What struck me most while watching the opera was the way the commoners and peasants were  portrayed. The very first seen that we are shown shows the boyars using them, forcing them to beg for the coronation of Boris Godunov as Tsar. And even after they were forced to beg for his coronation, they accepted him wholeheartedly as the chosen one of God. The last scene then shows the way they turn against Boris, blaming him for all of their misfortune, and voice their support the false pretender. Without fail they are presented as being a mindless mass without a will of their own, to be directed for the political advances of others. The way I view it, they are presented as to being in a constant state of servitude, always looking for someone to serve under, constantly looking for someone to solve their problems. They are also extremely vicious to those unable to solve their problems, making the powers that be responsible for everything that is going wrong, even things beyond the person in power’s control. After supporting the false pretender, they all then appear as a mound of lifeless corpses as a result for their actions with the ghost of the real Dmitry pressing over them. Following the role the commoners played throughout the opera, we can see the way they are depicted as being this weak minded and easily manipulated group of people, arguably in need of a strong willed ruler. Although in some sense, the behavior of the peasants can be shifted away from them due to them living in the Times of Trouble, the opera does depict them at the very end as having this revolutionary nature buried beneath that surfaces in turbulent times. Regardless, I do think it is important to note the role of the peasantry in those times and the way they are depicted in outlets such as an opera.