Early Stage In The Play Gerald example essay topic

"The solid and substantial house, the champagne glasses, decanter of port and the cigars reflect the comfortable, rich lifestyle of the well-respected Birling family. "The light-hearted conversation shows Sheila as excitable, youthful and enthusiastic. However there is an edge to her on page 3 when she mentions 'last summer'. It is clear that they " ve had the conversation before, but as she won't let it go it shows she's got a nagging feeling about it. She even gives Gerald a 'half playful, half serious' warning.

"Eric seems shy, awkward and close to being drunk, however also a hidden edge to him. His sudden laughter is strained. What is he laughing at? "Gerald appears self-assured and someone who knows how to behave at all times. As we " ll find out later, he's an easy liar. "Mrs. Birling takes little part and what she does say reinforces the idea that she is a cold person who stands apart from the others.

"Mr. Birling is in a good mood but cannot resist making speeches. His comments show how wrong he can be: the Titanic would sink on its maiden voyage; there would be two world wars; depression, social unrest, unemployment and strikes would characterize the next three decades. Read from page 10 - 16 (to where Sheila enters). 'The lighting should be pink and intimate until the INSPECTOR arrives, and then it should be brighter and harder. ' This is of course symbolic.

The Birling etc lead comfortable, protected lives until the Inspector brings in the harsh reality of life outside their household. Point out that this does two things. First it signals the change in mood of the play. With the arrival of the Inspector a note of tension and menace is introduced. Secondly, the increased intensity of the light suggests the inspector is going to throw some light on events in the past, which have been concealed. "Gerald's comments that perhaps Eric has been 'up to something' prove to be ironic as they have all been up to no good.

Make sure stage directions are noted, especially with Eric's behavior. "Priestly has built up the tension before the inspector arrives on stage. He has created a sense of false security in the relaxed dinner party but has also occasionally introduced a note of tension. Look at Sheila's manner to Gerald, to her comment he kept away from her last summer and to Eric's behaviour. "The fact the inspector only shows the photograph to one person at the time, raising doubt it might be different women, doesn't matter.

The moral point is still made quite successfully. "The inspector's response to the introduction of Gerald suggests that at this early stage in the play Gerald could be involved too in some way. "Birling begins to show his true colours as his impatience grows. He refers to Eva Smith's death as 'the wretched girl's suicide'. (page 13) "The inspector soon adopts a very moralizing tone which continues throughout the play.

From this early stage the inspector is presented by Priestly as more than a policeman. He becomes social commentator, philosopher, judge and jury. It is important that his point is stressed early on with examples of his language, which back it up. "Birling mentions responsibility being awkward (page 14).

This echoes his earlier statement to Eric and Gerald about responsibility on pages 9 - 10. "Look at how Birling tries to intimidate the inspector by naming the people he knows. The fact he plays golf is also telling. It was very much a rich man's game. "The Inspector often speaks more like a judge or a prophet, making comments about the actions of the characters in the play and about society in a way that would be quite inappropriate for a policeman. At the bottom of page 13, when he pronounces the cause of Eva's death.

"Sheila reacts emotionally to Eva Smith's story. The younger members of the family throughout show more sympathy and concern for others than their elders do. Sheila's character is far deeper than originally thought - this is shown through her reaction to Eva Smith's story and what she appears to have learnt from it. "The inspector's speech on page 19, beginning 'There are a lot of young women... ' is worth looking at in some detail, to point out the general philosophical point Priestly is making.

"One of Preistley's central themes in the play is stressed; that is that there is no clear dividing line between different elements in society. We can't just write one section of as criminals and see another section as upright citizens. (Gerald says: 'we " re respectable citizens not criminals! To which the Inspector replies 'Sometimes there isn't as much difference as you think. ' ) We are all part of humanity and we need to share problems and difficulties, good fortune and comfort. We need to accept some measure of responsibility for other people.

"Notice Preistley's stage craft. The inspector has a solid motive to leave the stage just before the curtain falls. It gives Sheila time to get the truth out of Gerald. Giving the inspector the final word of the act is dramatic and gives the audience a lot to anticipate. Who makes this point clear? How is it proved in the plot?

Who disagrees? Does anyone in the play come to understand this? What message does that give and why does Priestly allow two characters to change? - Love = what kinds of love have been shown so far in the play? Look at relationships between the parents and the children, husband to wife, brother to sister and sister to fianc'e. - Time = what sense of time passing by is given in the opening Act?

What references to the future? What do those references suggest about Birling's society and what do they suggest about him. - Role of Women = Look at how women are presented in the play and what this says about their position in society.