These points create drama and tension for the audience by making the audience want to know what all of the characters know about Eva Smith all at once instead of only knowing what the characters know when they are questioned one at a time and only hearing what the Inspector allows to be revealed.
This play is full of dramatic irony for example in Mr Birlings speech, he speaks of the titanic being unsinkable and world war one not happening, as this play was written in 1945 the audience knew that the titanic had sank and world war one and world war two had happened. This portrays that the way of thinking in 1912 was that the world was improving and nothing would go wrong. Also in 1912 there was a male dominated hierarchal society so men were more in charge and women like Eva could be employed as cheap labour for business men an example of this is when Mr Birling says “there’ll be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere” this shows that there isn’t peace and prosperity everywhere at this time for example women being used as cheap labour.
The secrets that the family have kept from one another, over the period of time that the play is set, plays a big part in creating drama and tension. For example, when it is discovered that Mr Birling had sacked Eva Smith from her job, the rest of the family think that she was unfairly sacked by Mr birling, this is shown when Eric says “why shouldn’t they try for higher wages…...why she should have been sacked……you said yourself she was a good worker” (act1) but if the rest of the family had known about it, or heard about it in some way from Mr Birling first other than hearing it when the inspector got it out of him in a confession then it would have been more likely that the rest of his family wouldn’t have thought so badly of him for sacking her. This creates tension by for the audience because it is another piece of information that they have to wait for to be revealed, this only creates tension for the audience after the inspector has given the impression that he thinks everybody knows something about Eva Smiths death.
The change of lighting affects suspense by becoming brighter and harder when the inspector arrives this shows how the inspector changes the contented family atmosphere as before the inspector arrives the lighting is pink and intimate this creates drama and tension by giving the impression that after the lighting changes everything in the play is about to change which it does. The inspector also changes the contented family atmosphere by his presence there and his cool tone with everybody this changes all of them from relaxed and happy to surprised, impatient or angry. Inspector Goole gives an impression massiveness, solidity and purposefulness, as each of the other characters break down he remains solid, this makes the characters believe that he already knows the answer to what he is questioning what he is questioning them about an example of this is after Sheila recognised Eva smith from the photo and re-enters the room and says “you knew it was me all the time didn’t you?” (act1) and the inspector replies “I had an idea it might be” (act1), The inspector’s timing is very precise for he arrived just after Mr Birling has finished his speech about every man must look after himself and then the inspector enters and his views are entirely different, his views are that everybody should take responsibility for how they affect the lives of other people and that the world is a community where everyone should be helping each other.
The cliff hangers at the end of each act are always after the characters have revealed something new but it still keeps the audience in suspense because it leaves the inspector to start asking some more questions to the characters for example when Gerald and Sheila have been discussing how Gerald knew Eva smith as daisy Renton and the inspector returns and says “well?”, This shows the inspector knows Gerald had something to do with daisy Renton but he has yet to find out, which he does in the next act. The cliff-hangers keep the audience in suspense because they are at the end of an act and create the feeling that there is something more to find out in the next act.
The cliff-hangers relate to the twist at the end of the play because it leaves the audience thinking about the whole play and trying to make sense of it, Inspector Goole’s name alone suggests that something may be going on that is if the audience knew that Goole is a seaport town this may suggest that something “fishy” is going on or that he will be fishing for the facts of Eva’s death. Also Goole sounds like ghoul which is a spirit which is said to take fresh life from corpses and he is only there because Eva has died. The twist at the end adds suspense and more drama and tension to the end of the play by making the audience want to know what happens to the characters after the play has finished.
