An Inspector Calls
- Created by: Imy123
- Created on: 18-05-18 15:35
Doorbell Sound Effect
The sharp ring of the doorbell interrupts Birling’s speech
about social responsibility.
What is the effect?
This forces the audience to make a connection between the Inspector’s
arrival and Birling’s Capitalist ideology that promotes self-interest and
believes that community is ‘nonsense’.
Lighting
‘The lighting should be pink and intimate until the INSPECTOR arrives, and then it
should be brighter and harder.’
What is the effect?
Priestley uses a change in lighting to show the change in
atmosphere that the Inspector’s arrival brings.
What props are mentioned within Act 1?
The photograph: The Inspector only shows the photograph
to one person at a time..
What is the effect?
This means that no one character can ever be sure that they have seen
the same photograph as any other character. This adds to the sense of
mystery which surrounds the girl and the Inspector. It is important to
notice that the photograph always has an immediate impact on
whoever sees it.
What is dramatic irony?
Dramatic irony is where the full significance of a character's words or actions is clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.
It gives the audience the upper hand and a position of power. The audience knows more than the characters on stage.
Dramatic irony
‘And I say there isn’t a chance of war...the Titanic – she sails
next week -...unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’
What is the effect?
The audience know that Birling’s first speech is full of inaccuracies. This
makes us question the reliability of his judgement – if he’s wrong about
war and the Titanic, what else will he be wrong about?
What is foreshadowing?
Foreshadowing is a warning or indication of (a future event).
Usually, the characters are unaware of the foreshadowed event but the
reader/audience are. Again, like dramatic irony, this gives the audience
the upper hand as we follow the warnings like clues or breadcrumbs all
the way to the resulting future event.
Foreshadowing
‘so long as we behave ourselves. Don’t get into the police court
or start a scandal – eh?’
What is the effect?
Birling is overconfident when he tells Gerald that he is expecting a
knighthood and his throwaway comment about getting into trouble
makes the audience expect something bad to happen.
Contrasts & Opposites
Priestley uses opposites or contrasts as an effective device.
Can you find any?
He juxtaposes the beliefs of the Birlings with the attitude of Inspector
Goole.
He also forces the audience to make links between Sheila and the dead
Eva Smith to highlight the differences in their lives because of their
social standing.
Cliffhangers
Act 1 ends with the Inspector saying ‘Well?’ to Gerald. This is
the same way that Act 2 begins.
What is the effect?
This cliff-hanger means the audience have to wait to find out what
happens, even though they have already anticipated what will happen.
How is dramatic irony used in Act Two?
There is dramatic irony in the way Mrs Birling is trapped at
the end of the scene.
When she forcefully blames ‘some drunken young idler’, the
audience realise that she is describing Eric.
This also highlights her hypocrisy to the audience: we know
that she would not apply the same standards to her own
family.
How are contrasts used in Act Two?
Again, the audience are forced to make contrasts between
the Birlings’ self-interested attitudes and the beliefs of the
Inspector.
It is especially clear in this scene that Priestley is using the
Inspector to move the plot along, to control the pace of
events and to decide the order in which the characters are
questioned.
How is an Entrance used in Act Two?
The timing of Mrs Birling’s entrance mean that she is
unaware of the impact the Inspector is having and
insists on trying to control events herself.
The timing of Eric’s entrance is also significant: he
reappears at the end of the Act just at the moment
when the audience and the characters on stage realise
that Eric is the father of Eva Smith’s baby.
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