The first real sign of tension is when
“We hear the sharp ring of a front doorbell”.
The doorbell interrupts one of Arthur Birlings speeches; everyone in the room, especially Eric becomes uneasy, if this was an actual performance then the audience would be looking expectantly at the door to the dining room, the room would be silent.
Other props could be used for example the decanter could be used in a similar way to make tension. As we find out later in the play Eric is an alcoholic, to make tension with this, if I were the director, I might have Eric shaking as he walks over to the decanter like someone who really needs a drink would. This would make the audience think that Eric must really need a drink.
Another way Priestley creates tension is through characterization. There is a clear social hierarchy in the family, Arthur at the top then Sybil then Sheila then right at the bottom, Eric. The two at the top, will not let Eric or Sheila contradict them at all. Sybil expresses her dislike of being contradicted a lot in the play. She said
“Please don’t contradict me like that”
when Sheila is trying to stop her arrogant mother from falling into the inspectors trap. The relationship between Sybil and Sheila is very different at the start of the play. Sheila calls her mother “Mummy”, a childish expression for a young woman of her age. This again shows the hierarchy in the family.
Sheila and her mother’s relationship deteriorates throughout the play. For example in act 1 Sybil is calling Sheila “darling”. The use of this term of endearment indicates that at this point in the play there is little or no tension between them. Later in the play Sheila says
“mother, I think it was cruel and vile”,
showing that she is very angry with her mother. This would increase tension for the audience because most people are members of a family and will recognize and identify with the situation.
Priestley uses language in different ways to create tension an example of this is sarcasm. At the beginning of the play sarcasm is used to show the lightheartedness and familiarity of the characters
“(light and easy) you be careful or I’ll start weeping”.
Later in the play when Gerald refers to The Palace Bar, a well known haunt of prostitutes Sheila says
“Well we didn’t think you meant Buckingham Palace”.
This is particularly effective because Buckingham Palace is a very well known, respectable place.
The shock factor is used in Priestley’s scripting, especially for the inspectors role. This is to make an impact on the audience, to make them feel nervous. If I was directing the inspector’s use of the shock factor I might make him say things like
“a young woman died…burnt her inside out… she was in great agony”
in a very casual way to make the audience wonder what kind of a person this inspector is.
Priestley also uses language to set up a certain character for big fall from grace. For example, Mrs. Birling has no idea that her son Eric has anything to do with Eva Smith when she says
“Blame the father… he’s entirely responsible”.
But then she finds out that Eric is the father, a huge shock for Mrs. Birling and a turning point in the play for her and also for the audience who would have got an impression Mrs. Birling as a strong character but now she seems weak.
Priestley uses body language to make tension as well. He can use it in a very subtle way, like when Eric becomes unnerved when the inspector comes or in a very dramatic way when Sheila sees the picture of Eva Smith and runs out of the room crying. This creates tension for the audience because they wonder why Sheila has just gone running out of the room.
The inspector’s sole purpose in the play seems to be to create tension between the characters. For instance he breaks up Gerald and Sheila through exposing Gerald’s affair with Eva Smith. He does this so completely that Sheila gives Gerald the engagement ring back
“I think you better take this”.
The inspector creates so much tension between Eric and Arthur that Arthur nearly hits Eric. He cuts through the shouting to bring silence to the room, raising the tension in the scene even more. In dramatic terms a major role of the inspector is to create a conflict, which is exactly what a play needs to have an interested audience.
Certain aspects of the plot that would not arouse much tension for a modern audience would make a 1950’s audience gasp. For instance, a modern audience, well used to dramas like this on television, would be unlikely to be surprised at the ‘respectable’ old Joe Meggarty trying to harass young Eva Smith. However a 1950’s audience, less likely to be accustomed to such situations would have become more tense and shocked about this. Throughout the play, the characters refer to prostitutes as
“Women of the town” or as in the case of the 1954 film of the play “women of that sort”.
This further shows the tension around certain subjects of the play for the audience. One may argue that such euphemisms would be unnecessary for a modern day audience.
Some of the conflicting philosophical aspects of the play also create tension for the audience. Arthur being a “hard headed business man” believes that a man has to look after his own and no one else. Then the inspector comes in with a completely conflicting philosophy which the inspector makes clear in his final speech,
“We are all responsible for each other... if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught in fire, blood and anguish”.
This is a powerful speech, a very moving speech. The audience watching would be thrown into thought about themselves. This is how Priestley creates tension through the characters’ philosophies.
In act 1, Sheila and Gerald are very happy with each other, they love each other
“(with mock aggressiveness) Go on Gerald – just you object”.
The sarcasm shows how familiar with each other they are, they know each other well, or they think they do. There are hints of the tension to come later at this early point in the play, Sheila says
“Except for all last summer when you never come near me”.
This raises tension in the later parts in the play because the audience might remember this earlier scene. In the scene where the inspector induces Gerald into telling his story, near the end of his tale Sheila says
“(with sharp sarcasm) Of course not you were the wonderful fairy prince”.
This shows how angry Sheila really is with Gerald and how the relationship between them breaks down through the play. It also helps us understand why Sheila does not break up with Gerald outright. Priestley uses sarcasm to show familiarity so I think the sarcasm suggests that Sheila may eventually forgive him. The anger at Gerald would create tension for the audience because the audience can identify with the characters’ situation and empathize with them.
The way the inspector has to make sure that no one besides the character he is talking to can see the picture of Eva Smith creates tension.
“Is there any reason why we shouldn’t see this picture Inspector?”
The motives for this remain unknown throughout the play but this definitely raises tension. This is because the audience will wonder why the inspector has made sure that none of the other characters can see the picture. At the end of the play, the audience will wonder whether the Inspector had shown them all the same picture, this creates tension as well.
In conclusion, I would say that Priestley uses several very effective methods of creating tension: The use of characters and their relationships with each other, dramatic silence, twists in the plot, props, language, groups, staging, philosophies and characterization. All these elements combine to make one of the first modern morality plays and one of the first modern crime dramas and still one of the best.
