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Nicolai Mikhailovich is Popova’s deceased husband. The play takes place on the seven-month anniversary of his passing, which his widow is still very much mourning. After Popova reveals that he was not a loyal husband in life—he cheated on her, abandoned her, and spent all her money—it becomes clear that she is grieving for her own benefit, rather than her loss. Mostly, Mikhailovich loved his horse, Toby, and other women.
Nicolai Mikhailovich Quotes in The Bear
The The Bear quotes below are all either spoken by Nicolai Mikhailovich or refer to Nicolai Mikhailovich. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Scene 1 Quotes
We’re living, if you don’t mind my saying so, like spiders,—we never see the light of day.
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He was so fond of Toby! He always rode him over to the Korchagins and the Vlasovs. He sat a horse so wonderfully well! Such a graceful expression when he tugged at the reins with all his might! Remember? Toby, Toby! Tell them to give him an extra portion of oats.
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Scene 2 Quotes
And aren’t you ashamed? I’m a good girl, a faithful little wife, I’ve locked myself up in a fortress and will be true to you to the day I die, while you…aren’t you ashamed, you chubby thing?
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Scene 8 Quotes
The man is faithful and constant in love! Do tell, now there’s news!...the very best was my late husband…. I loved him passionately, with every fiber of my being, as only a young, intelligent woman can love; I gave him my youth, happiness, life, my fortune, breathed through him, worshipped him like an idolater, and…and—then what? This best of men cheated me in the most shameless manner on every occasion!
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Nicolai Mikhailovich Character Timeline in The Bear
The timeline below shows where the character Nicolai Mikhailovich appears in The Bear. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Scene 1
...had to stop crying because she wasn’t worth all those tears. He suggests that Popova’s husband, Nicolai Mikhailovich, is not worth all this isolation. She doesn’t see anyone, condemning herself, and...
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Popova refuses to listen. She concedes that her husband was unfaithful and unjust but that does not prevent her from attempting to honor his...
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Scene 2
Left alone, Popova addresses her husband’s photograph. She tells him that she is “a good girl, a faithful little wife” and...
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Scene 8
Popova can’t believe that Smirnov would suggest men are the faithful ones. Her husband was the best of men and even he cheated on her, “betrayed [her], squandered [her]...
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...this and believes that Popova maintains her mourning for her own benefit, rather than her husband’s. In his eyes, she is still vain and doing this to appease her own ego....
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