J.B. Priestley's "An Inspector Calls" The play is set at the turn of the century and is centred on a wealthy family who are successful and prosperous at a time of poverty for many. They are oblivious to this, and given the fact that the play was written many years later the play contains much irony about the future, but not only does it make it question our history but also our future. The inspector is portrayed as being the champion of socialism, he is there to symbolise Priestley’s views. Essentially Priestley uses biased representations of capitalism, and socialism, reflected with Birling, and inspector Goole, to prepare the reader for his conclusive message. Priestley conveys this message of responsibility towards others in many ways throughout the play. He also criticises his views on the society at the time by using each of the other characters as dramatic devices to, symbolically, convey his message. Priestley was writing in 1945, while the play was set in 1912 even before the war. Priestley introduces the play right after the world war hence reminding the readers and viewers of the situations before the war. He compares these social situations of 1912 with 1945. His message contrasts these two periods of time with the help of inspector Goole. During 1912 there were a lot of differentiation between the upper and lower class, and very few belonged in between. He uses the inspector indirectly to point out the serious flaws in society which allowed disadvantaged Eva Smith to exist alongside the privileged Birlings. Due to the war the class society had been nearly wiped out. During 1912 almost every lower class family lived in houses rented from private landlords, very few had their own houses. Arthur Birling is shown in 1912 predicting that there will be no war, “I say there will be no war”, and this prediction was obviously wrong. This technique was used so that Priestley can again give comparisons between the two time periods. In 1945 Priestley tries to make the unaware percentage of people aware of the cruel society that existed in 1912. He shows that the war mixed people up, it broke down the class and occupational barriers that existed before and that a value was given to all men and women, therefore, in that sense there was equality. In the play the inspector is portrayed as an enigmatic figure, never revealing his true identity. His dramatic power lies in this, where revealing his identity would consequently affect the tension and suspense that is built up as the story progresses. To do this effectively, Priestley leaves several interpretations on the identity of the inspector.
and say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of a body. We are
shall firstly do a summery of the play and give a basic image of what
The play is set in three scenes. The entire play is set in the dining
J. B. Priestly was born in 1894 in Bradford and he died on the 14th of
event yet he chose to put his business first. This should be a part in
project of the play, of which is touched upon in Act One. It is this
The play is the tale of a rich family, that are accosted by a man
especially for a woman. Even if a woman did get a job they would get
satisfied. He talks a lot and likes the sound of his own voice. He's a
in jeopardy than how he may have driven a young girl down a spiral to
Birlings, as they find out that they have all played a part in a young
the beginning of the play the family is united but at the end of the
Firstly I would set this play in the 21st century so that a modern audience could relate to it. Algernon, one of the main characters in the play, would live in a luxury apartment in the centre of London, over looking the River Thames. His apartment would have a minimalist theme to it and would be influenced by aesthetic; for example he would have a piece of abstract art on the wall for no reason other than that he thinks it looks nice.
main theme of the play would be the gulling of Malvolio. In a play where most of
In Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice, a modernistic class-conscious theme develops around how several of the play’s characters manipulate sources of wealth in order to achieve social equality. The rise of international markets, readily available sources of credit, and the overall "commodification of English society" (Lecture, 9/3/03) had created a new commercial dynamic in Shakespeare’s era that gave form to a financial meritocracy never before possible in English history. Consequently, in Shakespeare’s play, the tension that results from the challenges presented to the status quo by the commercialization of society manifests itself through the exchange of gifts and debts between three principle relationships. In the characters of Antonio, Portia, and Shylock, Shakespeare illustrates that as a result of the commodification of society even the motivations for expressing generosity are now subject to a cost/benefit analysis. Variously stifled by the traditional limitations placed upon on them by their social positions, Shakespeare’s central characters in The Merchant of Venice seek to address their frustrations through an economic advantage, which in the end analysis, works to emphasize a connection between Shakespeare and the basis of modern class antagonisms.