An Inspector Calls
'An Inspector Calls' was written by J.B Priestley in 1944. The play
was set 32 years before the play was actually written. It was set
around the year 1912. Britain in the early 1910's was very much a
strong, powerful business nation, one of the richest in the world. For
large factory and business owners, it was a time for great success.
When J.B Priestly wrote the play in 1944, World War 2 was occurring
and Britain was involved. The world was turned into chaos and the
ideas of highly powered people of the past had been one of its
majoring contributing factors.
'An Inspector Calls' is about a family called the Birling's which
consist of Mr. Arthur Birling and his wife, his daughter Sheila and
her fiancce Gerald and Eric, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Birling. They are
a middleclass family in a town called Brumley. The play is based on a
girl called Eva Smith who committed suicide by drinking disinfectant.
The inspector then visits the Birling's house on the night of Sheila
and Gerald's engagement. He interviews all the members of the family
and without them realizing, they all have an awful story to say and
they all have part to play to her death. At the end of the play, it
ends with a very mind thinking twist which you end up asking yourself,
how did he know? The twist is the inspector is telling this story
about a girl who swallowed disinfectant and questions all the family
and they all have something to say about themselves and Eva Smiths
relationship. When the inspector leaves, Mr. Birling phones up the
police to see if girl has died tonight. The police reply no there
hasn't been but when Mr. Birling hangs up the phone, the police call
straight back and say someone has just reported a girl committing
suicide by swallowing disinfectant. How did the inspector know that
the girl was going to die?
J.B Priestley's aims are to show the audience that middle classed
families in the 1910's were not as clever and capable as some may
think. They can be in fact very foolish. Priestly puts across a clear
message in the play is that being responsible for you is not enough to
make the world a better place. Mr. Birling does the opposite to this
in the play by when he says 'a man has to mind his own business and
look after himself.' Also the message about power comes across quite
clearly in the play. Priestley's view on having power is to use it
carefully. You can relate this to Mr.
There would be more of an effect on the audience at the time, as it
and say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of a body. We are
The play is set in three scenes. The entire play is set in the dining
The play is the tale of a rich family, that are accosted by a man
the end of the Second World War. The play is set in 1912, just before
satisfied. He talks a lot and likes the sound of his own voice. He's a
is very upset and think that they are the cause of her "death". Also, the Friar
An Inspector Calls is a play with lots of political messages as well as social messages. J. B. Priestley believed in socialism and he used large amounts of his plays to try and convince people to his way of thinking. It was written in a time when Britain was ruled by a Labour government and socialist policies were seen to be a good way to go. It was a common way of thinking at that time so Priestley's aim for the play was to influence the unconvinced in society.
in jeopardy than how he may have driven a young girl down a spiral to
scene ii, ll.46-50). This quote from the play also shows the importance of night and
the suicide of Eva Smiths death. The aim of the story is to, try to
He wanted to give everyone a choice. Should we go back to the way it
In the play “An inspector calls” by J.B priestly, Mr Birling and Shelia Birling have contrasting attitudes to social issues. The author uses this to difference to highlight the diversity between generations and their reaction to situations faced. Arthur Birling is the father to Shelia Birling and is presented as the old fashion generation whereas Shelia is the young generation, who is more aware of the responsibility she has towards other people.The play begins with Mr birling and his family celebrating the engagement of Shelia and Gerald. The atmosphere is happy and light-hearted. Before the inspector arrives, Mr Birling is happy with life and himself “It’s one of the happiest nights of my life.” This shows that Mr Birling is quire selfish because he only thinks that it is one of the happiest nights of his life and not of Shelia and Gerald.
The one thing that all of Shakespeare’s plays have in common is a tragic conclusion, which results in the death of the hero. What is unique about the deaths of these heroes is that all of the problems that lead them to the end are self-induced. The heroes are always in control, and make crucial judgemental errors which ultimately lead to their own demise. While it is clear that the hero Macbeth causes his own death in this famous play, there are also third-party influences which push him towards this end. The three witches plant a desire for power and growing confidence in Macbeth, while Lady Macbeth eventually persuades him to go down a path of violence, and kill King Duncan in order to take his place on the throne. These actions highlight the women of the play as the greatest influences on the development of the plot and Macbeth’s demise.
play because of the cruelties inflicted upon him. Cordelia the only daughter that truly loves him is