The Queen of Spades is a short story by Alexander Pushkin about a Russian officer named Hermann who becomes obsessed with learning the secret of three winning cards from a wealthy elderly countess. After her death, her ghost appears to Hermann and reveals the secret cards, but a mistake costs him everything when he loses focus on the third bet. The story explores themes of greed, arrogance, and the moral consequences of unscrupulous actions.

1. THE QUEEN OF SPADES
By Aleksandr S. Pushkin

16. Aleksandr Pushking (1788-1837) was born in Moscu, Russia. He was a
Novelist, poet and playwriter. Pushking was killed by a fire gun and
Until today, nobody knows who performed the action.

18. Hernan: a Russian officer. Also a prudent and cautious man. From the beginning,
he follows the card games of his friends with excitement.
Countess Anna Fedotovna: Elegant eighty-seven years old. She is a moody widow.
She is rich and a selfish lady.
Lisabeta Ivanovna: She is a poor girl, but also us beautiful. She is the countess
companion. She becomes in love with Hernan

19. Count Ivan Llytch: Tomsky’s uncle
Count Saint Germain: The man who tells the countess the secret of the
winning cards.
Duke of Orleans: The man who, the countess owes money.

20. The story takes place in St. Pettersbourg, Russia on the gulf of Finland of
the winter of early 1830.
And the story’s flashback of the countess takes place in Paris and Versailles
in the 1770’s

21. Hermann, an ethnic German, is an officer of the engineers in the Imperial
Russian Army. He constantly watches the other officers gamble, but never
plays himself. One night, Tomsky tells a story about his grandmother, an
elderly countess. Many years ago, in France, she lost a fortune at cards, and
then won it back with the secret of the three winning cards, which she
learned from the notorious Count of St. Germain. Hermann becomes
obsessed with obtaining the secret.

22. The countess (who is now 87 years old) has a young ward, Lizavyeta
Ivanovna. Hermann sends love letters to Lizavyeta, and persuades her to let
him into the house. There Hermann accosts the countess, demanding the
secret. She first tells him that story was a joke, but Hermann refuses to
believe her. He repeats his demands, but she does not speak. He draws a
pistol and threatens her, and the old lady dies of fright.
Hermann attends the funeral of the countess, and is terrified to see the
countess open her eyes in the coffin and look at him. Later that night, the
ghost of the countess appears. The ghost names the secret three cards
(three, seven, ace), tells him he must play just once each night and then
orders him to marry Lizavyeta. Hermann takes his entire savings to
Chekalinsky's salon, where wealthy men gamble for high stakes. On the first
night, he bets it all on the three and wins. On the second night, he wins on
the seven. On the third night, he bets on the ace — but when cards are
shown, he finds he has bet on the Queen of Spades, rather than the ace,
and loses everything.

23. RISING ACTION
CLIMAX
FALLING ACTION

24. Internal conflict: Greed.
External conflict: Romance

25. Point of View: Third person. Omniscient narrator.
Themes: Mystery, Selfishness, Greed, Unscrupulousness, arrogance,
Moral justice.

26. To leave a trail of footprints, just keep walking