The Identity and Significance of “Achilles” in Dostoevskij's Prestuplenie i Nakazanie

Abstract

This article examines the identity and significance of the figure named Achilles from the scene of Svidrigajlov's suicide in Dostoevskii's Crime and Punishment by establishing and closely re-reading the broader contexts – namely, Book XXII of The Iliad as well as Part VI of Crime and Punishment. The article shows that the suicide scene, disguised as a single combat between Achilles and Hector, reflects the inner struggle between the divided selves of Raskol'nikov on the subconscious level. Dostoevskii's use of the classical motif is interpreted to suggest the influence of a fatal force on the novel's main characters.