Play on Words

full length · satire

The Inspector-General

by Nikolai Gogol

21 roles (17M / 4F) · approx 146–201 minutes · 5 acts

Royalty-free Public domain — free to read, perform, and adapt. No licence needed.

Characters

Khlestakov lead 234 speeches
Governor lead 171 speeches
Anna supporting 87 speeches
Artemy supporting 48 speeches
Osip supporting 46 speeches
Ammos minor 43 speeches
Marya minor 43 speeches
Postmaster minor 40 speeches
Dobchinsky minor 38 speeches
Bobchinsky minor 37 speeches
Servant minor 25 speeches
Luka minor 21 speeches
Merchants minor 12 speeches
Korobkin minor 11 speeches
Mishka minor 9 speeches
Captain minor 7 speeches
Widow minor 6 speeches
All minor 5 speeches
Judge minor 5 speeches
Svistunov minor 4 speeches
Postilion minor 4 speeches
Korobkin'S Wife minor 4 speeches
Luka Lukich minor 3 speeches

Read the play

Khlestakov. [alone] My, there are a lot of officials here. They seem to be taking me for a government functionary. To be sure, I threw dust in their eyes yesterday. What a bunch of fools! I'll write all about it to Triapichkin in St. Petersburg. He'll write them up in the papers. Let him give them a nice walloping.--Ho, Osip, give me paper and ink.

Osip. [looking in at the door] D'rectly.

Khlestakov. Anybody gets caught in Triapichkin's tongue had better look out. For the sake of a witticism he wouldn't spare his own father. They are good people though, these officials. It's a nice trait of theirs to lend me money. I'll just see how much it all mounts up to. Here's three hundred from the Judge and three hundred from the Postmaster--six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred--What a greasy bill!--Eight hundred, nine hundred.--Oho! Rolls up to more than a thousand! Now, if I get you, captain, now! We'll see who'll do whom!

Monologues from this play