The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol: Full Analysis and Summary

The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol: Full Analysis and Summary

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR By NIKOLAI GOGOL

SETTIG: RUSSIA

YEAR: 1834

CHARACTERS

1.    Anton Antonovitch- The town mayor

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2.    Anna Andreyevna – His wife

3.    Marya Antonovna – His daughter

4.    Luka Lukitch – School Superintendent

5.    Ammos Fyodorovitch – District Judge

6.    Artemy Filipovitch – Charity Commissioner

7.    Ivan Koosmitch – Postmaster

8.    Dobchinsky – Town landowner

9.    Bobchinsky – Town Landowner

10.    Hlestakov – A junior official from Petersburg

11.    Yosif – His servant

12.    Mishka – Mayor’s servant

13.    Abdulin – A town merchant

PLOT SUMMARY

Act I

The play is set in a small town in provincial Russia, in the 1830s. Act 1 takes place in a room in the mayor’s house. The mayor has called together the town’s leading officials—including the judge, the superintendent of schools, the director of charities, the town doctor, and a local police officer—to inform them that a government inspector is due to arrive from Saint Petersburg. The mayor explains that this government inspector is to arrive “incognito” with “secret instructions” to assess the local government and administration of the town. The mayor, in a panic, instructs his officials to quickly cover up the many unethical practices and general corruption of the local town authorities. The brothers Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, two local landowners, rush in to inform the mayor and his officials that they have seen the government inspector staying at the local inn. Mayor plans to visit the Inn Hotel to meet and greet the “Very Important Person” at the inn, his wife and his daughter, Marya, enter, asking about the inspector.

Act II Scene 1

Act 2 takes place in Hlestakov’s room at the inn Hotel. He is a young man of about twenty-three

years. He is a government clerk of the lowest rank from Petersburg, who has lost all of his money gambling, and is unable to pay his bill for two weeks’ food and lodging at the inn. The hotel attendants are angry of this and they threaten to report the case to the town mayor while Hlestakov insists that he will pay the bill. Meanwhile Mayor enters the in Hotel, assuming that Hlestakov is indeed the government inspector. He offers to show Hlestakov the local institutions, such as the prison, whereupon Hlestakov thinks he is being arrested for not paying his bill. The confusion continues, however, until the mayor bribes Hlestakov 400 roubles and then invites Hlestakov to stay at his home, and the young man goes along with this apparent generosity without understanding that he is being mistaken for someone else.

Scene 2

Scene 2 takes place in the mayor’s house. The mayor’s wife and daughter are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the government inspector. Hlestakov and the mayor enter, the mayor having given him a tour of the hospital and a hearty meal. Finally catching on that he is being mistaken for a high- ranking government official, Hlestakov launches into an elaborate fantasy of his luxurious and

privileged life in Saint Petersburg. When Hlestakov retires to his room in the mayor’s house, the mayor’s wife and daughter bicker over which of them he was flirting with.

ACT III

Scene 1

This scene also takes place in the mayor’s house. The next morning being scared of Hlestakov’s reaction, mayor sends in each of his town officials to give Hlestakov as much money as he asks of them. The mayor hopes this bribe money will keep Hlestakov from reporting them to the officials in Saint Petersburg. Hlestakov makes the most of this opportunity, asking each man for increasingly extravagant amounts of money. When they have all left, Hlestakov writes a letter to his friend, Tryapichkin, in Saint Petersburg, describing the situation for the sake of amusement. A group of local shopkeepers arrive to speak to Hlestakov regarding the extensive corruption and bribery that takes place on the part of the mayor. When they have left, Hlestakov proceeds to flirt with Marya, the mayor’s daughter; however, the minute she leaves the room, he flirts with the mayor’s wife. But, when Marya walks in to find Hlestakov pleading his love to the mayor’s wife, he immediately proposes marriage to her (Marya). When the mayor enters, he does not initially believe Hlestakov has proposed marriage to his daughter, but he is soon convinced. At this point, Yosif enters, having made plans for Hlestakov to leave the town as quickly as possible, before his deception is discovered. Hlestakov tells the mayor and his wife and daughter that he is leaving town for only a few days, but he will return soon to marry Marya.

Scene 2

Scene 2 continues in the mayor’s house. The mayor and his wife boast of the luxurious and privileged life they will lead in Saint Petersburg once their daughter has married this high-ranking official. Other town officials and their wives pay a visit at mayor’s house to congratulate him and say a farewell since soon after his daughter’s marriage he will be leaving for Saint Petersburg to live there. The postmaster arrives, having intercepted and read Hlestakov’s letter to his friend in Saint Petersburg, revealing that he has deceived the entire town, and cheated them out of large sums of money. Calling himself an “idiot,” the mayor wonders that he could have been so foolish as to mistake the young man for “an illustrious personage.” At this point, the mayor turns to the theater audience and utters the famous line, “What are you laughing at? You are laughing at yourselves.” Just then, a gendarme (a soldier who serves as an armed police force) enters with the announcement that the real “inspector authorized by the Imperial government” has arrived, and awaits the mayor and his team at the inn. The play ends with each of character remaining frozen in a posture of surprise and fear upon the announcement that the real government inspector has arrived.

ANALYSIS.

A.    FORM.

(a)    Genre: A comedy play

(b)    Title: The Government Inspector.

(c)    Title VS Content

Title of the play The Government Inspector has a strong relationship with its content in a number of ways as follows;

(i)    Mayor receives the news of the secret coming of the Government Inspector from Petersburg with secret orders to inspect their town. He therefore calls his fellow officials like the school superintendent, the Judge and the Charity commissioner at an emergency meeting in his house in order to discuss about this arrival and see the way they will cover up some of their failings.

(ii)    Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky (two land owners in the town) suspects that Hlestakov ( a junior official from Petersburg) who is staying at the Inn Hotel for about two weeks now might be the

Government Inspector and therefore they report him to the mayor and his fellow officials and this leads them to treat him as the real intended Government Inspector by taking him to inspect their town and even bribing him so as to silence him in case he discovers some of their failings.

(iii)    When Hlestakov leaves, it is then discovered that he wasn’t the intended Government Inspector. All officials get stunned and meanwhile they are informed that the real intended Government inspector appointed by the imperial decree from Petersburg has arrived and needs their presence for an inspection.

(c)    SETTING.

Setting of this play is in town in Russia in the 1830s, also there are some some sub-settings which includes.

    Mayor’s house where he meets his fellow officials and later on other events take place after

Hlestakov arrives.

    The Inn Hotel where Hlestakov stays for two weeks and then meets the mayor.

(d)    PLOT.

The events are sequentially arranged in a straightforward way with three acts. Act one has only one scene, act two is composed of two scenes and act three also is composed of two scenes.

LITERARY DEVICES.

(i)    Similes.

    I’m still sweating like a bull(p.46)

    It would be as suitable as a saddle on a cow(p.72)

    A mayor; He’s a generous chap,his hospitality is like a pole-axe, but he’s as stupid as an old grey

mule(p.75)

    The Charity Commissioner….looks like a sow in a nightcap(p.76)

    They came running here from the Inn, babbling like lunatics(p.79)

(ii)    Metaphors.

    They are old pumpkins (p.19)

    Goodbye Angel of my heart (p.64)

    Ungrateful dogs (p.80)

(iii)    Hyperbole/Exaggeration/Overstatement

    My heart’s in my mouth

    Tryapitchkin will die with laughter(p.70)

    There never was a mayor like him,never We can’t find words for the things he does(p.71)

    The tears just come in floods(p.84)

    Fire ran in my veins, my body felt on fire (p.87)

    For a whole hour I couldn’t read a line(p.88)

    This is killing (p.90)

(iv)    Personification.

    Heaven knows what he puts into it(p.42)

    Now my damned tongue’s given me away(p.65)

(v)    Litotes.

    That is not impossible (p.49) It means that is possible.

(vi)    Sayings.

    Trust a pig to smell out the rich feeding (p.85)

(e)    STYLE.

Several styles have been employed by the playwright including the following.

•    Dialogue: Most of the play is written in dialogue form something which is common in plays.

•    Aside: This style/technique is frequently used where by characters speaks to the audience a speech which is unheard by other characters on stage. This technique is mostly employed by the playwright.

•    Point of view. The point of view used in this play is the first person point of view where the

pronouns “I” and we have been full employed as is common to plays.

(f)    CHARACTERISATION.

1.    HLESTAKOV.

    He is a junior civil servant from Petersburg. He is a clerk of lowest rank in Petersburg.

    He is a young man of about 23 years.

    He is extravagant as he uses all his money in gambling and playing card games to the point of selling his own clothes to meet his financial demands.

    He is dishonest as he uses the opportunity of ignorance of the town officials to exploit them via bribery in the name of loans.

    He is corrupt, exploiter and tricky. He receives bribery from all town officials and exploits them.

    He is a hypocrite as he firstly pretends to love Anna and then abruptly changes his mind and

claims to love Mary, Anna’s daughter.

    He is a drunkard as he drinks in mayor’s household to the extent of losing his senses.

    He is abusive as he uses abusive words to the waiter and his servant.

    He finally leaves the town by deceiving the mayor’s family to turn back few days later for his marriage to Marya, the mayor’s daughter.

    His lies are discovered through his later he sent to his friend via the post office after it has been read by the postmaster

2.    THE TOWN MAYOR.

    He is in charge of the town, he has the most power than any other official in the Town.

    He is the most corrupt person in the town as he takes and gives out bribery. He takes bribery from the town merchants and gives 400 roubles to Hlestakov and some roubles to Yosif as a bribery

    He is an irresponsible leader as he uses his power for private gains and provides fake tenders to the town merchants.

    He is abusive and cruel as he uses abusive words to the merchants who brought charges against him to Hlestakov.

    He is hot-tempered because he gets angry easily and reacts angrily as he does to the merchants.

3.    DISTRCT JUDGE.

    He is in charge of the town court.

    He is also irresponsible as his working premises are dirty since his porter stores geese in the court and makes it smelly geese.

    He is corrupt as he receives and takes bribery. He declares it as he says “I freely admit that I take bribes”(p.4), He also gives 400 roubles to Hlestakov as a bribe.

    He is a womanizer because he sleeps with Dobchinsky’s wife and fathers children with her.

    He twists justice of the cases because of the bribes he receices.

4.    CHARITY COMMISSIONER.

    He is in charge of the Hospitals.

    He is an irresponsible charity commissioner because he never cares with the wellbeing of the patients whether they recover or die, he doesn’t care, he doesn’t bother to buy expensive medicines.

    He is also corrupt since he gives Hlestakov 400 roubles to cover up his failings in the hospitals.

    He is a hypocrite as he accuses his fellow officials to Hlestakov. He is the one who reports to Hlestakov that the school superintendent corrupts the minds of the students and that the district judge sleeps with Dobchinsk’s wife and fathering children with her.

5.    LUKA LUKITCH.

    He is a school superintendent, in charge of supervising the schools and teachers.

    He is also corrupt as he gives Hlestakov 400 roubles and tells him Don’t dream of returning it……”

    He is also hypocrite as he does some some fake preparations to hide the weaknesses of his duties.

6.    IVAN KOOSMITCH.

    He is post master in charge of the post office.

    He is an irresponsible person as he delays the mails.

    He is a dishonest person as he opens and reads the letters that come via his office and keeps those that he finds the most interesting.

    He opens and reads Hlestakov’s letter to his friend where he gets the true identity of Hlestakov.

    He is also corrupt as he is the one who suggests that they should give the government inspector bribery and tell him that it came via mail and the owner is not known

7.    YOSIF.

    He is Hlestakov’s servant.

    He is the first to discover the issue of a mistaken identity before his master.

    He is also corrupt as he takes some roubles from the mayor as a bribery after giving the information of the things his master wants.

    He is confident as he dares to refuse his master’s orders of bringing his breakfast from the

waiter.

    He is deceitful as he also hides to the town officials the ture identity of Hlestakov.

8.    ANNA ANDREYEVINA.

    She is the mayor’s wife.

    She claims to have ever read some of Hlestakov’s novels.

    She is an easy-going as she almost falls in love with Hlestakov could not it have been the presence of her daughter and the sudden appearance of her husband.

9.    MARYA ANTONOVNA.

    She is the mayor’s daughter

    She somehow challenges Hlestakov in his lies but is stopped by her mother.

    She easily agrees to Hlestakov’s marriage proposal without knowing the man in details, this implies that she is also ignorant since she was supposed to take time to know Hlestakov in details before accepting his marriage proposals.

B.    CONTENT

Content covers the following areas of discussion;

(i)    Themes

(ii)    Conflicts

(iii)    Roles and Position of women

(iv)    Lessons/messages.

(v)    Relevance.

(I) THEMES

The play The Government Inspector reveals the following themes.

1.    CORRUPTION/BRIBERY.

The whole play seems to be centered on the them of corruption. This society is occupied with corruption in their daily lives. All the officials are corrupt and via them, corruption is portrayed through the following scenarios.

    The district judge admits that he receives bribery to twist the cases against justice. He also gives Hlestakov 400 roubles as means of silencing him.

    The town mayor is also corrupt. He gives Hlestakov 400 roubles at the Inn as a bribery and promises to clear off his bill debts at the Hotel. He also gives Yosif some roubles as a bribery. He is also accused of taking bribes from the town merchants so as to work in their favour.

    Luka Lukitch, the school superintendent is also seen giving Hlestakov 400 roubles as a bribery.

    The Charity Commissioner bribes Hlestakov 400 roubles.

    The postmaster suggests that they should give the government inspector bribery and tell him that it came via mail and the owner is not known.

    Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky altogether give Hlestakov the total of 65 roubles as a bribery.

    The towm mercahnts are also corrupt as they want to give Hlestakov sugar and wine calling them our simple offerings. Hlestakov turns down their offerings and demands a loan of 300 roubles but they give 500 roubles instead as their bribery to him believing that he will help them in their demands.

    Hlestakov and his servant Yosif are corrupt as they receive bribery as much as possible from the town officials.

2.    IRRESPONSIBILITY.

The town officials are all irresponsible people in fulfilling their duties and responsibilities. That’s why all of them agree to bribe the coming Government Inspector in order to cover up their failings in their duties. However other cases of irresponsibility appeared in the following scenarios.

    The town mayor is irresponsible as he allows the second merchant to supply the rotten clothes. He also showed Abdulin how to make a fortune by supplying the timbers at a cost of 2,000 roubles while they didn’t cost even a 100 roubles.

    The district judge is irresponsible because he uses the courthouse for his personal activities by keeping the geese something that causes the courthouse to have a bad smell.

    The charity commissioner is irresponsible because he doesn’t buy medicines for the patients and he doesn’t care anything even if they die.

3.    SELF DECEPTION.

The town officials led by Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky deceive themselves by believing that Hlestakov was the real Government Inspector they have been waiting for while he was not. It is this self deception that gives Hlestakov chance to use the opportunity to deceive, corrupt and exploit them by making money through bribes he takes from them. Their self-deception seems to have been cause by their ignorance because there is no any reason that made them to believe that.

4.    IGNORANCE.

All the town dwellers, both the officials and common people are ignorant. It this ignorance that Hlestakov takes advantage of and exploits their money and then runs away insulting them in his letter that they are stupid. They are asked for the loans by person they don’t know in details and they then give it out unquestionably some of them daring to tell him not to turn it back. This proves their ignorance.

5.    BAD LEADERSHIP.

All the town officials reveal the theme of bad leadership as they altogether admit that they have some failings in their areas of supervision. They all rely on corruption and bribery as their means of solving their responsibilities/ shortcomings. Bad leadership leads to corruption and other injustices in the society.

6.    NEPOTISM.

The town people requests mayor’s favour in case his plan to live in Petersburg and being appointed the General succeeds. They visit mayor to congratulate him but in addition to that, they beg mayor’s favour to them in different occupatios where possible. This indicates that this society is preoccupied by the favourtism mindset.

7.    BETRAYAL.

The town judge betrays Dobchinsky by having a love relationship with Dob’s wife and bares children with her. It is said that all Dobchinsky’s children look like the Judge something which signifies the presence of this betrayal. Dobchinsky’s wife also betrays her husband by sleeping with tha Judge out of wedlock.

8.    DRUNKARDNESS.

Hlestakov seems to be a drunkard person. He drinks heavily at the mayor’s household to the point of losing his senses. He finally goes to sleep while he is at the situation of not knowing what he is talking about. The town dwellers also portray this picture of drunkardness. Too much drinking implies irresponsibility as drinking and responsibility cannot be cooked at the same pot.

9.    EXTRAVAGANCE.

Mr. Hlestakov is extravagant as he misuses the money by playing card games and living luxurious life beyond his ability. He does so to reach at the point of selling his own clothes so as to cover up his expenses.

II.    CONFLICTS.

The play The Government Inspector has a number of conflicts including the following.

1.    Conflict between Hlestakov and Yosif.

This conflict happens when Hlestakov sends Yosif for his breakfast to the waiter but he refuses claiming that the waiter and his boss are reluctant to save him a breakfast anymore until he clears off his previous bill. Hlestakov gets angry and uses abusive words against Yosif.

2.    Conflict between Hlestakov and the waiter.

This conflict is caused by the same reason as above because Hlestakov demands his breakfast but the waiter refuses to save him any more meal till he pays his previous meal depts. It takes the two into a quarrel and Hlestakov insults the waiter while the waiter threatens to report the case to the town mayor. However, finally the waiter saves him a low quality breakfast.

3.    Conflict between mayor the the town merchants.

It occurs after the town merchants accuse mayor to Hlestakov due to his habit of taking bribery to them forcefully and oppressing them. The mayor reminds them of his favour to them and threatens to cut off his favour and take disciplinary actions against them. They come down and apologize and that ends up the conflict.

4.    Town officials against Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky.

After the discovery of the true identity of Hlestakov, all the town officials turn their angers to Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky since they are the ones who claimed that Hlestakov is the real Government they have been expecting to comE from Petersburg.

SOURCES OF CONFLICTS.

1.    DISOBEDIENCE.

The conflict between Hlestakov and his servant, Yosif, has been caused by Yosif’s disobedience behavior of not adhering to his master’s orders. He was supposed to do what he was ordered by his master and not to argue against him.

2.    POVERTY.

The conflict that happened between Hlestakov and the waiter was caused by Hlestakov’s poverty. Could he have been rich he would have paid for his bills and no any conflict would have been occurred.

3.    CORRUPTION.

The conflict between the mayor and the town merchants was caused by the mayor’s behavior of taking bribery from the merchants forcefully. That is the reason as to why the merchants accused him to Hlestakov a situation that causes the conflict between them.

4.    IGNORANCE.

Ignorance is the source of the conflict between the town officials against Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky. It is their ignorance that takes them to inform the officials that Hlestakov is the Government Inspector as there is no apparent reason that made them to judge him as the they judged.

III.    ROLES AND POSITION OF WOMEN.

The playwright has portrayed women with the following status in this society.

(i)    Women are portrayed as the ones responsible for domestic activities.

This responsibility is portrayed through Anna and Marya since after Hlestakov has agreed to shift from the Inn hotel to mayor’s house, the mayor sends Dobchinsky to tell the two women Anna and Marya to prepare meals and accommodation for their guest. This shows that women are responsible for the domestic activities.

(ii)    Women are portrayed as easy-going.

This is portrayed through Anna as she almost falls in love with Hlestakov could it have not been the

presence of her daughter and the sudden appearance of her husband in Hlestakov’s room.

(iii)    Women are portrayed as betrayers.

This position is revealed through Dobchinsky’s wife the way she batrays her husband by sleeping

with the district judge and having children with him. This implies that women are betrayers.

(iv)    Women are easy people to be deceived.

Both Anna and her daughter Marya are easily deceived by Hlestakov that he loves both of them and they don’t question it. Also when he proposes to marry Marya, both of them accept easily while Hlestakov was deceiving them. It shows that women are easy people to be deceived by men.

IV.    MESSAGES OR LESSONS.

    Corruption and bribery are the sources of irresponsibility and underdevelopment and it should be fought with all means being.

    The leaders should be responsible in fulfilling their duties and responsibilities. They should not wait till the time of inspection to use bribery to cover up their failings.

    Leaders should not use their power for private interests. They should use their position to solve the problems of their citizens.

    Betrayal in marriage is not good as it can cause unnecessary quarrels and separation of families.

    Ignorance is an obstacle to development. We should fight against ignorance.

V.    RELEVANCE.

Despite being written in the 19th century, the play is still relevance to our contemporary society in a number of ways as follows;

    We still have bad leadership, corruption, ignorance of the leaders and the common people.

    We still have irresponsibility among the government leaders who become active only when there is a superior visiting their institutions.

    Betrayal, drunkenness, hypocrisy and the like are all common in our societies. (Mwita)

ANALYSIS v2

The Government Inspector

By Nikolai Gogol Setting; Russia

Cast of Characters

• Anton Antonovitch – Mayor
• Artemy Filipovitch – Charity Commissioner
• A’mmos Fyodorovitch –
• Luka Lukitch – School
• Ivan Koosmitch –
• Peter Ivanovitch (Dobchinsky)
• Peter Ivanovitch (Bobchinsky)
• Stepan Ilyitch –Police
• Anna – Mayor’s wife
• Marya – Mayor’s
• Yosif –Hlestakov’s Servant
• Ivan Alexandrovitch Hlestakov – a junior official from
• The waiter
• Mishka – a
• Abdulin – a merchant

PLOT

The plot is simple, straightforward and is divided in three acts. Act one is made of only one scene, and it introduces the characters, setting, the basic situation and the conflict we are about to see in this play. Act two has a further subdivision in two scenes which develop the conflict to the highest point. Act three has two scenes which not only take the conflict to the climax but also takes it to the resolution. As indicated below.

ACT ONE

A room In the Mayor’s house;

The Mayor brings the news of the Government inspector who is expected to travel incognito (secretly) from Petersburg to come and inspect their province. He reads to them a letter he received from Tchmihov warning them to take precautions about the coming of the inspector. The Judge, the Charity Commissioner and School Superintendent are all shocked at hearing this. The Mayor asks everyone in the room to make advance preparation of their places of work before the arrival of the inspector. He tells the Charity Commissioner to make things okay in the hospital. He orders the Judge to put everything in place in the courthouse including keeping away the geese. He orders the School Superintendent to manage the teachers especially the one who makes grimaces.

The Postmaster comes and the mayor asks him to unseal all the letters that pass through his post office and read them to find out if they have denunciation of the mayor. The postmaster tells him that he has always been doing so. Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky come in panting to inform them that the Government Inspector has been there for two weeks already and has done the inspection as they saw him inspecting the inn. They all panic and rush to the scene.

ACT TWO

Scene one – the room at the Inn

Yosif –Hlestakov’s Servant is in his master’s room sprawling on his bed. He expresses his dissatisfaction with his master’s behaviour of misusing the money to the point that sometimes he sells his clothes to cover his expenses. When Hlestakov comes he tells Yosif to go downstairs and order food for him but he refuses because the landlord has said that he won’t serve him anything until he has paid the bill he has spent for three weeks. Yosif goes to call the waiter, who comes and confirms the message. After persuading, the waiter brings him soup but he criticises it for not being up to his class. The waiter insists that that is what the landlord can give him because he doesn’t pay.

The mayor comes to see him. The inspector is worried that the landlord has reported him to the Mayor but the Mayor is equally worried that may be they haven’t treated him well. The Mayor apologises for whatever has happened and admits that he takes bribes because of his low salary. The inspector having sensed the situation he grabs the opportunity and asks for a loan from the Mayor who instead of giving him the 200 roubles he asked doubles it 400 roubles to settle the bills. After that the Mayor invites him to his house but before they go he asks him to inspect some of their institutions.

Scene two – the room in the Mayor’s house

Anna and Marya are at home and Dobchinsky comes in a hurry to bring the report of the visitor who will soon visit their house. He brings a note that instructs the Mayor’s wife to prepare a room and wine for the guest. As they prepare the place Yosif brings Hlestakov’s trunk and asks for food because he is hungry. The mayor and his delegation continue to take Hlestakov through the institutions in the town. He praises the dinner they gave him. They inform him that there were only few patients in the hospital because most of them have recovered due to honesty, cleanliness and good order in the hospital.

The Mayor’s wife and daughter come and they are introduced to Hlestakov. As they sit down Hlestakov chats with Anna and says how he was once mistaken for the Commander–in-Chief. He also tells her that he is a great author and has written plays and bits for the magazines such as; “The Marriage of Figaro”, “Robert the devil”, Norma” and “Youri Miloslavsky” which is not true. He boasts about many things and exaggerates the luxurious life he lives in Petersburg. He becomes drunk of wine which he was drinking while talking. He goes to sleep.

ACT THREE

Scene one – the room in the mayor’s house.

The mayor wakes up confused because of the presence of a distinguished guest in his house. He asks Yosif what kind of treatment his master likes and Yosif grabs the opportunity. He says that his master likes being well received and entertained. He adds “But he always sees I’m well treated!” They give him the bribe. The Mayor orders the Charity Commissioner, Judge and the School Superintendent to make sure that things are ok in their places of work.

They all plan the best way to bribe Hlestakov and they choose the Judge to be their leader in that mission. The Judge goes in to meet him. He drops the money down and Hlestakov picks it not knowing it was meant for him. The School Superintendent comes in and Hlestakov asks him to lend him 400 roubles because he was cleaned out all his money in a card game promising to refund him when he reaches home. School Superintendent gives him the money but tells him not to think of returning it.

Then the Charity Commissioner comes in and accuses his fellows to Hlestakov. He says the School Superintendent is useless because he puts evil ideas in the minds of the young. He says the Judge does nothing but coursing (hunting), and sleeping with Dobchinsky’s wife. He finishes by accusing the Postmaster for delaying mails. Hlestakov

asks him to lend him 400 roubles because he was cleaned out all his money in a card game and Charity Commissioner gives him.

Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky enter and he asks them to give him 1,000 roubles but they both have 65 roubles in total. He takes it. He wonders why they treat him like somebody very important in the government. His servant Yosif suggests that it’s the right time they leave before the real man appears but he refuses.

Suddenly the shopkeepers come with petitions to accuse the Mayor of bad leadership and for forcing them to give him their best items from their shops. They give him corruption to deal with the mayor but he asks for the loan of 300 roubles instead, but they give him

500. Two women also come to accuse the Mayor. The wife of the town locksmith accuses the Mayor for arresting her husband in advance by false accusation that he has not stolen anything yet but he will steal one day.

Hlestakov starts to seduce Marya. Anna (her mother) finds him kneeling down before her apologizing and chases her away. He starts seducing the mother as well. Marya comes back he falls in love with her again. The mayor comes and refutes all the charges brought against him. Hlestakov asks for his daughter’s hand in marriage or else he will kill himself. The mayor gives them a father’s blessing. Yosif comes to report that the horse is ready and they leave promising to come back.

Scene two – The room in the Mayor’s house.

The Mayor is angry at those who brought complaints against him and promises to make it hotter for them. He gives orders to fetch them to his house immediately and calls then “Ungrateful dogs”. Meanwhile, he thinks of moving to Petersburg where he can have a higher rank such as a general. Marya asks about what will happen once she gets married but her mother tells her, she should not bother about it.

The merchants arrive and the Mayor insults them because of the charges and complaints they said against him. He calls them “You tea-swillers! You offal merchants! You good-for-nothing gutterscraping, counter-jumpers” (p.68) He says how he helped the 2^nd merchant to get a government contract of supplying rotten clothes and he makes 100,000. He also showed Abdulin how to make fortune on the bridge contract by putting timbers down at 20,000 roubles and it wasn’t worth a hundred. They all apologise claiming that the devil tempted them. Finally, he forgives and warns them not to repeat.

A number of guests and well-wishers come to congratulate him for his good fortune of being the father-in-law of an important man. He tells them that he is now going to live in Petersburg where he can possibly attain the position/rank of a General and he promises them a lot of favours he can do for them.

Suddenly the Postman comes with bad news. He brings the letter which Hlestakov wrote to his friend – Tryapitchkin telling him the way the people mistook him for the Inspector-General and treated him kindly giving him money as loans. Also, the letter talks about the way he referred to them as stupid especially the Mayor whom he said “he is as stupid as an old grey mule.” (p.75) They are all taken by surprise because the Judge, Charity Commissioner and The School Superintendent all gave him 400 roubles each making a sum of 1,200 roubles while Bod and Dob gave him 65 roubles.

The Mayor blames himself for being fooled like that. Then they all blame Bob and Dob because they are the ones who brought the news that he was the Inspector General. Finally, Gendarme comes to report that “His excellency the Inspector-General appointed by Imperial decree has arrived from St. Petersburg. He is in residence at the hotel and requires your presence there immediately.” (p.80) They are all astonished as if they are thunderstruck.

INTRODUCTION

TITLE OF THE PLAY

The Government Inspector is a comedy play that was written by Nikolai Vasilyevitch Gogol in 1834. It features a junior civil servant called Hlestakov who is broke and starving but is mistaken for the dreaded Nemesis, the Inspector-General. A word has gone round that the Inspector general would be travelling incognito (secretly) from Petersburg. This makes the town officials panic and mistakenly they hear about the presence of Hlestakov in one of the inns in town and they think of him as Inspector-General and treat him so, with due respect.

So, The Government Inspector is none other than Hlestakov who earned that title by mistake and enjoyed that privilege taking advantage of the ignorance of the corrupt and ignorant town officials to exploit them. Towards the end of the play the real Inspector- General comes.

SETTING

The setting of the play is in a small town in Southern Russia during the reign of Tsar, when it was written in 1834. However, there are other minor sub-settings such as;

• The inn, where the Mayor meets
• The Mayor’s house where the rest of the events in the plot of the story take

CHARACTERISATION.

Anton Antonovitch – the town Mayor

• He is corrupt. He gives and receives corruption just like all other town
• He is a hypocrite. He admits that he goes to church on Sunday but he takes
• He is a power monger. He is a Mayor but always thinks of higher ranks like being appointed a General. He says to his wife “I may get a better rank now” (p.67)
• He is abusive and cruel. He insults those merchants who brought charges against him. He calls them “You cheap jacks! You cloth-stretchers! You tea-swillers! You offal merchants! You good-for-nothing gutterscraping, counter-jumpers” (p.68)
• He is hot tempered and serious. He gets angry easily and reacts angrily as he does to the merchants. (p.68)

Ivan Alexandrovitch Hlestakov

• He is a junior civil servant mistaken for Inspector-General. He is mistaken as the Inspector-

General and is treated so while he isn’t.

• He is extravagant. He squanders the money he is given by his father to the point of selling his clothes to cover his expenses. Yosif reports “One time, everything went, down to our last shirt and he only had a tail-coat and an overcoat left!” (p.16)
• He is pompous. He boasts and brags about himself for the accomplishments he has not done. For example, he says; “My house is the best known in Petersburg. Everybody knows it, they point it out to strangers” (p.38)
• He is a dishonest man. He is dishonest because he uses the ignorance of the town officials who had mistaken him for the Inspector-General and uses that opportunity to exploit
• He is tricky, exploiter and corrupt. He uses the tricky to get more money from the town officials by telling them, he was cleaned out in a card game and he wants them to give him a loan, which he will pay after reaching Petersburg.
• He is a hypocrite. He pretends to love the wife of the Mayor, then changes his mind to her daughter. He says to Marya “It was my love for you that made me do it” (p.60) then he says to Anna “No! It is you I love! My life is hanging by a thread!” (p.61)
• He is scatter-brained. The words come out of his mouth quite
• He is a drunkard. He drinks wine heavily at the Mayor’s house to the point of losing his senses.

• He is abusive. He calls the waiter; “You fool you!”, and “You dirty pig” (p.20). He tells Yosif “That’s enough idiot” (p.17)

Artemy Filipovitch Zemlyanika

• He is an irresponsible Charity Commissioner. He works as a charity commissioner in the hospital but he is irresponsible. In his own words he says “We don’t bother with expensive medicines! These patients are very simple people if they die well, they die!” (p.3)
• He is boastful. He boasts that ever since he took control of the hospital, “the patients have got better” and he says “it’s not so much a matter of medicines, as of honesty, cleanliness and good order” (p.34)
• He is corrupt. Just like other town officials he takes and gives For example; he bribes Hlestakov 400 roubles not to take serious measures against him.
• He is dishonest and a hypocrite. The hospital has always been in a bad condition but the day they heard the government inspector is coming they cleaned the rooms and sent some patients home to avoid congestion.
• He is a gossiper. He accuses others to Hlestakov so as to gain favour. He says that the School Superintendent puts evil ideas into the minds of the young and that the Judge dates Dob’s wife and all his children were fathered by the Judge. (p.50)

A’mmos Fyodorovitch

• He is an irresponsible District Judge. His courthouse is dirty especially because his porter keeps the geese that make the place smelly. (p.3)
• He is fond of hunting. His greatest hobby is hunting (coursing). (p.7)
• He is corrupt as he gives and takes bribes. He admits for doing this when he says “Well there are sins and sins. I freely admit I take bribes” (p. 4). Also, he gives 400 roubles to Hlestakov as bribe.
• He is a great spinner of theories. He has read five or six books in his lifetime. For example, he says the Ministry is sending the inspector to find out if there is treason anywhere. (p.2)
• He is nervous. When he meets Hlestakov he panics to the point of dropping the money on the floor. He says “I feel as if I were on trial for my life” (p.47)
• He is a hypocrite. He pretends to treat Hlestakov with kindness and gives him the money just to cover up his failings in the district court.

Luka Lukitch

• He is a School Superintendent. He is in charge of supervision of the school and all the
• He is corrupt. He gives 400 roubles to Hlestakov and says “Yes here Don’t dream of returning it Your Ex….Grad…lency!” (p.49)
• He is a hypocrite. Like his fellow officials he does things to cover up his failings before the

Ivan Koosmitch

• He works as Postmaster. He is accused by the Charity commissioner for delaying (p.50)
• He is a dishonest man. He opens and reads people’s letters that pass at his post (p.6) That’s how he found out the true identity of Hlestakov.
• He is corrupt. He suggests that they should bribe the inspector by telling him that “some money has been sent by post, and nobody knows who it belongs to!” (p.45)

Yosif

• He is Hlestakov’s He is a body servant, just a serf. (.43)
• He is intelligent than his master. He sometimes advises his master good advice although he is ignored. He discovers that the town officials have mistaken him with somebody and advises him to leave before the real man comes. (p.53)
• He is tricky and opportunist. When they ask him what his master likes he grabs the opportunity and says “But he always sees I’m well treated”. (p.43) as a result they give him a couple of roubles.
• He is confident. Sometimes he argues with his master as in page 17. Also when he tells him, they should leave immediately and the master says “perhaps tomorrow” he says “Tomorrow! Now is the time to be off! (p.53)

Anna Andreyevina

• The mayor’s wife and the mother to
• She is an avid reader of novels. When she talks with Hlestakov she tells her the books he has read some of which she thinks were written by him. Like “Youri Miloslavsky”

• She is curious. She asks many questions just for
• She is an easy-going. She is almost persuaded to fall in love with the guest had it not been for the presence of her daughter and the sudden appearance of the Mayor.

Simile

• I’m so hungry my bell’s rumbling like a regiment of drummers! (p.15)
• You see my father is as stupid and obstinate as a block of wood (p.25)
• I went through that department like an earthquake, absolutely like an (p.39)
• Everything trembled and fell like a (p.39)
• I’m still sweating like a (p.46)
• It would be as suitable as a saddle on a (p.72)
• First there’s a Mayor: he’s a generous chap, his hospitality is like a pole-axe, but he’s as stupid as an old grey mule! (p.75)

• The Charity Commissioner, Zemlyanika, looks exactly like a sow in a (p.76)
• They came running here from the inn, babbling like lunatics! (p.79)

Metaphor

• They are only pumpkins, they wouldn’t know what that meant! (p.19)
• Goodbye! Angel of my heart! (p.64)
• But do you realise, Anna, we’ve become birds of a different feather now! (p.66)
• Ungrateful dogs! (the Mayor referring to the merchants)

Litotes

• That is not (p.49) Which means that is possible.

Oxymoron

• I was racked with icy shiverings! Fire and ice! (p.74)

Exaggeration

• I’m so hungry I could eat the whole world! (p.16)
• Every minute! More messengers! Pouring along the street! You can imagine! 35,000 (p.39)
• But you know it is impossible to get rid of the smell in the hospital! It will take years! (p.45)
• And when I touched the wax, fire ran in my veins, my body fell on fire! (p.74)
• My head swam! I didn’t know where I (p.74)
• I’ve swindled the swindlers by thousands! Rogues and rascals, that would have stolen the whole world. (p.78)

Proverbs and sayings

• My heart’s in my mouth. (p.8)
• There is more here than meets the (p.9)
• Now there is nothing left to us but ropes around our necks and (p.55)
• You know they say “New notes new happiness”. (p.64)
• Trust a pig to smell out the rich feeding! (p.72)
• A great ship must sail in deep (p.72)
• Yes merit will get its (p.72)
• There’s an old head on young (P.31)
• An empty belly makes everything (p.32)
• We know whose garden you’re throwing stones into (p.35)

Symbolism.

The is rich in symbolisms that expose corruption, hypocrisy, and moral decay in society. Below is a clear and detailed analysis of the major symbols in the play:

• The Town symbolizes Russia (or any corrupt society). A town is a microcosm of the whole country a place full of bribery, injustice, and incompetence. Gogol is criticizing not just one town but the entire system of governance.
• The mayor (Anton Antonovich) is a symbol of abuse of power and corrupt leadership. He pretends to be moral while engaging in bribery.
• Bribes (Money, Gifts, Food) are Symbols of moral corruption. Throughout the play, officials offer Hlestakov money, gifts and hospitality the belief that everything can be
• The Letter is a symbol of truth. Hlestakov’s letter (read at the end) exposes everything and reveals the truth behind the deception and shows how officials were foolish and dishonest
• Exaggerated Characters (Caricatures). Each character represents a specific flaw: Judge → represents injustice

Doctor → represents negligence

Postmaster → represents invasion of privacy

• The Post Office symbolize the of lack of privacy and ethics. The postmaster reads other people’s letters. This represents abuse of authority and lack of respect for individual rights

STYLE

The playwright has used several techniques in his play.

• The play is to a large part presented in a dialogue just as expected of any drama.
• There are some few cases of monologue as the one recorded in page 15-16 when Yosif speaks alone in his master’s room.
• There is a frequent use of aside – a feature common in Russian dramas. As in page 25 “(aside) What a liar! Fairy tale after fairy tale, and all so consistent” such asides are scattered throughout the play.
• Point of view. The dominant point of view is first person point of view in which the characters speak from their own points of view using the pronouns “I” and “we” more

THEMATIC ANALYSIS

BRIBERY/CORRUPTION

The major theme of the play is corruption and bribery. The society is extremely corrupt and they induce corruption in order to get favours from the superiors or cover up their failings. There are many cases of bribery and corruption in the play but we shall look at some of them.

• The town officials are corrupt. The Judge, The Mayor, The Charity Commissioner and The School Superintendent all give corruption to Hlestakov after mistaking him for the Inspector-General in order to soften his heart when he will be giving a report after the inspection of their After discovering that he is not the inspector they lament.

Judge: Good God! And I gave him 400 roubles! CC: so did I!

SS: He got 400 out of me too! (p.77)

• The judge takes corruption as a district He admits when he says: Well there are sins

and sins. I freely admit I take bribes” (p. 4).

• The mayor gives bribe to Yosif. He does so because Yosif tells him that in case he does not treat him well his master will not be happy. So, to clear the air the mayor says; “here is a couple of roubles for you” (p.44)
• The merchants are also corrupt. They also come with sugar and wine to bribe the Inspector but they call it “our simple offerings”. He tells them “No! Don’t think of it I never take bribes!” He asks for money instead and they give him 500 roubles instead of the 300 he requested as a loan. “By all means, honoured sir! 300 roubles! Why not five?” (p.56)

IRRESPONSIBILITY

The town officials are all irresponsible in their duties and responsibilities. They don’t do

their works until there is an inspector coming; they try to cover up things using corruption.

• The mayor is irresponsible as he knows the 2^nd merchant supplies rotten cloths but does not take measures. He showed Mr Abdulin “how to make a fortune on the bridge contract by putting down timbers at 20,000 roubles and it wasn’t worth a hundred” (p.69)
• The judge is irresponsible. His courthouse is dirty especially because his porter keeps the geese that make the place smelly. (p.3) He is not taking any measures.
• The Charity Commissioner is irresponsible. He works as a charity commissioner in the hospital but he is irresponsible. In his own words he says “We don’t bother with expensive medicines! These patients are very simple people if they die well, they die!” (p.3)

HYPOCRISY AND MENTAL CONTORTION.

Many people are hypocrites. The town officials are hypocrites because they clean their offices just because they have heard of the coming of the inspector. This is very common among the government officers in most countries. Civil servants usually get things ready when there is a superior visiting them but after that they return to business as usual.

• The officials brag about themselves for good accomplishments while in reality they have done nothing to bring about development. The Charity Commissioner boasts that ever since he took control of the hospital, “the patients have got better” and he says “it’s not so much a matter of medicines, as of honesty, cleanliness and good order” (p.34)
• Also, he pretends to be a friend to the Judge, School Superintendent and the Postmaster but he back-bites them and accuses them to the inspector so as to gain About the School superintendent he says: “I don’t know how the authorities can employ such a man! He is worse than Jacobin. He puts evil ideas into the minds of the young” (p.49)
• The Mayor is a hypocrite. He admits that he goes to church on Sunday but he takes
• Hlestakov is a hypocrite. He pretends to love the wife of the Mayor, and then changes his mind to her daughter. He says to Marya “It was my love for you that made me do it” (p.60) then he says to Anna “No! It is you I love! My life is hanging by a thread!” (p.61)
• The judge is a hypocrite. He pretends to treat Hlestakov with kindness and gives him the money just to cover up his failings in the district court.

LOVE AND MARRIAGE

Love is one of the driving forces that can necessarily lead to potential marriage. In this play there are two sides of love.

• One is hypocritical love that is shown by Hlestakov and the Mayor’s wife. Hlestakov falls in love with the Mayor’s daughter and tells her “It was my love for you that made me do it! Just my love! Forgive me! Marya Antonovna!” (p.60) Again he falls in love with the Mayor’s wife knowing that she is married. So, in a way he was betraying his benefactor.
• He tells her “Madame you see I am burning with love” (p. 61). He adds “No! It is you I love! My life is hanging by the thread! If you will not requite my undying love, then I am unworthy to walk this earth! With heart aglow, I beg your hand! (p.61) This is hypocritical love; falling in love with the mother and her daughter.
• Another case is forced marriage. Marya is married off to Hlestakov without being asked whether or not she loves him. Her mother and father just decide on her behalf. When she asks about what will happen when she is married the mother says;

Anna: “Hush child! You shouldn’t be bothering your head with such things, your father and I

will see to everything!

Marya: But it’s me he is going to marry…” (p.68)

CONFLICT

There are two major conflicts portrayed in this society.

• The political conflict involving the high class represented by the leaders who have political power such as the Mayor and the lower class represented by common citizens and the merchants. These are oppressed and exploited by the high class. The 2^nd Merchant accuses the mayor “But if you say a word, he’ll billet a regiment on you. He’ll shut up your business! ‘I shan’t have you flogged or tortured’, he says ‘that’s forbidden by law!” (p.56)
• Intrapersonal conflict within the town officials after hearing about the coming of the inspector who is coming secretly. They all panic and use bribes to cover up their failings.

BAD LEADERSHIP.

There is generally bad leadership in this society. The mayor and other government officials are perfect examples of bad leaders.

• They are irresponsible in their duties. The mayor is a power monger just thinking of positions of higher ranks while he has not been able to accomplish his duties as a mayor.
• The mayor hates criticism for bad leadership so he uses threats and intimidations to command respect from the citizens. He orders the constable “well, see that nobody gets in, with a petition or without a petition. Or anybody who even looks as if he might want to bring a petition against me, throw them out head-first, you understand!” (p.41) When he is accused of bad leadership he says “Wait! My pretty dears! Dirty Jew-dogs! It will be much worse for you now!” (p.66)
• The leaders are corrupt and selfish. They just think of how to retain their positions and not solving the problems of the people. They use corruption if possible, to cover their failings and retain their positions.

NEPOTISM

• Many people expect to get favours from the Mayor in case he goes to live in Petersburg because they are friends; Korob for instance says “I shall be bringing my son to the capital next year, to enter him in the service. I hope you will do me the favour of taking him under your protection, and keeping a fatherly eye on him” (p.73)
• The Charity Commissioner also comments that the mayor should not forget his friends once he gains the position of a general. He says “But you mustn’t forget your old colleagues, Anton Antonovitch” (p.73)

IGNORANCE

This society portrays a picture of ignorant people – both the leaders and the common people. It is this ignorance that Hlestakov takes advantage of and exploits their money and runs away insulting them in a letter that they are very stupid. The mayor and other officials are ignorant. They are asked for loans by the man they thought of a noble status but they don’t realise. Ignorance is one of the hindrances and obstacles to development.

BRAGGADOCIO (POMPOSITY)

This refers to empty and vain boasting. Many people in this society are affected by braggadocio. The following are cases in point.

• The mayor brags about his accomplishments while he has done nothing for his people. He says “Ah! But I assure you, that’s nothing compared to the burdens of a mayor, nerve-racking, so many things to be kept in mind, nothing should be overlooked, cleanliness, good order…repair and maintenance.” (p.34)
• The charity commissioner also brags about his accomplishments but it is not true. He says that ever since he took control of the hospital, “the patients have got better” and he says “it’s not so much a matter of medicines, as of honesty, cleanliness and good order” (p.34)
• Mr Hlestakov brags about being a powerful author who is widely known but he has not written the books he claims to have written. He says “My house is the best known in Petersburg. Everybody knows it, they point it out to strangers” (p.38) which is not true.

Other minor themes include;

The Judge betrays Dobchinsky by sleeping with his wife and fathering children with her. The judge’s wife has also betrayed her husband. The Charity commissioner reports “…but look at the children, Your Excellency! No one of them is like Dobchinsky, but everyone, even the little girl, is the very image of the judge” (p.50)

¨      Extravagance

Mr Hlestakov is extravagant as he misuses the money by playing card games and living luxury life beyond his means. He comes to the point of selling his clothes to cover his expenses.

¨      Drunkenness.

Mr Hlestakov portrays the picture of heavy drunkards. Just like in many societies there are heavy drunkards. However, there is a fallacy that when somebody is under the influence of alcohol, he speaks the truth. The mayor says “I wish I knew how much of that stuff he told us was true! But why shouldn’t it be? When a man’s in drink it all comes out. What’s in the heart comes out through the mouth” (p.42)

MESSAGES

The play presents several messages that we may learn from these people. Some of them are;

• The leaders should be responsible in executing their duties and They should not wait until there is an inspector coming to inspect their institutions.
• Ignorance is an obstacle to We should fight against ignorance.
• Betrayal in marriage is not It may cause unnecessary conflicts and family separation.
• Leaders should not use their power for private interests. They should use their positions to solve the problems of the mass.
• We should fight against corruption, bad leadership, hypocrisy and nepotism. These are obstacles to development.
• Marriage should be based on mutual love between the two Parents should not

force their children to marry people they don’t love.

RELEVANCE

Since 1917 the view had been put forward that the play has lost its meaning and that there is no need of satirizing a class that has been swept away. However, in the play there are some patterns of behaviour that are still relevant to the world today.

• We still have bad leadership, corruption, ignorance of the leaders and the common
• We also have irresponsibility among the government leaders who become active only when there is a superior visiting their institutions.
• Betrayal, drunkenness, hypocrisy and the like are all common in our