Woland

{{Short description|Fictional character in a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov}} {{Infobox character | name = Woland | image = The Master and Margarita two.jpg | series = The Master and Margarita | creator = Mikhail Bulgakov | full_name = | species = Devil | occupation = Professor of Black magic, historian, performing artist (claimed) | gender = Male | nationality = German (claimed) }} '''Woland''' ({{langx|ru|Воланд|Voland}}) is a fictional character in the novel ''The Master and Margarita'' by the Russian (Soviet) author Mikhail Bulgakov, written between 1928 and 1940. Woland is the mysterious foreigner and professor whose visit to Moscow sets the plot rolling and turns the world upside-down.

His demonic entourage, which includes witches, succubi, and a gigantic talking cat, his role in the plot, and the fact that ''Voland'' is a (now outdated) German word for a devil or evil spirit,{{sfn|Goethe|1997|p=381|ps=. Note to page 119}} all imply that he is, in fact, the Devil. More controversial interpretations see him as the Apostle Peter (based on Jesus’ remark to Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan") or even the Second Coming of Christ.{{sfn|Бузиновский|Бузиновская|2007|pp=6-11}}

Edward Ericson argues that Woland is essentially "the Satan of orthodox (specifically Russian Orthodox) Christian theology [...] He is both a tempter of men and an unwitting instrument of divine justice, a being who owes his existence and power to the very one he opposes."{{sfn|Ericson|1974|p=22}}

In conceiving of Woland, Bulgakov draws heavily from the figure of Mephistopheles in Goethe's ''Faust'', a connection made explicit by the use of an epigraph from the poem at the beginning of the novel.{{sfn|Wright|1973|p=1162-1163}} Additionally, the name Woland itself is derived from a name by which Mephistopheles refers to himself during the Walpurgisnacht scene: squire Voland ({{langx|de|Junker Voland}}).{{sfn|Goethe|1997|p=199|ps=. Faust 1, line 4023}} Other allusions to Goethe's Mephistopheles include Woland's cane with the head of a poodle and his limp.{{sfn|Wright|1973|p=1163}} Another influence on Woland is Charles Gounod's opera ''Faust''.{{sfn|Lowe|1996}}

==In adaptations== *Veniamin Smekhov played him in a Moscow stage adaptation. *In the 1972 Italian-Yugoslavian adaptation, ''Il maestro e Margherita'', Woland was played by French actor Alain Cuny. *In the 1990 Polish TV series, ''Mistrz i Malgorzata'', Woland was played by Gustaw Holoubek. *In the 1994 Russian film adaptation, Woland was played by Valentin Gaft. *In the 2005 Russian miniseries adaptation, Woland was played by Oleg Basilashvili. *In the 2024 Russian film adaptation, Woland was played by August Diehl.

==Quotations== <blockquote> : "Forgive me, but I don't believe you. That cannot be: '''manuscripts don't burn.'''" - To the Master{{sfn|Bulgakov|2016|p=287}}</blockquote>

<blockquote> : "Yes, man is mortal, but that would be only half the trouble. '''The worst of it is that he's sometimes unexpectedly mortal—there's the trick!"''' - To Berlioz{{sfn|Bulgakov|2016|p=11}}</blockquote>

==References== '''Notes''' {{reflist|20em}}

==Works cited==

*{{cite book|last=Bulgakov |first=Mikhail |title=The Master and Margarita |translator-last1=Pevear |translator-first1=Richard |translator-last2=Volokhonsky |translator-first2=Larissa |year=2016 |publisher=Penguin |location=London |isbn=978-0143108276}} *{{cite book|last1=Бузиновский |first1=С. |last2=Бузиновская |first2=О. |title=Тайна Воланда: опыт дешифровки. |location=St. Petersburg |publisher=Лев и Сова |year=2007}} *{{cite journal|last=Ericson |first=Edward E. |title=The Satanic Incarnation: Parody in Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita |journal=The Russian Review |volume=33 |issue=1 |year=1974 |pages=20–36 |jstor=127619 |doi=10.2307/127619 }} *{{cite journal|last=Haber |first=Edythe C. |title=The Mythic Structure of Bulgakov's ''The Master and Margarita'' |journal=The Russian Review |year=1975 |volume=34 |issue=4 |pages=382–409 |jstor=127871 |doi=10.2307/127871 }} *{{cite book|last=Goethe |first=Johann Wolfgang von |title= Faust: Eine Tragödie. Erster und zweiter Teil. Mit einem Nachwort, Anmerkungen und einer Zeittafel von Sybille Demmer |location=Munich |publisher=Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag |year=1997 |isbn=978-3-423-12400-3}} [Note: Goethe died in 1832.] *{{cite journal |last=Lowe |first=David |title=Gounod's ''Faust'' and Bulgakov's ''the Master and Margarita'' |journal=The Russian Review |year=1996 |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=279–286 |jstor=131841 |doi=10.2307/131841 }} *{{cite journal|last=Wright |first= A.C. |title=Satan in Moscow: An Approach to Bulgakov's ''The Master and Margarita'' |journal=Publications of the Modern Language Association |year=1973 |volume=88 |issue=5|pages=1162–1172|jstor= 461648 |doi= 10.2307/461648 |s2cid= 163919921 }}

Category:Characters in fantasy literature Category:Characters in 20th-century Russian novels Category:Mikhail Bulgakov characters Category:Fictional demons Category:Male literary villains Category:Literary characters introduced in 1966 Category:Comedy literature characters