How Does Act 1 Prepare the Audience for the Rest of the Play?

The audience's introduction to the inspector immediately sets suspicion in their minds as the inspector arrives just as Mr Birling is telling Eric and Gerald "...a man has to mind his own business after himself and his own and..." This is where the inspector rings the doorbell and Mr Birling is cut off. This is of great importance in the story as when you hear what the inspector has to say and his opinions on life you realise the importance of his entry. Throughout Act 1 the inspector is contradicting Mr Birling and answering him back. He does not Act as the stereotype of an inspector in those times would. He doesn't take into account that Mr Birling was lord mayor once. He ignores it whenever any body mentions it too him. From the way the inspector's speech has been written it entices the audience to think that he is a socialist.

The next main character in this Act that the audience is introduced to is Sheila Birling. One of the first impressions that the audience gets from Sheila is that she is very spoilt but is very much under her mother, as her mother controls most of what Sheila does. Sheila's relationship to Eva Smith is the second to be released to the audience. Although there is a dramatic change in Sheila's attitude you still see glimpses of the change after she hears about the death not when she finds out what she has done to help it. "...but these girls aren't cheap labour- they're people..." This is the first change in attitude that the audience probably notices. When she realises that Eva Smith was the girl that she had got fired from Milwards out of spite and jealousy, she starts to blames the death on herself. This is when she starts listening to what the inspector has to say and understands it.

Gerald's story is left in a cliff-hanger at the end of Act1. We know that he knew Eva Smith as when her second identity Daisy Renton was introduced he immediately gives himself away when he says "what" in a startled voice. He tries to cover this up with Sheila when the inspector and Eric have left but in the end gives in. We find out that Gerald was with Daisy during the time that Sheila mentions in the start of the play, when Gerald hardly came next to her.

The audience also find out the theme of the play from Act 1. Although they may start to think that the genre is a romance from the start when they are celebrating Gerald and Sheila's engagement. It is soon revealed that the play is a murder mystery.

This Act also sets questions into the audience's mind, which are answered in the rest of the play. Some of the questions that arise are; who is responsible? Which characters are involved? These two questions are partly answered in Act 1 and completely answered by the end of the play. Was it suicide or Murder? This question is left to the audience's opinion as they can interpret the information from which ever way they feel. And the last question left in the audiences mind at the end of Act 1 is, what is Gerald hiding? This is left as a cliff-hanger in act 1 but the audience somehow knows that this will be the next question to be answered as the inspector comes in right at the end of the act and says "well?" This leaves the audience knowing that their question will be answered in the next act. Priestley does this through the character's speech, body language, facial expressions, and the tone of voice used. An example of this form the play is, "(he looks at Gerald, then at Eric, then at Sheila) ...are you suggesting that one of them knows about this girl..." Another example of this is when he does not let any one of them look at the photograph at the same time.

Therefore in conclusion Act 1 prepares the audience for the character's attitudes and changes in their attitudes. The audience is also prepared when J.B Priestley gives the foundation to the death of Eva Smith. It also sets questions into the audience's mind that are waiting to be answered throughout the play. And eventually they are answered. These questions are the foundation for suspicion in the following Acts. Also by Priestley leaving Act 1 on a cliff-hanger it entices the audience to carry on watching, once again this sets suspicion. The plot is developed through the play and all questions are answered barring one! This is was it suicide or murder? This question is left for the audience to decide and is not answered by the storyline.