The Dramatic Techniques J.B. Priestley Used to Create and Develop Tension in Act one of An Inspector Calls

The Dramatic Techniques J.B. Priestley Used to Create and Develop Tension in Act one of An Inspector Calls

The play is called 'An Inspector calls' and was written in 1946 by

J.B. Priestly. it is set in the year 1912, in between the time in

which it was set and the year it was written two world wars had taken

place. in 1912 classes were very different and were socially divided.

There was a lot of poor people and very few rich people. A lot of the

rich people disliked the working class and disrespected them.

The opening scene is very cosy with the Berling's all sat round a

table discussing the engagement between Sheila and Gerald, the scene

is very descriptive and has lots of detail there is a good feeling

between the group.

Priestly is very precise when describing the characters this is so we

know exactly what they look and act like. we can also tell that they

are from the upper class with the description Priestly gives.

Dramatic irony is used in the play when Mr. Berling talks about the

Titanic,

'Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable'

but as the play was written after the Titanic sank the people watching

it would know that Berling is wrong and again when he talks about the

war,

'The Germans don't want war'

The inspector seems to enter just as Mr. Berling is talking about how

each person has to look after themselves. He knows a lot about the

family and is not scared of the big name that Berling is throwing at

him trying to make him go away from the house and stop spoiling there

night. The inspector begins with shocking the atmosphere by saying,

'Two hours ago a young woman died in the infirmary.'

At the end of act one a lot of questions are left unanswered such as

'Why did this girl kill herself?' and 'What has Gerald and the rest of

the family got to do with her suicide?'. The atmosphere begins to

become very uneasy, the characters are beginning to see the worst in