| The Death of Ivan the Terrible | |
|---|---|
 F.B.Kitto, London, 1869 | |
| Written by | Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy |
| Date premiered | 1867 |
| Place premiered | Alexandrinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg |
| Original language | Russian |
| Genre | Historical drama |
The Death of Ivan the Terrible (Russian: Смерть Иоанна Грозного, romanized: Smertʹ Ioanna Groznovo) is a historical drama by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy written in 1863 and first published in the January 1866 issue of Otechestvennye zapiski magazine.[1][2] It is the first part of a trilogy that is followed by Tsar Fiodor Ioannovich and concludes with Tsar Boris.[2] All three plays were banned by the censor.[3] It dramatises the story of Ivan IV of Russia and is written in blank verse.[4] Tolstoy was influenced by the work of William Shakespeare in writing the trilogy, which formed the core of his reputation as a writer in the Russia of his day and as a dramatist to this day.[5]