The introduction of new characters can create a dramatic atmosphere. At one point in the Act the characters leave Gerald and Birling alone and Mr. Birling says “there’s a fair, way I might find my way into the next honours list.” The audience’s attention is focused on these two characters, and we can see how Mr. Birling is trying his hardest to impress Gerald and we learn that he is very obsessed with status. Priestley describes how Inspector Goole “creates an impression of solidity and purpose ness, speaks carefully, weightily, looks at one person at a time “He shows his photo to one person at a time, this shows that he is trying to show that he has authority, lots of control and plenty of power. The characters lead each other to reveal things that the audience are interested in, this can lead to dramatic tension.
When the audience knows something and the characters don’t, this is a case of dramatic irony. Birlings words, “wars inevitable…and to that I say fiddlesticks”, reveals Mr Birling`s false optimism as we know that war wasn’t at all inevitable. Birling`s words “So long as we behave ourselves, don’t get into the court or start a scandal” again this makes the audience distrust his views and this is yet again another example of dramatic irony.
Mr Birling makes many long and frequent speeches in Act One, these are very revealing for the audience as he expresses his opinion clearly as he seems to like the sound of his own voice and this also makes him sound guilty. He later begins to show his ignorance and later confesses to Eva’s death. There are several cases of slang used throughout the play such as “you’re squiffy” and “chump”. The different language used by the older and younger generations also emphasises their differing attitudes to Eva Smith. Eric also confesses to a part of Eva’s suicide at one point in the play as he begins to act extremely suspiciously at one point. “Yes I remember”, (but he still checks himself) which makes him look even more suspicious, this stage direction shows that he is acting rather guilty. Also when he says this, it grabs the attention of the audience and diverts it away from Gerald and Sheila, this shows that he has said something that he shouldn’t have done and the audience keep thinking what’s going to happen next? Many of the younger characters use slang, this shows the differences between the generations of the characters, and helps give the audience a better view of what they are really like. The stage directions show how the characters speak and act, all of Mr Birling`s speeches are long and frequent and the Inspector hardly seems to have any.
The characters in the play display themselves as totally different people. Birling is `rather portentous` and `rather provincial in his speech; he thinks that he is something that he is not. At the beginning of Act One Priestley describes the setting “NO TABLECLOTH…Champagne glasses…men in tails and white ties”, this shows that they aren’t quite as upper class as they thought they were and really they are just pretending. We are also told that “the lighting throughout the play should be pink and intimate until the inspector arrives and then it should begin to become darker and much harder”. The change in lighting is dramatic and a fairly important part in the play, this begins to emphasise the change in tone. The atmosphere is no longer comfortable and the lighting symbolises reality as the Birling`s reveal themselves and the crimes, which they have committed. The lighting suggests that they are being interrogated.
The doorbell is a dramatic device “we hear the sharp ring of a front door bell” and this is really dramatic and grabs the audience’s attention immediately. Another important thing is that it rings when Mr Birling is trying to make another one of his long speeches making his point “a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own”. The bell is vital because it shocks the audience and also helps engage them in what is happening. The setting with
Towards the end of Act one there is a dramatic cliff hanger (The door opens slowly and the INSPECTOR appears, looking steadily and searchingly at then)” Inspector well?” The stage direction of the door opening slowly shows suspense and he is looking before he speaks, this shows tension and leaves a real cliffhanger. All of the character exits are used to further the plot in some way or another and always leads onto something else. The vast majority of Act One is actually ironic in retrospect, as the audience (and the characters) are always looking back to find out what’s important from the previous scene and this tends to lead onto the following scene.
One of the methods J.B.Priestley used to interest and involve the audience was his inclusion of a wide variety of characters he used and all their personalities were totally different. The playwright’s message is still relevant today as we all need to take responsibility for our actions and the audience needs to accept that we live in a community where you can’t be selfish and that we all need to take responsibility for our actions. Priestley manages to change their views on Mr Birling during Act One, as we begin to see what he’s like and that all he is is a social climber and tries to be something that he is not.
