ABSTRACT
Shakespeare was a source of curiosity to Russian literati of the late eighteenth century, but the stylistic features of his plays were by no means an accepted means of dramatic expression. Catherine took the lead in self-consciously asserting the value of a Shakespearean model. Later in 1786, Catherine began one final Shakespearean exercise, an incomplete adaptation of Timon of Athens called The Spendthrift, bringing the total number of her Shakespearean experiments to five. Catherine took the lead in self-consciously asserting the value of a Shakespearean model. Catherine also significantly alters the character of Falstaff by trimming his enormous size. Operas were an essential component of court and public theatrical life in Catherine's Russia. The main source for Catherine's historical treatment of the story of Gostomysl, Riurik, and Vadim was the ancient Primary Chronicle, a compendium of events in the early history of the future Russia, compiled by several authors in the period from 1040–1118.
