The Tension Within Birling's Family in Priestley's An Inspector Calls

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Priestley shows that the tension is within Birling’s family in many ways. He has created the setting of the play in Birling’s dining room where all the traumatic situations occur, it’s also where they hear unpleasant news from Inspector’s arrival. This setting also makes it seem claustrophobic where the audience are controlled by Inspector’s enquiry which heightens the tension of the play between the exit and entrance in the play. An Inspector Calls starts off calmly with ‘pink and intimate’ lighting which once after Inspector’s arrival the atmosphere becomes ‘brighter and harder’. Priestley here is showing us the warning of the forthcoming quandaries. This could also mean the calmness will no longer last as the play goes on just as how Mr. Birling’s optimism is short-sighted.

Priestley has also created certain characters to make them seem ‘fishy’, Eric during a conversation between Gerald and Mr. Birling suddenly ‘guffaws’. This foreshadowing makes it seem that Eric could be carrying burden of secrets yet their parents don’t know, that will be revealed later in the play. There...

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