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Act 1
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Government Inspector, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Corruption and Bureaucracy
Greed, Selfishness, and Pleasure
External Validation
Self-Deception
Summary
Analysis
Scene 1. In a room at the inn, Khlestakov’s servant Osip lies in bed and grumbles about how hungry he is. Khlestakov—who is nobody but a minor clerk—has spent all his money irresponsibly on the road, and now they’re stranded without funds. Osip reminisces happily about life in St. Petersburg, where people are polite and always call him “sir.” He complains that Khlestakov wastes money taking cabs around the city and playing cards instead of doing honest work.
Khlestakov—who is notably not a government inspector—represents the inefficacy of the Russian Empire’s bureaucracy. Khlestakov has a rank and government position in St. Petersburg, but his only importance lies in his title. He wields no actual power, and he hardly possesses any sense of diligence or duty. Instead, motivated entirely by pleasure, Khlestakov spends all his time chasing easy excitement and comfort from gambling, entertainment, and good food. Osip is more responsible and practical than Khlestakov, but even Osip appreciates the pleasure of being treated as a gentleman in St. Petersburg. Although they both wish to enjoy luxuries usually reserved for much higher-ranking people, Osip is only a servant and Khlestakov a petty official.
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Scene 2. Khlestakov enters and rebukes Osip for lying in bed. Then he begs Osip to ask the landlord for lunch. Osip refuses, reminding Khlestakov that the landlord has sworn not to give them any more food. Khlestakov has been charging expenses to his account rather than paying upfront, and now the landlord suspects they won’t ever pay their bill. The landlord has threatened to get them thrown in jail. Khlestakov angrily sends Osip to fetch the landlord anyway.
Khlestakov’s petulant demands for a meal show how important food is to him. For Khlestakov, food represents the pleasure he constantly, self-indulgently seeks. So, lacking food doesn’t just mean that Khlestakov is hungry—it also means that his life is currently missing all the kinds of pleasure he craves. However, Khlestakov knows he can’t pay, yet he still thinks he’s entitled to good food. His desire for pleasure leads him to try to cheat people to satisfy his wants, and he rudely bosses other people around until he gets what he doesn’t actually deserve. By taking advantage of what little authority he has, Khlestakov tries to fulfill his own pleasure selfishly at other people’s expense.
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Scene 3. Alone and starving, Khlestakov regrets losing all his money to an infantry captain in a game of cards, but he wishes he could play a second game.
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Scene 4. Osip returns with a waiter. Khlestakov demands to have lunch so he can return to his important business. The waiter says the landlord has refused to serve Khlestakov anymore and plans to complain to the mayor about him. Khlestakov insists the waiter should try to change the landlord’s mind. The waiter acquiesces and leaves.
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Scene 5. Khlestakov wonders if he might have to sell some of his clothes. He fantasizes about driving home in a carriage and causing a commotion as people speculate about who he must be. He imagines being formally announced by a footman and wooing someone’s daughter.
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Scene 6. Osip and the waiter return with a small lunch. Between mouthfuls, Khlestakov protests that the food is too meager and disgusting; nevertheless, he finishes it quickly. He asks for more food but is denied.
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Scene 7. Osip informs Khlestakov that the mayor is inquiring about him downstairs. Khlestakov panics, thinking that the mayor will throw him in jail. To gather his courage, he tells himself that he’s not a common workman and simply won’t go to jail.
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Scene 8. The mayor and Khlestakov stare at each other in mutual terror. Finally, the mayor, believing that Khlestakov is the government inspector, greets Khlestakov and offers him different accommodations. Upset, Khlestakov promises to pay his bill and refuses to go to jail. The frightened mayor suddenly admits to taking bribes but claims that other charges against him are slander. Khlestakov is confused and truthfully confesses he has no money, but the mayor assumes Khlestakov is lying to cover up his identity as the inspector. The mayor gives Khlestakov money.
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Reassured by the mayor’s “loan” and vows of generosity, Khlestakov speaks with the mayor readily and honestly. However, the mayor is convinced Khlestakov is a wily liar. The mayor offers to host Khlestakov in his own house. Delighted, Khlestakov accepts, thanks the mayor for being sincere and cordial, and says all he asks for in life is “devotion and respect, respect and devotion.”
Scene 9. Khlestakov calls the waiter so he can pay his bill, but the mayor promises that the payment will be taken care of for him.
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Scene 10. The mayor invites Khlestakov to inspect the local institutions. Khlestakov doesn’t understand why but accepts. On Khlestakov’s dining bill, the mayor hastily writes a message for his wife and gives the note to Dobchinsky to deliver. Meanwhile, the mayor plans to get Khlestakov drunk so he can learn what Khlestakov must be hiding. Suddenly, the door crashes to the floor and Bobchinsky, who was hiding and eavesdropping, falls to the ground. The mayor tells Osip to bring Khlestakov’s luggage to the mayor’s house and scolds Bobchinsky.
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