Explore how Priestleys portrayal of Sheila Birling contributes to the dramatic impact of the play.

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2. Explore how Priestley’s portrayal of Sheila Birling contributes to the dramatic impact of the play.

Throughout the entire play by Priestley, it is clear Shelia Birling is one of main characters due to the impact and role she plays. Priestly first portrays her as a young beautiful lady with a rather selfish and arrogant nature. Using her compelling personality she is able to obtain anything in which she desires through her father. After the inspector explains what’s happened and how Eva Smith dies she shows an empathetic side of her personality, which might have surprised the audience watching the play. Over the play we as an audience get to see her change and develop as a character, with assistance from the Inspector, at the beginning having much respect for the other but soon calling them “....you fool”. She shows her remorse by describing her feelings towards the injustice of the case. She says it’s "a rotten shame" and says how girls like this are "people" and not just "cheap labour."

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She is also a realist, as she understands the inspector far better than the others, this causing drama and conflict between herself and others, for example, in acts two and three, we see that Sheila is trying to protect her mother from making the same mistake as she and her father had done. She tries to stop her from setting her up for a fall, “(with sudden alarm) Mother – stop – stop!”, even the stage direction hints that to what Mrs Birling is saying is of no good. Showing the generation gap in the play between parents and ...

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