How does Priestley create drama and tension in 'An Inspector Calls'?
J.B.Priestley wrote 'An Inspector Calls' because he wanted to write something that people would be suspicious about and which would lure them into reading further. He also thought about the theme, the setting, the characters and exploring the wonders of the play.
The wonders of the play are: Suspicious, exciting with a small amount of action which persuades the reader to continue to read on throughout the play.
We know the historical setting of the play. 'An Inspector Calls' is set in 1912, when the Titanic left England for America heading towards New York. Mr.Birling talks about this event and he says that:
"The Titanic, she sails next week - forty six thousand, eight hundred tons -New York in five days - and every luxury - and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable."
We can see here in Mr.Birling's speech that he is using dramatic irony as we know already that the Titanic did indeed sink.
J.B.Priestley creates drama and tension through his characters. At the beginning of the play, Arthur Birling is a happy, family man who feels in control and whose future looks good. Birling likes to be in control, is a public figure in the town of Brumley, and is obsessed with his status in the community. We can see how Priestley builds up drama and tension in the character of Birling as throughout the play he becomes terrified when his good name is threatened and even offers a bribe to avoid the scandal.
Drama and tension build up as we see Eric turning disloyal as a son and an employee and even Sheila turns against her father due to his refusal to accept responsibility for his actions. Throughout the play, The Inspector rattles Birling and shows him to be a very, shallow man.
J.B.Priestley builds up tension between Birling and the Inspector in a number of ways: Birling wants the Inspector to behave according to the rules of his own narrow world. For example: Birling offers him a glass of port. He refuses. Birling says he plays golf. He says: "I don't play golf". Birling brags about his office. He ignores Birling.
The drama between the two men develops as the Inspector contradicts Birling, forces him to let Eric have a drink, and tells him sharply to be quiet when Birling tries to shut Eric up.
In the character ...
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J.B.Priestley builds up tension between Birling and the Inspector in a number of ways: Birling wants the Inspector to behave according to the rules of his own narrow world. For example: Birling offers him a glass of port. He refuses. Birling says he plays golf. He says: "I don't play golf". Birling brags about his office. He ignores Birling.
The drama between the two men develops as the Inspector contradicts Birling, forces him to let Eric have a drink, and tells him sharply to be quiet when Birling tries to shut Eric up.
In the character of Sybil Birling, Priestley builds up tension by the relationship between Sybil and Arthur.
The stage directions show us that she is Arthur's social superior. For example: Sybil criticizes Arthur for going on too long in his speech about the state of the world:
Mrs.B: Arthur!
(As Mrs.Birling shows signs of interrupting)
Birling: Yes my dear, I know I'm talking too much.
Sybil spends time telling the others off and telling them that they are not behaving appropriately. For example: She reminds Eric to raise his glass at the right time:
Mrs.B: Eric!
Eric: (rather noisily) All the best!
This shows a build up in tension between Sybil and Eric. Sybil also tells Sheila off and seems to dominate Arthur. We can see tension between Sybil and her children. For example: She doesn't notice Eric's problems or alcoholism and isn't very kind to Sheila as she comments that her new husband will be absent from home and at work all the time.
The character of Sybil shows itself throughout the play as stubborn. Cold-hearted, prejudiced, uncooperative, and a snob. We can see how, through the character of Sybil and her behaviour to others, Priestley builds up drama and tension. Sybil dismisses Eva/Daisy as a lower class, morally inferior person whereas her own daughter is unpleasant and her son is an alcoholic who uses prostitutes and steals money from work.
Sybil does not like the Inspector finding him rude and assertive. Sybil speaks to the Inspector as if he is of a lower class than her:
Mrs.B: (haughtily) I beg your pardon!
We see in Act Two, Sheila tries to warn Sybil how to behave towards the Inspector and tension builds throughout the beginning of this act as Sybil is uncooperative with the Inspector, gets trapped by him and yet doesn't seem to change at all.
Sheila Birling is quite a sympathetic character. Although she was jealous and vain in Milwards, we can see that this is not her usual behaviour. Sheila is moral and capable of feeling. When Sheila sees the photograph of Eva Smith, the stage direction creates drama as:
" She looks at it closely, recognizes it with a little cry, gives a half-stifled sob, and then runs out."
From the start of the exchange between the Inspector, Sheila and Birling regarding the plight of Eva from the time she was sacked by Birling and Co, Priestley builds up drama wit both the audience and Sheila learning about what a hard life Eva and girls like her in those days had. We feel sorry for Eva and cross with Birling. We feel sympathy with the character of Sheila and respect her throughout the end of the play as she grows stronger, stands up to her father and Gerald, and breaks up the engagement. Just as Sheila is lively, excitable, moral, emotional, and able to change, so we as the audience find these characteristics in ourselves. Like the Inspector, Sheila moves the discussion on quickly throughout Act Two and Act Three. At times, this can startle the audience which can help to develop tension. For example:
Sheila: And if you're not telling the truth, why should the Inspector apologise? And can't you see, both of you, you're making it worse."
She turns away. We hear the front door slam again.
At times, the stage directions have her "bursting in", "horrified", "bitterly", "with sudden alarm" and "distressed", all within a couple of pages of script towards the end of Act Two.
Eric Birling is a very unsympathetic character. He is nervous, unloved, unstable, irresponsible, and inappropriate. He interrupts Sheila and Gerald when he "suddenly guffaws", he's quite "noisy" when he tells Gerald that Sheila's got a temper and he's in an "excitable, silly mood". Eric knows that his father's knighthood could be in jeopardy due to Eric's behaviour and acts "suspiciously and seriously". Throughout the play, we see Eric's having guilty secrets, and not being loved very much by the others. However, through the actions of Gerald and Alderman Meggarty, who also use prostitutes, we see that Eric only acts like a lot of middle-class men in those days.
In Act Three, the Inspector fires questions at Eric like bullets from a gun: "Where did you meet her; What happened then; Was she drunk; Why had she gone there;" and so on. This style of questioning creates a build up of tension within the play. Eventually, we see Eric as both the villain and the victim.
Ultimately, the audience forgives Eric as he seems to recognize his mistakes and take responsibility for them:
"The fact remains that I did, what I did".
The build up in Act Three with Eric:
"You don't understand anything. You never did. You never even tried" seems like the angriest moment in the play.
It is here that the Inspector talks about all of us being
"Members of one body".
In his final speech, he shows us a world which is not capitalist, but is socialist. This speech shows Priestley getting across a Christian message too.
Each character has a role to play in the drama and as we have seen, Priestley presents them in a way which fulfills that role.
Gerald is like a mini-Arthur. Priestley wants us to see that anyone of any age can be close-minded. Gerald is naïve, insensitive, and shallow. The Inspector says to Gerald:
"You think young women ought to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing things?"
Gerald says yes, thinking of Sheila. But it's people like Gerald who are doing the unpleasant and disturbing things to women like Eva/Daisy.
Through the stage directions, we see Gerald speaking at times steadily, gravely, and in a low, troubled tone. The Inspector isn't too harsh on Gerald and while the audience knows that Gerald went out looking for a prostitute, they also see that he:" had some affection for her and made her happy for a time". He had a personal relationship with her. However, Gerald does not learn anything and seems to simply expect to be forgiven. The purpose of the character of Gerald Croft seems to be not so much to create drama and tension in the play, but to show how narrow-minded people in all generations can be.
Priestley has presented his themes in a variety of ways and through a number of dramatic techniques: the speeches in the play, the language and use of imagery, the setting and stage directions and the actions and interactions of the characters. The Inspector challenges the characters beliefs and moral behaviour while through these including the use of drama and tension throughout the play; he challenges the audience's behaviour and beliefs.
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