How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Concerning the seventy-five thousand—Afanasy Ivanovich need not have been so embarrassed to speak of it. She understood the value of money and, of course, would take it. She thanked Afanasy Ivanovich for his delicacy, for not having mentioned it to even the general, let alone to Gavrila Ardalionovich, but anyhow, why should he not also know about it beforehand? She had no need to be ashamed of this money on entering their family. In any case, she had no intention of apologizing to anyone for anything, and wished that to be known. She would not marry Gavrila Ardalionovich until she was sure that neither he nor his family had any hidden thoughts concerning her. In any case, she did not consider herself guilty of anything, and Gavrila Ardalionovich had better learn on what terms she had been living all those years in Petersburg, in what relations with Afanasy Ivanovich, and how much money she had saved. Finally, if she did accept the capital now, it was not at all as payment for her maidenly dishonor, for which she was not to blame, but simply as a recompense for her maimed life. (1.4.25)
Two things that are striking about this passage. First is the fact that this is written in the mode of indirect discourse. (Whosawhatsit, Shmoop? No worries, that's just a technical term for a pretty cool writer's trick: instead of writing something that someone says in quotations marks as direct speech from that character, the narrator retells what the character says, thus giving us the speech indirectly.)
For some reason, this tends to make everything the person is described as saying seem like it's dripping with sarcasm—which, in this case, is totally appropriate, since she's not really all about forgiveness. The second thing is that this doesn't really sound like the crazy, incoherent Nastasya we come to know and love later in the novel—this voice is all cocky and obnoxious, but also calm and rational.
Quote #5
"[F]or a day and a half I neither slept, nor ate, nor drank, and would not leave her. I knelt at her feet: 'I shall die here,' I said, 'if you don't forgive me; […] [Nastasya] was like a madwoman all that day; now she would cry; now she would threaten me with a knife; now she would abuse me. She called in Zaleshoff and Keller, and showed me to them, shamed me in their presence. […] 'Are you quite mad?' she said, sharply. 'Why, you'll die of hunger like this.' 'Forgive me,' I said. 'No, I won't, and I won't marry you. I've said it. Surely you haven't sat in this chair all night without sleeping?' 'I didn't sleep,' I said. 'H'm! how sensible of you. And are you going to have no breakfast or dinner today?' 'I told you I wouldn't. Forgive me!' 'You've no idea how unbecoming this sort of thing is to you,' she said, 'it's like putting a saddle on a cow's back. Do you think you are frightening me? […] And what if I don't either forgive you or marry you?' 'I tell you I shall go and drown myself.' 'H'm!' she said, and then relapsed into silence. Then she got angry, and went out. 'I suppose you'd murder me before you drowned yourself, though!' she cried as she left the room.
"An hour later, she came to me again, looking melancholy. 'I will marry you, Parfyon Semeonovitch,' she says, not because I'm frightened of you, but because it's all the same to me how I ruin myself.'" (2.3.84-87)
So, yeah. Rogozhin and Natasya are in quite the S&M relationship, no? He hits her, then kneels down for two days without eating or sleeping for forgiveness. She mocks him and humiliates him in front of his friends, then decides to marry him. Yikes. This might be why the whole Myshkin thing didn't work out, no?
Quote #6
[Myshkin] wished he could meet Rogozhin; he would take his hand, and they would go to [Nastasya] together. […] He said he did not love her with sympathy and pity; true, he added that "your pity is greater than my love," but he was not quite fair on himself there. […] There was insanity on both sides. For him, the prince, to love this woman with passion, was unthinkable. It would be cruel and inhuman. Yes. Rogozhin is not fair to himself; he has a large heart; he has aptitude for sympathy. When he learns the truth, and finds what a pitiable being is this injured, broken, half-insane creature, he will forgive her all the torment she has caused him. He will become her slave, her brother, her friend. Compassion will teach even Rogozhin, it will show him how to reason. Compassion is the chief law of human existence. (2.5.21-25)
Check out that last sentence. That's definitely in the running as the point of the novel, and is certainly a pretty great way to summarize Myshkin's whole deal. Also, it's interesting to check out the contrast between the kind of compassionate relations Rogozhin and Myshkin are capable of with Nastasya. For Rogozhin, forgiveness is pretty heavily tied up (no pun intended) with sexual desire, and seems like part of some sadomasochistic thing. Myshkin on the other hand is almost grossed out at the thought of having sexual feelings towards her, and even has a hard time imagining that Rogozhin does.