Synopsis
Prologue
Raskolnikov murders the elderly pawnbroker Alyona and her sister Lizaveta.
Act I
Scene 1 – The City
Disconnected from the pulse of the city around him, Raskolnikov wrestles with the burden of his crime, and then attempts to hide the evidence.
Scene 2 – The Bar
Raskolnikov’s friend Razumikhin tries to connect with him that evening in a bar. Marmeladov, a drunkard and retired bureaucrat, tells tall tales as his daughter Sonya, who has been forced by poverty to sell her body, solicits customers. Raskolnikov, drunk and overwhelmed, collapses.
Scene 3 – A Dream
In a dream that becomes a nightmare, Raskolnikov retraces his steps – led by a mysterious figure, the Ever Watcher – to the scene of the crime.
Scene 4 – A Journey
Raskolnikov awakes in horror and relocates the evidence to a place outside his room. He crosses paths with a woman on the brink of suicide and, in a moment of compassion, saves her life. He spots the Ever Watcher again and his anxiety returns.
Scene 5 – Family
Raskolnikov returns home to find his mother Pulcheria, his sister Dunya, and her fiancé Luzhin waiting for him. His family is impoverished, and Dunya’s solution is marriage. Raskolnikov is disgusted by Luzhin, a boorish snob. Tensions escalate, and he accuses Dunya of prostituting herself by agreeing to marry Luzhin.
Scene 6 – The Bar, a few days later
The air is celebratory: Raskolnikov’s writing will be published. He shares his radical ideas with his fellow drinkers, arguing that crimes committed by those of a self-styled ‘superior’ race are justified if meant to achieve a noble purpose. A detective Porfiry and his deputy listen attentively; Porfiry begins to suspect him.
Also present is Svidrigailov, a predatory older man from Raskolnikov’s hometown. Svidrigailov, who fell in love with Dunya when she worked for him, is suspected of his wife’s murder.
Raskolnikov catches sight of Svidrigailov and chases him.
Scene 7 – Outside the Bar
The closing bell rings, and as the crowd tumbles out, Marmeladov is crushed in a dreadful accident. The crowd carries him home. Svidrigailov lurks, hoping Raskolnikov will lead him to Dunya.
Scene 8 – Marmeladov’s Death
Marmeladov dies at home surrounded by his wife, Katerina, who is herself dying of consumption and despair. Raskolnikov, Razumikhin, and Sonya leave to ask Dunya and Luzhin for help. Svidrigailov trails them.
Scene 9 – Dunya’s Apartment
Raskolnikov, Razumikhin, and Sonya arrive at lodgings Luzhin has arranged for Dunya and Pulcheria. Initially disdainful of Sonya, Dunya soon feels pity and looks to Luzhin, who grandly offers Sonya money.
Raskolnikov and Luzhin break into a fight. Razumikhin intervenes; Luzhin, Raskolnikov and Sonya all leave in fury and upset.
Dunya and Razumikhin are alone together. Razumikhin is struck by her strength and beauty. It leaves him uncertain. He goes to find her brother.
Svidrigailov seizes his chance. He confronts Dunya and makes an offer of marriage, money, and a future. She can barely refuse him, but she does. He leaves the ring with her.
Scene 10 – Murder
Raskolnikov is running from his family disaster. He finds himself back in his dream, this time reliving the murders. As he struggles on the edge of the abyss, Porfiry is watching.
Act II
Scene 1 – The Police Station
Porfiry summons Raskolnikov to the station for an interrogation. Just as Porfiry begins to close in, the Ever Watcher confesses to the murders, freeing Raskolnikov from suspicion.
Scene 2 – A Wake and a Death
Katerina dies at her husband’s wake, leaving Sonya in despair. Raskolnikov tries to comfort Sonya while Svidrigailov waits in the shadows.
Scene 3 – A Quiet Space
Raskolnikov and Sonya share a quiet, tender moment. Svidrigailov listens through the wall.
Scene 4 – Eviction
Dunya and her mother face eviction after Luzhin calls off the engagement. Svidrigailov, seizing the opportunity, offers Dunya a way out of poverty through marriage to him. She cannot bring herself to answer and he leaves the ring for her to decide.
Scene 5 – A Dream for Two
The detective Porfiry confronts Raskolnikov and draws closer to the truth. The scene shifts into a dreamscape where Raskolnikov once again relives the murders, this time with Porfiry as witness. The dream dispelled, Raskolnikov evades Porfiry, who now believes a confession is immenent.
Scene 6 – A Confession
Raskolnikov confesses his crime to Sonya, bringing her the bloodied shirt. She listens quietly, then points out a path to redemption through God.
She hides the shirt. Svidrigailov, overhearing their conversation, retrieves the shirt, knowing it gives him the power to ruin Raskolnikov and to pressure Dunya into acceptance.
Scene 7 – Menace
Dunya arrives, struggling with Svidrigailov’s proposal. She decides to turn him down and return the ring. He threatens to expose Raskolnikov if she will not submit – and shows her the bloodied shirt as proof. He pulls out a gun, which she grabs. She shoots at him and misses. She escapes, with the shirt, leaving Svidrigailov enraged and humiliated.
Scene 8 – The Truth
Dunya reveals the bloody shirt to Razumikhin and her mother, confirming Raskolnikov’s guilt.
Scene 9 – Sonya Persuades
Sonya persuades Raskolnikov to turn himself in.
Scene 10 – Journey to Confession
He begins the journey to confession as Sonya watches him from a distance.
His power lost and his life in tatters, Svidrigailov kills himself.
Epilogue – The Prison
Raskolnikov has been serving his punishment for his crimes and, in doing so, can begin to accept Sonya’s forgiveness, determination, and love. There is hope.