THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR

SPARK NOTES

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The Government Inspector Study Guide
The Government Inspector is one of the most famous Russian plays, renowned
for its satirical portrayal of government officials and laced with apocalyptic,
absurd overtones. Vladimir Nabokov praised the play, stating “The play begins
with a blinding flash of lightning and ends in a thunderclap. In fact it is wholly
placed in the tense gap between the flash and the crash.”
Just as he would go on to do with his novel Dead Souls, Nikolai Gogol famously
asked fellow writer Alexander Pushkin to give him a plot; he claimed he would
turn it into a five-act play. He did not care if it was “amusing or not, so long as it
is a purely Russian anecdote,” and he bragged that he would finish it “in one
burst, and I swear it will be devilishly funny!” The reply to the letter does not
exist; some scholars posit that perhaps Gogol already had a plot in mind, or that
he simply took something from Pushkin without asking. Regardless of how
Gogol devised the idea for The Government Inspector, also called The Inspector
General, he took only two months to finish the text.
The first performance was held at the Alexandrinsky Theater stage in St.
Petersburg. Opening night was the 19th of April, 1836, and Emperor Nicholas I
himself was present at the performance. Gogol was despondent by what he
saw, though: the comedy seemed not to be understood by actors, nor by the
audience. He thought the actors were too “vaudeville” in their behavior; he felt
the need to correct aspects of the text and further emphasize the way the mute
scene at the end should be conducted.
In 1836, Gogol published his Collected Works, which included a corrected and
altered text of The Government Inspector. Further changes would be made over
subsequent years, especially to Act IV. Gogol issued a definitive edition in 1842,
and a few slight changes were added to an 1851 edition.
Contemporary critics were divided. Some responded well to the play, while
others described it as coarse, vulgar, plotless, and improbable. Gogol was
distressed by the reaction and left the country, eventually settling in Italy for a
number of years. He wrote his friend Shchepkin, “I am sick of the play and all
the fussing over it. It produced a great noisy effect. All are against me...they
abuse me and go to see it.” He also rued, “a prophet has no honor in his own
country.”

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Over the nearly two centuries since it first premiered, the play has been staged
numerous times. There have been versions for television, opera, dance, and
film.

The Government Inspector Summary

The Mayor of a Russian town gathers his officials and tells them he has received a
letter from a friend saying that a government inspector is traveling from province
to province, and he is doing so incognito. The Judge, the Inspector of Schools, the
Doctor, the Warden of Charities, and the Postmaster are all distressed that their
various shortcuts, bribes, and derelictions of duty might be sussed out, so they
decide to put their affairs in order as quickly as possible. The Mayor tells the
Postmaster especially to read the letters coming in to see when the inspector
might arrive, and the Postmaster cheerfully says he already does read them just
to see what the world is up to. For his part, the Mayor worries that his occasional
fleecing of the shopkeepers might catch up with him, but he consoles himself by
saying that everyone has their little indiscretions.
Two townspeople, Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, rush over to the officials and tell
them they that think the government inspector is already here and they have
seen him. He is a young, slight man staying at the inn, and he acts just the way a
government inspector would act; also, he hasn’t paid his bill yet. The Mayor, in a
panic, decides that he will go over to the inn and introduce himself.
This man is Khlestakov, a minor government official from St. Petersburg here
with Osip, his servant. Khlestakov is dissolute and prone to gambling and
overindulging himself. He is annoyed that the innkeeper will not serve him any
more food because he has not paid his bill. Osip urges him to leave the town, but
Khlestakov does not yet want to return to his father.
When the Mayor arrives and sees Khlestakov, he is sure that he is the promised
government inspector. Khlestakov is nervous when the Mayor confronts him, and
he thinks he is being unfairly targeted. He begins to grow imperious, further
convincing the Mayor that this is the man from St. Petersburg. Finally, tensions
subside, with the Mayor mistakenly believing Khlestakov to be the government
inspector and Khlestakov feeling more at ease in the town—especially because
the Mayor has invited him to stay in his own home.

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The whole town is in an uproar over the government inspector, including the
Mayor’s wife Anna and his daughter Marya. They are both clamoring for a look at
him, and Anna becomes annoyed with her daughter for preening too much in
front of the mirror.
Khlestakov enjoys the way he is being treated—showered with food, drink, a
warm bed, and many accolades. He finds both Anna and Marya attractive, and he
boasts of how powerful he is in St. Petersburg, making up numerous lies and
embellishing his situation to impress the provincial people around him.
The next day, Khlestakov welcomes each civil servant for individual meetings.
They are all very nervous around him, but when Khlestakov asks to borrow money
from them, they all happily acquiesce and feel a sense of relief that he probably
will not investigate their departments more thoroughly.
Osip encourages his master to leave the town, for their treatment is too good to
be true. Khlestakov grumbles a bit, but he decides that this is best. He has realized
by this point that the officials seem to think he is someone he is not, and he has a
laugh at their expense. He writes a letter to a friend making fun of the people
here, marveling at how they mistook him for someone he was not. Osip mails the
letter at the post office.
Before he can leave, though, a gaggle of shopkeepers gathers outside the Mayor’s
home to solicit Khlestakov’s help. He agrees to see them out of curiosity, and they
express how terribly the Mayor treats them. Two women provide stories of the
Mayor sending one’s husband to the army even though he was not due, and one
receiving a public flogging for a crime not committed. Khlestakov is sympathetic at
first and gives hollow promises to do something for them all, but he eventually
grows weary of their whining and orders Osip to get rid of the crowd.
Marya comes down to see where her mother is and encounters Khlestakov. He
flirts incessantly with her and tells her he loves her. He gets on his knees before
her, which is the position he is in when Anna bursts in. She is indignant and orders
Marya away. Khlestakov thinks to himself that Anna is more attractive than her
daughter, and he begins to direct his attention to her instead. Marya returns and
sees Khlestakov begging Anna for her attention, and she is aghast. Khlestakov
changes course again and says that of course he is here for Marya, who is now
relieved and charmed. Anna is glad that her daughter will (putatively) marry rich.

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The Mayor returns to the house and tells Khlestakov, in a fervor, not to believe
any of the shopkeepers. He is pleased to learn moments later that his daughter is
to marry Khlestakov.
However, Khlestakov tells them he must go on a short journey to see his rich
uncle, assuring them that he will be back very soon. He asks the Mayor for a bit of
traveling money, and the Mayor happily assents. They all bid goodbye.
The Mayor and Anna discuss their glorious new life in St. Petersburg, and the
Mayor is even more pleased when he addresses his wayward shopkeepers and
bullies them into apologizing.
The other civil servants come to pay their respects to the newly engaged Marya
and her parents, grumbling privately at the Mayor’s good fortune.
The Postmaster arrives abruptly with a letter he found, sent from Khlestakov to
his friend in St. Petersburg. In the letter, Khlestakov laughs that he has been
mistaken for a government inspector, insulting them all and gloating over his
good fortune.
The Mayor and the others are shell-shocked, full of blame and despair. Suddenly,
a gendarme appears and announces that an official from St. Petersburg has
arrived and requires their presence at the inn immediately.
Every person experiences a shock at the same time, and they all freeze into an
immobile mute scene. They hold their dramatic positions for a minute and a half.

The Government Inspector Character List

The Mayor (Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky)
A typical Russian public servant, he is concerned mostly with appearances rather
than actually serving the people. When he hears that a government inspector is
coming to town, he orders his civil servants to make their institutions look
efficient. He is deeply nervous about being found out for his own bad behavior,
which includes bribery and squeezing his shopkeepers too hard. He thinks these
are mere indiscretions, though, and is inclined to give himself a pass. When the
shopkeepers complain about his various bad deeds, he protests that they are
lying. Of course, the Mayor himself is also a liar, trying desperately to wine and
dine Khlestakov and fill his head with inflated and inaccurate accounts of the way
his town runs.

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Ivan Alexandrovich Khlestakov
Khlestakov is described as a rather slight young man of about 23 years old, with
refined features and light, darting eyes. His father supports him, and he refuses to
do an honest day's work. He is prone to gambling and cares only for food,
amusements, and ladies. He bullies those who do not do what he wants them to
do, has no qualms lying and exaggerating, is irresponsible, and fully takes
advantage of the situation in the town without giving any thought to anything
beyond his own pleasures. He flirts shamelessly both mother and daughter, but
he decides he should marry Marya to continue living this life of ease.
Anna Andreyevna
The Mayor's wife and Marya's mother, Anna is attractive but also gossipy and
vain. She desires nothing more than to climb the social ladder. She enjoys
Khlestakov's flirting with her, but she is equally pleased to let him marry her
daughter when if it brings the family a wealthy new life in St. Petersburg.
Marya Antonovna
The Mayor and Anna's daughter, Marya is pretty and less rude than her mother,
but still not particularly intelligent. She agrees to Khlestakov's proposal when she
thinks he is a significant personage.
Pyotr Ivanovich Bobchinsky
A resident of the town, he is more or less interchangeable with Dobchinsky. He is
not very bright.
Osip
Khlestakov's servant; he is low-class but intelligent. Osip rues his master's
exasperating idleness and dissoluteness, wishing they could simply return home
to St. Petersburg. He enjoys the treatment they eventually receive when
Khlestakov is mistaken for the government inspector, but he urges his master to
leave before their luck runs out.
Pyotr Ivanovich Dobchinsky
A landowner, he is more or less interchangeable with Bobchinsky. He is not very
bright. He wants Khlestakov to legitimize his son born out of wedlock.
Postmaster (Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin)

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Rather dimwitted, the Postmaster cheerfully admits to reading all the letters that
come through because he is "dying to know what's going on in the world!" He is
the one who learns that Khlestakov is not the real government inspector.
The Warden of Charities (Artemy Filippovich Zemlyanika)
A typical Russian public servant, he is concerned mostly with appearances rather
than actually serving the people. With the Doctor, the Warden of Charities tries to
make his institution seem like it is very successful. He is very frightened of
Khlestakov, wondering if the "government inspector" will be filing a report on
him. One of the ways he hopes to avoid this is by slipping the man some money,
which nearly every official ends up doing. He also enjoys heavily criticizing the
others to Khlestakov.
The Judge (Ammos Fyodorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin)
A typical Russian public servant, he is concerned mostly with appearances rather
than actually serving the people. The Judge mostly cares about hunting rather
than his cases (he admits his records are in shambles); the courthouse is full of
geese and the Judge's chambers are full of his own clothes. He admits to taking
bribes, but he does not think it is that bad because he accepts Borzoi puppies, not
money. The Mayor also points out that the Judge is not religious, but the Judge is
glad that "I worked it out all by myself, with my own brains."
The Inspector of Schools (Luka Lukich Khlopov)
A typical Russian public servant, he is concerned mostly with appearances rather
than actually serving the people. The Inspector of Schools often has trouble with
his teachers. He is very shy and nervous about the government inspector.
The Chief of Police (Stepan Ilich Ukhovyortov)
A typical Russian public servant, he is concerned mostly with appearances rather
than actually serving the people. He does what the Mayor orders him to do.
The Doctor (Khristian Ivanovich Huebner)
A typical Russian public servant, he is concerned mostly with appearances rather
than actually serving the people. Along with the Warden of Charities, the Doctor
prefers to "let Nature take its course" with the patients.
Mishka
The Mayor's servant.

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Abdulin
A shopkeeper whom The Mayor lambasts for not giving him a new sword and for
generally being greedy.
Svistunov, Pugovitsyn, Derzhimorda
Police constables.
Fevronya Petrovna Poshlyopkina (The Locksmith's Wife)
She comes before Khlestakov and claims that the Mayor ordered her husband to
go away to war when he was supposed to be spared; she hopes that the man will
be punished severely.
The Sergeant's Widow
She comes before Khlestakov to complain that she was unjustly flogged.
Fyoder Andreyevich Lulyukov, Ivan Lazarevich Rastovsky, Stepan Ivanovich
Korobkin
Townsmen and minor officials.
The Government Inspector Glossary
hitherto
until now or until the point in time under discussion
presentiment
an intuitive feeling about the future, esp. one of foreboding
perquisite
a thing regarded as a special right or privilege enjoyed as a result of one's position
incognito
having one's true identity concealed
pry
inquire too closely into a person's private affairs
surreptitious
kept secret, esp. because it would not be approved of

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disaffection
a state or feeling of being dissatisfied with the people in authority and no longer
willing to support them
treason
the crime of betraying one's country, esp. by attempting to kill the sovereign or
overthrow the government
on one's own behalf
for oneself, of one's own invention
laudable
of an action deserving praise and commendation
reek
smell strongly and unpleasantly
distillery
a place where liquor is manufactured
peccadillo
a small, relatively unimportant offense or sin
sanctity
the state or quality of being holy, sacred, or saintly
juvenile
of, for, or relating to young people
blackmail
the action, treated as a criminal offense, of demanding money from a person in
return for not revealing compromising or injurious information about that person
edifying
providing moral or intellectual instruction
denouncement
public condemnation of someone or something
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compunction
a feeling of guilt or moral scruple that follows the doing of something bad
to have one's heart in one's mouth
to be greatly alarmed or apprehensive
flog
beat someone with a whip or stick as punishment or torture
gala
a social occasion with special entertainments or performances
ticklish
difficult to deal with; requiring careful handling
ferret out
find out
an old bird
an experienced person
droshky
a low four-wheeled open carriage of a kind formerly used in Russia
souse
soak in or drench with liquid
zeal
great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective

The Government Inspector Themes

Satirizing Bureaucracy
The play directly satirizes the complexity and mind-numbing inefficiency of 19th-
century Russian bureaucracy, but it has been adapted to become a universal
indictment of the hoops that must be jumped through to achieve any sort of
satisfaction when dealing with a government office. The infamous red tape that

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characterizes any bloated hierarchical system is transformed here into an
allegorical commentary about the tyranny existing throughout Tsarist Russia as
the petty bureaucrats purposely engage the machinery of delay and denial to
reign like demi-gods over their localized domains.
Moral Corruption
The focus of the play’s satire is the corruption of petty bureaucrats, but within
that focus is a much larger target. The bureaucratic system becomes a symbol of
all systems upon which societies depend to meet their needs. That those needs
must be met lends those who can meet them tremendous power and with the
power to give always comes the power to corrupt. The intricacies of bureaucratic
tyranny are thus extrapolated to apply even beyond the specific target of Russian
society under the yoke of a corrupt Tsar.
The Banality of Evil
The corruption demonstrated by all the characters is on a level far below any
grand sort of evil. There are not truly evil bureaucrats pulling the strings of
darkness, Gogol suggests, but rather an enormous collective exhibition of
inexhaustible mediocrity that, taken together, creates a service of evil. One of the
most unusual aspects of the play is that it doesn’t contain a villain, nor does it
contain anyone that might be characterized as a hero. The real villain of the piece
is the complicity of those who accept that bureaucratic tyranny: without them,
the tyranny not be sustained.
The Last Judgment
The text closely adheres to the biblical story of the end times, the sins of
humanity, the Antichrist, the return of Christ, and the Last Judgment. Gogol
shows humanity in all of its vices (albeit petty ones in this play) and how everyone
cares only for themselves. The Antichrist arrives in the form of Khlestakov to
further seduce them into idiocy, but when his true identity is exposed, the
characters are left realizing how badly they've erred and how heavy the imminent
judgment is going to feel. Gogol wants his audience to be aware of their immoral
behavior and hearken unto God before it is too late.
Self-Preservation
All of the characters in this place are concerned above all else with preserving—or
improving—their own status, reputation, and, if applicable, fortune. They engage
in lies, accept bribes, mock and criticize others, exhibit vanity, and neglect their
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duties. For them, the welfare of the town and the townspeople comes second to
making sure that they've feathered their own nests. This may work in the short-
term, Gogol suggests, but eventually, such people will receive their comeuppance.
Pleasure
While all of the characters, to an extent, are engaged in the pursuit of pleasure, it
is Khlestakov who elevates it to a veritable art form. He is consumed with making
sure that his life is as comfortable, exciting, relaxed, and fulfilling as possible. His
pursuits are of a decadent, consumption-based nature: he loves cigars, women,
gambling, and, above all, food and drink. He does not want to have to work to
earn these things, however, which is what makes his desires problematic. Gogol
does not punish him within the text, and the audience is left to speculate as to
whether or not this imbalance of work and pleasure will catch up with him. Gogol
suggests that the civil servants are actually the more reprehensible because their
pursuit of pleasure and self-preservation comes at the expense of others.
The Dangers of Tunnel Vision
Almost every character in the play is willing to accept that Khlestakov is the
government inspector, even if there is evidence that suggests otherwise. The
tunnel vision of the characters leads to their downfall. It is young Marya who
actually points out a couple of times that what Khlestakov is saying does not make
sense—the authorship of a novel is one such example—and all of his other
boasting makes little sense as well. The civil servants do not seek to probe these
facts, though, so long as they are feeling successful with their "inspection."

The Government Inspector Quotes and Analysis

Mayor: And Prokhorov's drunk?
Chief of Police: Yes, sir.
Mayor: How could you let such a thing happen?
Chief of Police: God knows. There was a brawl outside town yesterday and he
went to restore order -and he came back plastered.
Mayor and Chief of Police, 231
Having found out that the inspector is already in town, the Mayor orders each of
the officials to take measures of their sphere of activities, but just a few are able

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to complete this order and perform their duties. Some are drunk, some are sick,
and others simply cannot be found. With this, the author depicts all the
insidiousness and perfidy of the authorities.
It's no good blaming the mirror if the mug's crooked.
Proverb; Epigraph; 217
Gogol places this Russian folk proverb before the text to convey the message of
the play: that people are often looking for someone to blame when they
themselves are the problem. The officials in the Government Inspector are
crooked indeed: they lie, solicit bribes, ignore their duties, oppress the
townspeople, and care only for themselves. Interestingly, this epigraph can also
be seen in relation to the very last scene of the play, in which the audience and
actors essentially switch roles: the audience is being looked at by the actors,
forced to turn inward due to the "mirror" of the mute scene.
"I've called you here, gentlemen, to tell you some news you're not going to like. A
government inspector is coming to pay us a visit."
Mayor, 219
This succinct opener to the play introduces the plot immediately and indicates
how troublesome the Mayor and his "gentlemen" will find this inspector's visit.
According to Ronald Wilkes in the notes to the Penguin Books edition, Peter the
Great introduced the post of the inspector to "seek out and then report back on
corruption and inefficiency in the provinces." However, Russia was so vast and it
took so long for the inspectors to get to the towns that "the locals had ample
warning and were thus prepared well beforehand to cover things up." Wilkes
quotes Dostoevsky's Notes from the House of the Dead (1860): "A government
inspector is coming from St. Petersburg...Everyone's clearly scared, running
around and wanting to show everything in the best light." The audience of the
play thus would have been very aware of how scared the Mayor and his officials
would be if there were an incognito inspector imminent.
"I don't need to tell you that there isn't a man alive who hasn't some little
indiscretion on his conscience."
Mayor, 222
The Mayor relays to his officials that the inspector is coming and immediately
begins to worry about what will happen to him. He thinks about the tensions with

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the shopkeepers and how he's taken bribes; in this quote, though, he comforts
himself that every man has indiscretions. He even adds that this is the way God
made man, as if to further justify the comment. Taken at face value, it is a true
statement; after all, human beings are fallible creatures and no one is perfect.
However, the Mayor uses this as an excuse to downplay the corrupt things he has
done, an action that is mirrored by his cronies.
"Here, take these [hands Osip his cap and cane]. So, loafing around on my bed
again?"
Khlestakov, 236
Khlestakov's first line calls attention to what Gogol has done with the character's
name itself. It comes from the verb khlestat, which means 'to lash', with a
secondary meaning of 'speaking idly', 'prattling', or 'lying'. Vladimir Nabokov
commented on the brilliance of the name, stating, "Khlestakov's very name is a
stroke of genius, for it conveys to the Russian reader an effect of lightness and
rashness, a prattling tongue, the swish of a slim walking cane, the slapping sound
of playing cards, the braggadocio of a nincompoop and the dashing ways of a
lady-killer."
"I mix chiefly with the literary set—Pushkin and I are great pals."
Khlestakov, 258
Alexander Pushkin (1799-1834) is one of the most famous Russian authors of the
19th century, and he and Gogol were close friends. Gogol even suggested Pushkin
give him a new plot, which apparently became The Government Inspector. The
audience would know who Pushkin was, so it was clear that the characters in the
play would also know who Pushkin was and would be suitably impressed. Gogol is
giving his friend a nod and, given Pushkin's literary reputation, reinforcing the fact
that it certainly was an honor, a brag-worthy fact, to know the writer.
"That's what I call a man! I've never been in the presence of such an important
personage. I very nearly died of fright. What do you think his rank is?"
Bobchinsky, 260
This utterance of Bobchinsky's to Dobchinsky after they meet Khlestakov is merely
one example of the delightful and sustained dramatic irony that permeates nearly
every line of the play. Khlestakov is NOT the high-ranking government official the
town is waiting for; rather, he is a nonentity—a selfish, decadent, and amusing

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young man who, even when he realizes he's been mistaken for someone else,
continues to laugh about the good fortune he's stumbled into. All of the fear,
awe, sycophantic behavior thrown his way are completely and utterly useless, and
it is this fact, coupled with the fact that the Mayor in particular had such
grandiose dreams for himself in regard to his relationship with Khlestakov, that
certainly "along will come some hack, some miserable pen-pusher and stick us all
in a comedy" (304).
"She's quite a tasty dish too—not at all bad looking."
Khlestakov, 285
Khlestakov makes his passion for food known numerous times throughout the
text. He is introduced angrily demanding that the waiter tell the landlord to bring
him food, and then complaining when that food is not up to his satisfaction. He
complains to the Mayor about the inn's food, then indulges himself excessively
when the Mayor serves him a meal. He reminisces on his meals, talks about the
food he's served at parties, and, as seen here, equates the pleasure of women
with the pleasure of eating. He does not want any limitations placed on his
pleasures, and he jumps from one to the other in his mind and conversation. His
delight in these earthly offerings reinforces the reading of him as the Antichrist.
"What are you laughing at? You're laughing at yourselves, that's what!"
Mayor, 304
This comment was added by Gogol in a revision of the text and was intended to
mirror the abuse the audience levied at the play on its first performance. The lines
are usually delivered straight at the audience. The other reason for this line's
inclusion is, like the mute scene at the end, to encourage the audience to look
inward and reflect on whether they are privy to the same foibles and flaws as the
characters they've been watching and laughing at.
"The official who has just arrived from St. Petersburg by Imperial command
requires your presence at the inn immediately."
Gendarme, 306
The gendarme announces the real government inspector in a completely different
way than Khlestakov was announced. The gendarme is succinct, emotionless, and
straightforward; there is no ambiguity, no arguing about the situation at hand.
This is clearly the real government inspector, and the civil servants know it. By

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contrast, Khlestakov was first identified as the government inspector by
Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, two dullards, who used the man's looks, his staring
at their food, and the fact that he hadn't paid for anything and hadn't done
anything for two weeks to decide that this must indeed be the man. The Mayor
confirms this in his ludicrous first encounter with Khlestakov, an encounter rife
with irony, misunderstanding, and amusement.

The Government Inspector Summary and Analysis of Acts I and II

Summary
Act I
Scene 1
The mayor announces to the Warden of Charities, Inspector of Schools, Judge,
Chief of Police, the Doctor, and two Constables that he has heard that there is to
be a government inspector sent from St. Petersburg and that he will be incognito.
Not only did he have a dream about it, but his friend also wrote him a letter and
warned him that a government official has arrived to inspect the entire province
—their district in particular—and is posing like an ordinary person. The friend
advised the Mayor to take the necessary precautions.
The other officials are stunned. The Judge wonders if there is a political reason
behind it, but the Mayor thinks it is farfetched that St. Petersburg thinks there
could be traitors here. Regardless, he suggests to them all that they get their
affairs in order. He tells the Warden of Charities that he will probably be
inspected first; he suggests that the doctor ought to write something over the
patients’ beds in Latin and thin out the patients so it doesn’t look bad. The
Warden states firmly that he and the Doctor have their own form of treatment: if
a man dies, he dies, and if he recovers, he recovers.
The Mayor tells the Judge to keep the courthouse in line because his watchmen
have been raising geese there, there are always clothes hanging in his chambers,
and his district assessor always smells bad.
The Mayor then sighs that he knows he has his own “little indiscretions” (222) but
that’s how the Lord created people. Worried, the Judge asks if openly taking
bribes is a problem, but the bribes, he says, are only puppies. The Mayor shrugs
and says that at least he himself is a believer; the Judge is not.

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The Mayor tells the Inspector of Schools to corral his teachers, whom he finds
very odd and too radical. He once saw one of them making very strange faces,
and he wouldn’t want the inspector to be offended. He also saw the history
teacher get so worked up about what he was talking about that he smashed
chairs. The Inspector of Schools sighs that he has tried to point these things out
but nothing works. He doesn’t envy teachers, who are always “scared of putting a
foot wrong” and that “everyone wants to prove he’s as smart as the next man”
(224).
The Mayor doesn’t care about that, and his thoughts go back to how the
inspector will be incognito.
Scene 2
The Postmaster asks the Mayor if it is true that a government inspector is coming,
and he posits that it has something to do with war with the Turks. The Mayor
scoffs that a war with the Turks is not happening and that he has greater things to
worry about. He mentions he is scared a bit because the shopkeepers and
townsfolk concern him with their complaints that he works them too hard and
that he accepts trifles sometimes. He thinks someone informed on him—why else
would an inspector be coming?
The Mayor turns to the Postmaster and asks if he might be able to go through
every letter to see if it’s everyday notes or if someone is informing. The
Postmaster readily agrees, adding that he already does that because he is curious
about what is going on in the world.
Listening to this, the Judge warns them to be careful and states that he has a bad
feeling about this whole thing. But a second later, he cheerfully offers the Mayor
a puppy.
Scene 3
Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky burst in, talking over each other. They explain
hurriedly what they came for, often veering into tangents. Finally, they say that
they saw a young man at the inn and that he had very refined features. They
asked the landlord about him, and the man told them his name was Ivan
Aleksandrovich Khlestakov and he is an official from St. Petersburg. He’d been
there for a fortnight and never left the inn, which seemed odd to the landlord. He
also kept charging his account.

17
The Mayor is aghast that the inspector has already been here for so long. The
Warden of Charities nervously asks if they ought to make an official visit to the
inn. The Mayor says that he will do it while the others get their departments in
order.
The Warden of Charities confides to the Judge that he is worried and mentions
the nasty stench of cold cabbage in the institution when there is supposed to be
oatmeal. The Judge thinks he is okay—after all, who would want to inspect a
courthouse? And, if they did, the records are so confusing and messy that no one
could find anything anyway. They leave.
Scene 4
On the way out the door, the Mayor, Bobchinsky, and Dobchinsky collide with
Svistunov, who tells them Prokhorov cannot come because he is dead drunk.
The Mayor calls for his sword before they go and rues that it is scratched up. He’s
told the shopkeeper Abdulin that his sword is damaged, but the man still won’t
send him a new one. The shopkeepers are crafty, he asserts, and are probably
cooking up petitions against him already.
Scene 5
The Mayor encounters the Chief of Police and asks if he’s taking care of things.
The Chief of Police says that some people are cleaning up the pavements.
The Mayor offers more suggestions: station the tall constable at the bridge to
create a good impression, tear down old fences so it looks like they’re busy on
projects, say the hospital chapel burned down even though they never started
building it, and don’t let the soldiers go in the street half-naked. He remembers
the huge pile of refuse that cannot be easily removed, and he angrily condemns
the townspeople. He begs God to get him out of this, and he is so flummoxed he
almost puts a box instead of a hat on his head.
Scene 6
Anna Andreyevna, the Mayor’s wife, and Marya Andreyevna, his daughter, are
looking anxiously for the Mayor to return.
Anna sees him out the window and calls to him, but he cannot say much at the
moment.

18
Anna criticizes her daughter for taking too long to get ready; she preens in front
of the mirror for the Postmaster, but he doesn’t like her and makes faces at her.
Anna then screeches out her window at a neighbor to go find out who the
inspector is and what he looks like.
Act II
Scene 1
In a small room at the inn, Osip lies on his master’s bed, grumbling about how his
master has blown all their money and they’ll never get home. He wants to be
back in St. Petersburg and hates the country, but even back there, his master is
dissolute and never wants to do an honest day’s work. Osip groans that he is
starving.
A knock sounds at the door.
Scene 2
Khlestakov enters, criticizing Osip for lying on his bed. He then orders Osip to go
down to the dining room and tell them he wants lunch. Osip protests and says
that the landlord said that he will not give them any more food and that he is
going to complain to the mayor. Khlestakov is annoyed and reiterates that Osip
needs to go down there. Osip says he will go get the landlord himself.
Scene 3
Alone, Khlestakov thinks about how hungry he is and how he’d probably be able
to have enough money to get home if he hadn’t gambled in Penza and lost his
money.
Scene 4
A waiter arrives and asks what they want, but Khlestakov’s false pleasantries fall
away when he demands his food. The waiter explains that the landlord will not be
serving them and plans on complaining to the Mayor. Khlestakov implores him to
reason with the landlord and try to make him understand that he has to eat. The
waiter agrees.
Scene 5
Alone again, Khlestakov wonders if he should just sell some clothes, but he
decides that he simply cannot get rid of his St. Petersburg suit. He dreams of what

19
it would be like to show up places in a carriage and scoffs that these country
bumpkins don’t even know what it is to “receive” someone.
Scene 6
Osip and the waiter return and announce that food is coming, but it is for the last
time. Initially pleased, Khlestakov grows irate when he sees that it is only two
courses and there is no gravy, no fish, and no cutlets. Khlestakov insults the
waiter, but he shrugs that the other guests get the real food because they actually
pay.
Khlestakov tries the soup but spits out that it is disgusting. He flings out invective
after invective but still eats it, and the waiter takes the dishes away.
Scene 7
Osip alerts Khlestakov that the Mayor is downstairs and wants a word with him.
Khlestakov is terrified and wonders if he will be put behind bars. He passionately
proclaims that will not go, and he will tell this to the Mayor’s face.
Scene 8
Khlestakov and the Mayor come face to face. The Mayor offers greetings and says
that he has come to see if the visitor has any issues. Khlestakov stammers that he
will pay his debts, but he asserts that the landlord is the real problem with the
food he serves. The Mayor suggests politely that if he does not like the food here,
he can accompany him somewhere else, but Khlestakov becomes frightened and
assumes that the Mayor means prison. He bursts out that he has a government
post in St. Petersburg.
At this, the Mayor is worried because the inspector seems angry—the Mayor
assumes that the shopkeepers must have blabbed. As Khlestakov grows more
dramatically heated, the Mayor begs him not to ruin him. Khlestakov insists that
he will not go.
The Mayor trembles his confession that he is just inexperienced, his pay is so low,
and taking a few trifles does not seem like a problem—people, he says, are just
gossips.
Khlestakov is confused why the Mayor is telling him these things but says angrily
that he will pay his bill and is only stuck here because he is broke. The Mayor
thinks he is being savvy and is laying a smokescreen.

20
Openly, the Mayor suggests he might lend the inspector money. Khlestakov is
mollified and says that he will settle with the landlord and will pay him back as
soon as he gets home.
The Mayor is relieved that he took the money and glad that he slipped him more
than he asked for.
Khlestakov feels much better and asks the gentlemen to sit, and for Osip to have
the waiter come back.
The Mayor assumes that the inspector wants to remain incognito and decides
they can play along and pretend they don’t know who he is. He says that he is the
sort of mayor who cares about his people and gives visitors a warm welcome. He
marvels at Khlestakov’s answers to his questions, for he seems to assiduously try
to lie about who he really is and why he is here. To him, Khlestakov is puny, but
he is a good liar.
The Mayor asks if Khlestakov would like to stay at his own home, and Khlestakov
delightedly accepts. He comments that he really only asks nothing of life but
respect and devotion from people.
Scene 9
When the waiter returns, Khlestakov asks for the bill, but the waiter says he gives
them to him every day. Angrily, Khlestakov says he cannot keep track of
everything and it’s absurd to itemize like this. The Mayor orders the waiter out
and says the bill will be paid.
Scene 10
The Mayor asks if Khlestakov would like to inspect some of the facilities.
Khlestakov asks why, and the Mayor replies that he could see how they run
things. Khlestakov likes this idea and goes along with the Mayor in his carriage.
The Mayor sends Dobchinsky with a letter to Zemlyanika at the charity hospital
and one to his wife. He wonders how things will go with Khlestakov after a good
lunch and a bottle of Madeira. Perhaps then he can find out what his game is.

Analysis
From the moment The Government Inspector begins, it is clear that Gogol is
sparing pulling no punches when it comes to satire and criticism of corrupt
Russian officials. These characters articulate their various foibles as they scramble

21
to figure out how to make their town look efficient, healthy, and pleasant. Lies
and cover-ups circulate along with plans to deal with the inspector. The Mayor’s
main point of anger is that the inspector is traveling incognito, revealing that he
cares only about having enough time to make the town appear to be something it
isn't.
If Gogol turns audiences/readers against the bumbling civil servants, he does not
compensate by making us sympathize with Khlestakov. Indeed, Khlestakov is even
more laughable, more dissolute, and more obnoxious than most of the civil
servants are, though it is important to remember that the officials have other
people’s lives in their hands, whereas Khlestakov mostly only makes his own life—
and Osip’s—tedious.
There is probably a reason for the distinction in the way the characters are
depicted, as critic Thomas Seltzer notes. Russian literature is very much woven
into the very fabric of its people’s lives; it is not luxury or diversion but rather “is
completely bound up with the life of Russian society, and its vitality is but the
measure of the spiritual vitality of that society.” There is no disputing the fact that
Gogol audaciously chose a subject that attacked the foundation of the state
through the official Russian bureaucracy. He “showed the rottenness and
corruption of the instruments through which the Russian government functioned”
and showed how each town was ruled by a petty town-governor whose
corruption trickled down to all the officials below him. However, it is important to
note that Gogol was conservative: “while hating the bureaucracy…he never found
fault with the system itself or with the autocracy.” It was the characters
themselves that were to be scorned and ridiculed, “not the conditions which
created the characters and made them act as they did.” Khlestakov ends up being
more absurd and unlikeable than the civil servants in this regard.
Returning to Khlestakov specifically, he proves himself within mere moments of
his introduction to be overly interested, if not obsessed, with food and drink. He
despises the landlord for not letting him have free meals after racking up charge
after charge on his bill, and when he finally gets free food that is too spare and
disgusting for him, he eats it anyway. Ronald D. LeBlanc probes the semiotics of
food and eating in the text, first explaining that critics see eating as
either manger, eating as power or violence, or gouter, eating for pleasure. The
Mayor thinks that Khlestakov is adhering to the former and thus continues to feed
him because he is afraid of him. Khlestakov, though, is doing the latter. He is a
vulgar epicurean/gourmand, and the complaining to the Mayor about his food is

22
not because he is an inspector trying to comment on the town’s institutions
(Khlestakov’s staring at the food in the inn is what help Dobchinsky and
Bobchinsky decide that he is their man, because who would look at it so
closely but an inspector?) but rather because nothing is more offensive to him
personally than poor food. Ironically, Khlestakov’s servant Osip is the complete
opposite of his master: he sees food just as something necessary for survival, and
he laments how his master’s gluttony means that they are constantly out of
money.
LeBlanc writes that once the Mayor is able to satisfy Khlestakov’s hunger for food
with the feast of food and wine, Khlestakov starts to open himself up to all the
other pleasures he enjoys, especially those of an oral nature—cigars and
excessive bragging, much of it about food. Khlestakov “attempts to create an
image of St. Petersburg as a gastronomical paradise of pleasure” and “seems to
derive enormous pleasure from telling lies.” Both eating and lying earn him
attention and also have “many of the same psychological benefits” such as “the
‘serenity’ syndrome: They bring about a state of relaxation and amicability.”
Khlestakov also, perhaps unsurprisingly, links women and food. This is certainly a
mainstay in western culture and European literature, and Khlestakov is a perfect
example of the linked pleasures. He jumps from women to food from one
sentence to another, demonstrating that he views them both as appetites that
need to be satisfied.

The Government Inspector Summary and Analysis of Act III

Summary
Act III
Scene 1
Anna and Marya stand looking out the window, Anna still criticizing her daughter
for preening too much. Marya tells her Dobchinsky is coming, but Anna
stubbornly claims it is not him.
Finally, Anna sees that it is Dobchinsky, and she yells at him not to dawdle. She
rues that the man is a fool and won’t say anything until he is inside.
Scene 2

23
Anna lambasts Dobchinsky for being so slow, then orders him to tell them what
happened. He gives her the note from her husband. Anna asks what kind of man
the inspector is. Dobchinsky says he is cultured and dignified like a general but
isn’t a general. He was hard on Anton Antonovich (the Mayor) at first, but then
things went smoothly and now they’ve gone to the charity hospital.
Anna asks more about what he’s like. Dobchinsky explains that he is young but
talks properly like an old man. He has light, darting eyes.
Anna reads the letter and realizes the inspector is coming there. She calls
for Mishka to get a room ready and order plenty of wine from Abdulin’s.

Scene 3
Anna tells her daughter that they must figure out to wear for the cultured guest
from St. Petersburg. She tells Marya to wear the blue dress, but Marya wants to
wear the yellow one. Anna bitterly says that she is going to wear yellow, but
Marya tells her mother she needs to have dark eyes to look good in yellow. Anna
angrily says that her eyes are dark and her daughter is full of nonsense.
Scene 4
Mishka brings Osip into the room with Khlestakov’s things. He asks how his
master is, but Osip avoids really replying. He asks Mishka for food.
Scene 5
The constables open doors for the distinguished men—Khlestakov, the Mayor,
the Warden of Charities, the Inspector of Schools, Dobchinsky, and Bobchinsky.
Khlestakov remarks on how nice the institutions are; the Mayor brags that,
whereas other towns want to feather their own nests, this town cares about law
and order. He compliments the food and then remarks that there were not very
many patients in the charity hospital. The Warden brags that the patients have
been recovering like flies.
The Mayor speaks of his own duties and how busy he is, insisting that things are
running quite smoothly. Other mayors care only for themselves, but he is always
consumed with order, cleanliness, and morality. He wants no honors, just to
please his superiors.

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Khlestakov wonders if there are any societies for one to play cards, but, thinking
he is trying to trap them, the Mayor feigns shock and insists that there are none
of those. The Judge rolls his eyes and says to himself that the Mayor took money
off of him just last night. Khlestakov is a little bemused, and he comments that he
doesn’t mind an occasional game.
Scene 6
The Mayor introduces his wife and daughter to Khlestakov, who falls over himself
with compliments. He raves about how cosmopolitan St. Petersburg is and how
important he is there. He speaks of the actresses he knows, the literary works
he’s written, and the balls he throws at his incredible home. He often hobnobs
with the best of society. Once, he was asked to come home and take care of a
whole department because everyone knew how capable he was.
When Khlestakov laughs that everyone knows to be on their toes when he is
around, the others tremble. He comments that he is not to be trifled with,
especially as he is welcome to drop into the Palace whenever he wants.
The Mayor invites Khlestakov to take a rest, to which he eagerly assents.
Scene 7
Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky extol Khlestakov’s merits, while the Warden of
Charities expresses to the Inspector of Schools how terrified he is.
Scene 8
Anna is delighted with Khlestakov and claims that he was looking at her and liked
her. Marya replies that he was looking at her. Anna says snidely that it was
probably only out of politeness.
Scene 9
When the Mayor returns to his wife, he says ruefully that he gave Khlestakov a bit
too much to drink and that he obviously exaggerated some things a bit. He does
add that most things have fibs in them, though. Anna praises Khlestakov as not
being intimidating at all.
The Mayor sighs at his wife and expresses that he is still frightened. This is
especially due to the fact that the man doesn’t look the part, which would have
been too obvious. At least the Mayor got Khlestakov to open up at the inn and
reveal that, even though he is the inspector, he is still new to the job.

25
Scene 10
Anna and the Mayor call Osip over to them and ask him numerous questions
about his master, such as whether or not counts and princes call on him, what his
master’s rank is, and whether he goes around in uniform. The Mayor ignores his
wife and daughter’s facile comments about what kind of eyes Khlestakov likes and
asks what, above all else, Osip’s master values. Osip replies “warm hospitality and
good food” (264). The Mayor is pleased because he knows he can work with this.
Scene 11
The Mayor cheerfully sends Osip back to his master to tell him everything at the
house is at his disposal; then, once Osip is gone, he sternly orders the newly-
arrived Derzhimorda and Svistunov to stand guard at the door and not let any of
the shopkeepers in.

Analysis
Gogol ups the irony, comedy, and incisive commentary on these bureaucrats’
failings in this middle act. Khlestakov is even more laughable with his ludicrous
stories of life in St. Petersburg, the Mayor continues to do everything in his power
to impress a nobody, the Mayor’s wife Anna acts as a model of vanity and
selfishness, and the civil servants continue to quake in their boots at the thought
that this man—who, again, is actually a nobody—might discover their ineptitude.
It is abundantly clear that this is a comedy, intended to provoke laughter as it
exposes the ways of the world and encourages moral behavior.
What is less clear to the average reader, however, is that this play can also be
read as a Christian allegory of the Last Judgment. Yes, this is a comical apocalypse,
but it is an apocalypse nonetheless; as Milton Ehre notes in his article on the
topic, the play “mocks the way of the world but its mockery is part of an effort to
obliterate the world as a prelude to final judgment." As Nabokov famously
commented, “the play ends with a blinding flash of lightning and ends in a
thunderclap. In fact it is wholly placed in the tense gap between the flash and the
crash.” The Mayor’s terse announcement is met with horror, and his civil servants
begin to protest and scramble to cover their flaws. They are representative of
humanity in all of its corruption, foibles, and self-interest. They are vain, greedy,
lazy, prevaricators, and charlatans.
This situation would, of course, make Khlestakov the False Pretender, the
Antichrist. He is merely an illusion, a “man without substance, a creature of pure

26
improvisation who can only respond to the signals of the moment.” He is empty
but terrifying to the townspeople, and, like his association with the devil, he is
excessively fond of pleasure of all sorts. Vladimir Glyantz provides other examples
of the association of Khlestakov with the Antichrist, explaining how Khlestakov
not only brags excessively about how intelligent and how much of a “genius” he
is, but also, seemingly randomly, how Khlestakov shows concern for Bobchinsky’s
nose wound: “Chlestakov’s concern for a ‘small’ man, which seems rather
unnecessary, is also justified symbolically: the behavior of Chlestakov-antichrist
should be typically attentive to men (just as Christ was).”
When the gendarme arrives announcing the official inspector—Christ—the
townspeople realize that they have “pursued an illusion, and in the end [the
society’s] fabric is rent.” This society that has shown itself to be devoid of
affection, morality, compassion, and truth is “doomed by its own fragmented and
unsubstantial nature.” Glyantz references the mute scene at the very end (to be
discussed in the next Summary/Analysis), asking, “Was not the famous ending of
the Mute scene invented with this very idea of letting Heaven have its word once
human passions are over on the stage?”
This is heady stuff, to be sure, but this is still a comedy, and Gogol makes sure that
we believe the characters to be too ridiculous to feel bad for or to take their
“disaster” seriously. Ehre concludes by stating that “without the presence of the
recognizably human there would be no concern, and hence no cause for laughter.
Remorselessly, Gogol has reduced his characters to absurdity, and yet they
survive his onslaught to convey a mirror image, however crooked, of the human
condition. As such his apocalypse takes on the aspect of an admonition.”

The Government Inspector Summary and Analysis of Acts IV and V

Summary
Act IV
Scene 1
The Mayor and the notable officials gather together in the Mayor’s house,
deciding how to approach the government inspector. A bribe is proposed, then
one-on-one meetings behind closed doors. The men argue over who is to go first,
then jump up in fright when they hear noise from Khlestakov’s room.

27
Scene 2
Khlestakov enters the recently vacated room, marveling at how well he slept yet
how sweaty he is from the covers. He muses that he can have a good time here,
especially with the Mayor’s daughter and his wife.
Scene 3
The Judge enters nervously and introduces himself. Khlestakov invites him to sit.
The Judge is holding money and feels like it is burning him. He tries to brag about
what he does here, but accidentally drops the money and thinks he is done for.
Khlestakov asks if he can borrow that money, and the Judge says that of course he
can. Relief fills him as he stands and urges Khlestakov to not think of paying him
back. On his way out, he feels like he has been saved.
Scene 4
The Postmaster enters and presents himself. Khlestakov impresses him because
he does not seem like a snob.
Khlestakov wonders if he could borrow a bit of money, and the Postmaster readily
and happily lets him.
After the Postmaster leaves, Khlestakov smiles that he seems like a decent chap.
Scene 5
The Inspector of Schools is next; he is trembling and shy. Khlestakov offers him a
cigar and he drops it in fright. Khlestakov laughs that he does not seem to be a
connoisseur of cigars, but as for himself, he favors both cigars and women. He
asks the Inspector if he prefers blondes or brunettes. The Inspector stammers
that he does not think of such matters, but Khlestakov continues to tease him.
After a minute or two of this, Khlestakov asks if he might borrow a bit of money
since he ran out of cash. The Inspector agrees and runs out the door, relieved that
his schools might not be inspected now.
Scene 6
The Warden of Charities enters and exchanges pleasantries with Khlestakov, but
eagerly begins to offer his critique of his fellow officials. He explains that the
Postmaster does not do anything and parcels are always delayed; the Judge

28
spends all his time hunting and has no morals; Dobchinsky is having an affair with
the Judge’s wife; the Inspector of Schools fills students’ heads with radical ideas.
He pauses and asks if Khlestakov would like this in writing. Khlestakov assents,
saying that he would love to have something to read when he is bored. He smiles
that what the Warden has told him is quite amusing.
On the Warden’s way out, Khlestakov again asks to borrow money, which the
Warden happily assents to.
Scene 7
Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky enter. Khlestakov asks them for money, but they
cannot raise much from their two pockets.
Dobchinsky asks Khlestakov’s advice on a matter: his son was born before he was
married, but he wants him to be made legitimate. He brags that his son is gifted
and talented. Khlestakov replies that he’ll put in a word with… someone.
Bobchinsky then asks if he will tell people in St. Petersburg—maybe even the Tsar
—all about him. Khlestakov gamely agrees.
Scene 8
Once he is alone again, Khlestakov muses that he seems to have been mistaken
for a man from the ministry. After all, he admits, he did embellish some things
yesterday.
Scene 9
Osip comes to speak with Khlestakov and tells him that they had better leave
soon. It is too dangerous to stay since someone else might show up, and his
father will be angry if he is not back soon. Khlestakov sighs and agrees reluctantly,
but he asks Osip to mail a letter first with all the gossip of the town, which can be
used by Tryapichkin in one of his newspapers.
Osip goes out to mail the letter and orders one of the fanciest troikas (carriages)
for his master.
Suddenly, a noise grows louder outside. Osip tells his master that it is the
shopkeepers, clamoring to appeal to Khlestakov as the government inspector.
Khlestakov opens the window and takes one of the petitions, marveling at the
extravagant title he has been given.
Scene 10

29
Khlestakov lets the shopkeepers in, and they clamor to tell him that they are here
to protest their harsh treatment at the hands of the Mayor. They claim he is
ruining them by forcing soldiers on them, telling them they’re heathens, stealing
things from their shops, and locking them up if they protest. They offer
Khlestakov sugar and wine, but he sniffs that he does not take bribes. However,
he adds, he might need to borrow some money. They gratefully give him more
than he asks for, and they push the wine and sugar on him anyway. Outside, more
loud voices are heard, and Khlestakov orders two women to be allowed in.
Scene 11
The Sergeant’s Widow and Locksmith’s Wife bow down before Khlestakov and
beg for his help. The Locksmith’s Wife complains about the Mayor having her
husband sent off the army when it wasn’t his turn. The Sergeant’s Wife says she
was flogged because the police thought she was fighting in the marketplace, but
she was not.
Khlestakov says he will try to help them, but he looks outside at the mounting
petitions and sighs that there are too many of them and he is sick of them.
Osip yells and clears them all out.
Scene 12
Marya Antonova enters the room, looking for her mother. Instead, she
encounters Khlestakov, and he begins to flirt with her excessively. Marya laughs
and says she’d like to write down some of these verses. Khlestakov brags that he
knows a lot of poetry.
He then bursts out that he loves her, but she nervously says that she does not
know anything about love. Khlestakov moves closer and tries to kiss her. She huffs
that she is not some country girl. He drops to his knees and begs her to love him.
Scene 13
Anna enters the room and asks what is going on. She orders Marya to leave the
room, which the girl does in a burst of tears.
Khlestakov thinks to himself that Anna is also a “tasty dish” (285), and directs his
flirtations toward her. He says he is in love with her: he does not care that she is a
married woman, and he must have her hand.
Scene 14

30
Marya runs in, aghast at the scene of Khlestakov kneeling before her mother.
Anna rebukes her for acting like a child. Khlestakov grabs Marya’s hand and says it
is she whom he loves, and he wants to marry her.
Scene 15
The Mayor enters, complaining vociferously about the shopkeepers and
proclaiming to Khlestakov that they are all lying. Anna interrupts him and tells him
the good news about Marya marrying Khlestakov. The Mayor is shocked but
eventually mellows into being pleased. He gives them his blessing.
Scene 16
Khlestakov and Osip prepare to leave town. Khlestakov lies and says he is just
going to visit his rich uncle and will be back the next day. The Mayor cheerfully
lets him borrow some money for travel.
Khlestakov waves goodbye; he and Osip depart.
Act V
Scene 1
The Mayor exults to Anna how they will be “flying high” (291) now because of the
marriage. He then orders a constable to fetch all the shopkeepers, complaining of
them as “stinking Jews” (291).
As they are waiting for the shopkeepers, the Mayor and Anna talk about the new
life they will have in St. Petersburg. The Mayor wants to be a general. Anna warns
him to not be coarse in his manners among all the refined people.
Scene 2
The shopkeepers arrive and the Mayor strongly rebukes them. They quiver before
him and apologize.
The Mayor sniffs that he does not hold grudges, but they must watch their step
around him; he is marrying his daughter to someone powerful.
Scene 3
The Judge, the Warden of Charities, and Rastakovsky arrive; they give the Mayor,
Anna, and Marya their congratulations on their good fortune.
Scene 4

31
Korobkin and his wife come to the Mayor, Anna, and Marya to offer their
congratulations.
Scene 5
Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky are next, also offering their congratulations and
wishing a healthy baby for Marya.
Scene 6
The Inspector of Schools and his wife come to offer their congratulations.
The Mayor orders Mishka to bring chairs for everyone.
Scene 7
The Chief of Police and Constables come to offer their congratulations. The Mayor
and Anna brag about how the proposal occurred, but Anna bothers Marya by
telling the story as if she were the one who was proposed to.
The group of civil servants toasts the Mayor, with some of them privately
begrudging that the Mayor seems to have all the luck and that he is just a “puffed
up” figure (299).
Scene 8
The Postmaster rushes in abruptly, holding an open letter. He declares that the
government inspector is not a government inspector at all, and he just found out
from this letter.
Amid the shocked reactions, the Postmaster explains that he eventually opened
the letter after agonizing about whether or not to do it. It was from Khlestakov to
a friend, Tryapichkin, who lived in St. Petersburg. In the letter, Khlestakov laughs
that this town has taken him for a government general and he is being feted here
and flirting with the Mayor’s wife and daughter. He says these people are all
freaks and that Tryapichkin would die with laughter.
The Mayor is indignant, especially when he hears that Khlestakov called him “as
stupid as a mule” (301). Korobkin grabs the letter and reads the insults about each
of the people Khlestakov encountered.
The Mayor rues that he is ruined. He feels like an old man, and he has been
duped. He especially loathes the idea that they will be written about and will be
laughingstocks. The Warden of Charities cries that this is the work of the Devil,

32
while the Judge points the finger at Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky. The crowd
begins to roar and surround the two men, who meekly say that they did not start
anything.
Last Scene
A gendarme enters and announces that the official from St. Petersburg has
arrived; he is in the inn and requires their presence immediately.
This announcement is met with a wave of shock pulsing through all of the figures
present. They change positions and ossify as if into stone.
Mute Scene
The Mayor is like a pillar with his hands outstretched and thrown back. Anna and
Marya strain to reach him. The Postmaster looks like a question mark, turned
toward the audience. The Inspector is bewildered. Three ladies look sarcastically
at the Mayor and family. The Warden appears to be listening to something. The
Judge has widespread arms and seems as if he were about to announce that they
are in trouble. Korobkin winks at the audience and looks contemptuously at the
Mayor. Their mouths agape, Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky reach for each other.
The rest of the group simply stands still.
They maintain this position for a minute and a half.
Analysis
Khlestakov continues to enjoy his visit in the town, ending up with a great deal of
money in his pocket, a faux-engagement, a full belly, and smug amusement at
having been mistaken for someone else. The civil servants are, however, out their
money and their pride; Anna will not get to live a glitzy St. Petersburg life; the
Mayor will not get to be a general. When the Postmaster finds Khlestakov’s letter
to his friend and exposes the truth, the Mayor rues that some writer will turn
their mishaps into a comedy, which is a hilarious reference to The Government
Inspector itself.
Gogol solicits the audience’s laughter throughout these two acts, but, to the
fascination of many audiences and critics, he chooses to end the play in a
stunning mute tableau. He was so famously committed to it being staged properly
that he turned his back on Russia in disgust and left the country to avoid having
the deal with the problematic stagings of the play. What is this mute scene, then?
Why was it so important to Gogol? What is its message?

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Gogol called the mute scene “the final scene of life” and “simply a mute painting.”
Some critics see it as a representation of The Last Judgment, an anti-iconostasis,
or even a commentary on reading itself. Judith Robey explicates the various
theories regarding this mute scene, beginning by explaining that Gogol was very,
very serious about his comedy and often attacked vaudeville and melodrama, the
popular theatrical genres of the day, in order to assert that theater should be
used for higher purposes. Gogol wanted his mute scene to be read pictorially and
“to set it apart from the rest of the play and draw attention to its impact on the
audience.” Robey sees it as a corollary to a famous painting that fascinated
Gogol: The Last Day of Briulov (1834), a scene of the destruction of Pompeii.
Gogol’s remarks on the painting “focus on the painting as a dramatic,
universalized, metaphoric image of humanity on the brink of a disaster—an image
he connects to his own image of Russia in the midst of a spiritual crisis.”
The stage directions of the mute scene are similar to the expressions, positions,
and gestures of the figures in Briulov’s work. Briulov’s fleeing people are frozen in
fear, stone-like in their despair. Both are reactions to crises and demonstrative of
moral messages, showing unity and a “synthesis of particulars” though one is a
tragedy and one is a comedy. Robey concludes that Gogol uses Briulov’s model to
create “an image of a municipality that as metamorphosed into a community
during a catastrophic event, and invoking the concept of sobornost by presenting
details within the scope of a single large idea and preserving the identity of the
characters, even as they become part of a harmonious whole.”
Finally, Robey suggests that the mute scene also emphasizes the role of the
audience. As they stare at the tableau (if it is done properly, of course), the
audience members will begin to feel “uncomfortable and self-conscious” and “are
reminded that they are looking at a parodic image of themselves onstage, both by
the play’s epigraph (‘Don’t blame the mirror if the mug is crooked’) and by the
mayor’s line shortly before the denouement, ‘Why are you laughing? You’re
laughing at yourselves!’” The audience should feel that this is a wakeup call—that
a moral message is being imparted to them.

The Government Inspector Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

Allegory: The Last Judgment
The play may be read as an allegory of the Last Judgment. The townspeople and
civil officials are plagued by their own vices and are entranced by the Antichrist in
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the form of Khlestakov. They woo him, serve their own ends, and are caught off-
guard when the real Christ arrives to judge them. According to this reading, Gogol
exhorts his audience to pick up on the moral message implicit within the comedy
and to confront to their own immorality.
Symbol: Mayor's Sword
The Mayor complains of his sword, "My sword's scratched all over. That damned
shopkeeper Abdulin knows very well the mayor's sword's in poor condition and
still he doesn't send me a new one" (230). A sword is a symbol of power, justice,
and nobility, so the fact that the Mayor has one (due to his position) that it is
scratched, grungy, and impotent indicates that the Mayor does not actually have
legitimate power, nor does he rule well.
Motif: Eating and Drinking
Khlestakov is incessantly talking about food, eating food, referring to people in
terms of food, reminiscing about food, and so on. He is an excessive gourmand,
deriving pleasure from eating and stuffing himself to the brim. He eats even when
he does not like the food, works himself into a tizzy when he cannot have it, and
uses food imagery as part of his bragging about his fancy life. This obsession can
be explained psychologically, as with a Freudian oral fixation issue; at the very
least, it allows us to see how debauched and dedicated to base pleasures
Khlestakov is.
Symbol: Sugar and Wine
The shopkeepers come to Khlestakov with their petitions and offerings of sugar
loaves and wine. Khelestakov initially refuses what he sees as bribed, but he later
capitulates. As the notes in the Penguin Classics version of the play explain,
"Sweet foods such as honey and sugar were heavily taxed and were a great
luxury. They were often given as bribes" (328). Thus, these items are not merely
food, and they certainly would not have been viewed as such by Gogol's
contemporary audiences. Rather, these items are symbols of luxury, bribery, self-
interest, and gluttony.
Symbol: Cabbage
In yet another example of food symbolism, cabbage is an important textual
signifier. The Warden of Charities remarks that there is a strong stench of cabbage
wafting down the corridors of the charity hospital, and Gogol disliked the food
enough to also excoriate it in Diary of a Madman. Cabbage was one of the most
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ubiquitous foods in Russian cuisine, and it was often associated with the lower
classes because it was the most basic item in their households. For the Warden to
complain of the smell suggests that he is actually worried about the hospital
seeming derelict, rundown, and, frankly, trashy.
The Government Inspector Metaphors and Similes
Metaphor: Difficult Situation
The Mayor proclaims to his fellow civil servants that he will go over to the inn and
talk to the inspector first: "No, let me handle it. I've been in some tight corners
and I've always muddled through." (229). The Mayor uses the metaphor of being
stuck in a tight corner to express that he has been in difficult situations before—
perhaps situations that have seemed to be unfixable—but he has always
managed to get through it. He uses the word "muddle" to imply that it was tough
going but he made it anyway. The metaphor is thus intended to inspire
confidence among his peers.

Metaphor: Life
Khlestakov waxes poetic about food, saying "I'm mad about good food. But what
else is life for except to pluck the blossoms of pleasure..." (254.) The image is of a
person picking a beautiful flower and feeling immense pleasure in its appearance
and smell. This is what Khlestakov uses to suggest how much he loves life—and,
specifically, how he views good food. He is a gourmand (glutton?) and food is one
of his vices; the experience of consuming food thus takes on a hyperbolic spiritual
and aesthetic tinge due to the metaphor.
Simile: Patients
When Khlestakov visits the hospital, he sees that there are just a few patients,
and when he remarks upon this to the Warden of Charities, the Warden answers:
“since I took charge the patients have been recovering like flies” (254). This, of
course, is not the normal idiom "dying like flies." That makes the simile darkly
ironic because it is likely that the patients did not receive adequate care and died,
creating the situation that the Warden passes off to Khlestakov as salubrious.
Metaphor: Intelligence

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When the Judge brags that he is an atheist because he actually thinks deeply
about things, the Mayor scoffs, "Too much grey matter can be worse than none"
(222). The metaphor of "gray matter," which literally refers to brain cells, allows
the reader to see that the Mayor is not pleased with anyone that seems to have
too much of anything—too much intellect, too many ideas, too strong of a moral
compass.
Metaphor: Officials
The Mayor tries desperately to impress Khlestakov by comparing himself to other
mayors: "In other towns, if I may say so, mayors and other officials are more
concerned with feathering their own nests." (254). "Feathering their own nests"
refers to birds using their own feathers or other birds' feathers to make their own
nest more comfortable, and it has long been an idiom for people caring more
about themselves—their homes, their portfolios, their wealth, etc.—than
anything else. Ironically, the Mayor and his officials are guilty of this very thing.

The Government Inspector Irony

Dramatic Irony: The Story
After realizing what has happened with the mistaken identity, the Mayor moans,
"And as if it's not bad enough being a laughingstock already, along will come
some hack, some miserable pen-pusher, and stick us in a comedy" (204). This is a
fantastic piece of irony (and meta-narrative strategy) on Gogol's part since this is
exactly what he did! The Government Inspector is, indeed, a story of these
buffoons.
Situational Irony: A Non-communicative Doctor
The civil servants hear that a government inspector is coming and promptly begin
to worry about their institutions and decide how they will gussy them up to put
on a good show. The Warden of Charities talks about thinning out the patients
and how the strategy is just to let nature take its course. He also adds, "Besides,
Dr. Huebner can't make himself understood to the patients, as he can't speak a
word of Russian" (221). This is a delightfully ironic thing to say: Why wouldn't a

37
doctor be able to communicate with his patients? Why doesn't he speak Russian?
How can he even do his job?
Verbal/Situational Irony: Constable Prokhorov
The Chief of Police explains to the Mayor why one of the constables is not
currently present: "There was a brawl outside town yesterday and he went to
restore order—and he came back plastered" (231). The way the actor delivers the
line may have verbal irony, but at the very least, there is situational irony present.
A constable is supposed to behave properly and enforce the law, not behave
dissolutely and shirk his duties. This is yet another example of how the civil
servants of the town are self-interested and inept.
Dramatic Irony: Mayor and Khlestakov
The first conversation between the Mayor and Khlestakov, which takes place at
the inn, is a deeply ironic scene. The audience knows that the Mayor is a corrupt
and inept official, that he is deeply afraid of the putative government inspector,
and that, of course, Khlestakov is not that inspector. As both men try to navigate
this conversation, it is rife with amusement for the audience. The Mayor tries to
seem puissant; Khlestakov tries to be imperious to cover up his sense of
wrongdoing; and all of this is pure, cutting comedy.

The Government Inspector Imagery

Life in St. Petersburg
Khlestakov spares no words describing his life in the capital and the balls that he
says he is throwing almost every week. “It's a simple affair, not worth talking
about! On the table, for instance, is a water-melon that costs seven hundred
rubles. The soup comes straight from Paris by steamer in the tureen: there's
nothing in the world to be compared with its flavour!” His boasting creates a
rather significant impression on the audience in the governor’s house—but, of
course, is nothing but boasting.
Deceptive Appearances
When Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky inform the Mayor that there is a young man in
the inn “rather good-looking and well-dressed—and walks into the room, with
such an expression on his face—such a physiognomy—and a style so
distinguished a head-piece,” he understands that this must be the governor

38
inspector. Why does everyone around decide so? Because of the appearance and
manners of this man. The image of a well-educated person with good manners
and exquisite holding of himself is a deceptive one. The Mayor also thinks that
because he does not exactly look like what they expected—a general, someone
large and imposing—that this, yes, has to be him.
The Mayor's False Faith
When the Mayor worries about the situation with the government inspector, he
says, "God help me out of this mess quickly and I'll light the most enormous
candle you've ever seen. I'll make each shopkeeper stump up for a hundred
pounds of wax" (232). This is a fantastic image: an absurdly large candle, a
monument to the pride, ignorance, and insincerity of the Mayor and his cronies.
There is no candle so large as to excuse their ineptitude, but it is a funny image
nonetheless.
The Mute Scene
Perhaps the single most powerful image in the play is the very last scene in which
all the characters, upon hearing that the real government inspector has arrived,
freeze into a tableau of shocked, wry, and flummoxed expressions. They are to
hold these positions for a minute and a half, which allows the audience to
contemplate the events that have happened and those that are likely to come. It
gives an air of gravitas to what mostly seems like pure comedy/satire, helping to
enforce the themes of the Antichrist and the Last Judgment.
The Government Inspector Gogol and Religion
It is nearly impossible to discuss Nikolai Gogol and his works without mentioning
religion, something with which Gogol had a tremendously fraught relationship.
Gogol’s mother, Maria Ivanovna, was a profoundly religious woman. The family
went to church regularly, but she also fasted, undertook pilgrimages, and
purchased a ceremonial shroud for the local church. Religious ritual was a core
part of the Gogol household. However, Gogol did not readily embrace his
mother’s practice and belief. He once wrote, “I looked on everything with
indifferent eyes; I went to church only because I was told to go or was taken; but
while I was standing there I saw nothing but the chasubles and the priest, and
heard only the repulsive bellowing of the deacons. I crossed myself only because I
saw everyone else crossing himself.” Scholar Vasiliĭ Vasilʹevich Gippius explains
that “Gogol absorbed the religious mythology of the world around him,” “took a

39
critical attitude toward such ritual in his youth,” and “arrived at it in his own way,
and that was not so direct as might appear to be the case.”
After leaving Russia in frustration over the way The Government Inspector had
been staged and received in 1836, Gogol traveled around Europe. It was in Rome
where he wrote his most famous work, Dead Souls, which he intended to have a
second part. Gogol also began fraternizing with more conservative religious
figures while in Rome.
In 1847, Gogol published Selected Passages from Correspondence with My
Friends, which consists of 32 discourses that promulgated the conservative
church. Gogol’s admirers condemned the book, with Belinsky calling Gogol “a
preacher of the knout, a defender of obscurantism and of darkest oppression.” In
1848, Gogol decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He did not find his soul
put at ease, though, and wrote, “Never have I been so dissatisfied with the state
of my heart as in Jerusalem, and after Jerusalem...never have my insensitivity,
callosity and woodenness been so palpably evident to me.”
Gogol was notoriously unhappy with what he was devising for the second part
of Dead Souls, and he could not achieve what he wanted to with the work.
Scholar Yolanda Delgado explains, “He was deeply drawn to the land of the great
Dante and the literary legacy of the Renaissance, and tried to create his own
‘Divine Comedy.’ Gogol was frustrated that he had only managed to recreate
“Inferno” in the first part of “Dead Souls,” so he decided to write his own
‘Purgatorio’ and ‘Paradiso’ in the second volume. He was determined that the
continuation of his ‘poem’ would present characters with virtue and integrity—a
moral example for his Russian audience. Up till then, Gogol’s readership had
largely seen his work as outrageous comedies, apparently missing the deep
pathos of the human condition that lay behind the odd humor and absurd
characters.”
Falling into deeper depression, Gogol sought advice from spiritualists and became
increasingly worried that, due to Dead Souls’ themes, he was headed for
perdition. One of the figures whom he grew to depend upon the most was Father
Matvey Konstantinovsky. Konstantinovsky saw Gogol’s novel as an abomination
and urged him to enter a monastery to atone for his sins.
In February of 1852, Gogol destroyed the manuscript of the second part of Dead
Souls as well as other things he had been working on. This act distressed him

40
immeasurably and he decided that the Devil had acted upon him. He took to his
bed and fell into starvation and torpor; he never recovered.
The Government Inspector Literary Elements
Genre
Drama
Language
Russian; translated into English
Setting and Context
The actions take place in an unnamed town in Russia.
Narrator and Point of View
Traditional dramatic structure of third-person dialogue and monologue.
Tone and Mood
Tone: ironic, comic, parodic
Mood: suspenseful, light-hearted, amused
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Khlestakov, and he is an antagonist at the same time.
Major Conflict
Will Khlestakov's true identity become clear to the Mayor and the other civil
servants?
Climax
The climax occurs when the Postmaster bursts in and exposes the fact that the
government inspector is not who they think.
Foreshadowing
1. In the very beginning, the governor tells about his dream: “I had a sort of
presentiment of it: all last night I dreamt about a pair of monstrous rats. Upon my
word, I never saw the like of 'em—so black and enormous. They came, and
snuffed about, and vanished.” This dream foreshadows something bad for him.

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2. The Mayor worries that "those bastards [the shopkeepers] are already cooking
up petitions against me on the sly" (230), which they are indeed.
Understatement
N/A.
Allusions
1. There are allusions to Assyrians, Babylonians, and Alexander of Macedon (the
schoolteachers talk about them).
2. "Voltairean freethinkers" is an allusion to Voltaire, the French Enlightenment
philosopher.
3. The Acts of John the Mason references a book by English nonconformist
preacher John Mason, which Gogol thought was a guidebook to Masonic ritual.
4. Khlestakov says that he is friends with Pushkin, one of the most famous Russian
authors.
5. The Judge compares the Inspector of Schools to Cicero, the famous classical
orator.
6. Jacobin—a French revolutionary; name associated with radicals and
freethinkers.
7. Gendarme—Corps of Gendarmes established by Nicholas I, under the
command of the Third Department, a secret police force.
Imagery
See the separate "Imagery" section of this ClassicNote.
Paradox
One paradox is that the governor, who has engaged and dealt with different
frauds his entire life, could not discern the truth about Khlestakov, who was
entirely fraudulent.
Parallelism
Gogol often uses parallel actions and words between the characters to show how
similar they are and how complicit they are in the town's climate of corruption
(e.g., the scenes where Khlestakov meets with the civil servants individually, who
all loan him money, and the scenes where the civil servants come to pay their
respects to the newly-engaged Marya and her parents).
Personification

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1. "The whole town seems dead!" (Anna Andreyevna, 249)
2. "My blasted tongue's done for me again!" (Inspector of Schools, 272)
3. "The hand of destiny was at work" (Warden of Charities, 298)
Use of Dramatic Devices
1. Monologues are widely used in the play; they mostly show one person’s
mocking attitude towards others.
2. Gogol often has his characters use asides so that they can express what they
are really thinking.
3. There are numerous stage directions, especially in the mute scene at the end.
4. Onomatopoeia: "Count and princes jostling each other and buzzing like so
many bees—all you can hear is bzz.bzz.bzz." (Khlestakov, 259.)

The Government Inspector Essay Questions

1. 1
Are there any real heroes or villains in the text? If so, who are they? If not, why
not?
Most critics agree that there are no real heroes or villains in the text. Khlestakov is
a charlatan and a fake, prone to selfishness and debauchery. However, while he
enjoys laughing at the expense of the townspeople, he certainly isn't evil. The civil
servants are inept, self-interested, and corrupt, but they have recognizable
foibles. Critic Milton Ehre sums this up: "Neither virtuous nor evil, the characters
of Gogol's comic works...are merely ridiculous. They reside in a halfway house
between redemption and damnation—a comic purgatory." This element of the
play helps to make the characters realistic in such a way that audience members
may feel compelled to see aspects of themselves reflected onstage, prompting
self-reflection upon the play's silent conclusion.
1. 2
How does the play depict the performative nature of Khlestakov and the
Mayor? What is the effect of this performative nature on the broader ecosystem
of the story?
One of the fascinating layers of the play is that the main characters of Khlestakov
and the Mayor are inclined toward performance, even as they are already being
portrayed by literal actors for the sake of an audience. The two of them, as well as
43
the minor characters, are part of an illusion. Ehre calls the conversations between
Khlestakov and the Mayor duets of a sort, "ballet-like dances of pretense." All of
Khlestakov's words are performative, and they are taken as such. The comic
routines "are built on this principle: the mayor putting on a show while taking
Khlestakov's pedestrian responses for merely another show." An example of this
is when the Mayor is bragging of how well he treats his people, as opposed to
other mayors, and Khlestakov responds that he is glad for the good treatment
because he does not know how he'd pay his bill. The Mayor thinks to himself that
this is an act because, of course, he'd be able to pay. Overall, "the characters of
the play rush after an illusion—the false inspector—and when they catch up with
him, they metamorphose into illusory characters, masked selves performing
stylized rituals of impersonation."
2. 3
What is the core message of this play? Is it comedic? Why or why not?
Though this is certainly a comedy and the audience will have a delightful time
laughing at the mistaken identity, ridiculous behavior, and amusing comeuppance
of the bureaucrats, Gogol did not approach his topic lightly. The play invites the
audience to take a deeper, serious look at themselves. Are they guilty of
selfishness, shortsightedness, or greed? Have they just been coasting on luck to
get by? Are they too consumed with money, status, power, or reputation? Are
they ignoring what is really in front of them? As a religious man, Gogol may have
wanted his audience to take stock of themselves in order to prepare themselves
for the final religious Judgment.
3. 4
What is the narrative function of the mute scene at the end of the play?
The final, minute-and-a-half mute scene ensures that the audience will most
certainly feel uncomfortable—but that discomfort is intended to provoke them to
some inward reflection. It is a pictorial tableau, a veritable painting, and, in its
visuality, it imparts the message that the characters onstage are simply versions
of ourselves that we must analyze in order to reform our bad behavior.
4. 5
What are the different characteristics of bureaucrats that Gogol satirizes?

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Gogol puts a panoply of negative characteristics on display, and all of them are
easily recognizable in the people we know (meaning, his characters are not
murderers or rapists; they are relatable in their foibles). The Mayor is concerned
with his reputation and power, and he doesn't mind taken advantage of the
shopkeepers to increase his standard of living. His wife is greedy for riches and to
move about the fashionable set, is rude to her daughter, and seems obsessed
with her own perceived charms. The Judge neglects his job in favor of hunting.
The Warden of Charities and Doctor do not care for their patients, simply
concluding that they only need minimal treatment and will get better on their
own. The constables are drunken and disorderly. The Postmaster invades people's
privacy. All in all, this is a banal and sordid bunch of bureaucrats that Gogol's
audience would find all too recognizable.

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