Dramatic Irony: The Story
After realizing what has happened with the mistaken identity, the Mayor moans, "And as if it's not bad enough being a laughingstock already, along will come some hack, some miserable pen-pusher, and stick us in a comedy" (204). This is a fantastic piece of irony (and meta-narrative strategy) on Gogol's part since this is exactly what he did! The Government Inspector is, indeed, a story of these buffoons.
Situational Irony: A Non-communicative Doctor
The civil servants hear that a government inspector is coming and promptly begin to worry about their institutions and decide how they will gussy them up to put on a good show. The Warden of Charities talks about thinning out the patients and how the strategy is just to let nature take its course. He also adds, "Besides, Dr. Huebner can't make himself understood to the patients, as he can't speak a word of Russian" (221). This is a delightfully ironic thing to say: Why wouldn't a doctor be able to communicate with his patients? Why doesn't he speak Russian? How can he even do his job?
Verbal/Situational Irony: Constable Prokhorov
The Chief of Police explains to the Mayor why one of the constables is not currently present: "There was a brawl outside town yesterday and he went to restore order—and he came back plastered" (231). The way the actor delivers the line may have verbal irony, but at the very least, there is situational irony present. A constable is supposed to behave properly and enforce the law, not behave dissolutely and shirk his duties. This is yet another example of how the civil servants of the town are self-interested and inept.
Dramatic Irony: Mayor and Khlestakov
The first conversation between the Mayor and Khlestakov, which takes place at the inn, is a deeply ironic scene. The audience knows that the Mayor is a corrupt and inept official, that he is deeply afraid of the putative government inspector, and that, of course, Khlestakov is not that inspector. As both men try to navigate this conversation, it is rife with amusement for the audience. The Mayor tries to seem puissant; Khlestakov tries to be imperious to cover up his sense of wrongdoing; and all of this is pure, cutting comedy.
