Khlestakov

E535121

Khlestakov is the vain, opportunistic young civil servant who is mistakenly taken for a powerful inspector in Nikolai Gogol’s satirical play "The Government Inspector."

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Statements (43)

Predicate Object
instanceOf dramatic character
fictional character
literary character
appearsIn The Government Inspector NERFINISHED
associatedWithTheme abuse of power
bureaucracy
corruption
deception
misidentification
social satire
vanity
characterTrait cowardly
imaginative braggart
impressionable
opportunistic
vain
createdBy Nikolai Gogol NERFINISHED
exposes moral bankruptcy of local officials
firstAppearanceDate 1836
firstAppearancePlace Russian Empire NERFINISHED
genreOfWork political satire
satirical comedy
influencedBy Russian imperial bureaucracy
inspiredAdaptations film adaptations of The Government Inspector
stage productions of The Government Inspector
television adaptations of The Government Inspector
languageOfWork Russian
literaryPeriod 19th-century Russian literature
literarySignificance archetype of the accidental impostor
iconic figure of mistaken identity in Russian drama
mistakenFor government inspector
powerful state official
narrativeFunction catalyst for exposing provincial corruption
nationality Russian
occupation civil servant
receivesFromOthers bribes
flattery
relationship guest of the town governor
roleInWork protagonist
title character’s mistaken identity
settingOfActivity provincial Russian town
symbolizes hollowness of social status
power of illusion in politics

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Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.