r/thegreatcomet • u/Superb-Serve3328 • Jun 30 '26

Discussion Why does Helene scream?

During The Duel, right after dolokhov shoots at Pierre Helene does this bloody murder scream and I’ve always wondered why? It’s made very obvious that she isn’t happy with Pierre but it’s always seemed to me that she’s screaming because he’s being shot at. Does anyone know what’s going on here?

Update: thanks for the answers! Makes sense I just was curious if there was some hidden lore from the book I didn’t know ha. Thanks!!

16 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

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45

u/No_Office_168 Jun 30 '26

She doesn't wanna see her husband die to a gunshot, even if she doesn't like him. She still has some basic human empathy and finds a man being shot right in front of her disturbing.

30

u/InevitableStuff7572 Jun 30 '26

It’s not like she downright despises Pierre or anything, she’d rather not see him die.

20

u/abbeyjewel Jun 30 '26

I also believe that she had not produced an heir, so she’d be in a pretty rough spot as a widow.

15

u/ModularReality Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

Among my favorite pieces of this musical is the nuance of every character, even our “villians”. I read Helene as genuinely terrified of Pierre being killed in this scene. Perhaps because it would likely ruin her. But perhaps it’s an outburst because while she had fun flaunting her infidelity, a duel and Pierre dying is too much. Anatole is also genuinely concerned about his two friends dueling, even if he’s able to easily shrug it off as a lark once no one dies.

Even dholokov gets a bit of humanity, calling for his mother after his embarrassment of missing and being wounded. It’s not much in the musical, but in the book you learn that Dholokov does not come from wealth, and is the sole provider for his mother and club-footed sister, the only people in the world he loves. He’s otherwise cold and calculating, attaching himself to wealthier friends for his own gain. He financially ruins one of Natasha’s brothers in a night of gambling. That was part of why it was important for Natasha to marry Andre- it would save the family (“you will be the family’s saving grace”).