Previous
Act 3
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 the mayor’s house, the town officials try to get into formation so they can appear orderly before Khlestakov. They wonder how to bribe him without being too obvious. The Warden of Charities suggests they speak to Khlestakov one by one. They beg the judge to go first, not wanting to do it themselves. Coughs from Khlestakov’s room send them scrambling out, panicking and colliding together.
The town officials’ desperation to avoid getting caught for their misdeeds shows how guilty of corruption they are. Their morals are so distorted that they care only about self-preservation. Moreover, they can only think of using corrupt methods—namely, bribery and secretive meetings—to protect themselves. Additionally, the officials’ fear of Khlestakov illustrates how thoroughly they’ve deceived themselves into believing that Khlestakov is the government inspector. The comedy of the corrupt officials’ nervous, bumbling stupidity encourages the audience to ridicule and disdain them.
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Scene 2. Khlestakov wakes up with a headache. He’s eager to enjoy the mayor’s hospitality and expresses interest in both the mayor’s daughter and wife.
Khlestakov’s single-minded purpose is to experience as much pleasure as he can. His shameless opportunism emphasizes how shallow, greedy, and self-centered his pursuits of pleasure are.
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Scene 3. The judge enters nervously and introduces himself to Khlestakov. He becomes flustered and drops money on the floor. Khlestakov notices, and the judge fears he’ll be taken away to prison. But Khlestakov asks to keep the money as a loan, because he’s short on funds. The judge hurriedly agrees. Khlestakov has no instructions for the district court, so the judge believes he’s saved.
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Scene 5. The Inspector of Schools is pushed into the room and introduces himself nervously. Khlestakov offers him a cigar, but the Inspector of Schools drops it out of fear. Khlestakov asks if he prefers blonde or brunette women, but he’s too afraid to answer. Then Khlestakov asks for a loan. The Inspector of Schools hands over the money and leaves, hoping that Khlestakov won’t inspect the schools now.
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Scene 6. The Warden of Charities enters. Khlestakov compliments the lunch they ate at the charity hospital, confessing that good food is his weakness. The Warden of Charities professes his desire to serve his country diligently, then exposes the other officials’ misconduct. He reveals the postmaster barely does his duties and that the judge spends all his time hunting, possesses terrible morals, and is carrying on an affair with Dobchinsky’s wife. He adds that the Inspector of Schools teaches subversive ideas. Khlestakov asks for this information to be put into writing for light reading when he gets bored, then asks for a loan.
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Scene 7. Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky introduce themselves to Khlestakov. At once, Khlestakov asks for money, and they give him all 65 rubles they have. Dobchinsky asks for Khlestakov’s advice about his eldest, illegitimate son. Khlestakov vaguely agrees to put in a good word for him somewhere and also promises to mention Bobchinsky’s name to high-ranking people when he returns to St. Petersburg.
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Scene 8. Alone, Khlestakov realizes now that the town officials have mistaken him for someone more important than he actually is. He decides to write to his friend in St. Petersburg about them, so they can be lampooned in the newspaper. Khlestakov happily counts up the money they gave him and hopes for a second game with the infantry captain to whom he lost his money gambling before.
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Scene 9. Osip urges Khlestakov to leave town while things are still going well for him. Khlestakov reluctantly agrees and finishes his letter to his friend in St. Petersburg. From the window, they hear petitioners who want to see Khlestakov. Although the constables are trying to keep them out, Khlestakov tells Osip to let them in.
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Scene 10. Shopkeepers beg Khlestakov to save them from the mayor, who takes anything he wants from shops without paying and threatens to torture townspeople if they complain. Khlestakov is scandalized by this news. The shopkeepers offer him sugar and wine, which Khlestakov at first refuses, because he doesn’t take bribes. However, Khlestakov accepts money from them as a loan, and Osip takes the sugar and wine anyway. Khlestakov promises to do everything he can to help the shopkeepers.
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Scene 11. The locksmith’s wife and the sergeant’s widow petition Khlestakov next. The locksmith’s wife complains that the mayor sent her husband to the army prematurely and illegally. The sergeant’s widow complains that she was flogged without reason. Khlestakov agrees to ensure that the mayor is fined. Sick of seeing petitioners, he sends the rest away.
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Scene 12. Khlestakov meets Marya Antonovna and begins flirting with her. Marya resists his compliments, but she asks him to write some verses of poetry in her album. Khlestakov boasts that he knows so many poems but can’t remember any. He declares his love for her and kisses her shoulder. When Marya grows upset at his impertinence and starts to leave, Khlestakov begs for forgiveness on his knees.
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Scene 13. Anna Andreyevna walks in, shocked. She scolds her daughter and sends her away angrily. Khlestakov declares his love again, and Anna thinks he wants to propose to her daughter, but Khlestakov proclaims that it is Anna whom he loves. She protests that she’s married, but Khlestakov doesn’t care.
Scene 14. Marya Antonovna returns and is shocked to see Khlestakov kneeling before her mother. Anna Andreyevna chastises her tearful daughter. Then Khlestakov takes Marya’s hand and asks for a blessing for their love. Anna tells her daughter she’s unworthy of a man like Khlestakov, and Marya apologizes earnestly.
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Scene 15. The mayor implores Khlestakov not to ruin him, swearing that the shopkeepers are liars. Khlestakov doesn’t care about the shopkeepers anymore. Anna Andreyevna tells her husband that Khlestakov has asked to marry their daughter. The mayor doesn’t believe this and agonizes over his fate, despite Khlestakov’s and Anna’s insistence about the engagement. Finally, the mayor gives his blessing. Seeing Khlestakov kiss his daughter, the mayor finally believes the engagement is real and rejoices.
Scene 16. Osip informs Khlestakov that the horses are ready for his departure. Khlestakov claims he’ll return tomorrow, borrows even more money from the mayor, and says farewell. Offstage, the mayor expresses surprise that Khlestakov is riding in such a worn-down carriage, and the housekeeper brings a Persian rug for Khlestakov to sit on. Khlestakov departs.
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