How does Priestley show that tension is at the heart of the Birling family?

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How does Priestley show that tension is at the heart of the Birling family?

Tensions in the Birling household are shown from the beginning of the play. In the opening stage directions the house is described as ‘not cosy and homelike’ which reflects the cold and uninviting atmosphere, these characteristics mirror the family itself. There is also tension between the older and younger generation, which is clear straight away when Sheila says she would hate Gerald to end up like ‘one of those purple-faced old men’. This indicates to the audience a clear gap between the two generations.

Through the stage directions, particularly at the beginning of the play, tension is created. The use of the ‘pink and intimate’ lighting at the start suggests a happy and relaxed atmosphere. However, this is does not fit with the real feelings of tension and uncertainty as shown through the adverbial choice of stage directions – ‘possessively’. The lighting, therefore, could be being used to hide the true feelings of the family as it would not be deemed acceptable for an upper-class family to bring up such issues. The Briling’s underlying tensions and unspoken fragile moral foundations were represented in Stephen Daldry’s National Theatre production which had the Birling house balanced unsteadily on stilts.

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Although the Birlings are an upper-class family and lead a very ‘substantial and heavily comfortable’ life, they do not fit the usual stereotype of an upper-class family. Whilst it is usually the father that is at the head of the family, in the case of the Birlings, Mrs Birling takes the lead. This is shown right from the beginning of the play when Mr Birling asks Mrs Birling to thank the cook for their dinner. Mrs Birling ‘reproachfully’ tells Mr Birling that he is ‘not supposed to say such things -’. This shows that Mr Birling was not born into ...

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