Five Corners

Five Corners (Russian: Пять углов) is a major intersection in central St. Petersburg, formed by the crossing of Zagorodny Prospekt, the Fontanka River embankment, and several radiating streets. In Dostoevsky's The Idiot, this location serves as the address of Nastasia Philipovna Barashkoff's apartment during the second half of the novel, after her return from Moscow. It is the site of her final, catastrophic meeting with Aglaya Ivanovna Epanchin and of her subsequent flight with Parfen Rogojin, making it a crucial spatial node where the novel's central romantic and psychological conflicts converge and reach their violent climax.

Location and Description

Five Corners is situated near the intersection of the Gorohovaya and Sadovaya streets, in a district dominated by old, solidly built merchant houses dating from the late eighteenth century. The prince, when searching for Rogojin's house, notes that these structures are "remarkable for the thickness of their walls, and for the fewness of their windows, many of which are covered by gratings" and that they "seem inhospitable and mysterious" (E01838–E01839). The area is associated with the merchant class, and Rogojin's own house, bearing the legend "House of Rogojin, hereditary and honourable citizen," is located in the Gorohovaya, not far from the Sadovaya (E01840–E01841). Nastasia Philipovna's apartment at Five Corners is described as a medium-sized, tastefully furnished flat, beautifully arranged, where she has lived for the five years of her Petersburg life under Totski's patronage . The building is a large wooden structure of ancient date, with a long flight of steps and a porter at the entrance .

Events at Five Corners

The most significant event at Five Corners is the confrontation between Aglaya Ivanovna Epanchin and Nastasia Philipovna, which takes place in Nastasia's apartment. Aglaya, having arranged the meeting through Hippolyte Terentieff, arrives with Prince Muishkin as her escort . Rogojin, who has been waiting, lets them in, and the four are alone in the house (E05101–E05102). The scene escalates rapidly: Aglaya accuses Nastasia of meddling in her relationship with the prince, while Nastasia retaliates by claiming that the prince loves her and will stay with her (E05124–E05162). In a frenzy, Nastasia commands the prince to choose between them, and when he hesitates, Aglaya flees in despair (E05166–E05172). Immediately after Aglaya's departure, Nastasia falls into a faint, and the prince remains with her, effectively choosing her over Aglaya (E05175–E05178). Rogojin, witnessing this, leaves without a word .

Aftermath and Significance

Following the confrontation, Nastasia Philipovna remains at Five Corners for a fortnight, during which the prince visits her daily and the wedding is hastily arranged . On the day of the wedding, as Nastasia is about to enter the carriage to go to the church, she catches sight of Rogojin in the crowd, rushes to him, and cries, "Save me! Take me away, anywhere you like, quick!" (E05345–E05347). Rogojin seizes her, pays the coachman a hundred-rouble note, and they drive off to the station, leaving the wedding abandoned (E05348–E05350). This flight from Five Corners is the last time Nastasia is seen alive by the novel's main characters before her murder by Rogojin. The location thus becomes the stage for the final, decisive rupture between the two women and the prince, and for Nastasia's ultimate rejection of a conventional marriage in favor of a destructive union with Rogojin. The green bench in the park, where Aglaya had earlier arranged her rendezvous with the prince, is also located near Five Corners, further linking this area to the novel's central romantic tensions (E03034–E03035).