The Master and Margarita

The Master and Margarita is a novel by Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov. The novel was written over the course of 12 years but due to the content being deemed controversial by the Soviet Union it was not published until 1966, which was more than two decades after Bulgakov’s death. The novel uses themes, ideas, and imagery from Christianity and the supernatural as well as dark comedy to subtly critique the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. The Master and Margarita has been adapted into many forms of media, such as films, television shows, ballet, and music. Famously, the novel provided the inspiration for the 1968 song Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones. This guide uses an eBook version of the 2011 Ardis edition, translated by Diana Burgin and Katherine O’Connor.

Plot Summary

The Master and Margarita is split into two narratives. The first narrative is set in Moscow in the 1930s. During this time, a mysterious figure named Woland (who, the reader later discovers, is Satan in disguise) visits two writers named Mikhail Alexandrovich Berlioz and Ivan Nikolayevich Ponyryov. The two writers discuss one of Ivan’s poems; Mikhail believes the poem depicts Jesus Christ as too real. Woland interrupts their conversation to assure the two writers that Jesus was very much a real man. By way of proof, Woland describes being at the scene of Jesus’s execution after the Roman leader in Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate, sentenced Jesus to death. At the same time, Woland predicts that Berlioz will be decapitated. Woland’s description of the crucifixion of Jesus becomes the second narrative, narrated by Woland for the two men.

Pontius Pilate is the political leader in the Roman-occupied Yershalaim (Jerusalem). A man named Yeshua Ha-Notsri (Jesus) is dragged before Pilate and accused of causing public unrest and conspiring against the Roman Emperor. Despite the accusations, Pilate is interested in Yeshua’s religious teachings. Yeshua preaches a form of compassion for all humanity, which seems alien to Pilate. Though he does not want to sentence Yeshua to death, he knows he must do so to preserve the peace in the city. In Moscow, Berlioz falls under a tram and his head is cut off. Ivan, shocked that Woland’s prophecy has been fulfilled, chases after the mysterious stranger. Woland is accompanied by his assistant Korovyov, a giant black cat named Behemoth, an assassin named Azazello, and a vampire named Hella. Ivan cannot keep up, and he loses sight of Woland and his followers. After wandering through the streets of Moscow, he finds himself at the MASSOLIT, the gathering place for writers in the city. Ivan tries to tell his fellow writers what happened, but his frenetic demeanor leads to him being sent to an insane asylum under the care of Dr. Stravinsky. The following day, Woland visits a theater director named Styopa Likhodeev. Woland carefully describes how Styopa agreed to host Woland’s black magic performance at his theater, though Styopa does not remember agreeing to do so. Woland is able to produce a signed contract as proof. Then, he takes over Styopa’s apartment with his entourage. In the meantime, Styopa is sent instantly and magically to Yalta, a city on the Black Sea.

Other theater employees inquire about the missing Styopa and ask why they are unexpectedly hosting a magic performance. Having seen him the previous day, they do not understand how Styopa could have travelled to Yalta so quickly and sent them telegrams from so far away. Woland instructs Hella to turn Varenukha, the theater’s administrator, into a vampire. Later, he performs his magic show for an astounded crowd. The show involves removing (and returning) the head of a theater employee, showering the audience in money, and handing out expensive, fashionable gifts to those in attendance. In the asylum, Ivan meets a patient named only the Master. The Master believes Ivan’s story about Woland. He shares his own life story, describing how he loved a woman named Margarita (though he cannot bring himself to say her name). The Master and Margarita were married, and he worked on a book about Pontius Pilate. However, the book received savage reviews and the Master burned his manuscript. He checked himself into the asylum. The story of Pontius Pilate later comes to Ivan in a dream in which he takes the perspective of a disciple named Levi Matvei, who witnesses the execution of Yeshua. Levi removes Yeshua’s body from the cross after the Roman soldiers leave him.

In Part 2 of The Master and Margarita, Margarita herself is introduced. She misses her husband and consoles herself by reading the remains of his burned manuscript. She coincidently finds herself at the funeral of Berlioz. According to rumor, his decapitated head has been taken by someone. Margarita meets Azazello, who offers to introduce her to Woland with the hint that he may be able to reunite her with her husband. Azazello tells her to rub a particular cream on her face that night. She does so, and the cream turns her into a witch allowing her to fly over the city to meet with Woland. During her flight, she destroys the MASSOLIT and brings along Natasha, her maid, who has also been given magical powers. Natasha rides a giant pig who originally was one of Margarita’s neighbors. Woland instructs Margarita to take on the job of hostess at his full moon party. The party is named Satan’s Ball. The guest list is filled with evil-doers and sinners. At the end of the party, Woland shares a drink with Margarita. The drink is blood, taken from Berlioz’s head which has been turned into a cup. When Woland offers to grant Margarita a wish, however, she chooses to save the soul of one of the party guests rather than reunite with the Master. When Woland offers her a second wish, she calls for her husband, and he appears before her, dazed but happy. Woland praises the Master’s book and allows them to return to their normal (but impoverished) lives. Margarita reads the Master’s book. Pilate orders the murder of Judas Iscariot, the follower who betrayed Yeshua. Pilate meets Levi, who is angry he was not able to kill Judas himself. Levi begins to write about Yeshua’s religious lessons. In Moscow, the authorities investigate the strange occurrences in the city. Woland leaves Styopa’s apartment and burns it down. Levi Matvei, now long dead, visits Woland with a message from Yeshua asking that he allow the Master and Margarita to live in peace. Woland arranges instead for the couple to be poisoned, sending them into the afterlife. The Master and Margarita appear before Woland and his entourage, whose true forms are not revealed. While flying above Russia, they meet Pilate, who has been staring at the moon for 2,000 years. The Master frees Pilate from his guilt-induced rumination by telling Pilate that Yeshua is waiting for him. The Master and Margarita are sent to live forever in a small cottage in the afterlife.

In Moscow, the authorities continue to investigate the strange occurrences. Woland is now missing, but everyone who met him remains haunted by his presence. Ivan, unwilling to believe what he has seen, becomes a history teacher and assures himself the magic he witnessed was actually the work of malevolent hypnotists. Every full moon, however, he becomes anxious. His wife gives him a sedative, and he dreams about Pilate. One night, the Master and Margarita appear to him and assure him that everything is as it should be.