Role of the Inspector in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley The inspector is an enigmatic character; playing one of the biggest parts in the drama. He is described on his entrance as creating "an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. He is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit... He speaks carefully, weightily, and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking.". He works very systematically; he likes to deal with "One Person and one line of enquiry at a time." His method is to confront a suspect with a piece of information and then make them talk - or, as Sheila puts it, "He's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves." He is a figure of authority. He deals with each member of the family very firmly and several times we see him "massively taking charge" as disputes erupt between them. He is not impressed when he hears about Mr Birling's influential friends and he cuts through Mrs. Birling's obstructiveness. The Inspector seems to know and understand an extraordinary amount: § He knows the history of Eva Smith and the Birlings' involvement in it, even though she died only hours ago. Sheila tells Gerald, "Of course he knows." § He knows things are going to happen - He says "I'm waiting...To do my duty" just before Eric's return, as if he expected Eric to reappear at exactly that moment. § He is obviously in a great hurry towards the end of the play: he stresses "I haven't much time." I think these words indicate that the inspector has a timeslot in which he is designated to 'change' the Birling's, or that the ins... ... middle of paper ... ... inspector is on his way round to their house. The ending leaves the audience on a cliff-hanger. In Act 3 the Birlings believed themselves to be off the hook when it is discovered that the Inspector wasn't real and that no girl had died in the infirmary. This releases some of the tension - but the final telephone call, announcing that a real inspector is on his way to ask questions about the suicide of a young girl, suddenly restores the tension very dramatically. Suddenly the audience is in a state of high tension, and isn't sure what to believe. Is the girl Eva smith? Did she even exist? Does the inspector really exist? Are the Birlings off the hook? Will the Birlings ever change? With this final twist in the play I think Priestly has been very creative, and is definitely working on a psychological level.
There would be more of an effect on the audience at the time, as it
Criticism in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley "An Inspector Calls" has been called a play of social criticism. What is being criticised. Explain some of the dramatic techniques which Priestley uses to achieve the play's effects. "An Inspector Calls" has been called a play of social criticism as Priestley condemned the many different injustices that existed in the society between the first and second world wars.
and say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of a body. We are
This coursework focuses on how each character contributes to the suicide of a poor girl Eva Smith/Daisy Renton.
An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley In the introduction of Act One, we are given a few brief details about
He also greets and dismisses the audience at the beginning and end of each act. The stage manager interrupts daily conversation on the street. The Stage Manager enters and leaves the dialog. He is also giving the foresight of death in the play. His informality in dress, manners, and speech, connects the theme, universality, of the production to the audience.
"And be quiet for a moment and listen to me. I don't need to know any
technology and how a man should live. He says 'A man has to make his
satisfied. He talks a lot and likes the sound of his own voice. He's a
to the play, as this is reality as seen by him. He manages to provide
he knew no haste," she is referring about death taking her away and she sees
Goole. Some the Birling family are used to show how we are not to act
In the meantime, Shakespeare is attempting to write the play but is at a stand still for he has no inspiration. When he awakes ...
He acts before he thinks, in other words, he makes a move before he sits and thinks about it. Like the scene when Hamlet killed Polonius.