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Inspector of Schools
Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin is the postmaster. He is so simple-minded that he’s naïve. Out of curiosity, he opens and reads everyone’s mail. Sometimes, he even keeps letters for himself that are particularly enjoyable to read. At the mayor’s request, he cheerfully agrees to intercept any letters that might inform higher authorities about the mayor’s corruption. Like the other town officials, the postmaster is easily convinced that Khlestakov must be the government inspector. When asked, the postmaster happily gives Khlestakov a loan, leading Khlestakov to praise the postmaster’s decency and willingness to please. After Khlestakov leaves town, the postmaster reads Khlestakov’s letter for fear that Khlestakov has reported him to the authorities. By doing so, the postmaster becomes the first person to discover that Khlestakov is, in fact, not the government inspector, and he reports this news to the other town officials.
Postmaster Quotes in The Government Inspector
The The Government Inspector quotes below are all either spoken by Postmaster or refer to Postmaster. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 4 Quotes
After all, what does one really need? Only to be respected and genuinely liked.
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Explanation and Analysis:
During a one-on-one meeting with the postmaster, Khlestakov professes that the only thing anyone “really need[s]” is “to be respected and genuinely liked.” This declaration suggests that Khlestakov believes genuine respect and appreciation are most important—and, in fact, essential—in life. However, Khlestakov’s actions throughout the play demonstrate that he actually seeks attention and admiration beyond what he deserves. Khlestakov repeatedly tries to appear more impressive than he is to attract other people’s adoration. When Khlestakov exaggerates about who he is, he doesn’t make genuine connections. Instead, he gains outside approval based on a false premise. Additionally, Khlestakov takes advantage of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a.
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Postmaster Character Timeline in The Government Inspector
The timeline below shows where the character Postmaster appears in The Government Inspector. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1
Scene 2. The postmaster enters. Already aware of the news about the government inspector, he exclaims that Russia must...
(full context)
Act 4
Scene 4. Next, the postmaster introduces himself. During their conversation, Khlestakov says all anyone needs is to be “respected and...
(full context)
...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...
(full context)
Act 5
Scene 8. The postmaster rushes in and declares that Khlestakov isn’t the government inspector at all. The postmaster has...
(full context)
Last Scene and Mute Scene
...outstretched and his head thrown back. His wife and daughter reach out for him. The postmaster is “transformed into a question mark,” the Inspector of Schools appears bewildered, and the Warden...
(full context)
