In Act one of 'An Inspector Calls', how does J.B Priestly use dramatic devices to convey his concerns and ideas to the members of the audience as well as interest and involve them in his play?
In Act one of 'An Inspector Calls', how does J.B Priestly use dramatic devices to convey his concerns and ideas to the members of the audience as well as interest and involve them in his play?
John Boynton Priestly was born in Yorkshire in 1894. He left school at 16 in order to gain life experience and joined the army at the outbreak of world war one. During his time in the army, he witnessed much suffering. This heavily influenced his writing to question the morals and responsibilities of society, which is a main theme in 'An Inspector Calls'.
Priestly's main concerns at the time of writing 'An Inspector Calls' was the state of society and social inequality- there was a huge gap between the rich and the poor. Priestly was also a socialist (politically left wing) and most of the characters who Priestly is trying to convey to the audience as bad people are capitalist (politically right wing). This makes it even easier for him to put across his ideas as he can give the characters very stereotypical personalities.
The story opens up with the arrival of Inspector Goole and when he starts asking the characters questions. However, he is much more than just an inspector. Priestly uses him to reveal the moral conscience of the characters and the responsibilities that they have.
The play was first performed in 1945, but it is set in 1912. Priestly has done this for a reason. It is important that he has done this as it allows him to use dramatic irony. This is where he can use something in his play which the audience will know about but the characters wont. For example, "the Titanic - she sails next week absolutely unsinkable". the audience already know that the Titanic sank, but the characters don't. This allows Priestly to make the characters look more ridiculous .
'An Inspector Calls' belongs to the ...
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The play was first performed in 1945, but it is set in 1912. Priestly has done this for a reason. It is important that he has done this as it allows him to use dramatic irony. This is where he can use something in his play which the audience will know about but the characters wont. For example, "the Titanic - she sails next week absolutely unsinkable". the audience already know that the Titanic sank, but the characters don't. This allows Priestly to make the characters look more ridiculous .
'An Inspector Calls' belongs to the genre of crime plays. However, it also bares resemblance to the older kind of morality plays. The morality plays first originated in the 15-16th century and in these plays the characters represented moral attributes in a personified form. The main character- or protagonist (in this case, Inspector Goole)- makes the characters choose between something, usually good or evil.
Priestly uses dramatic irony very early on in the play. One such example of this has already been mentioned, "the Titanic - she sails next week absolutely unsinkable". As Priestly wants Mr Birling to seem absurd he makes him say things which he knows will have that desired effect on the audience. Another such example is where he says, "I say there isn't a chance of war". this has the same effect on the audience as in the other case.
As 'An Inspector Calls' is a play, the stage lighting is also very important when studying dramatic devices. At the beginning of the play the stage directions state that, "the lighting should be pink and intimate until the Inspector arrives, and then it should be brighter and harder". by having it lighter at the beginning it reflects the mood of the celebration that the Birlings are having. By being light it gives the mood a sense of relaxation, but when the inspector arrives and the lighting becomes harder, it gives the scene a sense of tension and panic. This is reflective on the situation because as the inspector asks questions people become more upset and tense as it goes on, and the lighting accurately reflects this.
During Act one, the arrival of the Inspector is signified by a doorbell, "we hear the sharp ring of a front door bell. Birling stops to listen". The effect that the doorbell has is clearly shown in the stage directions. Mr Birling stops talking so the effect tat the doorbell has on him is that he is shocked or surprised at hearing it.
When Priestly introduces a new main character, it has a profound impact on the rest of the characters. When inspector Goole is introduced, the stage directions point out that, "he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness". Also. In the produced version of the play by Guy Hamilton, when Inspector Goole enters, all the characters seem uneasy and uncertain. Also, during the production, the camera shot always make the Inspector seem much taller and more assertive than all the other characters.
During the play, characters come and go through the scenes, which is all set in the Birling dining room. When a character leaves the scene, it allows the other characters to relate and interact about them without consequence. For example, when the only people left in the room are Gerald Croft and Sheila Birling, they talk about the dead girl and reveal some secrets to the audience while the other characters still don't know, "I'm sorry, Sheila but it was all over and done with last summer". the other characters still do not know this. This could also be another example and use of dramatic irony.
Seeing as the above scene is also the end of Act one, it gives the audience a view of everything that has happened. It explains how Gerald came to know the dead girl and it also explains Sheila's views on the inspector, "he knows. Of course he knows. And i hate to think how much he knows that we don't know yet". This shows that Priestly intends the inspector to be seen not just as an Inspector, but something else, someone to reveal moral consciences.
During Act one, the playwright uses many different dramatic devices to change your opinions of the Birlings. The use of dramatic irony in the play makes the Birlings often seem even more absurd than they are. Priestly also uses many different ways to involve the readers in the plot.
Nathan Adams 11c
Nathan Adams 11c