POWER AND FREEDOM IN MIKHAIL BULGAKOV’S NOVEL THE “MASTER AND MARGARITA”

The article analyzes the categories of power and freedom in Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita, focusing on how these philosophical concepts are represented within the two parallel plotlines of the work. The study employs hermeneutic, semiotic, and philosophical-cultural approaches. Particular attention is given to the metaphysical nature of power embodied in the character of Woland, as well as to the protagonists’ spiritual freedom, which is revealed through love and self-sacrifice. The analysis concludes that, within the novel’s artistic framework, power is not equated with a political concept, and freedom is not limited to external independence. Instead, both are interpreted as spiritual and existential categories