Priestly also uses lighting as a dramatic device to make the play interesting. At the beginning of the play, Priestly has clearly stated that he wants the light to change from pink and intimate until the inspector arrives, when it should be brighter and harder. This creates a great impact as the lighting usually symbolises something or someone. In this play, it symbolises the truth and honesty, as this is what Priestly wants the audience to see the inspector as.
Moreover, Priestly uses sound as a dramatic device when the bell rings. The bell is important in this play as it does not only tell us that there is someone at the door, but in addition when it rings is also an important part of the whole dramatic effect. In the play, Birling is talking about how a man should look after himself and mind his own business and is interrupted by the doorbell, which happens to be the inspector. As the play goes on, we see that the inspector does the opposite to what Birling had just said about minding your own business. This shows us that Birling is a man full of talk and no action as he lets the inspector exploit his home and work life.
The arrival of the inspector is carefully planned and thought out by Priestly. The timing of his arrival is cleverly thought as I have just explained that the inspector contradicts what Birling just happened to say before the inspector arrived. The inspectors description also gives us an impression of him because he is explained as a man who ‘creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness’, this immediately gives us an impression of the inspector being the superior person in this play as he creates a complete different mood just as he walks in without speaking. The lighting also contributes to his superiority. Also, when he is asked questions he mainly answers yes, no or maybe, which shows the audience that he is not intimidated by Mr Birling or any of his high status friends. Also, the inspector seems to bring back the thought of the girl, Eva Smith, when she was in the infirmary. This seems to keep the rest of the characters feel guilty and slowly, each character tells the inspector how they were involved with Eva Smith. This makes the inspector seem as the one who can take the truth out of anyone, and this is then referred to Priestly.
Characters exits are also dramatic devices, which Priestly uses to develop his play. When some characters exit the plot of the play moves on, for example, when Eric leaves the dining room, the audience begin to anticipate that Eric is guilty or must have took a part for the death of Eva Smith. Priestly also uses character exits as a device in act two and three. This is a clever way of moving the play further as it is discreet yet revealing.
Priestly ends of act one with a cliffhanger, which always keeps the audience wanting to know what, happens next. This is a dramatic device, which creates a great impact to the audience and Priestly has made a wise decision by using this device as it makes the reader wanting to read on and then keeps them intertwined within the story plot. The audience learn from act one that the family has kept many secrets from each other as some of them are gradually revealed in act one. The inspector seems to be able to take the truth out of the Birlings, and the audience learn that the inspector, who is a working class person, is the superior one out of the Birlings who see themselves as the greater ones when compared with the working class. However this play seems to show that no matter what your social status is everyone is equal through the eyes of the law, and even social status can not alter that.
Much of act one is actually in retrospect. This can also be classified as a device used by Priestly, because he wants us to see the bad things the Birlings and Crofts have done to this innocent girl. Priestly has made them sound very vindictive towards others who they see as inferior when contrasted with them and this teaches the audience and reader a lesson that no matter what you think your social status is, you are seen as equivalent as any other person, and Priestly has made this point crisp clear by reflecting his views as the voice of the inspector.
In my opinion, John Priestly has changed the opinion of the Birlings drastically in act one. He has done this by using dramatic devices such as lighting, sound and many other ways to bring his concerns across to the audience. He has used the way the inspector talks and is represented to the audience very carefully, and this means that a superior impression is made of him and Priestly would want himself to be seen as superior as he would want his concerns and ideas to be conveyed to the audience without a doubt in there minds. The way he describes the inspector and his speech makes a huge impact on the audience because the inspector seems brave and guiltless which makes them see him as the great one, social status-wise, even though in the play the Birlings are meant to be higher. This shows us that social status does not matter when talking about the truth.
Priestly, in my opinion, is a very talented man in interesting the reader and audience. He does this by using dramatically devices, cliff-hangers and his whole technique of writing is intriguing and makes you want to read on. I think that the cliff hangers at the end of each act were an immense way of grabbing the reader’s attention and making them want to see more. Also, the way the inspector disappears and never hears from him makes it interesting and the fact that he can be seen as a ghost, because of his behaviour and of his name Inspector Goole, make him an interesting yet baffling character which definitively keeps the audience involved in the play.
I think that the morale of this play is that everyone in this world is equal and no matter what you think your social status is amongst other people, you are seen as one when faced with justice. Priestly would have this view as he was a well renowned socialist whose main concerns were the lack of equality in society at the time of 1912. This message is still relevant in today’s society because there is still a lack of equality amongst people, and some believe that they are higher socially due to there inherited name or the amount of income they receive or there relations with other high classed people. This view will be a view which will always remain in the midst of egotistical people as they will always believe they are superior, and people like Priestly are the ones who bring people like Mr Birling back to Earth by making it clear that social status is not important when judging a person.
