What are the motifs in Peter the Great: His Life and World by Robert K. Massie?

Brutality is a recurring idea in the book. Robert K. Massie makes clear that Peter the Great is not a sadist like his predecessor Ivan the Terrible, who tortures for the pleasure of watching, and his methods of dealing with traitors differs little from Western contemporaries (Londoners love a good hanging at Tyburn, particularly if it involves drawing and quartering). Nevertheless, a great deal of blood flows through PETER THE GREAT: HIS LIFE AND WORLD.