# Anísya — The Power of Darkness character guide

> Anísya in The Power of Darkness by Leo Tolstoy.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Anísya Daddy Akím, Anísya Sighs, Anísya Quite pale

**First appearance:** 0002-act-i

## Snapshot

Peter's worn-down wife, caught between a loveless marriage and a consuming affair with the labourer Nikíta, who threatens to leave her for a respectable match.

## Who they are

Anísya runs Peter's household under a barrage of chores and her husband's scolding, and she has given herself to Nikíta with a passion that has already crossed moral lines. When word comes that Nikíta's parents want him home to marry, she swings between fury, threats of self-harm, and desperate pleas, refusing to let him go. Her jealousy and dependence drive the household toward the choices that will define the play's central crime.

## Relationships

### [Akoulína](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters/akoulina)

_family_

Akoulína is Anísya's stepdaughter, and their relationship is marked by tension and resentment due to Anísya's affair with Nikíta.

### [Nikíta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters/nikita)

_romantic_

Anísya and Nikíta are lovers, with Anísya passionately pursuing him and eventually conspiring to murder her husband for him.

### [Peter Ignátitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters/peter_ignatitch)

_family_

Anísya is Peter Ignátitch's wife, but their marriage is loveless and she ultimately poisons him to be with Nikíta.

### [Matryóna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters/matryona)

_psychological_

Matryóna manipulates Anísya into poisoning her husband, acting as a cunning and ruthless accomplice.

### [Sister](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters/sister)

_family_

Anísya and Peter's sister are sisters-in-law, but their relationship is strained due to Anísya's infidelity and the sister's disapproval.

### [Nan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters/nan)

_family_

Nan is Anísya's young daughter, and Anísya is a neglectful mother, more focused on her affair with Nikíta.

### [Nikíta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters/nikita)

_romantic_

Anísya and Nikíta are lovers, with Anísya passionately pursuing him and eventually conspiring to murder her husband for him.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters/anisya
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters