Introduction
“Eugene Onegin” is a classic poem and has been adapted by many directors around the world, trying to provide a perfect version to the audience that would translate all emotions precisely. For example, the 1999 Martha Fiennes film portrays Eugene Onegin as a complex character with various vices and virtues.
On the one hand, he represents the defects of the nobility of the time, with their selfishness and lack of purpose in life. The audience sees the man as a spoiled, mature person who has no desires in life and strives to find at least something that would excite him for a while. On the other hand, he possesses a number of positive qualities that distinguish him from the rest of the nobles, for example, his honesty and straightforwardness.
One of his most critical positive characteristics is his discernment, which is demonstrated by the way he judges other people, human values, and himself. Thus, Eugene Onegin is a character who is shown with a certain duality and complexity, with the audience viewing him as a wise young man and then seeing his cynical side.
Character Study Through Perception of Others
The overall setting of the film revolves around one character and his experiences, which allows the audience to see his internal and external conflicts and the development of the protagonist. Onegin has a unique ability to see people through and understand the human personality. One example is the way he viewed Olga and Tatiana. When talking to Lensky about Olga, he does not mention her provinciality as a flaw, but rather, he says that she is “perfectly perfect” (Onegin). Most young nobles would not pay attention to “perfect perfection” and would not consider it a drawback; on the contrary, young people of the time preferred a woman like Olga, as Lensky did.
For Onegin, a woman needs to be complex in order to fascinate a man, and he deems Olga too simple. He does, however, notice Tatiana’s complexity and mentions that he would choose her over Olga (Onegin). These remarks prove that he is capable of seeing what people are actually like, which is a talent not many possess. With the help of these episodes, the audience can see the man’s perspective, which allows them to see his transformation toward the end.
Onegin’s Unique Views on Love and Marriage
Additionally, Eugene Onegin has a unique perception of human values and understands them in a way that other people cannot and do not want to. He sees love and marriage differently, and the way he explains his views to Tatiana demonstrates that. When rejecting her feelings, he says to her, “Love—I am told—heightens our senses but lowers our perceptions. I am not made for love” (Onegin). This indicates that he had reflected on what love meant for him and saw that he preferred to keep his sober view of life over the euphoria of romantic feelings.
This is also the reason why he rejected Tatiana, even though he liked her because he valued his independent thinking and did not want to sacrifice it in the name of love. When it comes to marriage, this is how he views it: “a declaration, a kiss, a wedding, family, obligation, boredom, adultery.” (Onegin). This demonstrates that he has seen what most marriages are like and how they end up, and he does not wish to repeat this scenario in his life.
Self-Reflection and Growth Through Regret
At first glance, it may seem that Onegin is self-absorbed and is only insightful when it comes to judging other people, situations, and values. However, he is also capable of self-reflection, especially at the end of the film. He can recognize that he was wrong and why he was wrong, particularly when it comes to his reflections on love and how his reasoning failed him.
When he finds out Tatiana is married, he writes her a letter and says, “I thought that liberty and peace would serve instead of happiness, but I was so wrong. I tore my heart away from everything it loved.” (Onegin). This shows he thought through his past decisions and realized that his initial reasons for the rejection of Tatiana’s love had proved to be pointless to him. A person who is not insightful and is not capable of self-reflection would not recognize the errors of their mindset as Onegin does.
Conclusion
Eugene Onegin is a character given certain complexity and duality. Throughout the movie, he shows both cynical and wide sides. Onegin’s complexity represents, on the one hand, the vices of that time: he is selfish, lacks compassion, and is overly pragmatic.
On the other hand, he represents the rare contemporary original thinkers: He is more thoughtful than most people and has more complex ideas. His discernment is especially distinctive: He is a profoundly insightful character who is capable of seeing the essence of situations, other people, and, most importantly, his own flaws and errors.
Work Cited
Onegin. Directed by Martha Fiennes, performance by Ralph Fiennes, Samuel Goldwyn Films, 1999.