Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov: A Chapter-by-Chapter Summary

The great Russian writer Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky presented his epoch-making work, The Brothers Karamazov, to readers in 1880. The author initially conceived this novel as the first part of a large-scale literary work titled The History of a Great Sinner. However, these plans were not destined to come to fruition: Dostoevsky died just two months after the novel’s publication.

For those who wish to become more intimately acquainted with the work, we suggest exploring the chapter-by-chapter and part-by-part summary of The Brothers Karamazov on our website.

On our website you can buy this book via the link.

Setting and Time

The novel’s action unfolds in the 1870s in the fictional provincial town of Skotoprigonyevsk, located within the Russian Empire.

Main Characters

• Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov: The head of the Karamazov family, a poor landowner, characterized by debauched, greedy, and egoistical behavior.
• Dmitry Fyodorovich (Mitya): The eldest son of Karamazov, distinguished by his untamed passions, drunkenness, dissolute lifestyle, and propensity for brawls.
• Ivan Fyodorovich: The middle son, a restrained and rational man in whose soul a struggle between faith in God and disbelief is waged.
• Alexei Fyodorovich (Alyosha): The youngest son, a sincere, honest youth possessing deep religiosity.

Other Characters

• Katerina Ivanovna: Mitya’s fiancée, a proud, resolute, and self-sacrificing girl.
• Grushenka: The mistress of a wealthy merchant, a calculating and morally corrupt young woman who becomes the object of enmity between the elder Karamazov and Mitya.
• Zosima: The Elder (starets), Alyosha’s mentor, who prophesied Mitya’s tragic fate.
• Smerdyakov: The gloomy resident of the Karamazov house, the elder’s illegitimate offspring, in whose soul spite and cruelty boil.
• Madame Khokhlakova: A widowed landowner and neighbor, whose daughter Lise is passionately drawn to Alyosha.
• Pyotr Alexandrovich Miusov: Mitya’s cousin on his mother’s side, of noble birth, an enlightened and sophisticated man.

Brief Summary

Part One

Book One: The History of a Family

I. Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov

Fyodor Pavlovich’s first marriage was to a young noblewoman from the respected Miusov family. Unable to endure her husband’s despotic nature, the woman fled to the capital, “leaving the three-year-old Mitya in Fyodor Pavlovich’s care.” Shortly after her escape, she died of typhus.

II. The Firstborn Was Sent Away

The fate of Fyodor Pavlovich’s first son, Mitya, was difficult. His cousin, Pyotr Alexandrovich Miusov, undertook to raise the boy. Upon reaching adulthood, Dmitry attempted to receive the mother’s inheritance due to him from his father. Fyodor Pavlovich initially tried to “buy off” his son with “insignificant sums and rare transfers,” and four years later, he declared that all the money had been squandered.

III. A New Family and New Children

Freed from the concerns of Mitya, Fyodor Pavlovich “soon bound himself in marriage once more.” His chosen one was a meek orphan who bore him two sons, Ivan and Alexei. Alas, this wife also did not find happiness in marriage with Karamazov and died, unable to withstand the hardships of family life.

IV. The Youngest Son, Alyosha

Alyosha evoked universal love and sympathy from childhood. “Everyone who came into contact with him loved him, and this was so from his earliest years.” As a youth, Alyosha, “pure and innocent of soul,” decided to dedicate himself to the service of God and enter the monastery. This decision was largely influenced by the Elder Zosima.

V. The Elders

The intense conflict between Dmitry and his father Fyodor Pavlovich over the inheritance approaches its climax. At this moment, Alexei suggests the whole family gather at the monastery with the Elder Zosima to jointly discuss and resolve the problem.

Book Two: An Inappropriate Gathering

I. They Arrived at the Monastery

All members of the Karamazov family, as well as Dmitry’s guardian Pyotr Miusov, arrive at the monastery. Before the meeting with Father Zosima, they agree to “behave themselves properly.”

II. The Stern Elder

A verbal altercation takes place in Father Zosima’s cell between Pyotr Miusov and Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov. Pyotr Alexandrovich apologizes to the Elder for Fyodor Pavlovich’s inappropriate behavior.

III. The Blessing of the Faithful

Elder Zosima asks permission to briefly leave to bless the faithful awaiting him.

In the cramped annex, women huddled like birds in a nest, each with her own pain, and each sought consolation from the wise Elder. Zosima, with paternal love, listened to their sorrows, offered words of comfort, and blessed them for the new day.

IV. A Heart Thirsting for Faith

The landowner Khokhlakova arrived at the monastery, her soul tormented by the absence of true faith. The Elder, with wisdom in his eyes, told her that faith does not come by itself; it is born “in the crucible of active love.”

V. Arguments about the Eternal under the Shelter of the Cell

While the Elder was away, a serious argument erupted in his modest cell. Ivan Fyodorovich, Pyotr Miusov, and two hieromonks passionately discussed the eternal questions of faith and religion.

VI. A Cry of Despair and Bitter Accusations

Fyodor Pavlovich, like a wounded beast, caused a scandal, accusing his eldest son Dmitry of prodigality and debauchery. He screamed that Dmitry, despite bringing his fiancée Katerina Ivanovna with him, was “having an affair with a local seductress.”

“This indecent scene,” as eyewitnesses called it, ended unexpectedly: Zosima, to everyone’s amazement, fell to his knees before Dmitry.

VII. Ambitions in a Cassock

In moments of solitude, Elder Zosima reveals his last will to the young novice Alyosha: to leave the monastery walls after his mentor’s death. Blessing Alyosha for “great obedience in the world,” the Elder predicts he will find great joy in the very heart of sorrow.

VIII. Scandal in the Monastery

The Abbot hosts a dinner, inviting Miusov, prominent hieromonks, and a local landowner. Fyodor Pavlovich, driven by a desire to vex them one last time, bursts in on the Abbot and causes a scandal, showering insults on both the attendees and the church ministers.

Book Three: The Captives of Passion

I. In the Servant’s Quarters

Fyodor Pavlovich is served by only three people: the devoted but stern old man Grigory with his wife, the elderly Martha, and the young servant Smerdyakov. Grigory, honest and incorruptible, does not wish to leave his restless master, despite his wife’s entreaties.

II. Solitary Lizaveta

Grigory, having accidentally found a newborn baby in the local bathhouse, pitied the single mother Lizaveta and, with Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov’s consent, took the boy in, naming him Pavel Fyodorovich Smerdyakov. Growing up, Smerdyakov became a servant in the Karamazov house.

III. The Confession of a Passionate Heart. In Verse

Alyosha meets his elder brother, who reveals his sins, confessing his descent into the abyss of debauchery. In response, Alyosha reads him Schiller’s inspired Ode to Joy.

IV. The Confession of a Passionate Heart. In Anecdotes

The encounter with Katerina Ivanovna deeply moved Dmitry. Learning of the bitter fate of her father, the lieutenant colonel, who was accused of embezzlement, Dmitry, driven by noble motives, offered his help. He was ready to bail out Katerina Ivanovna’s family, but in return, he asked for the impermissible—the girl’s love. Katerina Ivanovna, ready for anything to save her father, accepted his terms. However, Dmitry, struck by the girl’s purity and selflessness, abandoned his vile intent and provided the money for free.

V. An Echo of the Past. An Unexpected Turn of Fate

Time passed. Having received a rich inheritance, Katerina Ivanovna decided to return the debt to Dmitry. But not only money was sent in the letter—the flame of love burned in it, and the desire to join her fate with Dmitry was strong.

Dmitry, touched by this turn of events, accepts Katerina Ivanovna’s proposal. It would seem that nothing stands in the way of their happiness. But fate had other plans: he meets Grushenka—a girl with an angelic face and a devilish calculation. Blinded by passion, Dmitry is ready for anything for his beloved: to break up with his fiancée, defy society, and even commit the terrible sin of murdering his own father, who has become a rival in the fight for the heart of the insidious beauty.

He entrusts Alyosha with the difficult mission: to meet Katerina and convey the terrible news of their final break-up. Dmitry, by his own account, is a “low captive of passions, a vile creature with unrestrained desires,” who squandered three thousand rubles belonging to his fiancée on a debauch with Grushenka.

VI. Meeting with Smerdyakov

Dmitry learns about his father’s hiding place, where a bundle of money for Grushenka is kept, prepared in case of her visit. He begs Smerdyakov to immediately notify him of Grushenka’s appearance at his father’s house.

Smerdyakov is a secretive, cruel youth with his own plan, incomprehensible to others. He suffers from fits and seems incapable of sincere affection.

VII. Argument about the Main Thing

Alyosha comes to his father and finds his brother Ivan, Grigory, and Smerdyakov there, who is audaciously discussing questions of faith.

VIII. Over a Glass of Cognac

Under the influence of strong alcohol, Fyodor Pavlovich forgets the presence of Ivan and Alexei and begins to frankly tell how brutally he humiliated their mother. These heavy words cause Alexei to fall into a state of nervous breakdown.

IX. The Voluptuaries

At this moment, Dmitry bursts into the house, convinced that his father is hiding Grushenka from him. Overcome with anger, he beats the old man.

X. Both of Them

Alyosha comes to Katerina and conveys Dmitry’s words about their break-up. However, Katerina Ivanovna already knows everything from an unexpected guest—Grushenka.

A confrontational scene takes place between the women, during which Grushenka demonstrates the full baseness of her nature.

XI. Another Ruined Good Name

Alyosha receives a love letter from Lise—Madame Khokhlakova’s sick daughter. He rereads it three times and, happy, falls into a serene sleep.

Part Two

Book Four: Perturbations

I. Father Ferapont

Father Ferapont lives in the monastery—the chief rival of the Elder Zosima. He is a “great faster and silent one,” who persistently ignores the Elder.

II. At Father’s

Fyodor Pavlovich shares his intentions with Alyosha: he is not going to give money to any of his sons, as he plans to live long and indulge in “sweet filth.”

III. Encountered Schoolboys

On the way, Alyosha runs into a “group of schoolboys.” Six boys are throwing stones at one child, who desperately tries to defend himself. Alyosha wants to intervene for him, but the enraged boy bites his finger.

IV. At the Khokhlakovs’

In the Khokhlakovs’ house, Alyosha finds Ivan and Katerina—they are in a tense explanation.

Lise is delighted to learn that Alexei took her declaration of love seriously and is ready to marry her as soon as the time is right.

V. A Dramatic Scene in the Drawing Room

At the Khokhlakovs’, Alexei is convinced that “brother Ivan is in love with Katerina Ivanovna and intends to ‘win her away’ from Dmitry.” Ivan confesses his feelings to her but is refused.

Although Katerina now despises Dmitry, she is resolutely determined to remain faithful to him, even if he marries Grushenka.

From Katerina, Alexei learns that Dmitry Fyodorovich recently publicly insulted the retired Staff Captain Snegiryov. She asks Alexei to give him 200 rubles.

VI. A Dramatic Scene in the Hut

Finding the shack, which huddled on the outskirts, rickety, with three windows overlooking the street, Alyosha discovered a picture of the appalling poverty of the Snegiryov family: the head of the family, who has drunk away himself and his conscience, a wife who has lost her mind from grief, a daughter marked by illness, and a son, the boy who dared to bite his finger.

VII. Under the Open Sky

The two hundred rubles sent by Katerina Ivanovna were offered to Snegiryov by Alyosha, but the man furiously trampled the money—he did not want payment for the humiliation he had endured.

Book Five: Pro and Contra

I. A Secret Conversation

In the Khokhlakovs’ house, Alyosha meets Lise again. Their conversation flowed like a stream, whispering about love and dreaming about the future. Unbeknownst to them, the mistress of the house was overhearing their words.

II. Smerdyakov and the Sounds of the Guitar

In search of Dmitry, Alyosha meets Smerdyakov. He drops a hint that both brothers, Ivan and Mitya, have gone to a tavern for an important conversation.

III. The Brothers Meet

Ivan shares his plans with Alyosha—to travel to Europe, to start life anew. During the conversation, the brothers touch upon the topic of the Almighty, and Ivan expresses the conviction that if the devil is created by man, it is in his own image. The believing Alyosha quietly utters: “That is a revolt.”

V. The Grand Inquisitor

Ivan tells Alyosha a poem about the Grand Inquisitor, who locked Christ in prison, demanding that He free mankind from the torment of choosing between good and evil. The Grand Inquisitor awaits objections from Christ, but He only silently kisses him.

VI. Still Very Vague

Meeting Smerdyakov at the house, Ivan Fyodorovich listens to his strange advice: to leave as soon as possible, before trouble strikes. Hinting at his “fit tomorrow,” Smerdyakov leaves the master in anxious bewilderment.

VII. “It’s Curious to Talk with a Clever Man”

Ivan Fyodorovich spends the night in agonizing contemplation, and in the morning, he informs his father of his imminent departure to Moscow. On the same day, the lackey has a fit, confirming the ominous premonitions.

Book Six: The Russian Monk

I. Elder Zosima and His Guests

Alyosha hurries to the failing Elder Zosima. Foreseeing misfortune, Zosima gives the young man an important instruction: to immediately find Dmitry and “warn him of something terrible.”

II. From the Life of the Departed Hieroschemamonk Elder Zosima, Composed from His Own Words by Alexei Fyodorovich Karamazov

This righteous man’s life before taking monastic vows flowed in poverty, despite his belonging to the nobility. Serving as an officer, he became involved in a duel that became a turning point for him: the enlightenment that descended upon him during the fight led him to monasticism.

III. From the Speeches and Exhortations of the Elder Zosima

In his conversations, Elder Zosima reflects on the meaning of existence, generously sharing wisdom with those around him: he urges them not to abandon prayer, to love everyone as oneself, to ask the Lord for joy, to refrain from judging, and to labor tirelessly.

Book Seven: Alyosha

I. The Shadow of Doubt

After the death of Elder Zosima, many people gather at his cell, for whom he was the embodiment of holiness and righteousness even during his lifetime. However, their faith is subjected to a severe test: the Elder’s body begins to undergo decay.

Ferapont, whose righteousness and holiness no one doubted, did not fail to take advantage of this circumstance.

II. A Moment of Truth

The day of Elder Zosima’s passing was etched in Alyosha’s memory as one of the darkest and most pivotal moments of his life.

Overwhelmed with grief, Alyosha meets his friend Rakitine, who persuades him to distract himself and visit Grushenka.

III. At Grushenka’s

Grushenka warmly welcomes the guests. She is especially happy to see Alyosha and, unashamedly, sits on his lap, like a affectionate kitten. However, Alyosha remains indifferent to her flirtations—deep sorrow consumes all his feelings.

IV. Alyosha’s Dream

Eventually, Alyosha returns to the skete and falls asleep by Zosima’s coffin. In his dream, the Elder appears to him: he radiates joy and serenity, urging him not to fear death or the Lord.

Book Eight: Mitya

I. Kuzma Samsonov

Seeking to find the necessary sum, Dmitry Fyodorovich turns to “the merchant Samsonov, Grushenka’s patron,” for advice. Samsonov, in turn, decides to play a trick on the unfortunate suitor and suggests he sell his small grove to a timber buyer nicknamed Lagavy.

II. Lagavy

After long, agonizing searches, Mitya finally finds Lagavy. During the conversation, Mitya realizes he has been cruelly mocked. Persistent thoughts of Grushenka force him to hastily return to the city.

III. Gold Mines

Dmitry Fyodorovich turns to Madame Khokhlakova, hoping to borrow three thousand rubles from her. The landowner promises him “more, infinitely more than three thousand”—the advice to take up gold mining.

IV. In the Dark

Overcome by agonizing jealousy, Mitya sets off for his father’s house.

Tragedy at Sunset Grigory’s gaze fell upon Mitya’s fleeting figure, swiftly moving away. Without a second’s delay, the old man rushed in pursuit, chasing the fugitive up to the high fence. Suddenly, Mitya, without turning around, struck Grigory a crushing blow with a heavy brass pestle, which he had borrowed from Grushenka.

V. In the Shackles of Despair

The bloodied Dmitry bursts into the house of the official Perkhotin, to whom he had previously pawned his pistols. Having bought back the weapon, he, as if driven by furies, rushed to the neighboring village of Mokroye, where, according to his information, Grushenka was.

VI. A Feast in Time of Plague

At the roadside tavern, Dmitry discovers Grushenka in the company of noisy Poles. Throwing a hefty wad of money to the owner, he orders the immediate summoning of gypsies, the ordering of mountains of food, and rivers of champagne—Mitya was ready to throw a feast in time of plague!

VII. An Echo of Former Merriment

With bitterness in his voice, Mitya made it clear that he had only this night left at his disposal, and he yearned for “music, thunder, noise, everything that was before.” Joining the Poles, he played cards with them until dawn, trying to drown out his emotional pain.

VIII. Somber Daydreams

The night is drowned in a whirlwind of intoxication and unbridled debauchery, like a “chaotic and absurd” spectacle. With the first rays of the sun, the police commissioner and investigator arrive at the inn, and Mitya is handcuffed on suspicion of a terrible crime—the murder of his own father.

Book Nine: The Preliminary Investigation

I. The First Steps of Official Perkhotin

Impressed by the sight of the frantic and blood-drenched Dmitry Fyodorovich, the young official Perkhotin decides to immediately go to the commissioner and “tell him everything in full.”

II. Growing Anxiety

Perkhotin, reporting the incident to the commissioner, insists that the “villain be immediately detained, before he, God forbid, truly decides to take his own life.”

III. The Soul’s Wanderings. The First Ordeal

Mitya categorically denies his involvement in his father’s murder. The news that old Grigory survived the wounds he sustained fills his heart with joy.

Mitya sincerely admits during the interrogation to his hateful and jealous attitude towards his father, which worsens his already difficult position.

IV. The Second Ordeal

Soon, Mitya grows tired of the interrogation. He becomes agitated, shouts, withdraws into himself, and insults the interrogators. However, he is explained the harm he is doing to himself by “refusing to give certain testimony,” and the interrogation continues.

V. The Third Ordeal

Mitya tries to recall all the details of that terrible night. He admits that he learned the secret signs Grushenka was supposed to give his father from Smerdyakov.

VI. The Prosecutor Catches Mitya

The search of his personal belongings is humiliating for Mitya, but it is even harder for him to undress in front of strangers.

The undeniable evidence of Dmitry Karamazov’s crime was the torn envelope with three thousand rubles, found in the bedroom of the elder Fyodor Pavlovich.

VII. Mitya’s Great Secret. Jeered

Mitya is forced to admit that the money he spent so wildly all night was received by him from Katerina Ivanovna.

He realizes that his position is now hopeless, and the only thing that concerns him is Grushenka’s fate.

VIII. The Testimony of Witnesses. The Child

The interrogation of witnesses begins. Grushenka manages to convince Mitya that she believes in his innocence. Thanks to this support, “he wants to live and move forward, towards a new, beckoning light.”

IX. Mitya is Taken Away

After signing the protocol, Mitya learns that “from this minute he is arrested and will be taken to the city, where he will be confined to a very unpleasant place.” The investigation will be continued in the city.

Book Ten: Young Heroes

I. Kolya Krasotkin

Kolya Krasotkin is a clever, persistent, daring, and enterprising boy, respected by his classmates for his excellent qualities as a comrade.

II. Children’s Worries

Kolya has to look after two little ones while their mother is absent. However, this time he is in a hurry for some important business and is not particularly happy about this task.

III. School Conversations

Kolya meets his friend, and they discuss Ilyusha, a boy who is seriously ill and is said to “not live a week.” The friends intend to talk to Alyosha Karamazov.

IV. Zhuchka

Kolya, without hiding his indignation, tells Alyosha about Smerdyakov’s cruel “lesson.” He taught Ilyusha to torment animals, forcing him to stick a pin into a piece of bread and feed it to the unfortunate hungry dog, Zhuchka. The boy could not forget the poor animal’s suffering for a long time.

Even when confined to bed by illness, Ilyusha kept remembering Zhuchka and asked for her to be found. But all attempts to find the dog were futile.

V. At Ilyusha’s Bedside

When Kolya visited his sick friend, he was amazed by his weakness. But the joy of meeting his comrade was nothing compared to the happiness that overwhelmed Ilyusha when the live and unharmed Zhuchka walked into the room!

VI. An Unexpected Turn

In the midst of the merriment at the Snegiryovs’ house, a doctor from the capital arrived, summoned by Katerina Ivanovna. While the adults were solving their problems, Kolya and Alyosha immersed themselves in philosophical reflections on the meaning of life.

VII. Ilyusha

The doctor’s prognosis for Ilya is dismal. Before his death, he asks his father to take another “good boy” to raise and never forget him.

Book Eleven: Brother Ivan Fyodorovich

I. At Grushenka’s

Alyosha visits Grushenka, and she asks him to find out what secret has arisen between Ivan and Dmitry, due to which the prisoner’s mood has noticeably improved.

II. The Sick Little Leg

From Madame Khokhlakova, Alyosha learns that Katerina has summoned a doctor from Moscow to confirm Mitya’s insanity at the time of the crime.

III. The Little Demon

Lise informs Alyosha that she is renouncing her promise to become his wife. She confesses to the youth that she still loves him, but does not respect him for his kindness and tolerance of human vices.

IV. Hymn and Secret

Dmitry realizes that he will have to work hard in the mines all his life, so he turns to God, because “it is impossible to be a convict without God.”

Dmitry shares his secret with his brother: Ivan offers him to escape, but everything will be decided after tomorrow’s court session.

VI. The First Meeting with Smerdyakov

Upon returning from Moscow, Ivan Fyodorovich visits Smerdyakov in the hospital and finds out all the details of the mysterious fit and the crime committed from him.

VII. The Second Visit to Smerdyakov

At the repeat meeting, the servant accuses Ivan of himself desiring “the parent’s death” and deliberately leaving for Moscow so as not to be present at the terrible tragedy. Ivan begins to suspect Smerdyakov of his father’s murder.

VIII. The Third, and Last, Meeting with Smerdyakov

Succumbing to Ivan’s atheistic ideas, having reinterpreted them in his own, distorted way, Smerdyakov decided on the murder. Karamazov’s phrase “everything is permitted” became a terrible justification for him.

Meeting Ivan, the lackey not only gives him the stolen money but also describes the details of the crime with devilish meticulousness. In his words, there is the obsessive thought: the real murderer is Ivan, and he, Smerdyakov, is merely a obedient tool in his hands.

IX. A Gloomy Guest. Ivan Fyodorovich’s Nightmare

Smerdyakov’s confession becomes a crushing blow for Ivan. Tormented by conscience and plagued by fear, he took to bed with delirium tremens, which undermined his already fragile health.

X. “These Words Belong to Him!”

Alyosha bursts in on his brother with terrible news: Smerdyakov has committed suicide by hanging himself. Ivan shows no surprise—in his delirium, he was visited by the devil, who told him about the lackey’s fate.

Book Twelve: The Unjust Trial

I. A Tragic Day

On the day of the trial, Mitya insists on his innocence in the death of the old man, his enemy and father, as well as in the theft of the three thousand rubles, confessing only to debauchery, drunkenness, and laziness.

II. Witnesses to Danger

The trial continues, where the defendant’s lawyer and the prosecutor take turns speaking in the hall. The money spent by Mitya on the fateful night at the inn is meticulously calculated.

III. Medical Conclusion and One Pound of Walnuts

The medical examination, insisted upon by Katerina Ivanovna, “did not help the defendant much.” The invited doctors declare that Dmitry Fyodorovich is “in a completely normal state.”

IV. A Smile of Fate for Mitya

During the interrogation, Alyosha confidently asserts that Smerdyakov, not his brother, killed their father, but he has “no evidence, except for some kind of moral conviction.”

Katerina frankly shares her narrative, starting from her acquaintance with Mitya and ending with their last humiliating meeting. After her account, “something favorable for Mitya appeared” in the courtroom.

V. Sudden Catastrophe

Ivan Fyodorovich hands the court bailiff the money received from Smerdyakov, the murderer. But after this statement, Ivan is overcome by a severe fit, and he is removed from the courtroom.

VI. The Prosecutor’s Speech. Characterization

The prosecutor delivers the accusatory speech. He meticulously analyzes the entire Karamazov family, which he views as elements of “contemporary intelligent society.”

VII. A Historical Image

The prosecutor describes the events of the fateful evening in detail, explaining the motives for the actions committed by Mitya.

VIII. A Treatise on Smerdyakov

The prosecutor puts forth arguments, considering Smerdyakov’s possible involvement in Karamazov’s murder. However, in the course of his reasoning, he comes to the conclusion of Smerdyakov’s innocence.

IX. Psychology at Full Steam. The Galloping Troika. The Finale of the Prosecutor’s Speech

The prosecutor’s speech, which paid special attention to the psychology of the crime, was well received by the public. Many perceived his words as the absolute truth.

X. The Defense Lawyer’s Speech. A Two-Edged Stick

It is the defense lawyer’s turn to speak. He presents facts proving Mitya’s innocence and, at the same time, hints at a “certain abuse” of psychology in the prosecutor’s accusatory speech.

XI. There Was No Money. There Was No Robbery

In his passionate speech, the defense lawyer focuses on the absence of the very object of the crime: “To deprive a person of freedom, accusing them of robbery without precisely establishing what was stolen, is absurd and illegal!”

XII. And There Was No Murder!

The lawyer expresses extreme bewilderment that Mitya’s guilt is based solely on the arguments of the prosecution, which boil down to the primitive: “If not him, then who?”

XIII. Bias Ruins Justice

The defense lawyer has no doubt that if the victim had not been the defendant’s father, but an outsider, the prosecution would not have been so zealously “hasty with conclusions, guided only by personal animosity towards the accused.”

XIV. The Voice of the People is Not the Voice of God

Mitya, given the right to the final word, once again swears his innocence and appeals for clemency. After prolonged deliberation, the jury delivers its verdict: “Guilty!”

Epilogue

I. Attempts to Save Mitya

Hard Days and Glimmers of Hope Ivan Fyodorovich, overcome by emotional turmoil, finds solace in Katerina Ivanovna’s care. Together with Alyosha, they discuss the plan for Mitya and Grushenka’s escape overseas, previously conceived by Ivan.

II. A Moment of Illusory Freedom

Mitya, struck down by a “nervous fever” after the court’s verdict, ends up on a hospital bed. Alyosha offers his brother the risk of escaping, and the exhausted man agrees.

Katerina Ivanovna comes to Mitya’s ward, and a farewell scene takes place between them, full of tears and mutual requests for forgiveness.

III. Farewell to Ilyushechka. The Vow by the Stone

At the cemetery, Ilyushechka’s school friends and Alyosha gather to bid him farewell. By the stone, which became a silent witness to their childhood games, they vow to keep the memory of Ilyusha and of each other. Alyosha urges all those gathered to love life in all its manifestations and do good, because life is beautiful, especially when one manages to “accomplish something good and real.”

Where Does This Path Lead?

The Fates of the Heroes After the Tragedy

• Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov met his death at the hands of Smerdyakov, who acted with Ivan’s tacit approval.
• Dmitry Fyodorovich (Mitya), struck down by illness after the sentence, finds solace within the hospital walls. Reconciliation with Katerina Ivanovna opens up the possibility of his escape to America with Grushenka, organized by Alyosha.
• Ivan Fyodorovich, tormented by mental anguish, is placed under Katerina Ivanovna’s care.
• Alexei Fyodorovich, believing in his brother’s innocence, takes on the development of the plan for Mitya’s escape to America.
• Grushenka, remaining faithful to Mitya, is ready to share the difficult lot of a fugitive in a foreign land with him.
• Smerdyakov, unable to bear the weight of his deed, takes his own life. Only posthumously will the truth prevail, lifting the stigma of Karamazov’s murderer from him.

Resolution

Dostoevsky’s work is like a multifaceted crystal, playing with various colors. Clearly defining the genre of his works is no easy task. They organically intertwine the threads of social life, philosophical quests, love experiences, and even detective intrigue.

A brief summary of The Brothers Karamazov will only partially lift the veil of mystery surrounding this work. To penetrate the depth of the author’s intent, to feel the full range of emotions and experiences of the heroes, a deep, thoughtful approach is necessary—reading the novel from cover to cover.