The provincial town in which the action of Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” unfolds is, in the full sense of the word, “ dark kingdom" Only Gogol’s “laughter” cuts through the darkness in which the heroes of the comedy crawl with a bright ray. All these people are petty, vulgar, insignificant; not one of them even has a “spark of God” glimmering in their soul; they all live an unconscious, animal life. Gogol described the heroes of The Inspector General both as figures in the local administration and as private people, in their family life, among friends and acquaintances. These are not major criminals, not villains, but petty rogues, cowardly predators who live in eternal anxiety that the day of reckoning will come...
Gogol. Inspector. Performance 1982 Episode 1
The mayor in Gogol's The Inspector General
In the person of the mayor Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, Gogol brought out an official living by extortion and embezzlement. Of all his fellow officials, who also live on bribes and extortion, he is the most arrogant extortionist. “Such a mayor,” the merchants complain to Khlestakov, has never existed before, sir.” Demanding gifts for himself and his family, he even celebrates his name day twice a year. This hero of “The Inspector General” not only takes advantage of ordinary people, abusing the traditional “orders” of life, he also robs the treasury, entering into fraudulent transactions with contractors, appropriating money allocated for the construction of the church. The circumstance mitigating the mayor’s guilt is that he vaguely understands the ugliness of his extortion and embezzlement. Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky justifies himself 1) with a naive exclamation: “if I took anything, it was without any malice,” 2) with a very common argument: “everyone does it.” “There is no person,” he says, who does not have sins behind him. This is how God himself arranged it, and the Voltairians are in vain speaking against it!”
In relation to the townsfolk, the mayor shows unlimited autocracy and arbitrariness: he gives the wrong person as soldiers, flogs innocent people.
Uneducated and rude in his manners (conversation with merchants), this hero of The Inspector General is distinguished, however, by his great practical acumen, and this is his pride. The mayor himself says that not a single swindler could deceive him, that he himself “fooled them.” He understands the state of affairs more clearly than all other officials, and when they, explaining the reasons for sending an auditor to them, go God knows where, he, as a practical person, speaks not about the reasons, but about the future consequences. The mayor knows how to manage his affairs better than all other city officials, because he perfectly understands the human soul, because he is resourceful, knows how to play on human weaknesses, which is why he maneuvers among various virtuous governors and auditors for a long time and with impunity.
Mayor Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. Artist Yu. Korovin
The lack of education of this comedy hero is reflected not only in the lack of polish in his manners, but is expressed even more clearly in his superstition; he very naively, in a pagan way, understands his relationship with God, considering himself a true Christian and a person of exemplary piety (“I am firm in the faith.” he says). By religion, the mayor understands only ritual, expressed in visiting church on holidays and observing fasts. He takes a “two-faith” point of view, which allows for the possibility of “bribing” one’s God with sacrifices, like a pound candle.
The brightest feature of the mayor must be his good nature. Considering himself, thanks to the matchmaking of the “auditor” Khlestakov, infinitely superior to everyone in the city, he is not as proud as his empty wife, he remains the same a simple person, rudely welcoming and simply hospitable.
The mayor's wife and daughter in The Inspector General
The mayor's wife Anna Andreevna, a stupid and insignificant woman who has retained the manners of a young coquette-dandy until old age, amazes with the endless emptiness of her soul. This heroine of "The Inspector General" is obsessed with " social life”, on her outfits, she imagines what else men might like, and competes with her daughter in acquiring fans and suitors. She lives on the gossip and intrigue of the county town. A frivolous woman, Anna Andreevna easily believes everything. When the mayor's wife decided that she would move to St. Petersburg and play a role there socialite, she does not hide her contempt for all her recent friends and acquaintances. This trait, testifying to her spiritual baseness, places her even lower than her husband.
The heroes of Gogol's The Inspector General are the mayor's wife and daughter, Anna Andreevna and Maria Antonovna. Artist K. Boklevsky
The mayor's daughter, Maria Antonovna, follows in her mother's footsteps, she also loves to dress up, she also loves to flirt, but she has not yet been spoiled like her mother by the lies and emptiness of this provincial life and has not yet learned to break down like her mother.
Khlestakov - the main character of "The Inspector General"
More complex is the image of the main character of The Inspector General, Khlestakov. This is an empty slacker, an insignificant little official, whose whole meaning of life is to “throw dust in someone’s eyes” with his manners, cigars, fashionable suit, individual words... He constantly brags to everyone and even to himself. His insignificant meaningless life It’s pathetic, but Khlestakov himself doesn’t notice this, he is always pleased with himself, always happy. Fantasy, which easily takes him away from reality, especially helps him forget failures. In Khlestakov there is no bitterness of oppressed pride, like the hero of “Notes of a Madman” Poprishchin. He has vanity, and he lies with passion, because this lying helps him forget his insignificance. Sick pride drove Poprishchin crazy, but the vanity of the empty, frivolous Khlestakov will not bring him to this. The main character of The Government Inspector is not able to imagine himself as a “Spanish king”, and therefore he will not end up in a madhouse - at best, he will be beaten for lying, or put in a debt ward for debts.
In Khlestakov, Gogol brought out a useless, unnecessary person who cannot even control his thoughts and language: a submissive slave of his imagination, richly endowed with “extraordinary lightness in thoughts,” he lives day after day, without realizing what he is doing and why. That is why Khlestakov can do evil and good equally easily, and will never be a conscious rogue: he does not invent any plans, but says and does what he is told to do. this moment his frivolous fantasy. That’s why he can propose to both the mayor’s wife and his daughter at once, with full readiness to marry both, he can borrow money from officials, convinced that he will give it back to them, he can rant so stupidly that he immediately blurts out and talks to the point of nonsense .
Khlestakov. Artist L. Konstantinovsky
The frightened imagination of the frightened officials, who were waiting for the auditor, created from the “icicle” Khlestakov the one they were waiting for. Psychologically, the mistake of officials is quite understandable; it is expressed in proverbs: “a frightened crow is afraid of a bush,” “fear has big eyes.” This “fear” and “anxiety of conscience” carried away even the clever and intelligent rogue mayor into a fatal mistake.
Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin in “The Inspector General”
Other city officials are small varieties of the mayor type. Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin is also a dishonest person, which he quite sincerely does not notice, does not do anything, is absurdly stupid and, at the same time, full of conceit only because he has the courage to speak about religious issues with such freedom that believers “make their hair stand on end.” But in practical matters he amazes with his naivety.
Gogol. Inspector. Performance 1982 Episode 2
Trustee of charitable institutions Strawberry
In the person of Strawberry, Gogol brought out not only an embezzler, but also a petty and vile intriguer who wants to trip up his comrades in misfortune.
Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky in "The Inspector General"
Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky are the personification of the most hopeless vulgarity. These heroes of The Inspector General are not engaged in absolutely any business, are not interested in any religious, philosophical, political issues - even to the extent that is accessible to other characters in the comedy. Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky collect and spread only small local gossip, or feed their wretched curiosity, or fill their idle lives...
He justifies himself with a very common argument pointing to the quantitative side of evil, “sins are different!” he says. Taking bribes with greyhound puppies is a trifle, in his opinion; Taking large bribes is a crime, he thinks.
The main image of the comedy is the image of a county town. Gogol called it “combined” and “spiritual,” apparently meaning that it collected all types of the urban population, showed their character traits and social behavior(“prefabricated city”), attention is drawn to the sins and weaknesses of people (“spiritual city”).
The comedy character system reflects social structure cities. It is headed by the mayor - Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. He is endowed with all powers and is responsible for everything that happens in the city. Hence the three characteristics that outline this image: power (status), guilt (irresponsibility), fear (expectation of punishment). Next follow four images of officials representing the management of the city: the judiciary in the person of judge Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin, postal and telegraph communications - postmaster Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin, education is under the supervision of the superintendent of schools Luka Lukich Khlopov, social services are in charge of the trustee of charitable institutions Artemy Filippovich Zemlyanika . Three officials, with the exception of Shpekin, are shown together with the departments they manage. Thus, Lyapkin-Tyapkin is presented with the always tipsy assessor, guards and visitors to the court. The education system is also depicted in detail: Khlopov, teachers, students. The charitable institutions are characterized by the order prevailing in the hospital, the image of Strawberry and the ominous figure of the doctor Gibner. To show the continuity and inviolability of criminal bureaucratic power in the city, Gogol introduces characters who do not take part in the action - retired officials Lyulyukov, Rastakovsky and Korobkin. The authorities are supported and protected by the police officers Svistunov, Pugovitsyn and Derzhimorda, led by the private bailiff Ukhovertov.
Other segments of the city's population are represented primarily by urban landowners Pyotr Ivanovich Bobchinsky and Pyotr Ivanovich Dobchinsky. Both by the matching names and by the same behavior, one can immediately understand that we are dealing with traditional “paired characters” who, in the plot of the comedy, will perform a common function for both. The absurdity of Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky is already indicated in their status: landowners who live in the city and from idleness turn into gossips.
The images of merchants are not as clearly defined as the images of officials. The merchant Abdulin, the obvious leader and author of the note to Khlestakov, stands out in part. This note exhaustively describes social essence merchants: “To His High Noble Lord Financial from the merchant Abdulin...” This address has two features: Abdulin does not know which rank or title to use, so he mixes them all up just in case. And the expression “master of finance” reflects the hierarchy of the merchant’s values - in his eyes, at the very top of the social ladder is the one who is in charge of finances.
The merchants are followed by another category of the population - the petty bourgeoisie, represented by the mechanic Poshlyopkina and the wife of a non-commissioned officer. These images personify two sins: anger and acquisitiveness. The locksmith is rightly indignant that the mayor gave her husband as a soldier out of turn, but she brings down curses on the mayor’s innocent relatives. The non-commissioned officer’s wife is not worried about the insult inflicted on her, the humiliation of her female dignity, but about what benefit she can derive from the “happiness” that has befallen her.
The gallery of characters is complemented by images of servants. It may seem that they are the same and do not deserve special attention, However, it is not. The comedy depicts three social categories of servants: the city tavern servant - impudent and somewhat cheeky; the servant in the mayor's house is Mishka, helpful, but knowing his worth; and Khlestakov’s personal servant, Osip, a type of master’s servant, a sharp-witted peasant, but already corrupted by the capital’s life, a footman who imitates the master in everything.
Separately, there are images of the mayor’s wife Anna Andreevna and daughter Marya Antonovna. The caustic and accurate portraits of provincial ladies and young ladies show a sad picture of the vain limitations of their lives, the poverty of their ideas, and their moral narrowness. The plot role of these heroines is also great, because due to the absence of a real love conflict in the comedy, these images serve to create a parody - in scenes of Khlestakov’s alternate courtship of his daughter and his mother. However, the mayor’s family is still at the top level social status in the city. Ladies of lower rank, such as Khlopov's wife or Korobkin's wife, are forced to be envious and gossipy.
The image of Khlestakov, of course, stands apart in comedy due to its plot and ideological role. Khlestakov is a pivotal figure in the plot, since without him the “mirage” situation would have been impossible. In addition, he not only passively takes the position of an imaginary auditor, but with incredible success plays along with the misconception of the townspeople, which due to his stupidity he is not even aware of. In ideological terms, Khlestakov serves as a kind of temptation for the city, because the most ridiculous ideas of the townspeople about St. Petersburg in the person of Khlestakov receive complete confirmation. Therefore, the townspeople, primarily officials, behave openly and get deeper and deeper into the quagmire of lawlessness and evil. Khlestakov does not deliberately deceive anyone, he is generally incapable of any deliberate action, because, in his own words, he has “extraordinary ease of thought,” that is, emptiness. There is nothing of his own in Khlestakov, so he behaves this way and does what is expected of him. This is the reason for his inspired lies in the mayor’s house. He was a kind of “scourge” for the townspeople, with which they whipped themselves.
Finally, the most main image comedy "The Inspector General" - the inspector himself, who unites the entire play. From the first phrase of the comedy it appears as an assumption, an expectation, a certain idea and must appear incognito. Then, instead of a real auditor, a deception, a mirage, an “auditor” penetrates the city. At the beginning of the fifth act, the auditor seemingly disappears, only to appear in the last line of the comedy as a harsh reality, as the truth that struck the officials in the silent scene. In parallel with the image of the auditor, the image of St. Petersburg develops in the comedy. Petersburg first evokes fear and absurd speculation among officials, then it manifests itself as a mirage through the image of Khlestakov, and after Khlestakov’s matchmaking with the mayor’s daughter it becomes unreasonably close to the residents of the city N. At the end of the play, after the announcement of the arrival of a real auditor, the image of St. Petersburg becomes hostile and discouraging.
Let’s listen to Gogol’s own remark about another character in the comedy “The Inspector General”: “It’s strange: I’m sorry that no one noticed honest person, who was in my play. Yes, there was one honest, noble person who acted in her throughout her entire life. This honest, noble face was full of laughter.” There are no positive heroes in comedy, laughter does not occur on stage between actors, it exists in the very atmosphere of comedy - laughter is born in the heart of the viewer and awakens noble indignation in him.
The people depicted by Gogol in the comedy “The Inspector General” with amazingly unprincipled views and ignorance of any reader amaze and seem completely fictitious. But in fact, these are not random images. These are faces typical of the Russian province of the thirties XIX century, which can be found even in historical documents.
In his comedy, Gogol touches on several very important issues public. This is the attitude of officials to their duties and the implementation of the law. Oddly enough, the meaning of comedy is also relevant in modern realities.
The history of writing "The Inspector General"
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol describes in his works rather exaggerated images of Russian reality of that time. At the moment the idea of a new comedy appeared, the writer was actively working on the poem “Dead Souls”.
In 1835, he turned to Pushkin regarding an idea for a comedy, expressing a request for help in a letter. The poet responds to requests and tells a story when the publisher of one of the magazines in one of the southern cities was mistaken for a visiting official. A similar situation, oddly enough, happened with Pushkin himself at the time when he was collecting materials to describe the Pugachev rebellion in Nizhny Novgorod. He was also mistaken for the capital's auditor. The idea seemed interesting to Gogol, and the very desire to write a comedy captured him so much that work on the play lasted only 2 months.
During October and November 1835, Gogol wrote the comedy in its entirety and a few months later read it out to other writers. Colleagues were delighted.
Gogol himself wrote that he wanted to collect everything bad that is in Russia into a single pile and laugh at it. He saw his play as a cleansing satire and a weapon in the fight against the injustice that existed in society at that time. By the way, the play based on Gogol’s works was allowed to be staged only after Zhukovsky personally made a request to the emperor.
Analysis of the work
Description of the work
The events described in the comedy “The Inspector General” take place in the first half of the 19th century, in one of the provincial towns, which Gogol simply refers to as “N”.
The mayor informs all city officials that he has received news of the arrival of the capital's auditor. Officials are afraid of inspections because they all take bribes, do poor work, and there is chaos in the institutions under their subordination.
Almost immediately after the news, a second one appears. They realize that a well-dressed man who looks like an auditor is staying at a local hotel. In fact, the unknown person is a minor official, Khlestakov. Young, flighty and stupid. The Mayor personally showed up at his hotel to meet him and offer to move to his home, in much better conditions than the hotel. Khlestakov happily agrees. He likes this kind of hospitality. On at this stage he does not suspect that he was mistaken for who he is.
Khlestakov is also introduced to other officials, each of whom hands him a large sum money, supposedly borrowed. They do everything so that the check is not so thorough. At this moment, Khlestakov understands who he was mistaken for and, having received a round sum, keeps silent that this is a mistake.
Afterwards, he decides to leave the city of N, having previously proposed to the daughter of the Mayor himself. Joyfully blessing the future marriage, the official rejoices at such a relationship and calmly says goodbye to Khlestakov, who is leaving the city and, naturally, is not going to return to it.
Before that main character writes a letter to his friend in St. Petersburg, in which he talks about the embarrassment that occurred. The postmaster, who opens all letters at the post office, also reads Khlestakov’s message. The deception is revealed and everyone who gave bribes learns with horror that the money will not be returned to them, and there has been no verification yet. At the same moment, a real auditor arrives in town. Officials are horrified by the news.
Comedy heroes
Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov
Khlestakov's age is 23 - 24 years. A hereditary nobleman and landowner, he is thin, thin and stupid. Acts without thinking about the consequences, has abrupt speech.
Khlestakov works as a registrar. In those days, this was the lowest-ranking official. He is rarely present at work, increasingly plays cards for money and takes walks, so his career is not moving forward. Khlestakov lives in St. Petersburg, in a modest apartment, and his parents, who live in one of the villages in the Saratov province, regularly send him money. Khlestakov does not know how to save money; he spends it on all kinds of pleasures, without denying himself anything.
He is very cowardly, loves to brag and lie. Khlestakov is not averse to hitting on women, especially pretty ones, but only stupid provincial ladies succumb to his charm.
Mayor
Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. An official who has grown old in the service, in his own way, is not stupid, making a completely respectable impression.
He speaks carefully and in moderation. His mood changes quickly, his facial features are hard and rough. He performs his duties poorly and is a swindler with extensive experience. The mayor makes money wherever possible, and is in good standing among the same bribe-takers.
He is greedy and insatiable. He steals money, including from the treasury, and unprincipledly violates all laws. He doesn’t even shun blackmail. A master of promises and an even greater master of keeping them.
The mayor dreams of being a general. Despite the mass of his sins, he attends church weekly. A passionate card player, he loves his wife and treats her very tenderly. He also has a daughter, who at the end of the comedy, with his blessing, becomes the bride of the nosy Khlestakov.
Postmaster Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin
It is this character, responsible for sending letters, who opens Khlestakov’s letter and discovers the deception. However, he opens letters and parcels on a regular basis. He does this not out of precaution, but solely for the sake of curiosity and his own collection of interesting stories.
Sometimes he doesn’t just read letters that he particularly likes, Shpekin keeps them for himself. In addition to forwarding letters, his duties include managing postal stations, caretakers, horses, etc. But this is not what he does. He does almost nothing at all and therefore the local post office works extremely poorly.
Anna Andreevna Skvoznik-Dmukhanovskaya
Mayor's wife. A provincial coquette whose soul is inspired by novels. She is curious, vain, loves to get the better of her husband, but in reality this only happens in small things.
An appetizing and attractive lady, impatient, stupid and capable of talking only about trifles and the weather. At the same time, he loves to chat incessantly. She is arrogant and dreams of luxurious life In Petersburg. The mother is not important because she competes with her daughter and boasts that Khlestakov paid more attention to her than to Marya. One of the entertainments for the Governor's wife is fortune-telling on cards.
Mayor's daughter is 18 years old. Attractive in appearance, cutesy and flirtatious. She is very flighty. It is she who at the end of the comedy becomes Khlestakov’s abandoned bride.
Composition and plot analysis
The basis of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s play “The Inspector General” is an everyday joke, which was quite common in those days. All the comedy images are exaggerated and, at the same time, believable. The play is interesting because all its characters are interconnected and each of them, in fact, acts as a hero.
The plot of the comedy is the arrival of the inspector expected by the officials and their haste in drawing conclusions, because of which Khlestakov is recognized as the inspector.
What is interesting about the composition of the comedy is the absence of love intrigue and love line, as such. Here vices are simply ridiculed, which, according to the classical literary genre receive punishment. Partly they are already orders for the frivolous Khlestakov, but the reader understands at the end of the play that even greater punishment awaits them ahead, with the arrival of a real inspector from St. Petersburg.
Through simple comedy with exaggerated images, Gogol teaches his reader honesty, kindness and responsibility. The fact that you need to respect your own service and comply with the laws. Through the images of heroes, each reader can see his own shortcomings, if among them are stupidity, greed, hypocrisy and selfishness.
| Official name | The area of city life that he leads | Information on the state of affairs in this area | Characteristics of the hero according to the text |
| Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky | Mayor: general management, police, ensuring order in the city, improvement | Takes bribes, condones this with other officials, the city is not well-maintained, public money is embezzled | “Speaks neither loudly nor quietly; neither more nor less"; facial features are rough and hard; crudely developed inclinations of the soul. “Look, I have a keen ear!.. you’re taking things out of order!” Kuptsov “stopped starving him, he could even get into a noose.” In a silent scene: “Why are you laughing? You’re laughing at yourself!..” |
| Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin | Judge | He is more involved in hunting than in legal proceedings. The assessor is always drunk. | "A man who has read five or six books"; takes bribes with greyhound puppies. “I’ve been sitting on the judge’s chair for fifteen years now, and when I look at the memorandum – ah! I’ll just wave my hand" |
| Artemy Filippovich Strawberry | Trustee of charitable institutions | “Sick people get better like flies,” they feed them sour cabbage and don’t take expensive medicines | “A very fat, clumsy and clumsy man, but for all that a sly and a rogue”; “a perfect pig in a yarmulke”; offers to “slip” a bribe to the auditor; informs him about other officials. “A simple man: if he dies, he dies; if he recovers, he recovers anyway.” |
| Luka Lukich Khlopov | Superintendent of Schools | Teachers 'do very strange things' | Frightened by frequent inspections by auditors and reprimands for unknown reasons, and therefore afraid like fire of any visits; “You are afraid of everything: everyone gets in the way, you want to show everyone that he is also an intelligent person.” |
| Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin | Postmaster | Things are in disarray, he reads other people’s letters, packages don’t arrive | A simple-minded person to the point of naivety, reading other people’s letters is “exciting reading”, “I love to death to know what’s new in the world” |
- By the beginning of Act IV of the comedy “The Inspector General,” the mayor and all the officials were finally convinced that the inspector sent to them was a significant public official. Through the power of fear and reverence for him, the “funny”, “dummy” Khlestakov became what they saw in him. Now you need to protect, protect your department from audits and protect yourself. Officials are convinced that the inspector must be given a bribe, “slipped” in the same way as is done in a “well-ordered society,” that is, “between the four eyes, so that the ears don’t hear,” […]
- The silent scene in N. V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” is preceded by the denouement of the plot, Khlestakov’s letter is read, and the self-deception of the officials becomes clear. At this moment, what connected the heroes throughout the entire stage action - fear - goes away, and the unity of people disintegrates before our eyes. The terrible shock that the news of the arrival of the real auditor produced on everyone again unites people with horror, but this is no longer the unity of living people, but the unity of lifeless fossils. Their muteness and frozen poses show [...]
- The enormous artistic merit of N. V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” lies in the typicality of its images. He himself expressed the idea that the “originals” of most of the characters in his comedy “are almost always before your eyes.” And about Khlestakov, the writer says that this is “a type of many things scattered in different Russian characters... Everyone, even for a minute... was or is being done by Khlestakov. And a clever guards officer will sometimes turn out to be Khlestakov, and a statesman will sometimes turn out to be Khlestakov, and our sinful brother, a writer, […]
- The peculiarity of Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” is that it has a “mirage intrigue,” that is, officials are fighting against a ghost created by their bad conscience and fear of retribution. The one who is mistaken for an auditor does not even make any deliberate attempts to deceive or fool the deluded officials. The development of the action reaches its climax in Act III. The comic struggle continues. The mayor deliberately moves towards his goal: to force Khlestakov to “let it slip”, “tell more”, in order […]
- N.V. Gogol wrote about the idea of his comedy: “In The Inspector General, I decided to collect in one measure all the bad things in Russia that I knew then, all the injustices that are done in those places and in those cases where the most is required of a person justice, and laugh at everything at once.” This determined the genre of the work - socio-political comedy. It deals not with love affairs, not with events privacy, and the phenomena public order. The plot of the work is based on a commotion among officials […]
- N. V. Gogol's comedy “The Inspector General” has a unique character of dramatic conflict. There is neither a hero-ideologist nor a conscious deceiver who leads everyone by the nose. Officials are deceiving themselves by imposing the role of Khlestakov significant person, forcing him to play it. Khlestakov is in the center of events, but does not lead the action, but, as it were, involuntarily gets involved in it and surrenders to its movement. to the group negative characters, satirically depicted by Gogol, is opposed not positive hero, and flesh of flesh […]
- N.V. Gogol based his comedy “The Inspector General” on plot basis an everyday joke where, due to imposture or an accidental misunderstanding, one person is mistaken for another. This plot interested A.S. Pushkin, but he himself did not use it, giving it to Gogol. Working diligently and for a long time (from 1834 to 1842) on “The Inspector General,” reworking and rewriting, inserting some scenes and throwing out others, the writer developed the traditional plot with remarkable skill into a coherent and coherent, psychologically convincing and […]
- The era reflected by N.V. Gogol in the comedy “The Inspector General” is the 30s. XIX century, the time of the reign of Nicholas I. The writer later recalled: “In The Inspector General, I decided to collect in one measure all the bad things in Russia that I knew then, all the injustices that are being done in those places and in those cases where it is most needed from a man of justice, and laugh at everything at once.” N.V. Gogol not only knew reality well, but also studied many documents. And yet the comedy “The Inspector General” is an artistic [...]
- The comedy in five acts by Russia's greatest satirical author is, of course, iconic for all literature. Nikolai Vasilievich finished one of his greatest works in 1835. Gogol himself said that this was his first creation written with a specific purpose. What was the main thing the author wanted to convey? Yes, he wanted to show our country without embellishment, all the vices and wormholes social order Russia, which still characterize our Motherland. “The Inspector General” is immortal, of course, [...]
- Khlestakov is the central figure of Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General". This hero is one of the most characteristic in the writer’s work. Thanks to him, even the word Khlestakovism appeared, which denotes a phenomenon generated by the Russian bureaucratic system. To understand what Khlestakovism is, you need to get to know the hero better. Khlestakov is a young man, a lover of walking, who has squandered his money and is therefore constantly in need of it. By chance he found himself in county town, where he was mistaken for an auditor. When […]
- Khlestakov – central character comedy "The Inspector General". A representative of the youth of his time, when they wanted to quickly grow their careers without making any effort. Idleness gave rise to the fact that Khlestakov wanted to show himself from the other, winning side. Such self-affirmation becomes painful. On the one hand, he extols himself, on the other, he hates himself. The character tries to imitate the morals of the capital's bureaucratic tops, imitates them. His boasting sometimes frightens others. It seems that Khlestakov himself is beginning […]
- The period of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s creativity coincided with the dark era of Nicholas I. After the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, all dissidents were brutally persecuted by the authorities. Describing reality, N.V. Gogol creates brilliant, full of life realities literary works. The theme of his work is all layers of Russian society - using the example of the morals and everyday life of a small county town. Gogol wrote that in The Inspector General he finally decided to gather together all the bad things in Russian society, which […]
- N.V. Gogol is not in the top 10 of my favorite writers. Maybe because a lot has been read about him as a person, about a person with character flaws, illnesses, and numerous interpersonal conflicts. All these biographical data have nothing to do with creativity, however, they greatly influence my personal perception. And yet Gogol should be given his due. His works are classics. They are like the tablets of Moses, created from solid stone, endowed with writing and […]
- Explaining the meaning of The Inspector General, N.V. Gogol pointed to the role of laughter: “I am sorry that no one noticed the honest face that was in my play. Yes, there was one honest, noble person who acted in her throughout her entire life. This honest, noble face was full of laughter.” A close friend of N.V. Gogol wrote that modern Russian life does not provide material for comedy. To which Gogol replied: “Comedy is hidden everywhere... Living among it, we do not see it..., but if the artist transfers it into art, onto the stage, then we are above ourselves […]
- In a letter to Pushkin, Gogol makes a request, which is considered to be the beginning, the starting point of “The Inspector General”: “Do me a favor, give me some kind of plot, funny or not funny, but a purely Russian joke. My hand is trembling to write a comedy in the meantime. Do me a favor, give me a plot, the spirit will be a comedy of five acts, and I swear, it will be funnier than the devil.” And Pushkin told Gogol about the story of the writer Svinin, and about the incident that happened to him when he went to Orenburg to get materials for the “History […]
- Ostap Andriy Main qualities An impeccable fighter, a reliable friend. Sensitive to beauty and has a delicate taste. Character: Stone. Refined, flexible. Character Traits: Silent, reasonable, calm, courageous, straightforward, loyal, courageous. Brave, courageous. Attitude to traditions Follows traditions. Adopts ideals from elders unquestioningly. He wants to fight for his own, and not for traditions. Morality Never hesitates when choosing duty and feelings. Feelings for [...]
- Landowner Appearance Estate Characteristics Attitude to Chichikov's request Manilov The man is not yet old, his eyes are as sweet as sugar. But there was too much sugar. In the first minute of a conversation with him you will say what a nice person he is, after a minute you will say nothing, and in the third minute you will think: “The devil knows what this is!” The master's house stands on a hill, open to all winds. The economy is in complete decline. The housekeeper steals, there is always something missing in the house. Cooking in the kitchen is a mess. Servants - […]
- Landowner Portrait Characteristics Estate Attitude to housekeeping Lifestyle Result Manilov Handsome blond with blue eyes. At the same time, his appearance “seemed to have too much sugar in it.” Too ingratiating look and behavior Too enthusiastic and refined dreamer who does not feel any curiosity about his farm or anything earthly (he doesn’t even know whether his peasants died after the last revision). At the same time, his dreaminess is absolutely [...]
- The legendary Zaporozhye Sich is the ideal republic that N. Gogol dreamed of. Only in such an environment, according to the writer, could powerful characters, brave natures, true friendship and nobility be formed. Acquaintance with Taras Bulba takes place in a peaceful home environment. His sons, Ostap and Andriy, have just returned from school. They are the special pride of Taras. Bulba believes that the spiritual education that his sons received is only a small part of what the young man needs. “All this rubbish they stuff […]
- "At the hotel gates provincial town NN a rather beautiful spring chaise drove in... In the chaise sat a gentleman, not handsome, but not bad-looking either, neither too fat nor too thin; One cannot say that he is old, but not that he is too young. His entry made absolutely no noise in the city and was not accompanied by anything special.” This is how our hero, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, appears in the city. Let us, following the author, get to know the city. Everything tells us that this is a typical provincial [...]
The famous comedy by N.V. Gogol was created by him in early XIX century. Readers were surprised and shocked by the characteristics of the heroes of the comedy “The Inspector General”. Gogol described all the negative traits that he observed among officials at that time. The description of the characters causes laughter and at the same time sadness.
Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov - a stupid, empty, absent-minded young man of twenty-three who works as an official in St. Petersburg. He loves to brag, his words are thoughtless. But despite this, Khlestakov is very cunning. Once he was in the city of N, statesmen who was mistaken for an auditor. Khlestakov copes well with his role. Ivan simultaneously takes care of the mayor’s wife and his daughter. Taking advantage of the situation, he borrows money from officials and leaves, deceiving everyone and leaving him with nothing. ()
Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky - an elderly man, a respectable, rude bribe-taker, works as a mayor. He is dressed as befits a real official: in a tailcoat and boots. He is absolutely not afraid of auditors, as he can easily negotiate with them. But this time he is afraid of the inspector, because no one has ever seen the inspector. Constantly hides his poor management through deception and bribes. ()
Anna Andreevna - the mayor's wife, a provincial beauty, a woman in her prime. A curious, slightly stupid young lady, but she manages her husband well.
Marya Antonovna- daughter of Anton Antonovich, a cute girl of 18 years old, beautiful and naive. She is not indifferent to Khlestakov, who also shows feelings for her and even proposes. After the matchmaking, he leaves the city once and for all and leaves the girl “with nothing.”
Osip- an aged man, serves Khlestakov. He is level-headed and smarter than his young master.
Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky - landowners, short in stature, with small bellies. They do not enjoy authority among the townspeople; everyone despises them, since they are always spreading gossip. The friends talk very quickly, while constantly gesticulating.
Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin - the judge is a loser, his work is poor, he does everything “badly”, that’s why they called him that. He has held this position for about 15 years, but has not done anything meaningful. He loves hunting, so he prefers to take bribes in puppies, rather than pennies, as all high-ranking officials do.
Artemy Filippovich Strawberry - hospital manager. The hospitals are dirty and not cleaned. Patients smoke right in the wards, while they are dressed in dirty clothes. Medical staff may make the wrong diagnosis and prescribe the wrong treatment. “Everything is God’s will,” that’s what they think.
Christian Ivanovich Gibner - The chief physician of the city N, German by birth, he does not speak Russian at all and therefore cannot perform his official duties.
Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin - postman. He has one bad habit: he enjoys reading other people's letters.
Comedy is still relevant today, as in modern times You can meet people in high positions who resemble the heroes of the work.
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