The lighting is ‘pink and intimate’, giving a calm effect which suggests the family is in a happy unit and they are close, safe and secure household.
Birling feels that the engagement of his daughter and Mr Croft is a good business opportunity.
‘Perhaps we may look forward to the time the Birlings and the Crofts are no longer competing but are working together – for lower costs and higher prices.’
Arthur Birling had a very selfish attitude towards him which makes the audience dislike him.
At the beginning of the play we learn that Gerald and Sheila are not the happiest because Sheila had her suspicions about Gerald being away so much last summer.
‘Accept for all of last summer when you never came near me’
So now the audience is wondering where Gerald was all of last summer, it gives the impression that this family isn’t all it seems.
Priestley wants us to dislike Birling because he is showing the old ways of society and wants us to know it’s important not to change back.
Mrs Birling and Shelia exit and take Eric with them, he is a little drunk, and this leaves Mr Birling and Gerald to talk. Birling tells him that he thinks he will get knighthood. He makes a joke out of it being safe, as long as the family don’t it trouble Gerald says;
‘You seem to be a nice well behaved family.’
Eric then comes back on stage and he wants to know what his father and Gerald are laughing about, at one point Eric says; ‘Yes I remember’
But then pauses and is suddenly confused with what he is saying. This is an impact on the audience because they are thinking about why he has stopped talking. This is using a dramatic device and explains why he has stopped.
Birling begins to lecture Gerald and Eric about his view on life.
‘That a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own – and-‘
Birling is interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. This is a dramatic device because Birling was interrupted in the middle of his speech and someone has come to the door in the late hours of the night. This makes the audience wonder.
An inspector enters the dining room, the lighting and the atmosphere changes. The lights are brightened and you can see everyone’s face clearly.
Mr Birling speaks in a manner to the inspector of power and control. He offers the inspector a drink of port, the inspector refuses and explains he’s on duty.
‘No thank you Mr Birling, I’m on duty.’
Mr Birling is trying to show his power by trying to intimidate him and boasting about being lord mayor for two years running, and that he knows the police very well.
‘I know the Brumley police very well.’
The inspector isn’t very intimidated; he then mentions the name Eva Smith. At first Mr Birling doesn’t recognise the name, he thinks about where he has heard it from. ‘Eva Smith?’
The inspector decides to show Birling a picture of Eva knowing that he will remember her from that. Eric then asks to look at the photo, the inspector refuses, and this is to get control over the family. This builds up more tension for the audience; they would be wondering why he can’t show Eric the photo, this is another dramatic device by Priestley to create mystery and suspense.
The inspector now feels in control and knows he can get the family to confess to everything he’s trying to find out.
‘I think you remember Eva Smith now don’t you, Mr Birling.’
The Birlings aren’t used to anybody having power and authority over them.
Eric then goes to get another drink; this is making the audience think he is an alcoholic, which later in the play we discover is true. This is telling us that the family has another problem and aren’t what they first looked out to be, and their family relationship isn’t as strong as they made out it was.
Birling then tells the inspector about his involvement with Eva. This makes Mr Birling look like a Mr know it all person. He tells the inspector how he refused when then employees asked for pay rise and then sacked them all.
‘Rubbish, if you don’t come down sharply on some of these people they’ll soon be asking for the earth.’
The inspector seems to talk as if he is sure of himself. His name ‘Goole’ is used because it is a name that hasn’t been heard before giving a mysterious affect to the play.
Sheila enters the room again, the inspector describes the death of Eva Smith and how she drank disinfectant to kill herself, and Sheila feels depressed about this and feels part of the blame.
‘Sorry! I just can’t help thinking about this girl – destroying herself so horribly’
Mr Birling try’s to protect Sheila from the details of Eva’s death. There is such a big difference between Sheila and Eva’s lives: Sheila has everything and Eva has nothing and has to work for her under paid wages.
The inspector starts to explain a story that happened at Milwards which involves her loosing her job there, Sheila then hesitates.
‘What did this girl look like?’
The inspector showed Sheila a picture and she takes a look and runs out of the room with a cry. This makes the audience wonder what involvement Sheila had with this unfortunate event.
Gerald asks to look at the photo again, but the inspector refuses once again, this makes the inspector have even more control over the family.
Sheila re-enters the room and tells her part of the story, and says that she feels part the blame of Eva’s death. Sheila feels horrible that she used her power to punish the lower class.
‘It’s the only time I have ever done that and I am never going to do it to anybody ever again.’
The audience feel that she has done something very bad for the way she is feeling and saying how much she won’t ever do it again.
The inspector mentions the name Daisy Renton, Gerald is sort of scared that he has heard the name again. So he gets up and makes himself a drink, this suggests that he is hiding something.
The inspector and Eric exit the room, this leaves Sheila and Gerald to talk alone. Sheila has a change of heart and decides to question Gerald about this, who is trying to deny any relation to the girl.
‘All right I know her, let’s leave it at that.’
Gerald then decides to tell Sheila the truth about what happened when he was away all summer, that he was having an affair with Daisy, he tries to convince Sheila not to tell the inspector but she think that he already knows.
‘You fool – he knows, of course he knows.’
Sheila responds to all of this with a load of questions, and she now knows herself that she’s got a lot to think about and learn in her family, and that the inspector is teaching them all a lesson.
The inspector comes back into the room, he says just one word this makes it a dramatic ending to Act one.
‘Well?’
We have learnt a great deal about the Birling family that they have a lot to learn about each other and not jus to sweep everything under the carpet.
