believe “suffering [being] pre-ordained, assigned by God,

and that Christians must bear the cross in self-sacrifice and suffering on behalf of

others” (Briggs 51). Yet surprisingly, only the female characters in Crime and

Punishment portray this belief. Critics have gone so far as to suggest Crime and

Punishment’s female characters offer a significant influence on Raskolnikov to the

point where they become a vehicle for Christian self-annihilation (Thompson 191).

These characteristics contribute to the idea of the female Dostoyevskyan archetype,

deeply connected with the complicated ideal of Christian self-sacrifice that is present

in the novel. Although individual characteristics and personalities of the women in

Crime and Punishment might differ, their sufferings are all caused by the vision of the

idealized Christian woman taking care of others, regardless of their own misfortune.
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Chapter IV: The Women in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment

Women’s Relationships

The novel Crime and Punishment is founded on the relationships between its

characters, and it is impossible to analyse any character without taking into account

their connection to the protagonist Rodya Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov. The

story portrays Raskolnikov’s deteriorating mental health and shows how the female

influences in his life better his state of mind. While some influences like his mother

and sister are not completely successful, they are catalysts of his cathartic confession

of his sins. Throughout the story of Crime and Punishment Raskolnikov is led to self-

improvement by the women who sacrifice themselves for him and others.

The women in Crime and Punishment can be categorized by the relationships

they have with those surrounding them. All women in Crime and Punishment are

identified through their relationships with others, being mothers, daughters, sisters,

and lovers. In contrast, male relationships are hardly mentioned in the novel, and the

only male relationship that is explored minimally is that of Marmeladov Semyon

Zakharovich, Sonya’s drunkard father.

The three most important characters surrounding Raskolnikov in the novel are

Sonya, Dunechka and Pulcheria. All three contribute to Raskolnikov’s improvement

in life, both mental and financial. They are identified as supportive characters for

Raskolnikov. These three women are frequently compared to each other, as well as

compared to many other female foil characters that represent them. Table 1 below

visualises the similarities between the three main roles that the female characters can

be categorized by. The main representatives of each of the three categories daughters,

mothers and lovers are coloured blue. The colour used for the text itself, represents a
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direct familial connection between the characters. These families include red for

Sonya, her siblings and her mother Pulcheria, orange for Pulcheria and her daughter

Dunya, and Green for Lizaveta and her sister Alyona.

Table 1

Daughter figures Mother figures Lover figures

Dunya (Dunechka Pulcheria Sonya (Sofya

Romanovna) (Alexandrovna) Semyonovna)

Sonya (Sofya Semyonovna) Katerina Ivanovna Praskovya Pavlovna

Lizaveta Ivanovna Alyona Ivanovna Lippewechsel (Amalia)
Natasya Petrovna Dunya (Dunechka
Polina (Polenka) Romanovna)
Milhailovna
Lidochka (Lyona)
Kolya (Kolka)

What connects all women in Crime and Punishment is the act of self-sacrifice.

In their sacrifice for family and loved ones, these characters believe that they will be

saved by God’s grace and the sins of their family would be forgiven. In the novel, the

characters surrounding Raskolnikov frequently argue that his loss of self has been

caused by his lack of faith. The women around him question his beliefs frequently;

reinforcing the idea that religious conversion leads to self-improvement. This self-

improvement is arguably sustained only through Raskolnikov regaining his faith, and

the women sacrifice their wealth and health in order to improve Raskolnikov’s life.

The particular female prioritisation of others above one’s self is immediately made

explicit through the introduction of Raskolnikov’s mother and sister, Pulcheria

(Alexandrovna) and Dunya (Advotya Romanova), respectively.

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Raskolnikov’s mother’s sacrifices are strikingly clear in her introduction, in

which Raskolnikov reads a letter describing both Pulcheria and Dunya are willing to

sacrifice everything in order to ease Raskolnikov’s financial troubles caused by his

disinterest in his studies and work. Pulcheria introduces her relation to her son by

immediately declaring her unconditional love in the first few sentences of the letter:

“You know how I love you; you are all we have, Dunya and I, you are everything for

us, all our hope and our trust” (Dostoyevsky 30). In the letter she frequently mentions

that she sends any money she has left of her pension to her son, even borrowing

money “mainly in order to send you sixty roubles, which you needed” (31). In the

letter, it is also announced how his sister Dunya has agreed to an engagement to the

wealthy Pyotr Petrovich Luhzin as merely a financial prospect in order to provide for

her estranged brother. In the letter she explains how “[Dunya] can endure much” (36)

and “she would marry Pyotr Petrovich for [Raskolnikov] alone” (38), through which

it becomes clear how this marriage is only arranged in order to support Raskolnikov,

in which Pulcheria willingly sacrifices her daughter.

In addition to Raskolnikov’s family, Sonya “the pure-hearted prostitute” plays

a big part in Raskolnikov’s metanoia, “a fundamental change of heart, a spiritual

conversion” (Briggs 94), suggested to be an analogy for mother Mary2, who is also

perpetuated through literature to be engaged in prostitution (79). Sonya can also be

argued to be an allegory of Christ, as she sacrifices herself through selling her body to

financially support her family, while bearing no ill will to anyone who profits off of

her labour. Critics argue that Sonya seems to be nothing more than a representation of

self-sacrifice and forgiveness, presenting her as merely a lay-figure, suggesting that

2
The reference of Mary is significant because of the theme of belief in the Resurrection of not only Jesus Christ,

but also Lazarus, as Mary was witness of these Resurrections. In both the novel and the adaptation, Sonya reads a

long passage of the Gospel of Lazarus, which mirrors the spiritual resurrection of Raskolnikov.
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she’s a malleable character arranged to suit the plot (Murry 125). As a character,

Sonya is merely the representation of “the pain of the oppressed and despised women

in every culture” (Briggs 76). Dostoyevsky stresses this aspect when Raskolnikov

bows to Sonya uttering the words “I did not bow down to you, I bowed down to the

suffering of all humanity” (Dostoyevsky 322).

Sonya is deeply devoted to her faith in God, enduring extended hardship such

as her father’s death and the act of selling her body in order to provide for her family

who abuse both her mind and body. Sonya is convinced that because of her sacrifices,

God will save her family from poverty, even when it seems that her younger sister

will need to become a prostitute as well in order to survive: “‘No, no! It can’t be! No!’

Sonya cried loudly, desperately, as if she had suddenly been stabbed with a knife.

‘God, God won’t allow such horror!’ ‘He allows it with others.’ ‘No, no! God will

protect her! God!’” (321).

Sonya’s Sacrifice

The women surrounding Raskolnikov are all faithful believers of Christianity and

frequently suggest that Raskolnikov’s lack of faith is the key to his deteriorating

mental health. Raskolnikov reveals the truth about the murders3 he has committed in a

remarkable scene wherein Sonya’s ultimate role in the novel manifests: to offer

forgiveness. Revealing his sins to Sonya clears the physical sickness his conscience

has tormented him with, yet he does not feel as though he is reborn, as his relief is

only temporary. Sonya urges him to confess to the world, saying: “Go now, this
3
In the beginning of the novel, Raskolnikov has chosen to murder Alyona Ivanovna the pawnbroker and take her

money. Sadly her sister Lizaveta comes home during the murder. Panicking about the witness, Raskolnikov

murders Lizaveta as well. What is of importance is Raskolnikov’s motivation, as he never used the money that he

stole, and merely chose to murder Alyona because of his questioning of power and morality, which could be

another thesis all on its own.

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minute, stand in the crossroads, bow down and first kiss the earth you’ve defiled, then

bow to the whole world, on all four sides, and say aloud to everyone: I have killed!

Then God will send you life again” (Dostoyevsky 420).

The omniscient narrator reveals in the epilogue that Raskolnikov spends seven

years in hard labour, being a highly symbolic number in the Bible. Specifically, these

seven years are a reference to Jacob working for seven years to be with his future wife

Rachel, as described in the Book of Genesis chapter 25. Sonya sacrifices her personal

happiness yet again, by leaving her family, in order to live near Raskolnikov in the

hard labour camp. The Biblical symbolism surrounding Sonya becomes even more

noticeable, as Raskolnikov abruptly realises a complete resurrection of his spirit, and

he weeps at her feet. She eventually succeeds in achieving Raskolnikov’s true

metanoia, by the force of her love and sacrifice: “[t]hey were resurrected by love; the

heart of each held infinite sources of life for the heart of the other” (549). Sonya is the

only witness of this resurrection of mind and conscience and she becomes a direct

analogy of the traditional view of Mary Magdalene, first witness of the Resurrection

of Jesus and Lazarus (Briggs 79). In the epilogue, Sonya has been solidified as an

archetypal character of self-sacrifice and forgiveness washing away sin.

Self-sacrifice

In order to argue that there is a female archetype in Crime and Punishment, it is

important to examine the characters surrounding the core female characters, provided

in Table 1. Visual comparisons are often made between characters, most notably

between Sonya and Lizaveta. One of the most important visual comparisons between

Lizaveta and Sonya is the look on their faces when struck with horror. Dostoyevsky
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made the notable decision to directly refer back to the moment of Lizaveta’s murder,

where “she twisted her lips pitifully, as very small children do when they begin to be

afraid of something, and are on the point of crying out” (Dostoyevsky 79). When

Sonya learns the truth of Lizaveta’s murder, Dostoyevsky writes:

[H]e looked at her, and suddenly in her face he seemed to see the face

of Lizaveta. He vividly recalled the expression of Lizaveta’s face as he was

approaching her with the axe and she was backing away from him towards the

wall, her hand held out, with a completely childlike fright on her face, exactly

as when little children suddenly begin to be frightened of something, stare

fixedly and uneasily at what frightens them, backing away, and, holding out a

little hand, are preparing to cry. Almost the same thing now happened with

Sonya as well: just as powerlessly, with the same fright. (411)

These passages must not be overlooked in the comparison between female

characters, specifically because of the emotional and visual similarity between Sonya

and Lizaveta. They are both daughter figures, supporting their families by physical

labour, while refusing to admit that they endure both physical and verbal abuse, which

is used in the adaptation to illustrate their similarities. Both Sonya and Lizaveta agree

to being sacrificed by their family as part of their duty: “[Lizaveta] was a complete

slave to [Alyona], worked for her day and night, trembled before her, and even

suffered her beatings” (61), and “Sofya Semyonova (Sonya), has been ‘obliged’ to

carry a yellow pass4” (19). Similarly, Dunya is sacrificed by her mother for the

economic security of her son, repeating this theme of female sacrifice.

4
A “ yellow pass” was a device used to identify prostitutes in Russia, and Sonya carrying one would mean she

would be instantly recognized as a prostitute. Because of her taking on such a profession, she was also removed

from her family’s lodgings, as their landlady Amalia Lippewechsel did not accept the presence of any prostitute in

her house.
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The relationships between several of the main female characters that are

presented in Crime and Punishment suggest that women must be sacrificed for the

greater good of their family. In the portrayal of minor characters Dostoyevsky also

offers many metaphors that are direct references to the sacrifices women make, and

their acceptance of this sacrifice. There is one extreme instance in which Raskolnikov

dreams of watching a mare being beaten to pull a cart until she cannot move anymore

while he and his father watch (58). This dream will be discussed in the next chapter.

The qualities and beliefs that the women in Crime and Punishment share, indicate that

there is a female archetype in Crime and Punishment of the woman who sacrifices

herself for those around her, with the intent to better the lives of others, or even in

Sonya’s case, “a man’s gradual renewal, [and] the account of his gradual

regeneration” (551).

Chapter V: The Woman in Campbell & Columbus’ Crime and

Punishment

The Script

In comparison to the novel, the 2003 adaptation of Crime and Punishment altered the

story in order to narrow down the focus of the story. By using just three actors in the
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adaptation itself, Campbell and Columbus utilize the characters that have direct

impact on the progress of Raskolnikov’s conflict. In the adaptation, not all female

characters are present and the appearance of several characters is likely linked to their

presumed importance in the story. The female characters that are performed in the

adaptation by the actress are presented in Table 2 below.

Daughter Figures Mother Figures Lover Figures

Sonya (Sofya Pulcheria (Alexandrovna) Sonya (Soyfa

Semyonovna) Alyona Ivanovna Semyonovna)

Lizaveta Ivanovna

Table 2

These characters are connected through their daughter- and motherhood. Yet

Sonya’s mother Katerina cannot physically be performed because Campbell and

Columbus chose to only allow one female character per scene by casting one person

to play all female roles. The nature of Sonya’s family and the abuse she suffers

because of them is mentioned multiple times throughout the play. The 47-page

adaptation takes approximately an hour to perform, and the abuse of women is

emphasised in this short amount of time. Yet Campbell and Columbus never seem to

impose any 21st century criticism about this abuse, presumably in order to remain

faithful to the novel. Women’s autonomy is frequently questioned, as Sonya’s

prostitution is described as a suffering she must bear without question:

SONYA: I will continue to work. And give them everything that I can.

RASKOLNIKOV: You’ll continue to sell yourself? (She turns away,

pause). Your father told me everything.

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SONYA: I will continue to work. Because I have to give them what I

can. […] It is what I must do. For my family. I give them everything I

can. (Campbell & Columbus 5-13)

Similarly to the novel, Sonya never complains about this predicament, merely accepts

it as her fate, as she says “[y]ou stop thinking about it after a while” in the adaptation

(12). Though Lizaveta herself might not be a prostitute for her family’s sake, her body

is used to support her sister in any way Alyona sees fit, even through violence:

RASKOLNIKOV: Show me your thumb! Didn’t she bite the end of it

off for you?

LIZAVETA: Please, don’t talk about that, mister Raskolnikov! Alyona

is a good woman. I deserve everything I get from her. (19)

In a different kind of abuse, Raskolnikov accepts the finances he receives from his

mother Pulcheria, who is acknowledged as impoverished. Pulcheria appears in the

play and recites her letter to Raskolnikov:

MOTHER. What can I do to help you, my pension is only a hundred

and twenty roubles a year? The money I sent you is borrowed against

my pension. But thank God, I think I will be able to send you

something more soon, maybe as much as thirty-five rubles […] (16)

Notably, Dunya’s personal suffering is absent from the adaptation, and is only

mentioned as an unnamed sister whose only interest the improvement of

Raskolnikov’s quality of living. This edit was presumably made in order to shorten

the text to better adapt it to a stage performance, yet it does not lessen the similarities

of abuse and suffering between Pulcheria, Lizaveta and Sonya.

Suffering and Resurrection

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Campbell and Columbus seem to not question the bleak Dostoyevskyan view that “the

best-mannered people are those who have been beaten” (Dostoyevsky 285) as the

most redeemable characters in both the novel and the adaptation are women who

experience great suffering. This view is used as a stepping-stone to illustrate the

Christian paradox of strength through weakness (Briggs 77). The adaptation relies

heavily on the inquiry of Raskolnikov’s faith, and whether he could resurrect himself

like Lazarus5, and therefore be cleansed of his sins. Religious faith is accentuated as

the cornerstone of Raskolnikov’s sins, as his mother Pulcheria warns him in the

adaptation: “Do you still say your prayers, Rodya? Do you believe in the mercy of our

Creator and our Redeemer? In my heart, I’m afraid that you no longer believe. If

that’s true, I pray for you” (Campbell & Columbus 16). As long as Raskolnikov does

not believe, he would be unable to redeem himself and resurrect as a man without sin.

The adaptation provides little insight to a 21st century reflection of these

religious themes. It seems as though Campbell and Columbus have decided that in

order to be faithful to the novel, the theatrical adaptation must emphasise the

importance of the religious conflict at its core. The adaptation begins and ends with

the following questioning, with slight variations of the answers Raskolnikov gives to

detective Porfiry and Sonya, reflecting his inner conflict about his religious faith:

PORFIRY: Now. Do you believe in the story of Lazarus?

RASKOLNIKOV: What?

SONYA: Do you believe a man can be resurrected?

RASKOLNIKOV: I don’t know anymore.

PORFIRY: And do you believe in God?

5
The Gospel of John describes the Resurrection of Lazarus as one of the miracles performed by Jesus, with Mary

of Magdalene as his witness. The resurrection of Lazarus is a very important story within the novel of Crime and

Punishment as it is suggested to be some kind of proof that man can resurrect spiritually through religious faith.
 Ooms 22

RASKOLNIKOV: Does it matter?

SONYA: It might. (Campbell & Columbus 47)

The metanoia that is focused on in the adaptation is only conceived after Sonya

accepts and forgives Raskolnikov for what he has done. Though in the novel, his

spiritual conversion is outspoken in the epilogue, the adaptations last scene is

Raskolnikov confessing to the police. Campbell and Columbus leave the audience

with the question whether it is truly possible to achieve a spiritual resurrection, as the

reader of the novel knows that Raskolnikov’s true metanoia was not achieved merely

by his confession. The final words that are uttered in the adaptation might be one of

the few glimpses of Campbell and Columbus’ critique of the novel; whether it truly

matters if one believes in God.

Raskolnikov’s spiritual resurrection is introduced and mentioned throughout

the adaptation, acknowledging the importance of the rebirth of one’s self. Both in the

novel and the play, Sonya reads the story of Lazarus in the Gospel of John to

Raskolnikov. Campbell and Columbus used this fragment about Lazarus to further

stress that when Raskolnikov gives in to Sonya’s love and accepts her forgiveness, he

might be saved: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that

believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and

believeth in me shall never die” (idem 29). Sonya’s identity as Raskolnikov’s saviour

is confirmed in the last few pages of the novel:

She understood, and for her there was no longer any doubt that he

loved here, loved her infinitely, and at last the moment had come […] there

already shone the dawn of a renewed future, of a complete resurrection into a

new life. They were resurrected by love; the heart of each held infinite sources

of life for the heart of the other. […] [H]e was risen and he knew it, he felt it
 Ooms 23

fully with the whole of his renewed being, and she—she lived just by his life

alone! (Dostoyevsky 549-50)

Even though this sacrifice seemingly is the most important within both the novel and

the adaptation of Crime and Punishment, the other sacrifices made by the female

characters are important as well because they are founded on forgiveness and faith.

The adaptation emphasises how similar Lizaveta, Sonya and Pulcheria’s faith in God

and the goodness of others is, yet does not touch on its effects. Because the adaptation

ends before Raskolnikov reaches his true metanoia, Sonya’s victory goes unnoticed

by the audience; her suffering does not bear the same weight as it does in the novel.

Yet the similarities between Sonya, Pulcheria and Lizaveta are undeniable. They are

forgiving of the sins that their loved ones have committed, and actively reject the truth

about their mental, physical or financial abuse. In their sacrifice lies the possibility of

a spiritual renewal of the characters that surround them, and these women are united

by these characteristics.

The Woman on Stage

The physical representation of the female characters is a detail that would be decided

upon by a director, yet these characters being performed by one actress suggests a

theme in which the characters are alike. The appearances of the women in the

adaptation vary between the scenes in which detective Porfiry questions Raskolnikov.

Scenes in which different female characters are on stage, never follow each other.

This is arguably to give the actress performing the characters more time to change

costumes, yet in theatre, the visibility of the actress performing all female roles plays

a big part. The dramaturgical settings and costume can suggest an identity within the

plot (Babbage 21). The audience could recognize the character Sonya, as she would
 Ooms 24

wear clothes of a prostitute, while Pulcheria would wear clothes that would be more

suitable for a mother figure. Nevertheless, by connecting the physical nature of the

performer, as the performer herself remains the same in all these roles, suggest the

similarity between characteristics of the roles performed.

Dostoyevsky’s writing already gives indication of an overall archetype,

created “with a capacity to express and embody the whole of humanity” (Harrison 1).

Campbell and Columbus pursued to portray these aspects through visual cues on

stage, in this case casting a single actress to perform multiple roles. The significance

of dual-roles in theatre is most often of thematic significance to the story. Morality

and the conventions of the character would be established simply by the visual

connotation of bodily presence of the actor by the recognition of a single actor

performing multiple roles (Gamboa 70). By connecting such roles via a visual means

suggests to the audience that the characters are of the same nature or identity.

As has been discussed in the previous chapters, the women in Crime and

Punishment seem to perform a particular role in the story surrounding its protagonist

Raskolnikov. The theological themes that surround the female characters in Crime

and Punishment seem to distinguish their shared characteristics. In the novel, personal

transformation and growth is portrayed to be a spiritual experience that can only occur

after sacrifice: the love offered by the women in one’s life (Briggs 274). Campbell

and Columbus narrowed the focus of the adaptation by emphasising the conflict of

religious belief that is present in the novel, which is reinforced by the frequent

questioning of Raskolnikov’s faith throughout the script.

The Dream of the Mare

 Ooms 25

Yet Campbell and Columbus do not neglect one of the most compelling cases of

symbolism of the suffering woman. The appearance of Raskolnikov’s recurring dream

in the adaptation gives reason to believe that Campbell and Columbus made an

attempt to touch upon the suffering of women further. The dream is performed by

Raskolnikov as a monologue, recollecting a crowd of men repeatedly whipping a

mare for being unable to further bear the weight of the cart that she must pull for her

male owner. Dostoyevsky had purposely chosen the sex of the horse, by describing it

as a “большой”, a mare, and using Russian female possessive and personal pronouns

of ë and eñ to describe the horse (Crime and Punishment Dual Language E-Book).

The mare is described as “a small, skinny, grayish peasant nag, [her legs]

overstrain[ing] themselves pulling a huge load” (Dostoyevsky 54). The play also

refers to the horse with feminine pronouns, and describes her as “a tired old mare,

strapped into the harness” (Campbell and Columbus 18). In both the adaptation and

the novel, the text refers to the mare’s refusal to give up, “[s]he won’t die. She tries to

pull the cart. But she can’t now, with broken legs and a broken back” (idem), “[h]er

hind legs give way, but then she jumps up and pulls, pulls with all the strength she has

left” (Dostoyevsky 58). The adaptation enhances the theme of the suffering woman by

following the monologue about the dream with a dialogue between Raskolnikov and

Lizaveta, in which they discuss the abuse she has suffered for the benefit of her family

and willingly accepts, “I deserve everything I get” (Campbell & Columbus 19). The

mare clearly symbolizes the treatment of women in the story of Crime and

Punishment, who are unable to carry the burdens of their loved ones without suffering

themselves.

The fact that Campbell and Columbus decided to include a two-page

monologue about this particular dream, while their script is carefully adapted to be as
 Ooms 26

concise as can be, points to the importance of the dream’s subject. The novel’s

omniscient narrator explains that Raskolnikov’s dream not only shows the “morbid

condition” that the dreamer is in, but also that its content is “monstrous, [and] the

setting and the whole process of the presentation sometimes happen to be so

probable” (idem 54). 6

Chapter VI: Conclusion.

The Dualistic Archetype

The representation of women in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment is deeply

dualistic. Even though they are frequently introduced as characters whose lives are

interwoven with the familial burdens that they have to carry, none of them are

recognised by others characters as pitiful as they fulfil roles that are expected of them

in 19th century Russia. Dostoyevsky’s female characters are complex because of their

6
Besides being a visualization of the suffering women bear, the dream also serves as a prediction of the future, as

Raskolnikov commits murder shortly after. The narrator correctly points out that Raskolnikov’s mental health will

only deteriorate further because of the guilt and horror he feels after committing such a vile act.
 Ooms 27

suffering, being burdened by these expectations of the female role of caretaker above

all else. Nevertheless, the positive view on female self-sacrifice is less than ideal for

the 21st century reader, who would agree that “self-annihilation is imposed on women

rather than voluntarily accepted (Briggs 76). Yet Dostoyevsky does not offer an

idealised version of the suffering woman. Crime and Punishment’s woman who are

part of this archetype rarely meet a happy end: Pulcheria dies of distress after learning

the morbid truth that her son is a murderer, Lizaveta is dead, Sonya’s mother Katerina

is penniless caring for three children and presumably will sacrifice her eldest daughter

to prostitution to provide income7. Only Sonya, after all her strife, becomes a beacon

of hope for a better life after the metanoia she has induced for Raskolnikov. After his

metanoia, Raskolnikov promises that “he would now redeem all her sufferings”

(Dostoyevsky 550). Though it is a bleak representation, Crime and Punishment

suggests effectiveness of self-annihilation in order to induce a spiritual change in

others, arguing the strength that lies within suffering.

In Crime and Punishment Dostoyevsky engages the reader with female

characters who suffer from their feminine roles and concludes his story with the

victory of Sonya, relentlessly loving and caring for the sinners around her, like

Raskolnikov. Sonya’s powerful presence as a loving, forgiving woman is noticed by

others in the story when she follows Raskolnikov to the Siberian hard labour camp he

has been sentenced to after admitting to the murders he committed. The criminals she

is exposed to when visiting Raskolnikov recognise the strength in her kindness and

acknowledge the influence she has on others: “when she came to see Raskolnikov at

work, or met a party of convicts on the way to work, they would all take their hats off,

7
This is, of course, because Sonya has sacrificed her family in order to follow Raskolnikov to the hard labour

camp. As mentioned in the second chapter, previously Sonya had provided her family with income by prostitution,

and feared that this responsibility would fall on her siblings if she were to leave.
 Ooms 28

they would all bow to her: ‘Little mother, Sofya Semyonovna, our tender, fond little

mother!’” (Dostoyevsky 546).

As discussed in Chapter II, the significance of the women present in Crime

and Punishment is tied to the influence of their love through sacrifice paired with the

Christian belief that it will produce a better life. Dostoyevsky acknowledges this in

the penultimate paragraph of the novel, as the narrator notes that “a new life would

not be given [to Raskolnikov] for nothing, that it still had to be dearly bought, to be

paid for with a great future” (idem 551). The acknowledged bright future has thus far

been bought with the sacrifices that have been made by the women in the story of

Crime and Punishment. Dostoyevsky’s female characters invite the reader to engage

with female suffering, and “women in terms of their spiritual development and their

striving in the face of moral, personal and institutional evil” (Briggs 285). Sonya,

Lizaveta and Pulcheria share their hope for a spiritual development of those that they

take care of and suffer for, yet only Sonya becomes a catalyst for the redemption of

the one she loves, as her human love becomes a reflection of forgiveness and

sanctification (idem).

Campbell & Columbus’ Presentation of the Archetype

It is important to note that this thesis is solely based on the script of the adaptation.

While these claims are concluded from its text, its portrayal may differ onstage. The

stage directions of the script indicates that the actress performing the role of Sonya is

to “play all other roles where indicated in the script” (1). Yet the dramaturgical setting

of the performance might not take this into account. The visualisation of character

might be taken away by adding costume changes when the actress is required to

perform the different roles, due to decisions made by the director of the performance.

The actress’ acting while in a specific role may be convincing enough to visualise a
 Ooms 29

change of character, or a change of character might be visualised by a change of

lights, background, or costume changes. Yet these alterations do not erase the

perception of the spectator, as the characters are linked by the physical appearance of

the one actress who performs them. While the performance of a play can differ

immensely when directed by different directors, the intentions behind the script

written by Campbell and Columbus cannot be erased.

As mentioned in the introduction of this thesis, the reason as to why the story

must be brought to the audience’s frame of reference is important to take note of

(Sanders 45). Critics have mentioned that the adaptation is so noteworthy because of

its concise retelling of “the essential drama of confession in an age not congenial to

religious dogma” (“Review: Crime and Punishment at Jack Studio Theatre”). Though

that seems fair, it cannot be denied that Campbell and Columbus seem to have missed

the opportunity to critique and contextualize the female presence in Crime and

Punishment. The mere 47-page adaptation does not have as much text to thoroughly

explore the identity of the Dostoyevskyan woman like Dostoyevsky’s 551 page novel.

Yet the presence of the women in the script paired with its performance and use of the

theatrical medium could be a suggestion of the identity that is appointed to the female

characters. It seems as though there was an attempt to portray Crime and

Punishment’s women as connected through their sympathy, solidarity and Christian

faith, yet the adaptation has failed to note this inherent understanding that is

seemingly so interwoven with the novel, and concretize it by adding any

contemporary critique.

In their portrayal of the Dostoyevskyan woman, Campbell and Columbus

seemingly chose to acknowledge the 19th century archetype by visualising the

similarities of women’s shared strife. In terms of an adaptation, that means that the
 Ooms 30

play is true to the sentiments of the novel, yet does not quite take into account of the

perception of the 21st century theatregoer8. The performance has convinced some

critics of the “physical fragility that contrasts with the spiritual and moral strength that

sustain [Sonya]” (idem). This may suggest that Campbell and Columbus chose to not

comment on Dostoyevsky’s female archetype, and instead merely visualise it in a

different medium. Most recent theatre performances of this particular adaptation are

still performed with 19th century-style costumes and classical stage setting. There

seems to be a preference to portray this female archetype as an ideal that is antiquated,

leaning into the understanding that this type of woman is more fictional than

contemporary.

Works Cited

Avramenko, Richard, and Jingcai Ying. “Dostoevsky’s Heroines: Or, on the

Compassion of the Russian Woman.” In Dostoevsky’s Political Thought,

edited by Richard Avramenko and Lee Trepanier, 73–90. Lanham, MD:

Lexington Books, 2013.

Babbage, Frances. Adaptation in Contemporary Theatre: Performing Literature.

London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018. Print.

Briggs, Katherine Jane. How Dostoyevsky Portrays Women in His Novels: A Feminist

Analysis. New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 2009. 73-120. PDF.

8
The play has been performed not only in the United States, but in many other countries such as England, Canada,

New Zealand and the Czech Republic, thus it is not only meant for the American theatregoer.
 Ooms 31

Campbell, Marilyn, and Curt Columbus. Crime and Punishment. Dramatic

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2003. Print.

Campbell, Marilyn. “Production History 2003-2019.” Marilyn Campbell-Lowe.

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Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Translated by Richard Pevear and

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14011. Accessed 3 July 2020.

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 Ooms 32

Murray, Simone. The Adaptation Industry: The Cultural Economy of Contemporary

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Sanders, Julie. Adaptation and Appropriation. London: Routledge, 2006. Print.

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