Priestly uses the role of the inspector to create tension on and off the screen. What have the characters and audience members been forced to question about life though this mysterious man. Refer to numerous stage techniques. The play An Inspector Calls is a complex play using the inspector to create tension and question life and many things about the morals and ethics of society and the role of the upper class society. Playwright John Priestly has used various stage techniques to demonstrate a point and teach the audience about relationships, responsibility and social conscience and society and status and through these lessons he has altered the audience’s perception of life and made them question right and wrong in society today.
“We hear a sharp ring of a doorbell.” The doorbell sound is sharp and cutting and silences Mr Birling’s speech, just as Priestly plans to silence his views. The “sharp” doorbell should shock the audience and they should stand to attention as they would want to know what’s about to happen, the doorbell could also relate to the sharp tongue of the inspector. I believe that Mr birling and the inspector show the most contrast between characters in the play. The inspector on one hand stands for socialism, having a social and moral compass, taking responsibility for others and sharing wealth, while Mr Birling shows capitalism which is to look after yourself and to not take any responsibility. Through the play the Inspector/Priestly tries to change Mr Birling/the audience’s minds about how they should treat others.
Priestley was a supporter of socialism and the Inspector promotes Priestley's idea of social responsibility in the play. When talking to Gerald and Sheila about responsibility, the Inspector speaks 'sternly to them both'. The word 'sternly' means uncompromising which suggests that Priestley feels that society needs to confront this issue as it is very serious. We hear the voice of Priestley through the Inspector, 'You see, we have to share something'. Though the Inspector is talking to Sheila and Gerald we can infer that Priestley is addressing the audience directly through the use of the phrase 'You see'.
Eric and Mr. Birling in Act III At the end of Act II of An Inspector Calls, the inspector asks Mrs. Birling what should be done with the culprit, to which she replies he should be severely dealt with, only for Eric to walk in at that moment, which is when the scene ends. Priestly uses a variety of literary techniques to build tension, some of which include, Eric bursting in just as we find out that he is the father of Eva’s baby. This is made even more gripping because of how Mrs. Birling had emphasized the extent of the punishment the father should receive. Also the use of stage directions makes the audiences sympathize with the characters, Eric miserably asks for a drink and Mr. Birling explosively says ‘No!’ Lastly, Priestley’s main technique for building suspense is interrogating each member of the family in turn. This builds anticipation, as we are eager to find out what will happen in each family members interview and how it will affect the inspector’s final actions.
So how does this come into the play, “The Crucible”? Many things in this play can be looked at like the characters or the beliefs of that period of time. One of the main things is characters. John Proctor, probably the most important character, can be a great example of relating the meaning to the title. One is he is put under great intellectual and political power under Danforth, he says, “I mean it solemnly, Rebecca; I like not the smell of this “authority” (31, Miller), which causes him to be hanged from the belief of Danforth.
An Inspector Calls: Question 17 An Inspector calls has been called a play of contrasts Write about how Priestley presents some of the contrasts in the play Throughout the play ‘An Inspector calls’ there are many contrasts shown by Priestley not just in the Birling family but in the whole society of 1912. Some of the contrasts that will be explored are, the openness to change between the old and young generation, the contrast between Sheila and Eva, the feelings of responsibility and contrast between the Inspector’s self-assurance and the disappearance of the self-assurance of the others during the course of the play. The things I will take into consideration are the mood at the beginning and end of the play, stage directions, the use of
The bitter captain would routinely be seen over seeing their movements from a distance, and whenever he saw something suspicious he would act. This is a deployment of this concept because Thad uses power and black mail to rule over the younger men, and almost get the answer he needs, “Who touched his butt?” The story line goes on and Machiavellianism is showed all throughout the scenes. Another well rounded thought for me was that the idea of “Self-Monitoring” occurred throughout this show. Self-Monitoring says that “High self-Monitors”, for example pay close attention to others reactions to them and control how they present themselves in social interactions.” (Myers and Anderson 62) Alex Moran is another key character in this Show, Alex is one of the main suspects in the trial being done amongst the Captain and his teammates. The teammates all know who did this to Thad; it was Alex, but they weren’t about to tattle tail.
The more questions the Inspector asks, the more on edge Birling becomes. Irritated, angry and disconcerted. For example when he says “(angrily) look here Inspector, I consider this uncalled for an officious.’’ Here, Birling addresses the Inspector in an aggressive manner; behind them words it’s like a hinted warning to watch his step. This shows Birling to be impatient and intends to project his anger upon the Inspector discreetly, through the dialogue used. Also with the stage directions used, Birling appears to be affronted.
To the audience, the Inspector’s suit is a clear reminder of this position of authority and the purpose of his visit. Before he is allowed into the house, Mr Birling instructs Edna to ‘give us some more light’ which sets the scene of an intense interrogation. The lighting changes suddenly from pink and intimate previous to the Inspector’s arrival to brighter and harder during his stay. The stage directions state that the Inspector ‘speaks carefully, weightily, and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking.’ The Inspector’s arrival creates immediate disruption, alarm and tension within the Birlings who are blatantly intimidated by the Inspector’s title and superiority. Their panic becomes obvious through the frequent use of punctuation, ‘Look – there’s nothing mysterious – or scandalous – about this business – at least not so far as I’m concerned –‘ short sentences, ‘Yes, well, we needn’t go into all that’ and repetition ‘Well – why- why?’ and is juxtaposed completely to the Inspector’s cool calm facade, contributing to his
Hamlet explores the universal concerns of humanity with the utilisation of symbolism and metaphors to emphasise hardship from an eloquent, divergent perspective. Simultaneously, the application of allusions (and biblical allusions) reinforces human adversity from a context-driven perspective. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s exploitation of soliloquys within the play provides the audience with an understanding of characters’ feelings and emotions, which further exacerbates readers’ superficial knowledge. The play hamlet elucidates contextual concerns of human adversity in the Renaissance through