How Does Priestly Build Up Tension Towards the End of Act Two?

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Monday 27th January 2014 How does Priestly build up tension towards the end of act two? * Priestly creates tension using well timed entrances and exits from each character. Priestly creates tension when Gerald exits the stage directions ‘they watch him go in silence’ create tension because as Gerald exists the silence will create a long pause so during this pause an awkward atmosphere will be created causing the tension of the scene to increase. When Mr Birling re-enters the room ‘looking rather agitated’ This creates tension because he comes into the scene just as the inspector is about to interrogate Mrs Birling so the room will already be quite tense and then Mr Birling comes in to deliver the bad news that Eric has left making the atmosphere even more intense. The most dramatic entrance of the play is at the end of Act Two when ‘Eric enters. Looking extremely pale and distressed’ This moment increases the tension massively because the whole build-up of tension in this scene leads to this moment and then the curtain falling after Eric enters increases it because as the reader we want to know what happened straight away but viewing this as a play there would be a break allowing the audience to think about what they’ve just seen making them really interested in knowing the answer. * Priestly also uses questions and confessions to increase tension in this scene. He uses questions and confessions together to build up tension because The Inspector uses questions that he already knows the answers to, to get the other characters to reveal shocking information which ultimately leads up to each characters confession of their partake in Eva Smith’s suicide which causes each of the characters to judge one another. This creates tension because each character has a confession to make and at this particular moment in the play we have Mrs Birling’s confession who
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