ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø

ACT ONE

The story begins in the cold winter of 1812 in Moscow. The Napoleonic Wars are raging, but they haven’t reached the city yet. The characters are introduced: the young, lovely Natasha, recently engaged to Prince Andrey Bolkonsky, who is away fighting in the war; the loyal, good Sonya, Natasha’s cousin and best friend; Marya Dmitriyevna, a wealthy grand dame of Moscow and Natasha’s godmother; the handsome rake Anatole Kuragin and his sister, the devious, promiscuous Hélène; the dangerous Dolokhov, Anatole’s best friend; the cranky old Prince Bolkonsky, Andrey’s father, and his put-upon daughter, Mary; and the reckless, famous troika driver, Balaga (“Prologue�). Lastly, we meet Pierre Bezukhov himself, Hélène’s husband and Andrey’s best friend. Pierre is a wealthy, cultured aristocrat, utterly lost in an existential crisis. He spends his time shut in at home, drinking and philosophizing, idling his days away in depressed lethargy (“Pierre�).

Natasha and Sonya arrive at Marya