Chapter-by-Chapter Summary of The Inspector General by Nikolai Gogol

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The Inspector General is a captivating comedy by N. V. Gogol, written in 1835. The plot tells the story of how a random traveler was mistaken for an important inspector from the capital in a provincial town.

It is suggested that the idea for this comedy was inspired by Alexander Pushkin himself. In addition, recollections of Gogol’s friend, A. S. Danilevsky, have survived about how they played inspectors during a trip to St. Petersburg and were everywhere accorded special honor.

To form your own opinion about this comedy, you can read its concise summary by acts and scenes on our website.

Setting and Time

The action of the comedy The Inspector General unfolds in the small county town N in the early 1830s.

Main Characters

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• Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky – The Mayor (Gorodnichy), very worried about the inspection.
• Anna Andreevna – The Mayor’s wife, a vain and flirtatious woman.
• Marya Antonovna – The Mayor’s daughter, a naive and simple girl.
• Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov – A small, empty-headed civil servant from St. Petersburg, mistaken for the inspector.
• Osip – Khlestakov’s shrewd and observant servant.
• Luka Lukich Khlopov – The Superintendent of Schools.
• Ammos Fyodorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin – The Judge, who takes bribes with “greyhound puppies.”
• Artemy Filippovich Zemlyanika – The Superintendent of Charities.
• Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin – The Postmaster.
• Pyotr Ivanovich Bobchinsky – A local landowner, short and chatty.
• Pyotr Ivanovich Dobchinsky – A local landowner, tall and chatty.

Other Characters

• Pyotr and Ivan – two local noblemen, incredibly similar to each other, constantly chattering and inseparable.
• Semyon Ivanovich Sudeykin – The Judge (Likely a mistake/duplicate for Ammos Fyodorovich), considers himself enlightened, but in reality has read only a few books.
• Potap Prokhorovich Lovkachev – The Superintendent of Charities (Likely a mistake/duplicate for Artemy Filippovich), sharp-witted and cunning.
• Nikita Nikitich Trepetov — The Postmaster (Likely a mistake/duplicate for Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin, the Postmaster), a quiet and timid official.

Concise Summary

Act I

Takes place in one of the Mayor’s rooms

• Scene I The agitated Mayor gathers the officials to tell them news that chills everyone’s blood: an inspector with a “secret instruction” will arrive in their backwater. Panic grips those present. Ammos Fyodorovich, an anxious soul, suggests a war is coming, and the inspector is here to expose traitors. But the Mayor dismisses this guess: “From our backwater, even if you ride for three years, you won’t reach civilization,” so how could there be any talk of treason? The practical Mayor begins to give orders like a commander on a battlefield. It is urgent to dress the suffering in the hospital and, if possible, reduce their numbers. The geese bred by diligent caretakers must be removed from the courts, and, so as not to embarrass the important guest, hide the “hunting whip” that adorns the papers. It will, of course, be returned to its place when the inspector departs.The constant smell of alcohol from the assessor causes general dissatisfaction, and he is even advised to disguise it, for example, by eating onions. No less attention should be paid to educational institutions, where teachers exhibit “very strange behavior, as if inseparable from their scholarly title“: one makes faces in front of students, another smashes furniture… As for the officials’ “minor transgressions,” the Mayor treats them condescendingly: “that’s just how God ordained it.” The Judge’s composure is unshakable—he justifies himself by taking bribes only with “greyhound puppies,” which, in his opinion, is much better than rubles or a fur coat.
• Scene II The anxious Postmaster enters. He has also heard about the supposed visit of the inspector and is convinced that it is not just a coincidence, but is related to an impending military conflict with Turkey. “This is all the intrigue of the French,” he declares. The Mayor tries to convince the Postmaster there will be no war, and then shares his anxieties. He worries that the merchants and ordinary townspeople do not trust him, and fears possible denunciations. The Mayor asks the Postmaster, “for our common good,” to unseal and read all incoming letters, to which he agrees, admitting that he often satisfies his curiosity by reading other people’s correspondence anyway.
• Scene III The door bursts open, and Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky fly into the room, out of breath. Their faces are flushed, and their words are tangled with excitement. They have just seen the long-awaited inspector with their own eyes in the inn! The young man, in their words, “of handsome appearance, in civilian clothes,” was pacing the room “with such an important look, as if pondering something serious…” And most importantly—this mysterious lodger had been living in the inn for two weeks, not paying a penny and showing no signs of leaving.All those present exchanged glances and came to a unanimous conclusion: this is him, the formidable inspector!The Mayor, hearing this, changes his expression. Anxiety overtakes him. The last two weeks, as if by evil fate, have been full of annoying incidents: “the non-commissioned officer’s wife was flogged for no reason! Prisoners were forgotten to be fed! In the streets—a tavern everywhere, dirt everywhere!” The decision comes instantly: he must immediately go to the inn. “The constable to me! This very minute!” he commands. The officials, bowing hastily, scatter to their institutions.
• Scene IV The Mayor is left alone in the office. Thoughts swirl in his head…The Mayor demands a two-seater horse-drawn carriage, a new hat, and a sword. Bobchinsky follows him, ready to run after the carriage like a rooster, just to peek “through the keyhole” at the inspector. The Mayor orders the Chief Constable to thoroughly sweep the entire street leading to the inn.
• Scene V Finally, the Chief Constable appears. The Mayor hurriedly gives instructions to improve the city: put a tall Chief Constable on the bridge for beauty, dismantle the old fence, because “the more destruction there is, the more it shows the activity of the Mayor.” And if someone asks why the church was not built, answer that it began to be built but burned down. Already on the threshold, he orders that half-dressed soldiers not be allowed onto the street.
• Scene VI Anna Andreevna and her daughter burst into the room, arguing as they go. The heated Mayor’s wife orders her daughter to immediately run to the inn and find out all the news: who the visitor is, how he looks, and most importantly—what color his eyes are. And to return this very second!

Act II

A poor room in a dilapidated inn.

• Scene I Osip, sprawled on the host’s bed, grumbles about his master, who gambled away all his money. They have been suffering in St. Petersburg for months, unable to return home. Osip is hungry, but no one will give them credit anymore. However, he liked life in the capital: everything is refined, “with chic,” and manners are subtle. Only his master did not take sense even there, continuing to squander his father’s money. “No, it’s better in the country: neither the capital’s bustle nor extra troubles,” sighs Osip.
• Scene II Khlestakov enters rapidly and is indignant at Osip, reproaching him for lying on the bed again. Then, with uncertainty, he demands (almost begs) the servant to go downstairs and organize lunch. Osip initially refuses, warning that they will no longer be given credit, but finally agrees to go down and call the host to Khlestakov.
• Scene III Khlestakov, alone, muses aloud about his insatiable hunger. He laments that he has been dragged into this “pitiable little town,” where even the shops refuse to give credit. The infantry captain, who fleeced him at cards, is to blame, in his opinion. Nevertheless, Khlestakov yearns to play him again.
• Scene IV The inn servant appears. Khlestakov flatters him, persuading him to bring lunch and “bring to reason” the host: he, after all, is a peasant and can go a day without food, but for Khlestakov, as a gentleman, this is impossible.
• Scene V Khlestakov ponders what to do if lunch is not brought. “I even feel nauseous, I want to eat so much.” Then he begins to dream of returning home in capital attire and introducing himself as a St. Petersburg official.
• Scene VI Lunch is brought, which turns out to be tasteless and consists of only two dishes. Khlestakov is dissatisfied but eats everything. The servant informs him that this is the last time; the host will not allow credit anymore.
• Scene VII Osip informs him that the Mayor wishes to see Khlestakov. Khlestakov is frightened: what if the innkeeper has already complained, and he is about to be taken to prison?
• Scene VIII The Mayor and Dobchinsky enter. Khlestakov and the Mayor stare at each other nervously for a while. Then the Mayor explains that he came to check on how Khlestakov is living, as it is his duty to care for the comfort of visitors. Khlestakov is frightened; he excuses himself, saying he will pay everything, that it will “be sent from the village.” Then he declares that the innkeeper himself is to blame, he feeds him poorly, and threatens to complain to the minister. The Mayor, in turn, is frightened, promises to sort things out, and asks him not to ruin him—he has a wife and children. He invites Khlestakov to another, better apartment, but Khlestakov, thinking he is about to be arrested, refuses. The Mayor offers him money to pay the innkeeper; Khlestakov readily takes it, and the Mayor manages to give him four hundred rubles instead of the required two hundred. Khlestakov’s attitude towards the Mayor changes: “I see you are a noble man.” He agrees to go and live at the Mayor’s house. The Mayor decides that the inspector wishes to remain incognito and that he must be very cautious with him.
• Scene IX The inn servant appears in the hall with the bill, but the Mayor drives him away, promising to send the money later.
• Scene X Khlestakov, the Mayor, and Dobchinsky decide to inspect the city institutions. However, Khlestakov refuses to look into the prisons, but the charitable institution attracts his attention. The Mayor instructs Dobchinsky to deliver a note to his wife so that she prepares to receive the guest, and also to inform Zemlyanika, who is responsible for the charitable institutions. When Dobchinsky opens the door to leave Khlestakov’s room, Bobchinsky, who was listening outside, falls and breaks his nose. Meanwhile, Osip is ordered to move Khlestakov’s belongings to the Mayor’s house.

Act III

The Mayor’s drawing-room.

• Scene I The Mayor’s wife and daughter are waiting for news by the window. Finally, Dobchinsky appears.
• Scene II Anna Andreevna reproaches Dobchinsky for his untimely appearance and questions him about the inspector. Dobchinsky hands over the note and emphasizes that he and Bobchinsky were the first to “discover” the arrival of the real inspector.
• Scene III The Mayor’s wife and daughter prepare to meet the inspector and carefully dress up. There is noticeable rivalry between them—each tries to make the other wear an unsuitable dress.
• Scene IV Osip enters with a suitcase on his head. He is accompanied by the Mayor’s servant. Osip asks for food, but is refused, as all the dishes are simple, and as the inspector’s servant, he will not eat them. Osip agrees to any food.
• Scene V The Chief Constables open both door leaves. Khlestakov enters, followed by the Mayor, the Superintendent of Charities, the Superintendent of Schools, Dobchinsky, and Bobchinsky with a plaster on his nose.The liar Khlestakov enjoys the conversation with the Mayor. He is delighted with how the city is organized: he was fed to the full and showed “prestigious establishments.” He has not seen this in other places. The Mayor replies that in other cities, the managers care more about their own gain, while here, their goal is to please their superiors. Khlestakov asks where he could play cards. The Mayor swears that he never touches cards himself, although only yesterday he “warmed up” one hundred rubles from an official.
• Scene VI Anna Andreevna and Marya Antonovna enter. The Mayor introduces them to Khlestakov.During the meal, Khlestakov boasts: in St. Petersburg, he is a key figure, known to everyone. He is friends with Pushkin himself, and moreover, he himself wrote many excellent works, such as Yury Miloslavsky. The Mayor’s daughter reminds him that this composition belongs to another author, but she is rebuked. Every day, Khlestakov visits the palace and balls, and once even headed an entire department. On his letters they write “Your Excellency,” foreign ambassadors participate with him in the game of whist, and a watermelon worth seven hundred rubles is served at the table. In the reception room, “counts and princes crowd” waiting for him to wake up…The Mayor and the others devoutly listen to Khlestakov’s boasting, and then escort him to rest.
• Scene VII The remaining officials discuss the mysterious Khlestakov, agreeing that he is a very important and influential person. Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky are full of conjectures that Khlestakov may even be a general himself or even a Generalissimo. Then the officials disperse, and Zemlyanika shares with Luka Lukich that something worries him. “Well, what if he wakes up and goes to Petersburg with a report?“
• Scene VIII The Mayor’s wife and daughter argue over who attracted more of Khlestakov’s attention during breakfast.
• Scene IX The Mayor creeps in on tiptoe like a mouse. The cordiality towards the unexpected guest is gone: too much of what was heard, even if half-invented by Khlestakov, promised him major troubles. Anna Andreevna, however, is in a good mood, because Khlestakov, in her opinion, is “a true capital beau monde, refined and educated.” The Mayor’s bewilderment grows every minute: how did Khlestakov manage to achieve such heights at such a young age? “Nowadays, strange birds have multiplied: outwardly—a chick, but in reality—an important person! How can you figure out who is in front of you?“
• Scene X Osip enters the scene. Everyone immediately crowds around him, eagerly catching every word: is the important guest resting? The Mayor questions the servant about what his master pays attention to, is generous with tips, and promises a reward. The female half of the family is naturally interested in much more piquant details: what type of ladies Khlestakov prefers. Finally, curiosity is satisfied, and the household members go about their business. The Mayor, gripped by anxiety, orders the Chief Constables to hold the defense and not allow outsiders on the threshold, especially petitioners.

Act IV

The same Mayor’s drawing-room.

• Scene I Like conspirators, creeping in on tiptoe, officials dressed in full uniform enter. Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky follow, not lagging behind. They all have one goal—to bribe Khlestakov, but no one knows how to do it more elegantly. After a short discussion, it is decided to act individually, tête-à-tête, as they say: “It is necessary for everyone individually, so that eye to eye and… well, as is customary… so that outsiders’ ears don’t hear. That, you know, is the rule in well-mannered society!“
• Scene II Khlestakov appears. He squints sleepily—it seems the rest has done him good. He is in an excellent mood: it is pleasant to be received and spoiled with such attention. Moreover, Khlestakov noticed, the Mayor’s daughter is a sight to behold, and her mother is still quite attractive… Oh, if only life could always be like this!
• Scenes III to VII Ammos Fyodorovich (the Judge) appears, accidentally drops money, and is very frightened by this. Khlestakov, seeing the banknotes, asks to borrow funds from him. The Judge readily hands him the money and leaves. Then the Postmaster, Luka Lukich, and Zemlyanika enter in turn. Each of them lends Khlestakov certain amounts at his request. Finally, Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky come, from whom Khlestakov directly demands money. They have only sixty-five rubles between them. Khlestakov takes them, saying that “it’s unimportant.” Dobchinsky asks the inspector to recognize his son as legitimate, and Khlestakov promises to help. Bobchinsky, on the other hand, asks that Khlestakov, when he goes to St. Petersburg, inform everyone, including the sovereign, that “Pyotr Ivanovich Bobchinsky lives in such-and-such a town.”
• Scene VIII Inspired by the feeling of his own importance, Khlestakov begins to write a letter to his friend, a journalist, so that he ridicules the local officials who took him for “a man of state.”
• Scene IX Osip persistently persuades Khlestakov to leave this place as soon soon as possible. He agrees. Meanwhile, noise is heard from the street: merchants have come to the house with petitions, but the Chief Constable does not let them in. However, Khlestakov orders everyone to be admitted.
• Scene X The merchants present Khlestakov with wine and sugar loaves and also ask him to intercede for them with the Mayor, who, they say, cruelly oppresses and robs the merchant class. Khlestakov promises to look into the situation and, without embarrassment, takes money from the merchants. Moreover, he also takes the silver tray, and Osip takes the rest of the gifts, right down to “and the rope, because it will come in handy on the road.”
• Scene XI Local residents—a locksmith’s wife and an untermilitary wife—come to the visiting guest. They complain about the Mayor’s bad treatment, who punished the untermilitary wife for no reason. “Go, I will arrange it!” says Khlestakov, but his requests begin to tire him, and he orders Osip not to let anyone else in.
• Scene XII Khlestakov starts a conversation with Marya Antonovna and even dares to kiss her. The girl is afraid that the visitor is just making fun of her, a “provincial girl.” However, Khlestakov assures her of the sincerity of his feelings; to prove it, he kneels before her.
• Scene XIII Anna Andreevna enters, burning with indignation. The sight of Khlestakov kneeling in supplication before her daughter infuriates her, and she chases away the embarrassed Marya Antonovna. Without losing his composure, Khlestakov decides that the mother is also quite attractive, and falls to his knees again, this time before Anna Andreevna. Fervently assuring her of his passionate and eternal love, he, forgetting about decorum and not even noticing the wedding ring on her finger, asks for her hand: “Love is all-powerful and knows no barriers… We will go to distant lands, where azure streams murmur… Your hand, I beg you, your hand!“
• Scene XIV Marya Antonovna runs into the room and, finding Khlestakov on his knees before her mother, exclaims with unconcealed surprise: “Ah, what is happening here!” Khlestakov, striving to avoid an awkward situation, hastily asks Anna Andreevna for her daughter’s hand.
• Scene XV The breathless Mayor rushes in to persuade Khlestakov not to trust the merchants: they are cheats, and the untermilitary wife allegedly “punished herself.” Anna Andreevna interrupts the Mayor with the joyful news. The Mayor is delighted, gives his blessing to Khlestakov and Marya Antonovna.
• Scene XVI Osip announces that the horses are ready, and Khlestakov hurries to leave. He tells the Mayor that he is going to his rich uncle and promises to return tomorrow. Saying goodbye, Khlestakov kisses Marya Antonovna’s hand and once again asks the Mayor to lend him money.

Act V

• Scene I The Mayor, Anna Andreevna, and Marya Antonovna.Thoughts of a luxurious life in the capital intoxicate the Mayor’s family. Anna Andreevna already sees herself as the mistress of a brilliant salon: “The house should be the first in Petersburg, and the aroma… such that those entering squint their eyes with pleasure!“
• Scenes II-VII A shower of congratulations falls upon the Mayor. He delightedly scolds the merchants for their recent audacity—complaining about him! Now he is a high-flying bird, and they won’t get off so easily: generous wedding gifts—that’s their chance to earn forgiveness. The officials timidly ask not to forget them in the capital. The Mayor gives generous promises, but Anna Andreevna is dissatisfied: will her husband have time for such “trifle” in the whirlwind of capital life?
• Scene VIII A postal servant enters with an unsealed letter in his hands. He reports the surprising news: the supposed inspector Khlestakov is not actually him. The postal servant reads Khlestakov’s letter to his literary friend: “First of all, the Mayor is stupid, like an unreasoning horse…“Here, the Mayor interrupts the reading, not believing such a description. The postal servant hands him the letter, and it begins to pass from hand to hand, allowing everyone to read the unflattering reviews about themselves: the postal servant drinks spirits, Zemlyanika looks like “a pig in a cap,” the Superintendent of Schools strongly smells of onions, and the Judge “is extremely vulgar.” “However,” concludes the letter Khlestakov, “the people here are hospitable and good-natured.”Anger grips everyone, especially the Mayor, whose heart clenches with horror at the thought that he will become a laughingstock in some play. “Who are you laughing at? You are laughing at yourselves!” he exclaims in despair. But Khlestakov is already far away, rushing at full speed on the fastest horses. The search for the culprits begins in the town: how could they have mistaken this frivolous passerby for an important inspector? Probably, the Lord God himself deprived them of their reason! All the blame falls on the unfortunate Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky—after all, they were the first to spread the news of the inspector’s arrival.
• The Final Scene A breathless gendarme runs onto the stage: an important official from St. Petersburg himself has stopped at the local inn and demands everyone to his presence!

What is the Resolution?

• Khlestakov, sensing trouble and realizing that his mask is about to fall, flees headlong from the provincial town, seeking refuge on his father’s estate in the distant village of Podkatilovka.
• Osip hurries the departure from the Mayor’s house, traveling with his young master, Khlestakov, to his father’s estate.
• The Mayor deeply regrets that he, one of the most resourceful cheats, became a victim of a young liar and chatterbox. He ends up in an extremely difficult position when the real inspector arrives from the capital.
• Anna Andreevna (the Mayor’s wife) becomes the object of ridicule from the town ladies when the whole truth about Khlestakov is revealed.
• Khlopov, Lyapkin-Tyapkin, Zemlyanika, and others—the officials find themselves in a very difficult position when they learn about the arrival of the real capital inspector—now they will have a very hard time.

Conclusion

Gogol confessed that in The Inspector General, he sought to gather together “all the Russian falsehood,” all the abuses of power and injustice prevailing where justice is most needed. This comedy became a kind of mirror of Russia at that time, with its vices and shortcomings. It is no wonder that the play was hesitant to be staged for a long time, and only the intervention of Zhukovsky, who convinced the emperor of the comedy’s innocence, allowed The Inspector General to see the footlights.

The success with the audience was overwhelming: sharp phrases from the play spread throughout the country, becoming common sayings. And even today, The Inspector General remains relevant, making the reader laugh and ponder simultaneously.