‘An Inspector Calls’ – J.B.

Priestley

How Does J.B. Priestley create and sustain dramatic tension in

his play ‘An Inspector Calls’?

Priestley has managed to create an effect of mounting tension on stage. This builds up throughout the play, and climaxes
right at the end. This essay will explore the aspects of the play, and the techniques used, that contribute to this rising
tension, before coming to a conclusion as to which is the most effective.

The playwright has included detailed stage directions in his script, including descriptions of the setting. The play is set in
the ‘dining room of a fairly large house’ with ‘good solid furniture.’ However, it is also stated that the room should not feel
‘cosy and homelike.’ This gives the impression that not everything is as it seems; the family meal may on the outside seem
like a happy, cheerful, celebratory affair, but on the inside there is a lot of unease. At the beginning of the play, the
characters seem over polite with each other. As they are family, this gives the impression that the happy atmosphere is
slightly forced. This arouses the audiences’ attention immediately, hooking them in right at the beginning of the play.

The stage lighting in the play also contributes to the tension felt by the audience. Priestley instructs that it should change
from ‘pink and intimate’ to ‘brighter and harder’ when the Inspector arrives. This would intensify the atmosphere,
suggesting to the audience that a serious event is about to take place; this grips their attention, as they want to find out
what will happen next.

From the beginning of the play, the audience can see that many of the characters have conflicting personalities. For
instance, Arthur Birling is ‘rather provincial in his speech,’ meaning that he is often narrow-minded, and is highly
opinionated. It is possible that Birling is trying to make up for the fact that he is not as highly educated as his wife, and
that he lacks her good breeding. Mr Birling mainly conflicts with his son, Eric, whom he is not particularly proud of. He
casually put his son down throughout the play, which suggests that this is not a family that gets on smoothly. From Act
One, Priestley gives the impression that there would be a point where both Eric and his father would lose their tempers
with each other. Waiting for this to take place increases the dramatic tension felt.

Inspector Goole, the play’s main character, creates most of the dramatic tension. From the moment he appears on stage
(when the lights gets ‘brighter and harder’), it is implied that he is a very domineering character. His entering stage
directions state that he ‘need not be a big man, but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and
purposefulness.’ This suggests that the Inspector is in control of the scene immediately after entering. The Inspector’s
manner is calm and collected; he answers Mr Birling with sentences that are business-like and professional, but also
sharp, short and to the point. “We do need him here,” said when Eric is discovered to be missing, is an example of this. Mr
Birling’s friendly, if slightly awkward, questions suggest that he is nervously attempting to lighten the atmosphere. It also
gives the impression that Birling is very nervous, possibly because any trouble involving the police could ruin his chances
of being knighted.

The stage directions for the Inspector show that Priestley intended the actor to watch all of the other characters closely,
and to speak ‘slowly,’ ‘coolly’ and ‘gravely.’ In several places, the actor is encouraged to interrupt others whilst
interrogating them. This keeps the audience on edge, as they never know when he will begin to speak next. Also included
in the Inspector’s stage directions are long pauses, spent looking backwards and forwards at various characters (for
example, at the start of Act Two, the Inspectors looks closely at both Gerald and Sheila). These ‘steady and searching’
looks, together with the exaggerated silences, contribute to the dramatic tension of the play. The character of the
Inspector is also very complex, which intrigues the audience, and gets them thinking. He looks ‘hard’ into others’ eyes, as
if he knows everything, and as if he is forcing them to confess; this is normal behaviour for a police inspector. However, he
personally challenges others’ consciences, and places a big emphasis on what is morally right. He is described as having a
‘disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking.’ The fact that he gives his own
personal views and opinions suggests that he is not a real inspector. It seems that Priestley uses the character to voice his
own opinions, and to deliver moral messages to the audience.

The Inspector verbally attacks the other characters, particularly where he to feel their responses are morally wrong. For
example, he questions Mr Birling with a simple ‘Why?’ when he discovers that Birling refused his workers a small pay rise.
He then quietly insists that Mr Birling explains his reasons for this decision, ‘It might be, you know,’ is what the Inspector
says when he is asked whether the matter is any of his business. This also suggests that the Inspector is being slightly
impertinent. His manner seems to become more aggressive as he questions Mr Birling. ‘You’re not telling me the truth’ is
a good example of how a real police inspector would not behave. He then continues to question Birling’s morals,
‘massively’ saying that ‘public men have responsibilities as well as privileges.’ The ‘massively’ suggests that Priestley
intended the line to be said with self-importance. It is also quite a personal remark to make, but it gives the audience
something to think about, and makes them examine their own consciences.

Priestley wanted his play to prick his audiences’ consciences. The play was set in 1912, yet it had been written in 1945,
after two World Wars had taken place. Many people had had the general attitude, before World War I, that there
wouldn’t be a war, and they became complacent. Priestley set out to show that people need to think about the
consequences that all actions have, and that they need to take responsibility for even the tiniest of mistakes. The play
shows that if people become complacent about forthcoming dangers, then there could be severe consequences; this is
because Mr Birling is a self-confident character, who comes to realise that life isn’t always easy.

Using the character of the Inspector pricks the audiences’ consciences, and makes them think about their own actions and
morals. The manner of this character grabs and holds the attention of the audience, and heightens the dramatic tension.

The structure of the play was written in such a way that it intensifies dramatic tension felt by the audience. There are 3
Acts in the play, and they all take place in the same setting. The timing is realistic; a real police interview would last for the
same length of time as the play. These all achieve the effect of making the plot believable, which, in turn, succeeds in
holding the audiences’ attention.

Several characters enter and exit the stage throughout the play, and this adds to the dramatic tension. The most
significant of these is the exit and re-entrance of Eric Birling. We realise he has left after hearing the front door ‘slam,’ and
Mr Birling fails to find him inside the house. The audience begins to ponder as to why he has left the house, and this
tension is intensified when the Inspector sharply announces that ‘we do need him here.’ The audience want to work out
why Eric has left, and why the Inspector needs to question him. Eric then re-enters the scene at the end of Act Two,
looking ‘extremely pale and distressed.’ This arouses the audiences’ attention, as they question what reasons he has to
look like this. The other characters look ‘inquiringly’ at him, which suggests that they do not know why he is involved with
the police investigation. Before any character speaks, the curtain ‘falls quickly.’ This is very dramatically tense, because
the scene is ended on a cliff-hanger. The audience are left anticipating what will happen next. The end of Act Two is also
tense for other reasons. Throughout this act, various characters have dropped hints concerning Eric’s involvement in the
young girl’s suicide. Finally, the audience have enough evidence to piece together, and they work this out. However, some
of the characters (in particular Mrs Birling), remain completely oblivious; this interests the audience as they realise they
know more than the characters onstage. This is dramatic irony, where the audience are able to piece together clues in the
investigation, enabling them to work out the final ending before the characters do. This adds to the dramatic tension, as it
keeps the audience involved. The most obvious and significant use of this technique is at the end of Act Two, where the
audience figure out that Eric is the father of the unborn child. This contrasts with the fact that most of the characters,
including Eric’s parents, are unaware of this. Dramatic irony increases the audiences’ involvement in the play, keeping
them interested. By integrating this technique into a detective ploy, Priestley has succeeded in creating dramatic tension
that increases with each clue that is uncovered.

The plot of the play deepen as it progresses, which intensifies the dramatic tension felt by the audience. They can piece
together evidence, and make assumptions about the character’s involvement; this heightens their interest in the play. The
blame of the police investigation constantly shifts from character to character, which highlights the tension felt onstage.
The police investigation follows a logical order, and each of the characters are interrogated in turn, with each being
blamed for the girls suicide. Significantly, the Inspector allows some characters to believe they are solely to blame, which
enables both himself and the audience to gauge their reactions; this allows the audience to make assumptions about each
characters’ morals.

At the end of Act Two, Mrs Birling lays the blame on the father of the unborn child. She even voices her personal opinions
on the punishments that he should receive. This causes a lot of tension within the Birling family, as it is discovered at the
beginning of Act Three that Eric Birling in the father. The revelation causes Mrs Birling to become ‘agitated’ and she
refuses to believe it. ‘I won’t believe it’ shows her defiance and disbelief. The stage directions instruct Mr Birling to appear
‘thunderstruck’ when he realises the truth; this heightens tension felt in the audience, as it suggests that he will soon lose
his temper.

An Inspector Calls is a thriller. It makes the audience want to solve the mystery, and it draws them in from the very first
act. This keeps the audiences tense, and on edge as they wait to work out the latest twist in the plot. However, Priestley
also uses his play to demonstrate several strong moral messages, including how all actions, however small, can have
serious repercussions. The play also highlights the importance of taking responsibility, and not attempting to pass the
blame onto others.

In conclusion, An Inspector Calls is a very dramatically tense play. Various aspects and techniques contribute to this
tension, including the use of dramatic irony, and the personality clash between characters. It is difficult to decipher what
is the most significant contributor to the tension, as all are very effective. However, it is clear that without the character of
the Inspector, the play would lack a large amount of the dramatic atmosphere. The Inspector provides a harsh, stony
personality, and delivers a moral message. This, in my opinion, is the most effective and significant contributor to the
dramatic tension in the play ‘An Inspector Calls.’