The Master and Margarita

Before his death, Berlioz shared his apartment with the director of the Variety theater, Styopa Likhodeev. The building on Sadovaya Street has an “odd reputation” (58). In recent years, its inhabitants have vanished without explanation. The housekeeper blamed dark magic because “once witchcraft gets started, there’s no stopping it” (59). She also vanished a short time later. After her disappearance, Berlioz and Styopa both moved into the apartment with their wives. Styopa wakes up with a hangover and calls for Berlioz to bring him medicine. When he opens his eyes, however, he sees a stranger standing in his room, “dressed in black and wearing a black beret” (60). The stranger talks as though he and Styopa had arranged a meeting. He has prepared a tray of expensive caviar, mushrooms, and more vodka for Styopa to help with his hangover. As Styopa struggles to remember the events of the previous night, the stranger introduces himself as Woland, a “professor of black magic” (61). Woland says he met Styopa the previous day, and they drew up a contract for the theater. Styopa agreed to hire Woland to perform seven magic shows at the theater. He produces a signed contract as proof.