Boris Godunov
In the 1872 revised version, crowds are prompted to urge Boris Godunov to take the throne, and he is crowned Tsar. At a monastery, novice Grigoriy learns of Tsarevich Dmitriy’s death and decides to impersonate him. Boris is troubled by guilt over the child’s murder, especially after Shuysky recounts the death and Pimen describes a miracle at Dmitriy’s grave. The Pretender gains support in Poland, where Marina Mniszech and the Jesuit Rangoni maneuver for power; Marina agrees to join the Pretender after he promises to march on Moscow. Boris dies after visions of the murdered child. In the final Kromi scene, rebels denounce Boris, celebrate Dmitriy’s advance and march toward Moscow, while the Holy Fool laments Russia’s fate. The 1869 original version has a different scene structure and omits the Polish act and Kromi scene; it ends with Boris’s death.