The Accidental Death of an Anarchist and The Government Inspector

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Recommended: Theme of insanity in literature

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.

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