Character Analysis Of The Government Inspector By Dario Fo

Register to read the introduction… He was inspired by the Piazza Fontana and the death of Pino Pinelli to write this play. However, the Maniac is the only character who is not derived from one of the people involved in the actual incident. Fo, in an interview, said, "The fool plays the part of the judge, carrying the logic of the authorities to absurd extremes, and discovering that there are inconsistencies." He appears to have created the character of the Maniac to unravel the truth. To facilitate this, he makes the Maniac change his identities. Joseph Farrell, professor of Italian, University of Strathclyde has commented on the character of the Maniac by saying, "He wears the mask of the academic psychiatrist, magistrate, bishop and member of the forensic squad. In himself, he is no one."
Khlestakov, the protagonist of "The Government Inspector", is a charming and appealing character. His charisma influences both men and women into liking him and favoring him. However, he shares a similar position with the Maniac-of pretending to be something that he is not. In the play, he finds himself stranded in a small provincial town and he pretends to be a government inspector whom the local officials were expecting. At first the officials mistook him to be the government …show more content…
He can be considered "insane" for not realizing his limits. He is a young flamboyant character who has no consideration for others. He does not realize the consequences of his acts and sometimes behaves in a certain manner which leads the audience to think he is crazy. For example, when he is dining at the Governor's house with the other officials present, he has a lot to drink and behaves in an appalling manner under the influence of alcohol. He claims to have written great works of literature and also refers to himself as "His Excellency". However, it is his false identity which drives him to "insanity". Greed and power makes him cross the limit while pretending to be the government inspector. Gogol has created this character to stand out amongst others. He owes loyalty to none and has an air about him. His extravagant talks and exaggerated praise of himself add not only to his insanity but also to the humour of the play. Just like Fo, Gogol has succeeded in creating a character which will stay in the minds of the audiences for a long time after they have watched the