The main significance of the comedy "The Inspector General" is in the merciless exposure of the structure of life, the rules and abuses of the officials of Nikolaev Russia, which is achieved by subtle and deep ridicule of the characters of the comedy. . Gogol's satirical laughter strikes the officials, urban landowners, merchants, mixed men, policemen, and Khlestakov, who arrived in this provincial city, ridiculed by Gogol's deeds, deeds and relationships of the characters in his comedy. The nature of the speech itself also contributes to satirical exposure. actors comedy. Gogol's laughter is merciless, it is connected with the author's reflections on life and people and pushes the reader to deep and sorrowful reflection. Gogol's laughter finds a variety of means for its expression.
At first, the reader laughs at the bewilderment of the mayor and officials invited to inform them " bad news”, over the mayor’s dream, which he conveys as a foreshadowing of the arrival of an unexpected auditor; over Chmykhov's letter, which serves as that "reliable" source, on the basis of which the mayor informs about the arrival of the auditor; over the orders and advice of the mayor; over the flirtatious wife of the mayor, who is interested in appearance capital guest; over an insignificant St. Petersburg official, now helpless in front of the tavern owner or cowardly in front of the incoming mayor, now putting on importance, carried away by unrestrained lies, dragging recklessly after the wife and daughter of the mayor, etc. is convinced that he blundered, mistaking "icicle, rag" for important person that many years have changed him practical experience hardened sly and deceitful. The severity of this situation is deepened by the fact that this "unparalleled embarrassment" occurs at the moment of the highest triumph of the mayor and his wife, anticipating all the sweetness of their upcoming happiness. An intonation full of drama is heard in the frantically pronounced words of the mayor: “Look, look, the whole world, all Christianity, everyone, look how foolish the mayor is!”
Here, in these words, the highest point of exposure of the mayor, it is not without reason that “the whole world, all Christianity” is involved as witnesses. In this monologue, the mayor expresses fear of being exposed to the eyes of the people, general ridicule, that is, what Gogol has already done.
Deep meaning is embedded in the words of the mayor, addressed not only to the public, sitting on the other side of the ramp, but also to all those who were representatives social order the then tsarist Russia and at the time of the performance was outside the theater: “What are you laughing at? laugh at yourself!"
Laughter in "The Inspector General" is connected with the author's bitter reflection on the depicted life, this is "laughter through tears."
How does Gogol achieve the effect of ridiculing his characters? How is it expressed in their language? The means of the comic are very diverse. The main character of laughter in The Inspector General, which the characters are exposed to, is revealing, and the author finds various means to express laughter.
Such, for example, is the explanation in Chmykhov's letter of the main feature of the mayor (behind him "there are sins") by the fact that he is "an intelligent person." The judge’s guess about the reason for the visit of the auditor also looks unfounded: “This means this: Russia ... wants to wage war, and the ministry ... sent an official to find out if there was treason anywhere” (act I, fig. 1 ). Even the mayor could not restrain himself from exclaiming: “Ek where enough! Also clever man!" The postmaster has the same guess. There is no logical connection in the juror's explanation of the reason for the smell of wine inherent in him: "he says (the judge reports) that his mother hurt him in childhood, and since then he has been reeking of a little vodka" (action I, fig. 1). The argument of the mayor in his dispute with the judge about bribes looks illogical. “Well, what if you take bribes with greyhound puppies? On the other hand, you do not believe in God” (Act I, Ph. 1).
The presence of small everyday details contributes to the ridicule of the orders and advice of the mayor. It turns out that the important thing is not how the sick are treated, but the fact that the sick "usually" "walk at home" (in dirty caps) and "smoke such strong tobacco that you always sneeze when you enter." The point is not how to improve the case of justice, but the fact that "there in the front, where petitioners usually go, the watchmen brought domestic geese with small caterpillars that dart under their feet." It is also bad that “all sorts of rubbish is dried in the very presence, and above the cupboard with papers there is a hunting rapnik”, etc.
Comedy is created unexpected situations and thoughts, conclusions of actors. Such, for example, is Strawberry's statement in Act I (phenomenon 1) about healing the sick: “As for healing, Khristian Ivanovich and I took our measures: the closer to nature, the better; We do not use expensive drugs. A simple man: if he dies, he will die anyway; If he recovers, then he will recover.” Khlestakov's opinion about officials after receiving money from them looks unexpected. “However, these officials are good people,” he characterizes them, “it’s on their part good trait that they lent me” (act IV, yavl. 8). This conclusion is unexpected, first of all, because the officials did not show any kindness, and besides, because Khlestakov just called them "what a fool!" In a letter to Tryapichkin, he himself ridicules the officials who helped him out and gave him money, although he does not realize that he himself is ridiculous in his unexpected and essentially incorrect confession.
When the mayor enters the hotel to Khlestakov, both stop “in fright”, And this fright is prepared: the mayor is afraid of responsibility for his “sins”, and his excitement and fear are already shown in act I, Khlestakov, who does not pay money, has already been warned by Osip and tavern servant about the intention of the owner of the hotel to complain to the mayor, and Osip had just informed him that "the mayor has come, inquires and asks" about him.
Khlestakov, frightened of prison, assumes importance, swaggers, “How dare you? .. I serve in St. Petersburg,” etc. The mayor, cowardly, suggests a slander of merchants to whom he “saltly fell” The reader laughs when he hears two frightened rogues, speaking as if in two different languages not understanding each other.
It is funny when Khlestakov protests against prison, which the mayor does not even think about, but it is no less funny when the mayor, completely at a loss, blurts out to the imaginary auditor about bribes, about a non-commissioned officer's widow, about merchants.
Both characters are funny too. The mayor asks the high person to take pity on him, not to destroy him, and as an excuse he points to his wife and small children (although the viewer knows what kind of children he has). Khlestakov perceives this as the reason that he must go to prison. Or: the mayor mentions the flogged non-commissioned officer's widow, but Khlestakov, not understanding this, thinks that they want to flog him. Khlestakov explains that he is sitting in a hotel because he does not have a penny, the mayor, immediately realizing, picks up this thought of Khlestakov and offers a loan, which saves the situation. For this, Khlestakov calls the mayor noble man, her understanding that he gave him money not out of a sense of nobility, but only out of fear of the arriving boss, in order to win him over.
Without dwelling on all the details of this dialogue, we note another detail: the mayor once again offers Khlestakov to move to another apartment, and he approaches carefully, courteously (“Do I dare to ask you”, “I am unworthy”, “I would dare”) and directly says about a room in his house, to which Khlestakov immediately agrees. When the mayor hinted about inspecting the prisons, Khlestakov, fearing to go to prison, refuses this offer: “But why prisons? It would be better if we inspect the charitable establishments.”
“To the Saratov province! he repeats incredulously to himself when he finds out where the passerby is heading. - A? And it won't blush! Oh, yes, you need to keep an eye on him! How much caustic mockery, mockery is heard in the words of the mayor, pronounced “to the side”, which contrast sharply with the words “out loud”, for example: “You deigned to do a good deed”, “And on for a long time would you like to go?" and etc.
Page 1 ]
1 The plot suggested by A.S. Pushkin.
3 Artistic techniques of satirical comedy.
4 Instructions N.V. Gogol to actors.
5 The reaction of the public to the comedy and the tragedy of the fate of the writer in Russia.
Comic in the work of N.V. Gogol's "Inspector General" is due to the fact that the whole plot was born from a "purely Russian anecdote", at the request of the writer offered to him by A.S.
Pushkin. Funny story about how a visitor is mistakenly mistaken for an auditor, they try to hide the existing official abuses and appease the authorities, allows you to show all the shortcomings of society in colors and details.
In the article "The Author's Confession" (1847) N.V. Gogol formulated his plan as follows: “In The Government Inspector, I decided to collect in one heap everything that was bad in Russia, which I then knew, all the injustices that are done in those places and in those cases where justice is most required of a person, and laugh at everything at once."
Having laughed during the performance, the viewer was subsequently forced to seriously think about the fact that all the characters in the comedy resemble many real-life officials, landowners, merchants, policemen, and provincial ladies. Among the heroes of The Inspector General there are no notorious villains, scoundrels, irreconcilable enemies.
In general, they are "hospitable and good-natured people." Everyone knows about the “weaknesses” and abuses of others, but no one considers it necessary to fight them. Yes, the mayor constantly demands offerings from merchants, but he closes his eyes to the fact that merchants supply low-quality goods for state needs. The judge considers cases "tap-blunder" and enjoys the benefits that the disputing parties can offer him, and is also in connection with the wife of a local landowner. But no one will interfere in it. The problems of hospitals and educational institutions do not bother anyone, you can teach and treat at random. Everyone knows about the violations, and everyone is silent. “Small” abuses are considered the norm, and those who allow them are considered worthy members of society. The same mayor, "although a bribe-taker, behaves very respectably."
Hence it is clear that the comedy "The Government Inspector" is satirical. Satire creates an image largely conditional, which is achieved through hyperbolization and grotesque.
A striking example of hyperbolization is Khlestakov's monologue in the sixth scene of the third act. As Khlestakov realizes that he can get away with any lie, tasty food and universal reverence, he gives free rein to unbridled fantasy, attributes to himself the authorship of all the works that he has ever heard of, draws pictures of how he managed an entire department, and almost imagined that he should be promoted to field marshals, but he slipped and was sent to rest from breakfast.
The techniques of satirical grotesque allowed N.V. Gogol create bright artistic images. In "Remarks for Messrs. Actors," the author writes that the judge "speaks in a bass voice, with an oblong drawl, wheezing and glanders, like an old clock that first hisses and then strikes." Khlestakov's letter to Tryapichkin says that the mayor is "stupid as gray gelding", and Strawberry - "a perfect pig in a yarmulke."
It is impossible not to mention the “speaking” surnames characteristic of Russian classical comedy: the already mentioned judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin, who performs his duties at random, the doctor Gibner, whose patients “recover like flies”, the policeman Derzhimorda, indiscriminately distributing cuffs to the right and guilty.
As a person familiar with the stage since childhood, N.V. Gogol gave very important instructions for the actors playing in The Government Inspector. “The less an actor thinks about how to laugh and be funny, the more funny the role he has taken will be revealed. The funny will be revealed by itself precisely in the seriousness with which each of the faces depicted in the comedy is busy with its own business.
These recommendations, unfortunately, were not taken into account in the production of the Saratov Youth Theater. Khlestakov, performed by A. Kuzin, almost grunted while eating soup in the hotel, loudly banging his spoon on the plate; in the presence of the mayor and his wife, he was lying around the stage in an embrace with Marya Antonovna, which looked absurd. The audience laughed, but, in my opinion, this is a clear overkill with comic tricks on the verge of clowning, going against the way N.V. Gogol.
The idea of the comedy "Inspector General", the purpose of its creation - is not at all for the amusement and entertainment of the public. N.V. Gogol assessed his work as follows: “Through laughter, which had never appeared in me in such strength, the reader heard sadness. I myself felt that my laughter was not what it had been before.
The censorship did not notice anything reprehensible in the comedy, and it was allowed to be staged. However, the audience, who recognized themselves in the heroes of the work, were deeply offended by the author. They came to the conclusion that the "Revizor" undermines the authority of the authorities, insults and defames employees.
The tragedy of the comedy "The Inspector General" is not only that "moderate disorder" in Russia was and remains a common occurrence, but also that the author, as an accuser of shortcomings, took up arms most of society. N.V. Gogol wrote about the situation of the satirist writer in Russia: “It is sad when you see what a still pitiful state the writer is in. Everything is against him, and there is no side of any equal strength for him.
Nevertheless, the comedy "The Inspector General" from the moment of its first edition in 1836 to the present day has enjoyed continued popularity. It is still relevant today, since the vices of society, which are ridiculed in it, are ineradicable. The audience continues to laugh at themselves, but life goes on as before.
Updated: 2017-12-08
Attention!
Thank you for your attention.
If you notice an error or typo, highlight the text and press Ctrl+Enter.
Thus, you will provide invaluable benefit to the project and other readers.
Useful material on the topic
Answer left Guest
Composition “What kind of man is the Governor?”
The life of city N did not change from year to year, the auditors came and left, but the city remained the same ... Charitable establishments are like taverns in which the sick smoke tobacco and do not know what they are sick with and how to treat them. In government places, geese with small goslings dart under their feet, a belt whip hangs over a cabinet with papers, and the assessor smells like he came out of a distillery. IN educational institutions the teacher, entering the pulpit, makes a grimace, another, talking about Alexander the Great, breaks the chairs on the floor. In the post office, the postmaster, out of curiosity, prints and reads other people's letters. The streets are not swept, and one of them is piled on forty carts of all sorts of rubbish. Oh, there are many more such "sights" of this amazing city.
The head of the city was Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. This is a man who has already grown old in the service, he is experienced, not stupid in his own way, he knows a lot and the alignment of important matters. He likes to conduct moralizing speeches, each of his words is significant, does not beat around the bush. Before the lower in rank, he shows himself to be an important person, who is considered significant even in St. Petersburg. He is always ready to speak, deceive, play any role, he likes power over people, for the sake of profit he is capable of fraud. The mayor quickly moves from fear to joy, from meanness to arrogance, which makes his role comical. He is a bribe-taker, but behaves respectably at the same time; quite serious; speaks neither loudly, nor quietly, nor little.
But then one day the Mayor receives a letter saying that an auditor from St. Petersburg is coming to the city, incognito, with a secret order. And in this not a fun situation, the head of the city did not forget to tell his "dream in hand" about two terrible rats. Thus, he makes it clear that he has a very well developed intuition. After that, the fuss begins, everyone needs to cover up their sins as soon as possible. The mayor at home gathers the trustee of charitable institutions, the superintendent of schools, a judge, a private bailiff, a doctor and two quarterly. He gives instructions to everyone what and how to do, what and where to clean, sweep, and so on. Each in his part is doing everything possible, and together they are trying in a few hours to bring the city to " normal condition". Again, we see a comical situation when a few years were not enough to put the city in order, but the auditor arrives, and everyone starts running, fussing, groaning and gasping. But let us return to the mayor’s house, where the out of breath landowners come running and vying with each other to announce that a hundred
a young man has been living in a tavern for two weeks, he is dressed in the style of a capital, he is going to the Saratov province, he does not pay money and looks into all the plates. The mayor decides to personally go to the tavern, look at this auditor and find out everything as soon as possible ...
The scene of the first meeting of the mayor and Khlestakov takes on a comical situation when the interlocutors talk about different things. Khlestakov thinks that they want to take him to prison because he does not pay for housing and food, and the mayor thinks that the people have already complained about him, and this auditor is very indignant at what disorder is happening in the city. Khlestakov stutters at first, but then speaks loudly, and the mayor becomes more and more shy and trembles, but, not at a loss, invites the auditor to live at home. Khlestakov agrees, thinking that he is treated this way because of his capital costume and demeanor. The mayor is very pleased, because now he can follow every step of this official, gain confidence in him and give a bribe.
In 1836, the comedy N.V. Gogol's "Inspector" first appeared on stage Alexandrinsky Theater. Russian society was confused, on the face of each spectator after watching the play, bewilderment was reflected: everyone found The Inspector General to be something unexpected, not previously known.
In The Inspector General, Gogol skillfully combines "truth" and "malice", that is, realism and bold, merciless criticism of reality. With the help of laughter, mocking satire, Gogol denounces such vices of Russian reality as servility, corruption, arbitrariness of the authorities, ignorance and poor education. IN " Theatrical junction” Gogol wrote: “Now the desire to get a profitable place is tying up the drama more strongly ... Do they now have more electricity, money capital, a profitable marriage than love?”
The comedy The Inspector General presents a whole “corporation of various office thieves and robbers” that blissfully exist in the county town N.
When describing the world of bribe-takers and embezzlers, Gogol used the series artistic techniques, which enhance the characteristics of the characters.
Gogol gave critical characteristics of each of the main characters. These characteristics help to better understand the essence of each character. Mayor: “Although he is a bribe-taker, he behaves very respectably”; Anna Andreevna: “Half brought up on novels and albums, half on chores in her pantry and girl's room”; Khlestakov: “Without a king in my head. He speaks and acts without any thought”, Osip: “Servant, such as servants of a few older years usually are”; Lyapkin-Tyapkin: “A person who has read five or six books, and therefore is somewhat freethinking”; postmaster: "A simple-minded person to the point of naivety."
Bright portrait characteristics are also given in Khlestakov's letter to his friend in St. Petersburg. So, speaking of Strawberry, Khlestakov calls the trustee of charitable institutions "a perfect pig in a yarmulke."
Main literary device, which is used by N.V. Gogol in the comic depiction of an official, is a hyperbole. Blinded by fear for their future, officials and clutching at Khlestakov like a straw, the city merchants and the townsfolk are not able to appreciate the absurdity of what is happening. Absurdities pile up one on top of the other: here is the non-commissioned officer who “whipped herself”, and Bobchinsky, who asks to bring to his attention imperial majesty that “Pyotr Ivanovich Bobchinsky lives in such and such a city”, etc.
The climax and the denouement immediately following it come abruptly, cruelly. Khlestakov's letter gives such a simple and even banal explanation of everything that happened that at that moment it looks for the mayor, for example, much more implausible than all Khlestakov's fantasies. A few words should be said about the image of the mayor. Apparently, he will have to pay for the sins of his entire entourage. Of course, he himself is not an angel, but the blow is so strong that the mayor has something like an epiphany: “I don’t see anything: I see some kind of pig snouts instead of faces, but nothing else ...”
Further, Gogol uses a technique that has become so popular in our time: the mayor, breaking the principle of the so-called fourth wall, addresses directly into the hall: “What are you laughing at? Laugh at yourself." With this remark, Gogol shows that the action of the comedy actually goes far beyond the theater stage, is transferred from the county town to the vast expanses of Russia. There is even a legend that Nicholas I, after watching the play, said: “Everyone got it, but most of all I!”
A silent scene: the inhabitants of a provincial town, mired in bribes, drunkenness, and gossip, stand as if struck by thunder. But here comes a cleansing thunderstorm that will wash away the dirt, punish vice and reward virtue. In this scene, Gogol reflected his belief in the justice of the highest authority, thereby scourging, in the words of Nekrasov, "little thieves for the pleasure of big ones." I must say that the pathos of the silent scene does not fit with the general spirit of this brilliant comedy.
Legacy of N.V. Gogol cannot be imagined without the comedy The Inspector General, in which great writer committed a public execution by laughing at officials-stealers of public funds, bribe-takers, sycophants. As the satirist Gogol gives especially great importance namely comedy. Her strength is laughter, scourging many sides public life. Not a single writer had the gift to expose so vividly the vulgarity of life, the vulgarity of every person. driving force in the "Inspector" is not love affair and the state of society. The plot of the comedy is based on a commotion among officials who are waiting for the auditor, and their desire to hide their deeds from him.
The comedy also ridicules the everyday life of the inhabitants of the city: mustiness and vulgarity, the insignificance of interests, hypocrisy and lies, swagger and gossip. Comic is emphasized already by surnames acting heroes: Khlestakov, Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, Tyapkin-Lyapkin, Ukhovertov, Poshlepkina and others. Perhaps the most comical thing is that one "empty" person is trying to fool others, the same "empty". It's about about the imaginary auditor - Khlestakov. The image of Khlestakov is written with exceptional artistic power and breadth of typical generalization. According to Gogol's definition, Khlestakov is “one of those people who are called empty in the offices. He speaks and acts without any consideration. Khlestakov himself does not know what he will say the next minute; "it's all a surprise and a surprise" for himself. He is comical in his desire to appear better than he is. To do this, Khlestakov uses a lie: “He lies with feeling; in his eyes is expressed the pleasure he received from this.
But the most basic characteristic Khlestakov - the desire to play a role at least one inch higher than the one assigned to him.
The action in the "Inspector General" refers to the beginning of the 30s of the century before last. Gogol very accurately depicts the life of that time, people and gives them a general diagnosis. The penetrating look of the satirist penetrates everywhere and nowhere he finds anything good. All the images of the play are comical and absurd.
So, the daughter and wife of the mayor look very funny in an attempt to recapture Khlestakov from each other:
Anna Andreevna.<. ..>However, he liked me very much: I noticed that he kept looking at me.
Maria Antonovna. Oh, mother, he was looking at me!
The inseparable couple Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky are comical. Bobchinsky dreams of one thing: “I ask you, most humbly, when you go to St. Petersburg, tell all the different nobles there: senators and admirals, that here, Your Excellency or Excellency, Pyotr Ivanovich Bobchinsky lives in such and such a city. So say: Pyotr Ivanovich Bobchinsky lives. And Dobchinsky about something else - to see the eldest son under his last name: “That is, it is only said that way, and he was born by me so perfectly, as if in marriage, and all this, as it should, I then completed legally - with the bonds of matrimony - with . So, if you please, I want him now to be completely, that is, my legitimate son, sir, and to be called the way I am: Dobchinsky, sir.
The whole essence of the play is that everyone wants something impossible: the mayor sees the future son-in-law in Khlestakov and dreams of living in St. Petersburg; Tyapkin-Lyapkin dreams of judicial cases being resolved on their own; Anna Andreevna dreams of young lover etc. All the attempts of the characters to look significantly cause the reader to laugh.
Gogol painted in The Inspector General the world of provincial officials of one of the cities of Russia. In fact, the play revealed the everyday life provincial Russia. Each image, without losing its individual character, is typical phenomenon that time - early XIX century. And we still laugh at the heroes of The Inspector General, comparing them with our contemporaries.
