Dramatic Irony (ACT 1)

Dramatic Irony (ACT 1)

1. Gerald: (LAUGHS) "You seem to be a well behaved family" Birling: We think we are

   • The last thing that the Birlings are is "well-behaved", these lines also suggest the alliance between Gerald and Birling, two men who share the same values, whose bond will become stronger after the Inspector's exit.

2. Birling: "unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable"

   • Priestley's love of dramatic irony is never more satirical than in these comments of Birling's, which, to his original audience in 1946, must have seemed more controversial than they do today because the sinking of the ship was within people's memory. Symbolically, just as the Titanic is destined to sink, so too is Birling's political ideology, under the Inspector's interrogation.
   • In Birling's early speeches,he makes many predictions about the future which are all wrong. Priestly deliberately makes Birling appear foolish about matters of fact.
     • This puts the audience at an advantage over the characters and makes us more involved.

3. Priestley uses a change in lighting to show the change in atmosphere that the Inspector’s arrival brings: ‘The lighting should be pink and intimate until the Inspector arrives, and then it should be brighter and harder.’

   • The pink lighting that was originally used shows how the Birlings were perceived to be the 'perfect family' so when the Inspector comes it accentuates the reality of the Birlings and the audience gets to see them for who they really are - flaws and all.
     • The inspector's appearance entails a lot of tension as each member of the family is found to have played a part in Eva's death. New pieces of information contribute to the story being constructed. The audience is interested in how each character reacts to the revelations.

4. The sharp ring of the doorbell interrupts Birling’s speech about social responsibility. 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’.

   • The clashing views are highlighted throughout the play as Birling and the Inspector
     • in Act 3 when the telephone rings it heralds the significant information about to be shared
       • The final denouement is a shocking surprise to the characters on stage and the audience – a ‘twist in the tale’.

5. The photograph

   • The Inspector only shows the photograph to one person at a time. 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.

6. Entrances

   • 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.