The topic of the lesson literary hero speech characteristics of the mayor. Governor

The character of the mayor in Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General"

The governor - Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsy, is written out quite brightly in the comedy. He is one of the central figures, and it is around him and Khlestakov that the main action develops. The rest of the characters are given by half-casts. We only know their surnames and status, otherwise they are people very similar to the mayor, because they are of the same berry field, they live in the same county town, where “if you ride for three years, you won't reach any state”. Yes, they are not so important, otherwise they would overshadow all the "splendor" of the Governor's figure.

We meet a lot of “speaking” surnames in Gogol. This technique is everywhere in his works. The Governor was no exception. Let's see what his surname tells about the character. According to Dahl's dictionary, a pass-through is "a cunning, sharp-sighted, perceptive person, a pass, a rogue, an experienced rogue and a creep." But this is obvious. From the first lines of the work, we learn that the Governor will never miss what floats into his hands, and he does not hesitate to take bribes, even with greyhound puppies. His prudence also speaks of vigilance or clairvoyance. In society, this is a decent head of the city who constantly goes to church, has a prosperous family and stands up for its residents. But let’s not forget that a pass-through is also a rogue, and therefore he also oppresses merchants, and spends state money, and flogs the people. There is also the second part of the surname. Let's open Dahl again and read that dmukhan is “pomp, pride, arrogance. arrogance, arrogance. " And, indeed, Anton Antonovich's arrogance and swagger are not to be missed. How glad he was to learn that his daughter is not marrying someone, but a minister: “I myself, mother, is a decent person. However, really, as you think, Anna Andreevna, what birds we have become now! huh, Anna Andreevna? High flight, damn it! Wait, now I will ask all these hunters to submit requests and denunciations to the pepper. This is our mayor.

However, let's see how the author himself describes Anton Antonovich in the author's remarks “for gentlemen actors”. “The governor, who has already grown old in the service and is a very intelligent person in his own way. Although he is a bribe-taker, he behaves very respectably; rather serious; somewhat even reasonable; speaks neither loudly nor softly, neither more nor less. His every word is significant. His facial features are coarse and harsh, like those of anyone who began service from the lowest ranks. The transition from fear to joy, from rudeness to arrogance is quite quick, as in a person with roughly developed inclinations of the soul. He is dressed, as usual, in his uniform with buttonholes and boots with spurs. His hair is cropped and gray. " Everything is important in these remarks, they allow us to understand how Gogol himself wanted to portray the hero, as opposed to how we, the readers, see him. Just as his surname can tell us a lot about the mayor, so the appearance can add finishing touches to the portrait. A uniform with buttonholes tells us that this is, indeed, a respectable person who does not like his orders to be discussed. In his town, he is the king and God, respectively, and the appearance must be befitting. But how interesting it is to watch his transformation when meeting with the so-called incognito auditor. The governor begins to stutter and cringe, and may even give a bribe if he does so. But the veneration of rank was in use at that time, however, with the governor it reaches its highest limit, he experiences such a panic fear: “Governor (trembling). Out of inexperience, by God, out of inexperience. Lack of wealth ... You can judge for yourself: the state salary is not even enough for tea and sugar. If there were any bribes, then just a little: something to the table and a couple of dresses. As for the non-commissioned officer's widow, engaged in the merchants, whom I allegedly whipped, then this is slander, by God, slander. This is invented by my villains; they are such a people that they are ready to encroach on my life. "

The governor is also rude, Gogol also informs us about this. Despite the high office he occupies, he is an uneducated person, there are many bad inclinations and vices in his soul, but he does not try to eradicate them, since he believes that this is the way it should be. Stupidity and ignorance - these are the traits that dominate the character of the Governor. Even his assurances that he serves honestly and impeccably are sewn through with white thread, and lies shout from every window. He does not even have enough intelligence to come up with something plausible in the face of the formidable Khlestakov, although before that he very deliberately warned his officials about the impending danger: “There the merchants complained to your Excellency. I can assure you that half of what they say is not. They themselves deceive and measure the people. The non-commissioned officer lied to you that I whipped her; she's lying, by golly, lying. She whipped herself. " These are the curiosities found in the county town.

But, of course, just as there are no only good or only bad people in the world, so book heroes cannot be only positive or only negative. Although it can hardly be said about the characters of The Inspector General. But nevertheless, for some reason we feel sorry at the end of the Governor, who was so cruelly deceived in Khlestakov. In general, it turns out that there is not a single positive hero in the comedy, with the exception of Osip, Khlestakov's servant, who, however, is also a drunkard and a cheat. We are sad to see the collapse of the dreams of the Governor, who dreamed of blue ribbons and a house in St. Petersburg. Maybe he did not deserve such a fate, maybe his petty sins are not so terrible. But, I think, this punishment is quite fair, because we understand that the Governor will never get it right, and it is unlikely that the incident with the inspector will serve him as a lesson. And he gets upset first of all because he did not see the rogue in Khlestakov, he himself is a rogue of rogues. And it’s also a shame that “look, look, the whole world, all Christianity, everyone, look how the mayor is fooled! Fool him, fool, old scoundrel! (Threatens himself with a fist.) Oh, you fat-nosed! Icicle, rag took for an important person! There he is now flooding the whole road with a bell! Will spread history all over the world. Not only will you go into a laughing stock - there will be a clicker, a scribbler, he will insert you into a comedy. That's what's insulting! He will not spare the rank, he will not spare, and they will all bite their teeth and clap their hands. Why are you laughing? “You are laughing at yourself!” - he says sacramental at the end.

But indeed, the character of the Governor is a collective portrait of all the officials of that time. He absorbed all the shortcomings: servility, honor, envy, arrogance, flattery. This list can be continued for a long time. The governor becomes a kind of “hero of our time”, which is why he is written out so clearly, that is why his character is so clearly manifested, especially in crisis situations, and the whole life of the governor during The Inspector General is a crisis. And in such crisis situations Anton Antonovich is not used to it, apparently, from a weakness of character. That's why the electrical effect is at the end. It is doubtful that the mayor will be able to agree with a real official. After all, all his life he deceived such rogues as himself, and the rules of the game of another world are not available to him. And therefore, the arrival of an official from St. Petersburg for Anton Antonovich is like God's punishment. And there is no salvation from this, except to obey. But knowing the character of the mayor, we can safely say that he will still make an attempt to appease the new auditor, without thinking about the fact that for a bribe “you can go to prison”, he does not see beyond his own nose, for this he pays in the final: “Governor in the middle in the form of a pillar, with outstretched arms and thrown back head. " Silent stage ... Curtain!

/V.G. Belinsky about Gogol /

The Inspector General is based on the same idea as in Ivan Ivanovich's Quarrel with Ivan Nikiforovich: in both works the poet expressed the idea of ​​denying life, the idea of ​​illusion, which, under his artistic chisel, received its objective reality. The difference between them is not in the main idea, but in the moments of life captured by the poet, in the individuals and positions of the characters. In the second work we see a void devoid of all activity; in The Inspector General there is a void filled with the activity of petty passions and petty egoism.<...>

So exactly, what do we need to know the details of the mayor's life before the start of the comedy? It is clear even without the fact that in childhood he was learned with copper money, played with grandmas, ran through the streets, and as he began to enter the mind, he received lessons from his father in worldly wisdom, that is, in the art of heating hands and burying the ends in water ... Deprived of any religious, moral and social education in his youth, he inherited from his father and from the world around him the following rule of faith and life: in life one must be happy, and this requires money and ranks, and to acquire them - bribery, embezzlement , groveling and subservience to the authorities, nobility and wealth, idleness and bestial rudeness in front of the lower ones. Simple philosophy! But notice that in him this is not debauchery, but his moral development, his highest concept of his objective duties: he is a husband, therefore, is obliged to decently support his wife; he is a father, therefore, he must give a good dowry for his daughter in order to deliver her a good party and, thus arranging her well-being, to fulfill the sacred duty of a father. He knows that his means for achieving this goal are sinful before God, but he knows this in an abstract way, with his head, not with his heart, and he justifies himself by the simple rule of all vulgar people: "I am not the first, I am not the last, everyone does this." This practical rule of life is so deeply rooted in him that it has become a rule of morality; he would consider himself an upstart, proud, proud, if, even if he forgot, he behaved honestly during the week.<...>

Our governor was not naturally lively, and therefore "everyone does this" was too much of an argument to calm his calloused conscience; this argument was joined by another, even stronger for a gross and low soul: "a wife, children, government salaries do not go for tea and sugar." So much for the whole Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky before the start of the comedy.<...>The end of "The Inspector General" was made by the poet again not arbitrarily, but due to the most reasonable necessity: he wanted to show us the Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky everything as it is, and we saw it all as it is. But here there is still another, no less important and profound reason that emerges from the essence of the play.<...>

"Fear has big eyes," says a wise Russian proverb: is it surprising that a stupid boy who missed a tavern dandy on the road was mistaken by the mayor for an inspector? Deep idea! Not a formidable reality, but a ghost, a phantom, or, better to say, a shadow of fear of a guilty conscience, should have punished the ghost man. The mayor of Gogol is not a caricature, not a comic farce, not an exaggerated reality, and at the same time is not at all a fool, but, in his own way, a very, very intelligent person who is very real in his field, knows how to get down to business deftly - to steal the ends bury in the water, slip a bribe and appease a dangerous person to him. His attacks on Khlestakov, in the second act, are an example of clerical diplomacy.

So, the end of the comedy must take place where the mayor learns that he was punished by a ghost and that he still has to be punished by reality, or at least new troubles and losses in order to evade punishment from reality. And therefore the arrival of the gendarme with the news of the arrival of a true auditor finishes the play beautifully and gives it all the completeness and all the independence of a special, self-contained world.<...>

Many find it a terrible stretch and farce to make the mistake of the mayor, who mistook Khlestakov for an auditor, especially since the mayor is a person, in his own way, very clever, that is, a first-class rogue. A strange opinion, or, better to say, a strange blindness that does not allow seeing the evidence! The reason for this lies in the fact that each person has two views - the physical, to which only external evidence is available, and the spiritual, penetrating the internal evidence, as a necessity arising from the essence of the idea. But when a person has only physical sight, and he looks to them at the inner evidence, then it is natural that the mayor's mistake seems to him a stretch and farce.

Imagine a thief-official such as you know the venerable Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky: in his dream he saw two extraordinary rats, which he had never seen - black, unnatural in size - came, sniffed and walked away. The importance of this dream for subsequent events has already been very correctly noted by someone. In fact, pay all your attention to it: it reveals the chain of ghosts that make up the reality of comedy. For a person with such an education as our mayor, dreams are the mystical side of life, and the more incoherent and meaningless they are, the more and more mysterious they are for him. If, after this dream, nothing important had happened, he might have forgotten it; but, as if on purpose, the next day he received a notification from a friend that "an official had gone incognito from Petersburg with a secret order to audit everything related to civil administration in the province." Sleep in your hand! Superstition further intimidates an already intimidated conscience; conscience reinforces superstition.

Pay special attention to the words "incognito" and "with a secret prescription." Petersburg is a mysterious country for our mayor, a fantastic world, of which he cannot and does not know how to imagine. Innovations in the legal field, threatening a criminal court and exile for bribery and embezzlement, further exacerbate the fantastic side of St. Petersburg for him. He is already trying to find out from his imagination how the inspector will arrive, what he will pretend to be and what bullets he will cast in order to find out the truth. There are rumors from an honest company about this subject. A dog judge who takes bribes with greyhound puppies and therefore is not afraid of the court, who has read five or six books in his lifetime and is therefore somewhat free-thinking, finds a reason for sending an auditor worthy of his thoughtfulness and erudition, saying that "Russia wants to wage a war, and therefore the ministry deliberately sends an official to find out if there is any treason. " The governor understood the absurdity of this assumption and replied: "Where is our uyezd town? If it were a border town, it would still be possible to assume somehow, otherwise it is worth the devil knows where - in the wilderness ... From here, at least three years, ride to any state you won't get there. " Thus, he advises his colleagues to be more careful and be ready for the arrival of the auditor; arms himself against the idea of ​​sins, that is, bribes, saying that "there is no person who does not have any sins behind him", that "this is already arranged by God himself" and that "the Volterians in vain speak against it"; there is a little squabble with the judge about the meaning of bribes; continuation of tips; a murmur against the accursed incognito. "Suddenly he will look: ah! You are here, darlings! And who, say, is the judge here?" - Tyapkin-Lyapkin. "And to bring Tyapkin-Lyapkin here! And who is the trustee of charitable institutions?" ! "...

Indeed, it is bad! A naive postmaster enters, who loves to print out other people's letters in the hope of finding in them "various such passages ... edifying even ... better than in Moskovskie vedomosti." find out if it contains some kind of report or just correspondence. "What depth is in the image! Do you think that the phrase" or just correspondence "is nonsense or a farce on the part of the poet: no, this is the inability of the mayor to express himself, how soon he is even a little goes out of the native spheres of his life. And this is the language of all the characters in the comedy! The naive postmaster, not understanding what the matter is, says that he is doing it anyway. "I am glad that you are doing this," the rogue mayor replies to the simpleton - to the postmaster, - this is good in life ", and seeing that you won't take much with him in roundabouts, straightforwardly asks him to deliver any news to him, and simply detain the complaint or report. The judge regales him with a dog, but he replies that he the feather is not up to dogs and hares: "All I can hear in my ears is that the incognito is accursed; you expect the doors to open suddenly and enter ... "

Speech originality of the comedy "The Inspector General"

The comedy "The Inspector General" is a dramatic work. The language of drama is the language of living characters, the main form of their identification.

Nowhere does language serve as a powerful means of condensed characterization of images-characters as in dramatic art. So, each character in the comedy "The Inspector General", although he speaks the common national language, but with the introduction of special intonations, slang words, turns and even the rate of speech, due to the age, character and position of the person in society.

The unprecedented, unheard-of natural language of Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" is a means typification and individualization images-characters. It has words and phrases ( bribe, auditor, secret order, rank, official, trustee of charitable institutions, appropriation, council of state, presence etc.), characteristic of the clerical and bureaucratic style, inherent in all officials, revealing their social essence. At the same time, each character in Gogol's play has a unique personality and is characterized by its own peculiarities of speech. The very first news about the auditor immediately reveals special features in their speeches and characters. Every official in my own way perceives unpleasant news and in my own way reflects it in his speech: the governor - calmly and judiciously, the judge - with ridiculous speculations, the caretaker - in panic, the trustee - sly, and the postmaster, like a judge, with stupid speculations.

How the first news of the inspector's arrival was reflected in the language and thoughts of the officials.

The most "rich" and relatively diverse speech of the mayor. His speech denounces him as a clever, cunning and prudent person; it can be flexibly modified depending on the circumstances.

The lexical composition of the speech of the mayor

According to the vocabulary strata, the phraseology of the mayor's language is just as diverse.

Phraseology of the speech of the mayor

The intonations of the governor's speech are very diverse, since the governor is a sociable and social person, a clever rogue and a rogue, a "grated roll", he knows who and how to deal with. The variety of the range of his intonations is always conditioned by the circumstances in which he finds himself: at the first news of the inspector's arrival, he speaks calmly, judiciously, and advises in a friendly manner.

The tone of the governor's speech is especially interesting and indicative in his treatment of people of various ranks. His treatment of people anticipates Chichikov's treatment of the landlords.

Mayor's address

Thus, the speech of the mayor in terms of vocabulary, phraseology and intonation is diverse and expressive. The governor is gentle with his wife, polite with his colleagues, obsequious with Khlestakov, contemptuous with Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, condescending with Osip, gloating, rude and ferocious with merchants and completely numb, that is, he is speechless before the higher authorities. Compared with the speech of the mayor, the language of the other characters in the comedy is much poorer.

The empty speech of Khlestakov is incoherent, sliding associative, jumping from one subject to another for no reason: “Yes, they already know me everywhere ... I know pretty actresses. I, too, are different vaudeville ... I often see writers. With Pushkin on a friendly foot. ”The flight of his reckless imagination is so impetuous that he blurts out words and phrases that are completely unexpected for himself. This is how his famous hyperboles are born: "a watermelon of seven hundred rubles"; “Soup in a saucepan right on the boat came from Paris”; "Thirty-five thousand couriers alone." Khlestakov bribes and delights the provincial aristocracy with his casual chatter, in which they hear their native bureaucratic jargon and vulgarized secular phraseology, which they see as the height of graceful gallantry.

The speech of Artemy Filippovich Strawberry, the trustee of charitable institutions, is flattering, cunning-resourceful and pompous-bureaucratic: "Not daring to bother with your presence, to take away the time specified for sacred duties ..." he, obsequious, fawning, answers with agreement: "It may very well be."

The speech of Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin, especially the superintendent of schools and the postmaster, was very monotonous. The vocabulary, the intonation of the judge is determined by the pretensions of a smug ignoramus to speculation (“No, I’ll tell you, you are not that… you are not… The bosses have subtle views”). The speech of the superintendent of schools reflects his extreme timidity and fear ("Orobel, your bla ... excellency ... shining ..."). The postmaster's phraseology is a vivid testimony to his stupidity ("What am I? How are you, Anton Antonovich?", "That's right, sir"). Scanty in words and thoughts, he gets confused, does not say anything.

Even poorer is the vocabulary and primitive syntax of the urban landowners Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky. They abundantly use introductory words ("yes," "entogo", "if you please see") and combine phrases with the help of compositional conjunctions ("Instead of catching Korobkin ... and not catching Rastakovsky"). To Khlestakov's question, "Have you hurt yourself," Bobchinsky replies clearly with tongue-tied language: "Nothing, nothing, sir, without any interference ..."

Speech features of Anna Andreevna, combining an exaggerated, cutesy mannerism, as an imitation of secularism ("Oh, what a passage!"; "If I'm not mistaken, you are making a declaration about my daughter"), with vulgar vernacular ("ran in like a mad cat"), the mayor has perfectly defined: "rattle".

Embodying the inner essence of the characters in speech, Gogol also brilliantly uses the means of ironic - satirical sharpening. He laughs at them evilly, giving their language a comically incongruous and even parodic meaning. Making excuses for his "sins", the mayor pronounces a clearly similar phrase: "If he took it from another, then, really, without any hatred." Dreaming about the future, about high ranks, he uses words that are in sharp contrast to these ranks: "What do you think, Anna Andreevna, can you get into generals?"

Khlestakov's speech in a number of cases turns into a parody of the gallant-complimentary language of the noble drawing-room, in which the traditions of the cutesy, sentimental-sensitive style are still alive: “How happy I am to finally sit next to you; "Yes, the village, however, also has its hills, streams ..."

The judge, agreeing with the assessors and clearly at odds with elementary logic, sees the reason for the constantly inherent alcoholic smell of the assessor in the fact that "in childhood his mother hurt him, and since then gives him a little vodka." Explaining the reasons for the visit of the inspector, the postmaster categorically, but similarly states: "... there will be a war with the Turks ... This is a Frenchman crap."

The trustee of charitable institutions boasts: “Since I took over the leadership, it may even seem incredible to you, everything, like flies, will recover.” The murderous irony of this boast in the usual negative meaning of his modified adage.

Speech alogism is also used by Gogol in the sketch of Anna Andreevna, a young mannered coquette.

Laughing at his negative characters, Gogol is not averse to using some rare, outlandish word or expression. So, Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky enter the tavern because of Dobchinsky's "stomach concussion". The playwright also refers to a slip of the tongue. The mayor says: "Let everyone take it down the street ... damn it, down the street, on a broomstick!" The comedy also uses the technique of verbal confusion. Such is the note of the mayor to his wife, sketched on the tavern bill.

The comedy of Osip's speech is due to the contrasting mixture of peasant vernacular ("take a woman for yourself", "kudy", "rubles", "seem") with philistine lackey phraseology ("on subtle delicacy", "haberdashery treatment"), with the incorrect use of foreign words ( "Keyatry", "preshpect").

Introducing the motives of humor, irony and sarcasm into the speech of the characters, Gogol in a number of cases refers to comically pointed comparisons: “This is an ax fried instead of beef”; "Bugs ... like dogs bite" (Khlestakov); “There is a rumble in the stomach, as if a whole regiment had blown the trumpets (Osip). Gogol blossomed comedy with marks, sparkling expressions that became winged sayings that enriched colloquial speech.

Satirical guises, Gogol to one degree or another exaggerates the feelings, actions and speech of the characters in his comedy, but when he writes for a more vivid and truthful exposure of their social essence.

Thus, the analysis of the speech of the characters in the comedy "The Inspector General" showed us that in the very language of the characters, Gogol the realist truthfully reflected the social and the individual, the typical and the individual. That is why their figures came out so vital and expressive, typical. All this is reflected in the stage realism of Gogol's immortal comedy "The Inspector General".

When in 1830 Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was creating the poem "Dead Souls", he suddenly wanted to write a comedy, where he could display the features of Russian reality with humor. On this occasion, he turned to Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, and the poet suggested an interesting story based on real events. Inspired by the idea, Gogol began to bring it to life. Under his pen, heroes came to life with their characters, habits, and peculiarities.

It is noteworthy that the work on the unique comedy took only two months - October and November 1835, and already in January 1936 the work was read at an evening with V. Zhukovsky. Of all the acting characters, a special place in the work is occupied by a mayor named Anton Antonovich.

Occupation of the mayor

For about fifty years Anton Antonovich has been serving as an official in a small town. “… I have been living in the service for thirty years…” - he tells about himself. The author characterizes him as an intelligent person who behaves solidly, serious, and every word he says has a meaning.

Mood swings are noticed in the character: from baseness to arrogance, from fear to joy. Anton Antonovich is irresponsible in his work and, like all managers, is afraid of checks. Absolutely not doing anything to improve the city, he is only looking for benefits for himself, wishing to enrich himself at the expense of people.

It is not surprising that the mayor is very worried about the fact that from day to day an auditor should come to them in the province. Giving orders "to do everything decently in the city" in view of the arrival of the inspector, he does so only for appearance, because earlier Anton Antonovich did not keep order in the city.

The character of Anton Antonovich

It is impossible to attribute the mayor to the positive heroes. Although he is considered very intelligent among officials like himself, in fact it turns out that Anton Antonovich is a bum and is far from brilliant. Making empty promises, deceiving city residents, creating the appearance of work - these are the hallmarks of a mayor.

Dear Readers! We offer you to familiarize yourself with the poem "Dead Souls" by N. V. Gogol.

Perhaps Anton Antonovich was not bad at first, but, as you know, power spoils people. Another negative trait of the mayor is the ability to cheat and deceive. “… I have been living in the service for thirty years; no merchant or contractor could hold; he deceived swindlers on swindlers, rogues and rogues such that they are ready to rob the whole world, he cheated. He deceived three governors! .. "- he emphasizes when he learns how skillfully and mercilessly Ivan Khlestakov deceived him, and thereby reveals even greater stupidity. Anton Antonovich is a typical representative of a society mired in low vices, but does not notice how it is rolling into the abyss.

The mayor's family

Anton Antonovich has a beloved wife and children, to whom he treats very well. In addition to the eldest daughter Maria, there are also younger ones. The governor treats his wife tenderly, calling her "darling" and sharing his problems.

And she, in turn, gently denounces her husband, because he is a prominent person, and, in her opinion, should behave accordingly. “… Only I, really, am afraid for you: sometimes you will utter such a word that you will never hear in a good society…” - the spouse worries.

Governor and Khlestakov

Unfortunately, what Anton Antonovich was afraid of, that overtook him: the auditor arrived. But the mayor did not know that he was a pseudo-checker and a fraudster, and therefore he fell into the network of a deceiver. Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov turned out to be very cunning and so skillfully played the role of an auditor that it was difficult to doubt the plausibility of what was happening, and why, because I don’t want to analyze seemingly obvious things. Therefore, Anton Antonovich tries his best to appear good, to show his work from the best side, in no case to hit his face in the dirt, to suck up, to pretend.

Dear Readers! Perhaps you will be interested in the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol "Taras Bulba". We suggest that you familiarize yourself with it.

Anton Antonovich knows how to sneak up to the highest ranks, but if he really was what he presents himself. And Ivan Khlestakov turned out to be a great actor and, being a guest of the mayor, presented himself as a real official, so that none of his colleagues even thought of doubting. What a horror Anton Antonovich experienced when a real inspector appeared in the city, and Khlestakov's fraud was revealed. This once again confirms the well-known truth: there is nothing secret that would not become apparent.

Both Ivan Khlestakov and Anton Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky are shameless people who take bribes, greedy, arrogant and vain; They behave cowardly in the face of fear of being punished and become impudent at a time when nothing threatens them.

They reflect the society of the 19th century, ossified in vices.

Here we have Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky - the mayor. This is a hypocrite who changes the methods of communicating with people depending on who he has to deal with. He is affectionate, respectful with the imaginary inspector Khlestakov, fawning upon him and flattering him. Addressing Khlestakov, he obsequiously says: “I wish you good health! My duty, as the mayor of our city, is to ensure that no harassment is imposed on passing people and all noble people ... "" Excuse me, I really am not to blame ... "- he justifies himself before Khlestakov, who tells him how bad he is. fed at the hotel. Wondering where the alleged inspector came from, Anton Antonovich asks sympathetically: "Do I dare to ask where and what places are you going to?" He speaks in a completely different way with people subordinate to him. Where did his politeness and politeness go! Rudeness, intemperance, insults pour out of the mayor's mouth, as if from a cornucopia. Addressing the tavern servant who brought Khlestakov's bill, he rudely shouts: "Get out, they will send you." Seeing the landowner Bobchinsky fall, the mayor gets angry: “They didn't find another place to fall! And stretched out like the devil knows what it is. "

Upon learning of the visit of the inspector, he “profoundly” utters: “Yes, the circumstance is ... extraordinary, simply extraordinary. Something for good reason ... "An even more stupid guess follows:" I think, Anton Antonovich, that there is a subtle and more political reason here. This means this: Russia ... yes. wants to wage war, and the ministry, you see, sent an official to find out if there was treason. "

In his immortal comedy "The Inspector General" Gogol acts as a subtle master of the speech characteristics of heroes. In the speech of each character, as if in focus, the corresponding character is reflected.

Here we have Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky - the mayor. This is a hypocrite who changes the methods of communicating with people depending on who he has to deal with. He is affectionate, respectful with the imaginary inspector Khlestakov, fawning upon him and flattering him. Addressing Khlestakov, he obsequiously says: “I wish you good health! My duty, as the mayor of our city, is to ensure that no harassment is imposed on passing people and all noble people ... "" Excuse me, I really am not to blame ... "- he justifies himself before Khlestakov, who tells him how bad he is. fed at the hotel. Wondering where the alleged inspector came from, Anton Antonovich asks sympathetically: "Do I dare to ask where and what places are you going to?" He speaks in a completely different way with people subordinate to him. Where did his politeness and politeness go! Rudeness, intemperance, insults pour out of the mayor's mouth, as if from a cornucopia. Addressing the tavern servant, who brought Khlestakov's bill, he rudely shouts: "Get out, they will send you." Seeing the landowner Bobchinsky fall, the mayor gets angry: “We didn't go to another place to fall! And stretched out like the devil knows what it is. "

But he talks to the policemen - Derzhimorda and Svistunov: “What kind of club-footed bears - they knock their feet! And it falls, as if someone is throwing forty poods from a cart. Where is the devil dragging you? "

The merchants, complaining to Khlestakov about the governor, describe his actions as follows: “He fixes such offenses that cannot be described. He does not act according to his actions. Grabs the beard, says: "Oh, you're a Tatar!" Such is the mayor, the "king" of this district town.

The image of the postmaster is also very vividly written by Gogol. He draws his ideas about the world from other people's letters. However, his vocabulary is still poor. For example, here is a passage from a letter that seems to him especially beautiful: “My life, dear friend, flows in empiricism; There are a lot of young ladies, the music is playing, the standard is jumping. "

The image of the judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin, a very "educated person" who read five or six books and was distinguished by free-thinking, is also very colorful. He always keeps a significant face on his face, speaks in a bass, as if emphasizing his importance. However, Ammos Fedorovich's speech is incoherent, lacking in expression, and incorrect.

Upon learning of the visit of the inspector, he “profoundly” utters: “Yes, the circumstance is ... extraordinary, simply extraordinary. Something for good reason ... "An even more stupid guess follows:" I think, Anton Antonovich, that there is a subtle and more political reason here. This means this: Russia ... yes. wants to start a war, and the ministry, you see, and sent an official to find out if there was any treason ”.

Strawberries, the trustee of charitable institutions, are a sneak and a rogue. His speech is spoken of with servility, servility, but just as poor and uncultured: "Since I took over the leadership, it may even seem incredible to you, everyone is recovering like flies!"

One cannot help but be surprised at the "eloquence" of Luka Lukich Khlopov, the superintendent of the schools: "Oroblen, your blah ... your eminence ... shining ... I sold my damned tongue, I sold it!"

However, the most vivid, unforgettable image of the comedy is the rogue and rogue Khles-such, who throws dust in everyone's eyes, wanting to "shine among their own kind with complete mental and spiritual emptiness." Accordingly, his speech is as follows: incoherent, stupid, arrogant. Talking with the mayor's wife Anna Andreevna, wanting to show his importance, he says: “I know pretty actresses. I, too, are all kinds of vaudeville ... I often see writers. With Pushkin on a friendly footing. Sometimes I often say to him: "Well, brother Pushkin?" - "Yes, so, brother," he sometimes replies, "because somehow everything ..." Great original. " Lies of one another are more terrible and flies from Khlestakov's tongue: “There are, however, a lot of mine:“ The Marriage of Figaro ”,“ Robert the Devil ”,“ Norma ”. I don’t even remember the names ”.

And what are his verbal "pearls": "Soup in a saucepan right on the ship came from Paris." Or: “And it’s curious to look at me in the hall, when I haven’t woken up yet: the counts and princes are hustling and humming there like bumblebees, only one can hear: well ... well ... well ... Sometimes the minister too .. . "

His chatter is exquisitely implausible. Words fly out from him with inspiration, finishing the last word of the phrase, he does not remember her first word: “They even wanted to make me vice-chancellor. What the hell was I talking about? "

Gogol laughs, and sometimes even mocks his characters. And he does this largely with the help of the speech characteristics of the characters. He shows that in his contemporary reality, the human principle is perverted and crushed.