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The Judge
Artemy Filippovich Zemlyanika is the Warden of Charities. He’s rotund and clumsy, yet crafty, unscrupulous, and servile. The Warden of Charities runs the charity hospital, but he severely neglects his duties. He chooses not to treat patients with medicine and manages the hospital very poorly. He feels little guilt about his misconduct; he only dreads getting caught by the government inspector. To win over Khlestakov, who he believes is the inspector, the Warden of Charities serves Khlestakov a delicious lunch at the charity hospital, while he doesn’t even provide hospital patients with proper meals. This demonstrates the Warden of Charities’ eagerness to protect himself from being reported to the authorities, as well as his indifference to his responsibilities. To further win Khlestakov’s favor, the Warden of Charities proposes that each town official should meet with Khlestakov individually. When it’s his turn to present himself to Khlestakov, the Warden of Charities double-crosses his fellow officials by exposing their many crimes. He also ridicules the mayor behind his back on more than one occasion. At the end of the play, the Warden of Charities is shocked that Khlestakov wasn’t the government inspector and blames the devil’s influence for the officials’ mistake.
Warden of Charities Quotes in The Government Inspector
The The Government Inspector quotes below are all either spoken by Warden of Charities or refer to Warden of Charities. 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:
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Act 4 Quotes
This just isn’t how things are done in a well-ordered community […]. We should pay our respects one by one—tête-à-tête so to speak, behind closed doors, so no one sees or hears. That’s how things are done in a well-ordered society.
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While the other town officials struggle to decide how to win Khlestakov’s favor, the Warden of Charities proposes they each meet individually with the supposed government inspector “behind closed doors, so no one sees or hears.” He justifies his idea by saying, “That’s how things are done in a well-ordered society.” According to the Warden of Charities, it’s good, orderly, and proper for governments to operate through sly, secretive, and underhanded means. In his view, bribes are perfectly acceptable. When he suggests they “pay [their] respects” to Khlestakov, he means that they should visit Khlestakov out of politeness but also 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. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et
Act 5 Quotes
I can’t explain how it all came about, for the life of me. I feel as if a thick fog has blinded us. It’s the work of the devil!
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After the town officials learn that Khlestakov wasn’t the government inspector after all, the Warden of Charities expresses shock that they were mistaken. He says he “can’t explain how it all came about,” and he feels “as if a thick fog has blinded” them. Here, the Warden of Charities articulates how bewildering and disorienting their self-deception has been. Not only did the officials believe an incorrupt assumption about Khlestakov, but they also lost sight of the truth in a deeper way. By doubling down on their mistaken perceptions of Khlestakov, the officials distorted reality for themselves, until the figurative “thick 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. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus
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Warden of Charities Character Timeline in The Government Inspector
The timeline below shows where the character Warden of Charities appears in The Government Inspector. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1
...traitors. The mayor rebukes him for jumping to ridiculous conclusions. Then the mayor instructs the Warden of Charities to make the charity hospital look presentable, so the inspector doesn’t think it’s poorly run....
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...go to the inn to smooth things over with him. As the officials leave, the Warden of Charities worries the inspector will discover that the charity hospital patients aren’t being fed properly.
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Act 3
...the local officials’ hospitality and the delicious lunch he ate at the charity hospital. The Warden of Charities brags about the hospital’s management, and the mayor boasts about his demanding duties and humble...
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...in Khlestakov’s presence. Bobchinsky thinks Khlestakov’s rank must be even higher than general. Nervously, the Warden of Charities hopes that Khlestakov won’t write any reports to St. Petersburg.
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Act 4
...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,...
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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...
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Act 5
Scene 3. The judge, Warden of Charities , and a town citizen named Rastakovsky all congratulate the mayor’s good fortune. They kiss...
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...mayor’s guests offer more well wishes to him; however, in asides, the Inspector of Schools, Warden of Charities , and the judge mock the mayor’s aspirations of living in St. Petersburg as a...
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Last Scene and Mute Scene
...postmaster is “transformed into a question mark,” the Inspector of Schools appears bewildered, and the Warden of Charities tilts his head as if to listen to something. The judge crouches and seems about...
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