Sybil Birling


	Personality	Role
	Sybil is proud of her social status. She strictly follows the rules of etiquette because a good reputation will improve her family's status. traditional: "when you're married you'll realise" prejudiced: "As if a girl of that class would ever refuse money!" cruel: "I used my influence to have it refused" She won't let anyone boss her around: "You have no power to make me change my mind" She is self-centred. She hasn't noticed Eric's alcoholism and dismisses Sheila's worries that Gerald lost interest last summer.	Without realising it, she condemns her own son and demands that he should pay, and confess publicly. The stage directions say that Mrs Birling answers "haughtily", "very sharply" and "bitterly" Mrs Birling repeatedly tells everyone "triumphantly" that she knew the Inspector was a hoax all along.
	Development (Growth & change)	Other information
	She doesn't change and won't accept responsibility for her actions. "I accept no blame at all" She doesn't learn from the Inspector's message. She regrets not having "asked him a few questions" as she wants to be in control. It's more important that she comes out on top, than the girl's suicide. In the final moments of the play, she is "Smiling" and tells everyone how "amused" she is. This suggests she has already put it all behind her.	Sybil tells her husband off for saying the food was good in front of a guest, it wasn't polite to mention the cook or lower servants. She tells Sheila off for using slang.

Sybil is proud of her social status.
She strictly follows the rules of etiquette because a good reputation will improve her family's status.
traditional: "when you're married you'll realise"
prejudiced: "As if a girl of that class would ever refuse money!"
cruel: "I used my influence to have it refused"
She won't let anyone boss her around: "You have no power to make me change my mind"
She is self-centred. She hasn't noticed Eric's alcoholism and dismisses Sheila's worries that Gerald lost interest last summer.

Without realising it, she condemns her own son and demands that he should pay, and confess publicly.
The stage directions say that Mrs Birling answers "haughtily", "very sharply" and "bitterly"
Mrs Birling repeatedly tells everyone "triumphantly" that she knew the Inspector was a hoax all along.

She doesn't change and won't accept responsibility for her actions. "I accept no blame at all"
She doesn't learn from the Inspector's message.
She regrets not having "asked him a few questions" as she wants to be in control.
It's more important that she comes out on top, than the girl's suicide.
In the final moments of the play, she is "Smiling" and tells everyone how "amused" she is. This suggests she has already put it all behind her.

Sybil tells her husband off for saying the food was good in front of a guest, it wasn't polite to mention the cook or lower servants.
She tells Sheila off for using slang.

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