A commander in the Fat Prince’s army who attempts to steal Michael away after recognizing the child due to his being swaddled in fine linens. Backed into a corner, so to speak, Grusha smacks the Corporal over the head with a piece of firewood, knocking him unconscious. Grusha thus becomes an official enemy of the regime, and flees deep into the mountains, knowing she can never return to Nuka. When she eventually must return, however, to stand trial against Natella, she sees the Corporal once more. He has a giant scar across his face, and seems for a moment to recognize Grusha as the woman who attacked him.
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Corporal Character Timeline in The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The timeline below shows where the character Corporal appears in The Caucasian Chalk Circle. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 2: The Flight into the Northern Mountains
...and her “pursuers never tire.” Two Ironshirts trudge down the highway into the mountains. Their Corporal berates and insults them, and forces them to sing a soldier’s song about leaving loved...
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...After walking for a short while, she runs into the two lazy Ironshirts and their Corporal. The Corporal asks her where she is coming from and where she is headed—she tells...
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...and she replies that she suddenly remembered she had left milk on the stove. The Corporal asks Grusha if she’s sure she wasn’t afraid of the “carnal” spark between them. Grusha...
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The Corporal asks the peasant woman why she isn’t busy with a task, and the peasant woman,...
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Grusha crosses the bridge just as the Ironshirts and their Corporal—whose head is bandaged—appear on the western side. The men know they cannot cross, and Grusha,...
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Act 5: The Chalk Circle
...will run into the Ironshirt she hit over the head. Just at that moment, the Corporal, who has been standing in the background, turns to face her. He has a large...
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...up, and put his neck in a noose. Natella laughs as Azdak is beaten. The Corporal and a messenger arrive with a dispatch from the Grand Duke stating that Azdak has...
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