What opinions do you think the audience at the first performance in London in 1946 would have formed about Mr Birling(TM)s character from this first part of an inspector calls?

Authors Avatar

What opinions do you think the audience at the first performance in London in 1946 would have formed about Mr Birling’s character from this first part of the play?

“An inspector calls” is a play written by J.B. Priestly in 1946, but is set in 1912. These two dates contrast quire well for a number of reasons. The economy in 1912 was very different because everyone cared about themselves before other people and there was a lot more money in circulation. This made the divide between upper and lower class very poignant. Also social etiquette was quite different in 1912. Although Mrs Birling is seen as having a higher social standing than her husband, as she was born into money and money has always been in her family (“Old Money”) whereas Mr Birling made his money in his life (“New Money”), she still obeys him as back then men were seen as superior to women. This view changed by 1946 as women got the power to vote which signified them being equal to men.  The main plot of this play is about a family, the Birlings, and how each of them impacted a young woman’s life in a cruel way which led to her eventual suicide. It is set in Brumly London and all scenes are played out in the Birlings family home. In the whole play there are only 7 on screen characters; Arthur Birling, Sybil Birling his wife, Shelia and Eric Birling his children, Gerald Croft Shelia’s fiancée, Edna the maid and Inspector Goole. Another main character who is not seen on screen is Eva smith or Daisy Renton. She is the young girl who recently killed herself after getting cruelly treated by all the Birling’s.

 Mr Birling reflects the attitude of Britain in 1912. They were a dominant country in the world and confident about their affairs. This is shown during Mr Birling’s speech to his family about the future. “I’m talking as a hard-headed, practical man of business. And I say there isn’t a chance of war.” This shows not only his own pompous attitude but also the attitude of Britain at the time. We can tell from the stage directions the “Tone” of the characters. The writer shows how he wants the set and family to look.

Join now!

He writes “Edna…is just clearing the tables …of desert plates and champagne glasses and replacing them with decanter of port, cigar box and cigarettes.” This was very good at showing the wealth of the family especially as the show was being shown in 1946 so rationing and lack of luxuries would have taken such goods away. Mr Birling would be seen by the audience as a “rather portentous man in his middle fifties with fairly easy manners but rather provincial in his speech”. This means that although he is an important man he still speaks in a local dialect which ...

This is a preview of the whole essay