# Peter Ignátitch — The Power of Darkness character guide

> Peter Ignátitch in The Power of Darkness by Leo Tolstoy.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Peter, Peter One

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

## Snapshot

A sick, sharp-tongued peasant landowner who mends horse-collars while his household spins around him, and whose failing body makes every hired hand a fresh grievance.

## Who they are

Peter owns the roomy hut where the play begins, and his illness has left him barking orders from the bench while Anísya and Akoulína do the spinning. He suspects his labourer Nikíta of laziness and threatens to sack him, but the advance wages and his own weakness keep the arrangement tangled. His suspicion and tight-fisted worry over money set the household's nerves on edge and make him the obstacle everyone else must work around.

## Relationships

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

_professional_

Nikíta works as Peter Ignátitch's hired hand, but their relationship is strained by Nikíta's affair with Peter's wife Anísya.

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

_family_

Akoulína is Peter Ignátitch's daughter from his first marriage, and she is neglected and mistreated by her stepmother.

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

_family_

Peter Ignátitch and his sister share a close, supportive sibling bond, with her often advising him about his household.

### [Anísya](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters/anisya)

_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)

_social_

Matryóna is a neighbor and occasional helper in Peter's household, but she secretly plots against him with Anísya.

### [The Master](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters/the_master)

_professional_

Peter Ignátitch is a wealthy peasant who occasionally interacts with the local landowner (the Master) in a formal, hierarchical relationship.

### [Martha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters/martha)

_professional_

Martha is a servant in Peter Ignátitch's household, and their relationship is that of employer and employee.

### [Marína](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_power_of_darkness_se/characters/marina)

_social_

Marína is a former servant of Peter Ignátitch, and their interactions are brief and formal, tinged with her past connection to Nikíta.

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

_family_

Peter Ignátitch and his sister share a close, supportive sibling bond, with her often advising him about his household.

## Links

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