Priestley’s use of scenery can amplify the tension. In Priestley’s stage directions he mentions how the scenery should be set in Act 1. He indicates:
“The dining room of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer. It has good solid furniture of the period. The general effect is substantial and heavily comfortable.”
This shows how the scenery will seem warm and safe giving an impression of security, but if a play seems to be going well at the beginning it generally won’t be at the end. This increases the tension, as the audience will want to watch on to see the fate of the family.
Prior to the Inspector coming, Sheila hints at the family’s guilt. She talks about a time when she was away from Gerald as he was “at work.” She says: “Except for last summer, when you never came near me.”
This hints at Gerald’s guilt in the actions that will take place and creates dramatic tension as we feel an argument may be brewing, as if she was accusing him if cheating on her, but the argument is quickly put down by Mrs Birling. We now feel that Gerald maybe isn’t the respectable businessman that we once thought him to be.
Another key dramatic device Priestley uses to increase dramatic tension is the social context he uses. Priestley talks about failed projects such as the Titanic and the Fist World War. When talking about the Titanic he mentions “absolutely unsinkable” and when talking about war Birling says:”Nobody wants war.”
The Titanic sank in 1912 and war began in 1914. Both were key events in British History and could be metaphors for the family. The Titanic sank like the morale of the family when the Inspector arrived and War destroyed Germany like the Inspector’s allegations. This creates dramatic tension, as a contemporary audience knows how these events happened and ended in destruction.
Priestley then focuses his attention on the in-script stage directions. In-script stage directions are adverbs to tell the actor how to say the text. This can be slowly or quickly, loud or soft. We find out the Inspector is coming due to a “sharp” ring of the doorbell. Everyone, especially Eric, becomes uneasy and Mr Birling becomes rather angry. Priestley writes;
Eric (who is uneasy, sharply) and
Birling (sharply, staring at him)
This increases the tension as the audience notices this change in the characters speech. The audience has noticed how the characters have begun to rush and worry. This could mean that they know the Inspector is coming to question them and they are showing their guilt.
Upon arrival, the Inspector creates an impression of being massive, solidity and purposefulness. This was particularly impressive in the version we saw at the Bradford Alhambra when, as Edna announced “Inspector Goole,” the Inspector appeared in a plain, old-fashioned darkish suit, he spoke carefully and when he questioned the characters he used a sharp, booming voice.
This makes the audience feel as if the Inspector knows more about the family than he shows. He seems to be powerful and although he wasn’t a tall man, he seemed frightening. The fact that Edna announced his arrival sent chills down the audience’s spine as the tension enlarged.
To further increase the tension, Priestley writes more about the stage directions. From the script and the play we have seen, it can be said that the stage directions have a bearing on the pace. As the Inspector cuts in “massively,” we noticed a change in speed. Birling would try to deter the Inspector from his questions by mentioning that he played golf with Colonel Roberts. The Inspector regains his “one line of questioning at a time” by saying that he never wanted to play golf. This sparks an argument, practically over nothing as their tones become more aggressive and their speed increases.
The tension is now at a high level and a real argument could brew at any time. The fact that Eric aids the Inspector increases the tension further.
Finally, Priestley uses the Inspector’s entrance to bring the tension to boiling point. Priestley leaves the Act with the Inspector saying: “Well?”
This has now exploded the tension for Act 1 and it is just after Gerald has admitted hid relationship to Daisy Renton and he thinks he can keep it from the Inspector. The “Well?” increases the tension as it could mean that the Inspector knows of Gerald’s guilt as it is perfectly timed, just after Gerald had admitted his guilt in the poor girl’s death. It could also mean that the Inspector knows that the family are holding something back and he is signalling for them to tell him. He could just as well have said “So?” but “Well?” is a longer word which could mean that he knows more than they think.
In conclusion, the tension gradually increases throughout the Act as soon as the Inspector arrives. The Inspector brings dramatic devices such as the stage directions changing to make the characters uneasy and angry. His entrance creates tension as he leaves the Act with an intriguing “Well?”
