“This absurd business”
This shows that Mrs. Berling is a cold, austere woman. Also Mrs. Birling turned her away from her charity when she most needed their help. Mrs. Birling then says
“She was claming elaborate fine flings and scruples that were simply absurd in a girl in her position, I accept no blame for it at all”
Here she is saying that she would not help her because of the mess that she has got herself into. When really it is the rest of Mrs Berlings family that have got her into the mess that she is in.
I don’t want the audience to like the family so they look down on them and they don’t end up like the Berlings. Sheila is the only Berling that listens to the inspector, this is because Sheila is not blinded to the outside world like Mr. and Mrs. Berling are, and they are blinded by their money and think that they are an idol compared to a working class girl.
“An so you used the power you had, as a daughter of a good customer and also of a man well known in the town, to punish the girl just because she made you feel like that”
This is what the inspector said to Shelia !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!jimathy!!!!!!!!!!!! They will use their money to get what they want and are unaware what is happening to other people around them. I have done this to make the audience sympathetic to wards Shelia and Eric because they understand what they have done, unlike Mr. And Mrs. Birling.
Thirdly you believe that there is little dramatic impact due to a lack on theatrical devices. The play is produced in this way so that the audience will concentrate on the characters and not the background scenery. At first the lights are at a soft pink colour to reflect the party, when the inspector arrives to suddenly changes to a brilliant white light to impose the light of an interrogation, by the inspector, it makes them feel intimidated. It makes them see the light.
The play also obeys the three unities of time, place and setting. The fact that the play is a real time play makes it very powerful. Because the audience have o concentrate on the characters all the time, there is no interval. This is so that their minds do not stray from the play.
The inspector’s arrival is significantly ironic because, when he arrives the Berlings party breaks down, because the inspector is like a stopper on their enjoyment and brings them back down into the reality of this world. Because they when they are having the engagement party they think that they are the best, because the do not notice what they have done and who it has affected. I have very cleverly manipulated the tension, at the beginning of the play, so that all is calm in the Berling residence, but as soon as the inspector arrives the party goes down hill and all the entertainment of the evening has gone. The tension starts to build up and as the inspector interrogates each of the characters about their ordeal with Eva Smith the tension then gets more and more as he speaks to each of the characters and then when he makes his final speech about Eva Smith the tension in at the peak. When the inspector leaves the Birlings and Gerald phones the infirmary and it is reviled that there has been no dead girl the tension plummets and things seem to be back top normal, but just then the telephone rings and they are told that a police inspector is on his way around to talk to them about a young girl found dead, the tension shoots back up to the peak, because it is such a shock for them not knowing what is about to happen when the inspector arrives.
You think that Inspector Goole is too mysterious and his visit is unclear. You are right but I have done this deliberately because his name is a play on words. Goole sounds like ghoul, this makes him preternatural, and he is supposed to give you the creeps, because you are not sure whether he is actually there, or is he a ghost. The inspector is almost like the Berlings conscience, because he is telling them what they have done wrong, this is because the Berlings have no conscience.
This character is very difficult to portray because the inspector is very intimidating, authoritative and bluntly confidant.
“It’s my duty to ask questions”
As well as all this he is very self-assured and takes over the play. I have created the inspector to be, not be a big man but he needs to create the impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. He also chooses his words with care, because he never says anything that he does not have to.
“You punished the girl because you were jealous of her”
He does not drag out the sentence he gets straight to the point. The inspector stares at the person that he is talking to first, before he actually speaks to them, this is almost a magical power that makes the character speak first rather that the inspector having to stat the conversation.
Gerald: “Somehow I-“
Shelia: “ I know. Somehow he makes you”
Here Gerald is telling the inspector about how he rescued Eva Smith from Joe Meggarty and how he takes he back to a place that his friend has asked him to look after, when he is saying this he explains in great detail as though the inspector is making him. Only Shelia notices, this also makes the audience feel sorry for Shelia because she feels bad about what she did, but the other Berlings don’t seem to realise what they have done.
I have also made the inspector act like the judge and the jury as well, because he almost sentences them as well as interrogating them. The inspector talks down to the Berlings in the play, and the Berlings don’t like being treated like dirt, because they are upper class people and they are not used to being treated like that, because Author Birling used to be the mayor, and he is a member of the magistrates. I have made the story follow a Greek traditional story, by making the characters go on a journey somewhere and discover new things about themselves, this makes the audience realise how one stupid thing can affect so many different people. I also use the inspector as the chorus to keep the audience updated about Eva Smith as the play goes on. The inspector is constantly reinforcing the main point that you should treat people, as you would like to be treated yourself. The irony of this is that the Birlings don’t treat people, as they would like to be treated, because they believe that their money will get them what they want.
You think that Eva Smith is too unbelievable. Eva is a dramatic tool, because she could be more that one person. The name of Eva Smith was carefully chosen, because Smith is a very common name. The treatment that she receives from all the Berlings goes unnoticed by Mr. And Mrs. Berling, but Shelia and Eric do notice what they have done.
You also believe that the scenery is boring and unimaginative. On this particular point I must agree with you. This is because they are done deliberately, because it is not the pantomime, it is a play. You need to concentrate on the characters, not the background. It is vital that the audience does concentrate on the play because if they miss a particular part they wont have a clue what is going on. When the act changes the scenery does not change, this is done to create the affect of claustrophobia on the characters, this effect is created by there being no interval, and it makes them fell as though they can not get away from the inspector, like in a police station where you can not get away, you have to face the facts. This is so the audience are comfortable but not so cosy that they relax.
You feel that there is limited use of props. Once again I must agree because there are not a lot of props being used, this is one again due to the fact that the audience need to concentrate on the play rather than the props or the scenery. The use of the photograph as a prop is used exceptionally well. This is because the photo, just like Eva Smith, could be more than one person. This builds up the tension, because the inspector never actually shows the photo to more than one person at a time so it could easily be a different one, and it gets the audience thinking. The telephone is also use for a small amount, but in the time used well. The telephone in only used twice, once when Mr. Berling phones the infirmary and once when the police officer calls to tell them about the girl being murdered. Both of these scenes build up tension for the play, by the Berlings going from all getting accused of murdering Eva Smith, to there not even being a girl in the infirmary to a police officer calling them to tell them about the girl that had committed suicide.
You believe that dramatic irony is over used. I don’t think so because it is meant to be blatantly obvious so that the audience can see that Mr. Berlings speech about there not being a war and the titanic being unsinkable He is full of pompous pronouncements, such as
“The Titanic is absolutely unsinkable”.
I use this example to show how out-of-touch Birling is and how arrogant he is. He places his faith in business and greed. His obsessive faith in the individual, in progress and capitalism is the kind of selfish attitude that has led to Eva Smith’s downfall. And this is what the Inspector comes to teach him about. Mr. Berling says this speech just before the inspector arrives and this is very important to the play.
Finally you think that the ending is not dramatic and is disappointing, here I must strongly disagree with you because the dramatic use of the tension building telephone call makes for a brilliant ending! The ending is not disappointing because the mysterious character (inspector Goole) disappears make the audience doubt and put questions into their heads, It makes them think.
Please read this letter carefully, as it will be a big help in you understanding the play.
Yours sincerely
J.B. Priestley