A voice from the darkness within him holds the key to his deceit and will not easily let him escape. In this radio version (which departs considerably from the original text), Markheim is a man who discovers the truth of his soul and the strange force that has been propelling him ever forward. We can be safe to say though, that although the literary Markheim may not be the parent of the better known "Scrooge" he is very much the sibling. I could for instance tell you that the original story might have been a potential precursor for "A Christmas Carol" if it were not for the fact that the Dickensian novella predated it by 41 years. I remember reading Markheim as a child and then being introduced to it by accident once more as a young man when I bought an anthology of short stories called "Ghosts for Christmas."Īs with many supernatural thrillers or tales with a twist it is difficult to adequately write a review without giving away the plot.
If he could last out 15 years it would bring him 2 million roubles, but what is 2 million roubles…? He had undertaken this fearful confinement, as a bet. What does a man think about when a prison door closes behind him when he sees the four walls that will be the boundary of his world what does he think? Driven by his greed and a challenge he could not refuse, he accepts the bet stating that for 2 million roubles he will be confined for 15 years. The rich banker who has wealth beyond belief, and without it would feel like his life was taken away from him, bets his friend two million roubles that he cannot spend five years in confinement. Ivanoff says that it is not the right of the state to take away from a man that which he cannot return and that if he were offered a choice between capitol punishment and life imprisonment he would choose imprisonment for it is better than no life at all. Two friends are debating over which is better, to be executed by the state or to spend a lifetime in prison. He was a gentle soul with an unusual understanding of the heart of man and in this story you’ll find he proves himself a great searcher after truth.
This story was written by Anton Chekhov, a great playwright often referred to as the Russian Shakespeare.