--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'The Master and Margarita' is deeply to…" description: "\"'The Master and Margarita' is deeply to do with the unconscious. It is a story about a man who writes a story in a time when he's not supposed to write..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/simon-mcburney-7667_about_the-master-and-margarita-is-deeply-to-do_685946.png" --- # 'The Master and Margarita' is deeply to do with the… ![“'The Master and Margarita' is deeply to do with the unconscious. It is a story about a man who writes a story in a time when he's not supposed to write that story: the story of Pontius Pilate.” quote by Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/simon-mcburney-7667_about_the-master-and-margarita-is-deeply-to-do_685946.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/simon-mcburney-7667_about_the-master-and-margarita-is-deeply-to-do_685946.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/simon-mcburney-7667_about_the-master-and-margarita-is-deeply-to-do_685946.png) > “'The Master and Margarita' is deeply to do with the unconscious. It is a story about a man who writes a story in a time when he's not supposed to write that story: the story of Pontius Pilate.” [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The work explores unconscious forces, featuring a meta‑narrative about a writer forced to tell a forbidden story of Pontius Pilate. **In simple terms:** The play delves into hidden psyche via a forbidden story. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and explore hidden narratives. Themes unconscious storytelling meta forbidden pilate Mood thoughtful introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - psychotherapy - academic study - cultural critique Key Concepts psychoanalysis literature theatre Questions to Reflect On - How does the unconscious shape your storytelling? - What does the forbidden story represent for you? A Different Perspective Interpretations may vary widely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Deeply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeply/) [Deeply Unconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeply-unconscious-5417868/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Margarita Deeply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/margarita-deeply-5417867/) [Master](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/master/) [Master And Margarita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/master-and-margarita-226839/) [Master Margarita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/master-margarita-1092403/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Supposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposed/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Unconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconscious/) [Unconscious Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconscious-story-1573962/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Writes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writes/) ## Related quotes > [The Master and Margarita is my favorite. To me it’s the greatest exploration of the human imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/the-master-and-margarita-is-my-favorite-to-me-it-s-the-greatest/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [I love 'The Master And Margarita' by Mikhail Bulgakov, which is about repression in Soviet Russia in the 1930s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-bruce/i-love-the-master-and-margarita-by-mikhail-bulgakov-which-is-about/) [Fiona Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-bruce/) > [Unconscious of your story, you are in its grasp; but with consciousness, an alchemical process begins: The solidity of the complex dissolves and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-zweig/unconscious-of-your-story-you-are-in-its-grasp-but-with-consciousness/) [Connie Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-zweig/) > [I'm reading Our Ecstatic Days, by Steve Erickson. It's an extraordinary journey and the most exciting thing I've found since The Master and Margarita,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sienna-guillory/i-m-reading-our-ecstatic-days-by-steve-erickson-it-s-an-extraordinary/) [Sienna Guillory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sienna-guillory/) > [ “In front of me 327 pages of the manuscript \[ Master and Margarita \] (about 22 chapters). The most important remains - editing, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/in-front-of-me-327-pages-of-the-manuscript-master-and-margarita-about/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [“You're not very deep." You say these cutting words thoughtfully, to yourself, almost as though you're surprised. They hit me somewhere below my ribs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-demetrios/you-re-not-very-deep-you-say-these-cutting-words-thoughtfully-to/) [Heather Demetrios](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-demetrios/) > [Everything a man writes about himself is instructive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-glassco/everything-a-man-writes-about-himself-is-instructive/) [John Glassco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-glassco/) > [I was one of the first people in the Palestinian world, in the late 1970s, to say that there is no military option, either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/i-was-one-of-the-first-people-in-the-palestinian-world-in-the-late/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [You know, as somebody who writes op-eds and appears on the television, I appreciate as well as anybody that... there is a limit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/you-know-as-somebody-who-writes-op-eds-and-appears-on-the-television/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [“I think the wilderness is where things happen and no one writes about them. It is the place where there are no maps, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-mcdermott/i-think-the-wilderness-is-where-things-happen-and-no-one-writes-about/) [J.M. McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-mcdermott/) > [In 2011, I announced that I was going to retire, and my agent panicked. So she says: 'No, no, no. You have to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/in-2011-i-announced-that-i-was-going-to-retire-and-my-agent-panicked/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself...It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/any-writer-worth-his-salt-writes-to-please-himself-it-s-a-self/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [He writes nothing whose writings are not read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/he-writes-nothing-whose-writings-are-not-read/) [Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/) > [“A writer lives, at least, in a state of astonishment. Beneath any feeling he has of the good or evil of the world lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sansom/a-writer-lives-at-least-in-a-state-of-astonishment-beneath-any/) [William Sansom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sansom/) > [I think anything that anyone writes thats any good is going to have a lot of autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-adly-guirgis/i-think-anything-that-anyone-writes-thats-any-good-is-going-to-have-a/) [Stephen Adly Guirgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-adly-guirgis/) ## More by Simon McBurney > [The brain constantly assures us, reassures us, that we are in control. But the closer you look, the more questions you have about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-brain-constantly-assures-us-reassures-us-that-we-are-in-control/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Theatre artists are essentially sort of charlatans and thieves, I mean that's the tradition that we come from, so I have absolutely no, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/theatre-artists-are-essentially-sort-of-charlatans-and-thieves-i-mean/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [My work is not generally in the commercial sector. However, I'm not worried by the commercial sector. I refuse to work in any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/my-work-is-not-generally-in-the-commercial-sector-however-i-m-not/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [In my opinion, there's nothing new in the theatre, ever. Theatre-makers are thieves, in the honourable tradition of charlatans. They fake it very, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/in-my-opinion-there-s-nothing-new-in-the-theatre-ever-theatre-makers/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Our lives are a sequence of things. When we're alive, they're continuing, just as my words now are an improvisation. So the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/our-lives-are-a-sequence-of-things-when-we-re-alive-they-re/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [We try to place the human body in relation to the image all the time, so it's never a kind of a backdrop, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/we-try-to-place-the-human-body-in-relation-to-the-image-all-the-time/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I constantly want to know - what is a table, or what is a cat?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-constantly-want-to-know-what-is-a-table-or-what-is-a-cat/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [The only reality of the theater exists in the mind of the audience. That audience looks collectively at what is going on on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-only-reality-of-the-theater-exists-in-the-mind-of-the-audience/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I suppose as an actor you become very sensitive to rhythm, not just rhythm as you look at it sort of from the, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-suppose-as-an-actor-you-become-very-sensitive-to-rhythm-not-just/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I remember the fact that milk was delivered every day by a milkman. In summer, my mother would make what now seem in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-remember-the-fact-that-milk-was-delivered-every-day-by-a-milkman-in/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > ['Mnemonic' is a play about memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/mnemonic-is-a-play-about-memory/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I have always felt more at home in a culture that has nothing to do with the one I was born and brought up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-have-always-felt-more-at-home-in-a-culture-that-has-nothing-to-do/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Yes it was chaos, working through chaos, you never quite knew what you were going to do each day, but you knew that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/yes-it-was-chaos-working-through-chaos-you-never-quite-knew-what-you/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [One of the things he liked about playwriting as to any other kind of writing is that a playwright is a w-r-i-g-h-t, not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/one-of-the-things-he-liked-about-playwriting-as-to-any-other-kind-of/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [With the theatre, for God's sake, everything makes sense. You create a clear sequential reality for a specific audience at one particular time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/with-the-theatre-for-god-s-sake-everything-makes-sense-you-create-a/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) [Explore all 89 Simon McBurney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "'The Master and Margarita' is deeply to do with the unconscious. It is a story about a man who writes a story in a time when he's not supposed to write that story: the story of Pontius Pilate.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Simon McBurney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-master-and-margarita-is-deeply-to-do-with-the-unconscious-it-is-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-master-and-margarita-is-deeply-to-do-with-the-unconscious-it-is-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/simon-mcburney-7667_about_the-master-and-margarita-is-deeply-to-do_685946.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/simon-mcburney-7667_about_the-master-and-margarita-is-deeply-to-do_685946.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/simon-mcburney-7667_about_the-master-and-margarita-is-deeply-to-do_685946.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“'The Master and Margarita' is deeply to do with the unconscious. It is a story about a man who writes a…” — Simon McBurney", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Simon McBurney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "'The Master and Margarita' is deeply...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-master-and-margarita-is-deeply-to-do-with-the-unconscious-it-is-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-master-and-margarita-is-deeply-to-do-with-the-unconscious-it-is-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```