The Dynamics of Identity and Insanity in “the Accidental Death of an Anarchist and the Government Inspector

In the plays “The Accidental Death of an Anarchist” written by Dario Fo, and “The Government Inspector”, written by Nikolai Gogol, ‘identity’ and ‘insanity’ play vital roles. The Maniac, who is the protagonist of “The Accidental Death of An Anarchist”, is seen changing his identity throughout the play, pretending to be various other people. Khlestakov, the protagonist of “The Government Inspector” lands in the position of being an inspector by chance, and throughout the play he thoroughly exploits this opportunity by making the most of this particular identity. It is this characteristic of both protagonists that drives the audience to a point where they may start doubting the sanity of these two characters. These two ‘ingredients’ of insanity and identity have been blended with perfection and the audiences appreciate both plays, their motives and the impeccable characterization.

Identity is also the set of characteristics that somebody recognizes as belonging uniquely to himself or herself and constituting his or her individual personality for life. The protagonist of “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” is the Maniac. As the name suggests, his character is most often considered to be “insane” by the audience. The primary reason for this is that he assumes multiple identities throughout the play. He adapts characteristics of different people in different occupations.

Maniac:” It’s more of a hobby, really- playing other people. I’ll do anybody!”

At the very beginning of the play the audience is familiarized with the Maniac’s “hobby”, as he is being interrogated by Bertozzo. The Maniac is perceived as a quick-witted person but also very nosey. His curiosity is what instigates him to take up other identities. When he is in Bertozzo’s office and he reads a report that the case of the Anarchist’s death is being investigated, he decides to become the judge that everyone is expecting. The audience can relate to his character as we often find ourselves being inquisitive and intuitive to quench our thirst for knowledge.

Dario Fo, however, had an ulterior motive. 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 inspector.

“Bobchinsky: Yes, Sir, that’s him. That’s the Official!

Mayor: What official?

Bobchinsky: The Official! The one you received a warning about: The government inspector.

However, as they start to bribe him and treat him as if he were royalty, he decides to play along and make the most of it. He is glad to adapt to his new identity and exploits the situation. He is lured into this false identity by his greed. Even when he is pretending to be the government inspector he is still being greedy.

“Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be”-Kurt Vonnegut.

It can be observed that the Maniac as well as Khlestakov are both paradigms of basic human traits such as greed and curiosity leading to false identity.

Nikolai Gogol, like Fo had a hidden motive behind the changing identity of Khlestakov. He has created the character of Khlestakov to fulfill the purpose of exposing the corrupt nature of local administration. As, the officials thought he was the government inspector they tried to bribe him and the audience was made aware of their deceitful nature. He has chosen to give Khlestakov the false identity of a government inspector so that he can unravel the truth, which was the obvious motive of Dario Fo as well.

Maniac: “Yes, if I were a sane