Another dramatic device is the change of lighting as the inspector arrives. At the beginning of the play, during the celebration of Sheila and Gerald’s engagement, the lighting is ‘pink and intimate’ creating a soft, inviting environment. This would construct a light-hearted approach to the audience and oppose no upcoming threat. However, on the arrival of the inspector the lighting is dramatically changed to a hard and brighter tone, building anticipation and suspense as the audience’s curiosity is raised. This gives the audience some awareness as to what the inspector is there for and has to bring, quite likely negativity.
Also, the use of the doorbell as a sound effect, clearly marking the inspectors founded presence, is another important device. Two contributory factors to this technique are, firstly, the sharpness of the ring, denoting an urgent and negative approach as to what may come as the door is opened. Secondly, the sound of the doorbell purposefully interrupts Birling’s speech and lets the audience Priestley is quite aware that Birling is talking a lot; however his long quotes have strong significance to the play and its plot.
The next dramatic device involved in the play is the effect the introduction of a new major character has on the rest of the characters. The Inspector (the new arrival) is quoted to have an ‘impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness’ creating impact and emphasis his character and his purposes bring to the audience and the Birling family (including Gerald). None of the women of the family are present on the inspectors arrival, the inspector is introduced to Birling, Gerald and Eric only. As Edna announces his arrival, tensions already occur, even before he enters the room. Eric begins to behave suspiciously at Gerald and Arthur’s jokes. This is evident when Gerald quotes lightly ‘…unless Eric’s been up to something…’ and Eric replies uneasily ‘Here what do you mean?...well I don’t think it’s very funny’. This makes the audience slightly uncomfortable and creates suspicions towards Eric. Gerald’s actions are quite relaxed. He seems to be a bit of a joker in the way he antagonises Eric, possibly trying to cover up his own guilt. Conversely, when the inspector has finally entered, Birling uses his class and position to gain the Inspectors respect and put him below Birlings, so trying to patronize the inspector. This is shown when Birling quotes ‘Perhaps I ought to explain first, this is Mr. Gerald Croft- the son of Sir George Croft- you know, Crofts limited’. Birling drops Gerald’s name with unnecessary and irrelevant status, using his higher class knowledge as an authoritative and defence mechanism, showing the audience that Birling wants to show who the inspector is and how he should be treated. This class system is also show when Birlings brings up playing golf with the ‘chief constable’ (the inspectors boss type official). The inspector simply replies ‘I don’t play golf’ and Birling says ‘I didn’t suppose you did’. This prove Birling is using class and names as a defence mechanism to warn off and threaten the inspector slightly, but in a non- pressurising manner (so Birling can get away with his intimidations), so as to put him in his place. This social device is a strong contribution to the main aim of the play as to what the inspector’s intentions are.
Another use of dramatic method is the way character exits are used to further the plot. The exit of Sheila, halfway through Act One, furthers the story quite dramatically. Sheila’s exit is down to the shocking realisation of the girl in the photograph. This dramatic device creates suspension because the audience know Sheila recognises the photograph, yet the explanation has not yet been quoted. Another effective exit is when Birling leaves the room after Sheila’s seen the photograph. The exit of Birling enables the inspector to question Gerald and Eric thoroughly, without the interruptions of Birlings long winded speeches, therefore furthering the plot and allowing the audience to gain knowledge that Birling, Sheila and Mrs. Birling do not know, so a slight use of dramatic irony is also used to involve and interest the audience.
The effect of the end of Act One on an audience is the next main dramatic device. The inspectors final sentence ‘well’ after Sheila and Gerald’s talk about the new found knowledge of Gerald’s affair with Daisy Renton has a dramatic impact on the audience as it leaves them with anticipation as to what lies next, making the audience want to watch on. Many questions are left unanswered. Die the inspector overhear Gerald’s and Sheila’s talk? Does he know about the affair? Priestley had effectively left these questions on edge at the end of Act one to create suspense and excitement that the audience want to be relieve of in which they will have to watch Act Two for.
The final main dramatic is the fact that much of Act One is actually ironic in retrospect. Coming back to Act one, after reading the whole play, it is evident that the irony is that each member of the family are all somehow involved in Daisy Renton’s suicide and all play a part to blame in it. However, the irony is, at that point of the play (Act one) it is not evident that Daisy has even died yet, the inspector just makes them think that through the eyes of the future. This is shown when the inspector quotes, in act one, ‘Two hours ago, a young women died in the infirmary. She’d been taken there this afternoon’, however, after the inspector has left the Birling’s receive phone call, at the end of act 3 , quoted from Arthur Birling ‘That was the police. A girl has just died- on her way to the infirmary’. These quotes further on the fact that irony has been used to fool the Birlings of Daisy’s death, in act one because the inspector made the family think she had died, yet it isn’t until sometime later that this statement is repeated saying she died just that minute, coincidentally just as the inspector has left the Birling house. This questions the inspector’s involvement in the plot. The audience are left wanting to know if he was real, what his intentions were (possibly social intent, to prove a point) and so on. One theory is that the inspector, which was likely to be the figure of J.B Priestley as he had strong beliefs in the class system, was not used to find out who killed Daisy Renton, but to make all the Birlings (and Gerald) aware of their behaviour to people, especially the lower class and reflect upon their faults.
To conclude, the effect of the dramatic devices, in act one, on an audience influences their thoughts on values and how authority and power doesn’t make you a higher or better person. The play changes you opinion of the Birling’s, during Act one, from one of an upper class family of celebratory moods to a family of snobbery and self centered attitudes. Priestley’s uses dramatic irony as a method to involved the audience, to let them into something that the Birling’s do not yet know about, so inviting the audience with interest and claiming responsibility that the audience take interest to, as they feel involved. This almost persuasive technique is used in Act one, in the speech in which Gerald confesses to Sheila about his affair with Daisy Renton. In my opinion, I think the playwright’s message is trying to get across Priestley’s views of social class and justice through the eyes of the inspector and his dealings with the Brilings social issues, all hidden through the story of a suicidal mystery. This political message is still relevant today, because although it is not as much an an issues, there is somewhat a class division that, personally, I think needs to be alerted to the publics attention because it is wrong to judge people on matter of wealth and power. Conversely Priestley’s aims have been somewhat solved, because many people of lower class do have power and opinions on issues today that can be spoken out, which is what was needed then but can be done today to make up for the flawed past.
