The direction for the lighting to be ‘pink and intimate’ before the inspector arrives, then ‘bright and harsh’ when he is there helps the shift of tone, as each family member feels like a spotlight has been turned on them when he begins asking questions. In the opening scene, Mr Birling says many long speeches. Many of these are predictions for the future. As the play was written in 1946 but set in 1912, many of his predictions are proved false, a sense of dramatic irony. This manages to show him as a naive, opinionated person in his views.
The audience is also given a hint when Gerald says ‘You seem to be a nice well behaved family’ Priestley is setting up the Birlings for a monumental fall. 2. The first few pages also enable Priestley to set the scene, the play is set in 1912, which is shown frequently through the props and dialogue used. ‘By jingo’ and ‘Steady the buffs’ are perfect examples, these phrases where commonly used in that time and remind the audience that the play is set in Edwardian Britain. The typical Edwardian family would have different relationships between each other as a typical family today.
This can be argued by looking at Othello’s two speeches in the book. In act 1 scene 3 an angry Brabantio went to confront Othello about marrying his daughter. Othello is subjected to a lot of racism in this scene however he gives a speech to Brabantio explaining his actions. Throughout the speech Othello is shown as being a very calm, peaceful, noble and respectful man, ’My very noble and approved good masters’. If ‘Othello’ was a racist play then Othello would have been portayed very differently, more violent and rude, however he is shown as being much more respectful and calmer than the other men around him as illustrated in the quote, ‘approved good masters’.
We are responsible for each other.” This idea is one that Priestley himself believed in deeply, and many of Priestley’s writing shared this very theme. The history of the time the play was written helps us to understand the views and the feelings expressed by Priestley in the play. The inspector transfers Priestley’s views and he shows the difference in social classes at the time. He illustrates this in the play, through the inspector, where he outlines the ways each of the Birlings have influenced someone
It was a common way of thinking at that time so Priestley's aim for the play was to influence the unconvinced in society. J.B. Priestly used the character, Inspector Goole to portray his social message so that the audience has an better understanding of the reason why this play was made in the first place. The Inspector, straight from his introduction, is commanding and authoritative. Upon his entrance he creates, “…at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.” The Inspector continues to create this impression as he progresses through his speeches and through his interrogation of the family. The Inspector remains confident, sturdy and composed, while people around him fall to pieces.
Romeo and Juliet- Act 1 Scene 5 In Act 1 Scene 5 we witness the first encounter between Romeo and Juliet, and Shakespeare makes the entire scene interesting for the audience in several ways. As the audience had already seen Romeo with his friends, we know that he had been quite against coming to the party that they were gate-crashing, saying how he was too miserable because of Rosaline’s reproach towards him, and that the love he Romeo felt for her was stopping him from being with his friends. The audience would also learn at this point that Rosaline was actually a member of the Capulet family, and this creates another layer of irony because we know that inevitably Romeo and Juliet will meet and fall in love, meaning Romeo would once again encounter difficulties at ‘loving’ someone from the same, opposing family. However, as we have seen how pathetic Romeo acted previously with Mercutio and Benvolio, we would expect him to still be in the same morose state, but instead it would be of great interest and amusement to the audience that in fact Romeo’s miserable demeanour suddenly changed the moment he spots Juliet- another beautiful girl- and he suddenly perks up, and begins to shower Juliet in flowery words of devotion. As surprising as this is for someone who was supposedly ‘love-sick’ over another girl, it is even more amusing because of how it had taken him a few seconds of seeing Juliet before he began announcing his admiration of her.
It is important this is revealed before the scene as it creates dramatic irony because the audience knows such a significant detail of the play, yet Juliet doesn't, even though it's her getting married. Shakespeare uses the contrast between love and hate to add tension to the scene, like when Capulet clashes with a distraught Juliet after she refuses to marry Paris. Shakespeare structures this scene to create dramatic tension. Romeo, Capulet, Lady Capulet and the Nurse all make entrances or exits which leads to a chaotic and panicky sort of atmosphere. The audience emotions would be changing constantly because everyone who enters the scene has something important to say that could potentially change the course of the play.
In contrast, the opening scene of Revenger’s Tragedy appears much more focused and accessible in comparison with Shakespeare's complex opening scene. It is soon clear to the audience that Vindice will play a central role in the play since we are quickly bombarded with his thoughts and opinions. Here, there is no room for complexity. Vindice labels himself avenger for his wife’s death - the ‘old duke poisoned’ her. Very little ambiguity is found within this verse, as Vindice’s motive is clear: revenge.
The beginning of the play is significant as we are introduced to characters and learn more about their backgrounds, contributing to our understanding of the plot. Techniques such as foreshadowing, lighting and tone of speech are used to capture the audiences’ attention, and dramatic irony is effective in creating tension as it displays the ignorance of characters towards future events. In this essay, I will discuss how Priestly creates suspense in the opening of the play. Act one opens with stage directions. Right away, Priestly tells us about the Birling family.
Priestly shows how a chain of events can be started by just one person’s actions. This gives the audience the message that we should consider carefully the consequences of our actions because it may result in tragic ends. Throughout the play, many themes are explored alongside social responsibility and inequality. For example, age (the difference between younger and older generation0, guilt, deceit and greed. The dates 1912 and 1945 are important because 1912 was a point in history where a difference between the lifestyles of the rich and the poor had expanded.