The arrival of Inspector Goole is a key moment in Act One, and is magnified by Preistley’s use of a dramatic change of lighting. The lighting up to that point had been soft, gentle and intimate, reflecting the mood around the table. Everybody was in high spirits and celebratory of the engagement, despite the fact that Birling saw it as his latest business venture instead of a romantic occasion. However, when the Inspector arrives, the lighting is much more bright and harsh. The mood intensifies and it is almost like the Birlings were now under the spotlight, and the interrogation was about to begin. It also links to the saying “shine a light in my eyes”, when a person is under immense scrutiny or they are being probed for information. The timing of his arrival itself poses a few questions - Arthur Birling is interrupted in the middle of a boastful, heroic speech, abundant in double standards and selfish remarks, in which he reiterates the point of capitalism and looking after oneself instead of “community and all that nonsense” It is then that there is a sharp ring of the door bell, and as the situation unravels, its clear that the Inspector has interrupted a speech which is the exact reason for his visit.
Another dramatic device that Priestley uses to great affect are the stage directions. There are a lot more than you’d usually expect to see in a play, and they are very frequent and detailed. Priestley often indicates what tone a line should be spoken in, glances between characters, or small actions such as pouring some more port or even smiling. This really helps the reader to envision the scenario as Priestley intended it, and in particular the beginning page of directions that elaborately describes the room and the characters in it. It also helps Priestly to convey some of his own concerns and opinions, and he almost hyperbolises the characters and their mannerisms, to portray an extreme case of an ignorant family. Priestly doesn’t leave any room for the characters to be seen in any other way, he makes his directions so precise and absolute that there can be no mistake about the moralist issues raised, and the clear problems in that society. The audience and the reader almost sit watching on another level, the Birlings actions and pompous remarks are incomprehensible to an audience who have lived through two World Wars, and now live in a much more equal and communistic society. The Inspector acts as an embodiment of these thoughts and criminations, and a patron of justice.
Dramatic irony is apparent throughout Act One, and it is available in abundance because of the time setting of the play, and when it was viewed. In 1912 England was on the brink of numerous changes and historical events. The audience is well aware of these, but the Birlings are not, and they waffle on blindly, uttering infinite musings of British capitalism, incredulous industrialisation and movements of their society. “You’ll hear some people say that war’s inevitable. And to that I say – fiddlesticks!” Little did they know that in a very short space of time all of that was going to be abandoned in a state of desperation as the country descended into the “war to end all wars” Priestley utilizes this particularly in Act One, and in fact the majority of words that come out of Arthur Birling’s mouth are ironic in retrospect. He and the audience become one in laughing at their stupidity, but feeling a twang of pity for a family who, however selfish, have no idea of the horrors to come. Some of the audience may also be able to relate to a similar scenario, being so conceited and ignorant. “We’re in for a time of steadily increasing prosperity” is an idea that is echoed throughout the play. One positive moral message that Priestley communicates through this play, is that through all the disasters that passed in those few decades, at least the country has pulled itself together, and is rid of a lot of the double standards and inequality that existed in the time of the play. The audience of 1945 may have forgotten just how dire the treatment of women was, and whilst laughing at the irony of the play, they will also be glad that scenarios like those do not present themselves anymore.
Frequent irony is also displayed in Act One in the timely entrances and exits of the characters. Priestly uses this as another device to further plot and send subtle hints to us about how the play is going to develop. For example, Arthur Birling and Gerald Croft, the two “hard-headed practical business men” amongst the clan, are talking blissfully about Birling’s knighthood, when Eric returns after this line from Arthur Birling, “We’ll try to keep out of trouble during the next few months” This, in retrospect, is obviously ironic, as a few minutes later the Inspector arrives, to inform them that they are all in fact in a great deal of trouble. This occurs again when, during an enquiry about Eva Smith living on the streets, Sheila returns, a prime example of a young girl on the other end of the spectrum, basking happily in the comfort of her Daddy’s house with a prosperous businessman ready to take her as his bride. The frequent entrances and exits of the characters help to keep the audience following the plot. If all the characters were sat in the same room for the entire play, it would get rather monotonous and the audience might get lost. The entrances and exits break the play up, changing the mood and the tone at regular intervals. It also gives the audience clues as to what’s about to happen – when Sheila enters Sheila gets interrogated, when Mrs Birling enters, so does she.
As the play transpires, it becomes apparent to the audience that Priestley has carefully chosen the names of the key characters, and that they divulge hidden meanings and motives behind those particular characters, and the entire play. Inspector “Goole” at first appears to be an ordinary inspector investigating a crime, however throughout the play, sequences of peculiar behaviour from the inspector arouses suspicions in the audience that he isn’t, and this culminates in the revelation at the end of the book. The Birlings are left baffled, and they, and the audience, are left wondering who or what the Inspector was. There is a blinding clue in his title – Goole resembles Ghoul and is pronounced in the same way, leading us to the conclusion that the Inspector wasn’t real at all, and was almost like a ghost visiting from another time, to teach the deserving Birlings a moral lesson. The name Eva Smith also seems to hold hidden meanings. When the Birlings are exposed to the acts they have done, it is obvious that these acts are not a one off. They must do similar things to people every other day, never considering the consequences or how it might affect the person in question. I think that Eva Smith is a created character, used to illustrate how these seemingly insignificant actions can affect someone so deeply, and ultimately to illustrate the Birlings blind ignorance. The name Eva Smith is quite a common name, just as the name John Smith is used regularly to describe your standard, ordinary man, I believe Eva Smith is used with the same intention. The character Eva Smith is just a manifestation of all the wrongdoings the Birlings have done, representative of the hundreds of people who have fallen prey to the Birlings selfish behaviour.
There is an air of mystery about the entire play, and Priestly cleverly keeps the identities of the two most absorbing and intriguing characters reserved. Inspector Goole never really introduces himself, and he greets any personal questions from the Birlings with a haughty remark, something that astonishes them. “He never seemed like an ordinary police inspector”, his omniscient demeanour and judgemental approach makes them doubt his legitimacy, and although the Birlings would not voice such outlandish musings, the audience is led to think that the Inspector was possibly supernatural, or a ghost. The Inspector’s intention was never to arrest them, none of them had done anything particularly unlawful or criminal, it was moral punishment that the Inspector sought. One idea is that the Inspector was Eva Smith’s unborn child, come back to teach them a lesson, and acquire justice for his pitiable mother. The Inspector did seem to encourage standards and democracy from another time, a few decades later, and he could be seen as a time-travelling Nemesis, causing misery amongst deserving families, as the Birlings were. It was never a normal interrogation, the Inspector just provided simple questions, and the Birlings filled in the rest for themselves and realized their own misconducts. It was if they all knew they had done wrong, they all had something on their conscience, and they just needed a nudge to admit it. In this way, the Inspector could also be a seen as a voice of all their consciences combined, guiltily confessing to all their wrongdoings. Priestley creates similar mystery around Eva Smith. He builds up tension, and there becomes almost this taboo around her name, as their guilt and pity grows. Priestly also makes it very dramatic and unsettling, as they retraced her last movements and see how each of them had intervened at one point, it almost becomes a murder investigation. The audience is kept absorbed, as it seems the incidents become worse as the play prevails.
In conclusion, Priestley entwines multiple dramatic techniques and devices to make An Inspector Calls a gripping and ethical play, exploring moral standards and people’s tendency to be blindingly ignorant and selfish, often at other’s expense. It is a moral tale, and the Inspector acts as the embodiment of justice, teaching us all that even seemingly insignificant actions can have detrimental effects. Priestley uses dramatic irony in great abundance, as it engages the audience and allows them to laugh a little at the ignorance and naivety that infested England at that time. Priestley also uses the benefits of a theatrical production, and uses the lighting, exits, entrances and stage directions to further plot and reveal more about characters, and underlying themes of the play.
