AIC Flashcards
(stage directions)
how the furniture looks
- (substantial and heavily comfortable, but not cosy and homelike) 1.1
stage directions
lighting
- (The lighting should be pink and intimate until the INSPECTOR arrives, and then it should be brighter and harder) 1.1
stage directions
birling
- (portentous…rather provincial in his speech.)
stage directons
mrs birling
- (a rather cold woman and her husband’s social superior)
stage directions
gerald
- (easy well-bred young man-about-town)
stage directions
eric
- (not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive.)
how stage directions describe the family and Gerald at the start of the play
- (pleased with themselves.)
1.2
B trying to suck up to G, he wants him to marry S
3
B - “You ought to like this port, Gerald. As a matter of fact, Finchley told me it’s exactly the same port your father gets from him.”
G - “I don’t pretend to now much about it.”
S - “you don’t know all about port”
Birling praising cook. SB saying nah
- B – “Good dinner too, Sybil. Tell cook from me.” – 1.2
- SB – “(reproachfully) Arthur, you’re not supposed to say such things-” – 1.2
SB patriarchal
married, men business work
- SB – “When you’re married you’ll realize that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business. You’ll have to get used to that just as I had.” – 1.3
what S describes E as when he (suddenly guffaws)
- S - “squiffy” – 1.3
B doesn’t give a shit abt engagement, just wants to work w/ Crofts
- B – “perhaps we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together – for lower costs and higher prices.” -1.4
Gerald controls Sheila. even controls what ring she should have
“is it the one you wanted me to have?” - S 1.5
Sheila childlike at start
2
- S – “Look – Mummy – isn’t it a beauty?” – 1.5
- S – “I’m sorry, Daddy. Actually I was listening.” – 1.6
what B describes himself as
- B – “hard-headed business man,” - 1.6
Birling dramatic irony
when G and S marry in the future
- B – “When you marry, you’ll be marrying at a very good time.” – 1.6
Eric asks abt war. B shuts him down
- E – “What about war?” – 1.6
- B – “fiddlesticks!” – 1.6
- B – “there isn’t a chance of war.” – 1.6
Birling. d.i. titanic
- B – “unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.” – 1.7
B hatred for Russia
peace, progress
- B - “There’ll be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere – except of course in Russia, which will always be behindhand naturally.” – 1.7 – expresses his distaste for Communism
B’s hatred for socialist sympathisers
- B – “We can’t let these Bernard Shaws and H. G. Wellses do all the talking.” – 1.7
B 1.8
why B wants a knighthood so bad
- B – “Lady Croft … feels you might have done better for yourself socially-” – 1.8
G 1.8
G abt Birling family.
d.i.
- G – “(laughs) You seem to be a nice well-behaved family-” – 1.8
what Birling thinks clothes are to women
- B – “a sort of sign or token of their self-respect.” – 1.9
B’s capitalistic views
look after + family
- B – “a man has to make his own way – has to look after himself – and his family too, of course, when he has one” – 1.9
what he calls socialists
- B – “cranks” – 1.10
what B compares socialism to
- B – “bees in a hive” – 1.10
stage directions
inspector
3 parts
he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.) – 1.11
1.11, 1.16
B trying to intimidate I
2
- B – “You’re new, aren’t you?” – 1.11
- B - “How do you get on with our Chief Constable, Colonel Roberts?” – 1.16
Inspector immediately startles Birling family with suicide thing
3 parts
- I – “Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She’d been taken there this afternoon because she’d swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course.” 1.11
B doesn’t give a f*** bout Eva’s suicide
- B - “(rather impatiently) Yes, yes. Horrid business.” - 1.12 –
B 1.14
B’s views of his responsibilty in Eva’s suicide
2
rhetorical q - shows his diminishing power - asking I for validation
- B – “Still, I can’t accept any responsibility.” – 1.14
- B – “If we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward, wouldn’t it?” – 1.14
B not assertive anymore after I arrived
Eric, B
- E - “By Jove, yes. And as you were saying, Dad, a man has to look after himself-” – 1.14
- B - “Yes, well, we needn’t go into all that.” – 1.14
what B believes his duty was and why he was justified
- B – “it’s my duty to keep labour costs down,” – 1.15
E opposes B on sacking Eva
- E – “He could have kept her on instead of throwing her out.” – 1.15
I schools B about topic of punishment
Earth
- B – “Rubbish! If you don’t come down sharply on some of these people, they’d soon be asking for the earth.” – 1.15
- I – “better to ask for the earth than to take it.” – 1.15
Inspector being cold again. doesn’t fall for B’s attempts to scare him initially
I - (dryly) “I don’t play golf.” - 1.16
B lecturing E on responsibility. Ironic as he can’t accept responsibility
- B - “It’s about time you learnt to face a few responsibilities.” – 1.16
Eric is educated at an expensive university unlike his father who made it out the trenches. B blames the school system instead of taking responsibility for being a bad parent.
- B - “That’s something this public-school-and-Varsity life you’ve had doesn’t seem to teach you.” – 1.16
B’s bad stigma of lower-class women.
- B - “Have you any idea what happened to her after that? Get into trouble? Go on the streets?” – 1.16 –
S 1.16
Sheila chidlike
SB sent her to fetch the others to the drawing-room
- S – “Mummy sent me in” – 1.16
Sheila’s 1st reaction when hearing of Eva Smith
- S – “Pretty?” – 1.18
S first opposes B on topic of sacking Eva
- S – “But these girls aren’t cheap labour – they’re people.” – 1.19
B 1.21
B belittling S. not in front of her this time tho (to Inspector). shows he truly believes this
- B – “(angrily) Why the devil do you want to go upsetting the child like that?” – 1.21
stage directions 1.21
B losing power over I
retort when dipping to comfort S after she got shown photo of Eva
- B – (BIRLING looks as if about to make some retort, then thinks better of it, and goes out, closing the door sharply behind him.) – 1.21
inspector being cold. wants to get investigation done asap.
- I – “if you’re easy with me, I’m easy with you.” – 1.22
S beginning to take responsibility
2
she felt bad before, now she feels..
- S – “I felt rotten about it at the time and now I feel a lot worse.” – 1.23
- S – “(miserably) So I’m really responsible?” – 1.23
why S sacked Eva
- S – “She was the right type for it, just as I was the wrong type.” – 1.23
S jealous and prejudiced. She isn’t mindful of her actions
2 parts
- S – “How could I know what would happen to her afterwards? If she’d been some miserable plain creature, I don’t suppose I’d have done it.” – 1.24
S 1.26
S sucking I’s dick
after G has just told her he’s involved but is gonna hyde it from Inspector
- S – “(laughs rather hysterically) Why – you fool – he knows. Of course he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows that we don’t know yet. You’ll see. You’ll see.” – 1.26
2.27/28
G presents himself as a protector of women. Priestley highlights how women are treated as if they can’t exist independently
2
(inspector, gerald) unpleasant, disturbing
- I – “And you think young women ought to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing things?” – 2.27
- G – “If possible – yes.” – 2.28
what G thinks of S. destroys their relationship.
- G – “(bitterly) I see.” – 2.28
- G – “You’ve been through it – and now you want to see somebody else put through it.” – 2.28
I on sharing responsibility and guilt
- I – “(sternly to them both) You see, we have to share something. If there’s nothing else, we’ll have to share our guilt.” – 2.29
S sucking I’s cock. she has been affected greatly by him
- S – “(staring at him) Yes. That’s true. You know. (She goes close to him, wonderingly.) I don’t understand about you.” – 2.29
SB doesn’t get the social cues. Tries to remain acting upstanding
- SB – “(smiling, social) Good evening, Inspector.” – 2.29
2
younger gen. more impressionable
- SB - “You seem to have made a great impression on this child, Inspector.” - 2.30
- I – “(coolly) We often do on the young ones. They’re more impressionable.” – 2.30
what SB thinks is the reason why Sheila wants to stay to hear rest of interrogation, belittling her
- SB – “Nothing but morbid curiosity.” – 2.30 –
SB 2.30
SB prejudice towards lower classes
the famous line
- SB – “Girls of that class-” – 2.30
S trying to save her mother from Inspector’s wrath. SB doesn’t listen
3
- S – “(slowly, carefully now) You mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl. If you do, then the Inspector will just break it down. And it’ll be all the worse when he does.” – 2.30
SB 2.32
SB thinks E isn’t used to drinking
SB - “No, of course not. He’s only a boy.” - 2.32
S rats out E abt his drinking habits. this comes up later. d.i.
- S – “He’s been steadily drinking too much for the last two years.” – 2.32
S realises I’s power. now she’s done, she’s gone mad, just watching her family abt to get broken down
rope
- S – “(rather wildly, with laugh) No, he’s giving us the rope – so that we’ll hang ourselves.” – 2.33
Birling parents belittling S after her rope comment
2
- B – “What’s the matter with that child?” – 2.33
- SB – “Over-excited.” – 2.33
G euphamism for prostitutes
- G – “It’s a favourite haunt of women of the town-” – 2.34
G frequents club for him to know what prostitutes look like
- G – “I hate those hard-eyed dough-faced women.” – 2.34
G portays Daisy as damsel in distress
G - “The girl saw me looking at her and then gave me a glance that was nothing less than a cry for help.”
G portrays himself as the hero
3 parts
- G – “I didn’t install her there so that I could make love to her. I made her go to Morgan Terrace because I was sorry for her, and didn’t like the idea of her going back to the Palace bar. I didn’t ask for anything in return.” – 2.37
Inspector making interrogatees tell the truth
- S – “(cutting in, as he hesitates) I know. Somehow he makes you.” – 2.37
B 2.37
B trying to protect S
- B – “(rather taken aback) … I protest against the way in which my daughter, a young unmarried girl, is being dragged into this-” – 2.37
I 2.37
I saying, S is an adult. shouldn’t be belittled.
- I – “(sharply) Your daughter isn’t living on the moon. She’s here in Brumley too.” – 2.37
S maturing, opposing her parents
wants to know truth from G
- S – “I’m not a child, don’t forget. I’ve a right to know.” – 2.38
S cares abt if G loved Daisy more than what he did to her
S - “Were you in love with her, Gerald?”
G trying to portray himself as nonchalant and that he didn’t love Eva
G - (hesitatingly) “I didn’t feel about her as she felt about me.” - 2.38
Sheila really digging into G. wants him to admit what she already knows (he loved Daisy)
3
sarcastic, prince
S - (with sharp sarcasm) “Of course not. You were the wonderful Fairy Prince. You must have adored it, Gerald.” - 2.38
G admits he loved Daisy
- G – “All right – I did for a time. Nearly any man would have done.” – 2.38
S - 2.38, 2.40
S gains respect for G after he admits that he loved Daisy
- S – “That’s probably about the best thing you’ve said tonight. At least it’s honest.” – 2.38
- S – “In fact, in some odd way, I rather respect you more than I’ve ever done before.” – 2.40
G defends himself against SB about affair being disgusting. acc cared abt Daisy
- G – “You know, it wasn’t disgusting.” - 2.38
how Daisy took news that he had to dip
G - “She was - very gallant - about it” - 2.38
Eva had forseen the future and planned ahead for G to break up w/her
G - “she knew it couldn’t last - hadn’t expected it to last.” - 2.39
I 2.39
why Eva went to seaside place.
I - “just to make it last longer.” - 2.39
G sad. dips
3
- G – “I’m rather more – upset – by this business than I probably appear to be – and – well, I’d like to be alone for a while – I’d be glad if you’d let me go.” – 2.39
S gives G the ring back. Symbolises how she isn’t childish anymore
(She hands him the ring.)
2.41
with great power comes great responsibility
public
- B – “I’m a public man-” – 2.41
- I – “(massively) Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges.” – 2.41
SB reveals she had prejudice towards Eva Smith
- SB – “I think it was simply a piece of gross impertinence – quite deliberate – and naturally that was one of the things that prejudiced me against her case.” – 2.43
SB blames Eva’s situation on Eva
- SB – “I think she had only herself to blame.” – 2.43
SB 2.44
SB truly believes she was right
SB - “I’ve done nothing wrong” - 2.44
SB blames responsibility on father of Eva’s child
- SB – “Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility.” – 2.45
S disagreeing w/ SB abt charity situation
- S – “(with feeling) Mother, I think it was cruel and vile.” – 2.45
why SB thought Eva was capping
- SB – “She was claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples that were simply absurd in a girl in her position.” – 2.46
I 2.46
Inspector has gained complete power over B
- I – “(As BIRLING tries to protest, turns on him.) Don’t stammer and yammer at me again, man. I’m losing all patience with you people.” – 2.46
SB’s prejudice against lower classes. thinks they’re greedy. quite the opposite
- SB – “As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money!” – 2.47
SB makes it difficult for E later on.
- SB – “he ought to be dealt with very severely-…make sure that he’s compelled to confess in public his responsibility” – 2.48
SB in denial that E is father of Eva’s child
SB - (agitated) “I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it…” - 2.49
Eric resents his mother
E - (bitterly) “You haven’t made it any easier for me, have you, Mother?” - 3.50
SB doesn’t know her son very well
- SB – “Besides, you’re not the type – you don’t get drunk-” – 3.50
B lost authority to I. tries to tell E not to drink. I overrides him.
- B – “(explosively) No.” – 3.51 – response to Eric wanting a drink before his interrogation
- I – “(firmly) Yes.” – 3.51 – directly opposes Birling’s response
- B – “(to ERIC) All right. Go on.” – he has lost authority
E euphamism abt sexual assault
- E – “I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty – and I threatened to make a row.” – 3.52
E made love to Eva but he didn’t love her.
E - “I wasn’t in love with her or anything - but I liked her - she was pretty and a good sport-“ - 3.52
Eva is v. mature and didn’t want to marry E
- E – “She didn’t want me to marry her. Said I didn’t love her - and all that. In a way, she treated me – as if I were a kid.” – 3.53
E and B don’t have gd father son relationship.
- E – “Because you’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble” – 3.54
B doesn’t like E. They ain’t similar. B made it out the trenches, E was born into gd life. B tries to find a reason why E isn’t a gd kid and resorts to scl. but it is actually his parenting that has led him to be like this.
- B – “(angrily) Don’t talk to me like that. Your trouble is – you’ve been spoilt-” – 3.54
Birling offers money to remedy the situation
- B – “(unhappily) Look, Inspector – I’d give thousands – yes thousands-” – 3.56
Inspector’s final speech
3 parts
millions, intertwined, we x3, fire
- I – “One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do.
- We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.
- And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night.” – 3.56
B immediately blames E after Inspector leaves
- B – “(angrily to ERIC) You’re the one I blame for this.” – 3.57
B only cares abt his social status not Eva’s suicide
2
- B – “There’ll be a public scandal.” – 3.57
- B – “I was almost certain for a knighthood in the next Honours List-” – 3.57
B cares only abt $, not crimes
- B - “until every penny of that money you stole is repaid, you’ll work for nothing.” – 3.57
E 3.57
E standing up to his parents after I leaves
- E – “But don’t forget I’m ashamed of you as well – yes both of you.” – 3.57
B and SB take no responsibility. Just unfortunate. shit happens
- B - “(angrily) There’s every excuse for what both your mother and I did – it turned out unfortunately, that’s all-” – 3.57
3.57
S claiming that everythings gonna be fine and they haven’t learnt anything
2
(S, B) nothing
- S – “But now you’re beginning all over again to pretend that nothing much has happened-” – 3.57
- B – “Nothing much has happened!” – 3.57
B’s response to Sheila’s question of if the inspector was a real inspector or not
- B – “it matters a devil of a lot. Makes all the difference.” – 3.58
- S – “No, it doesn’t.” – 3.58
S standing up against her parents abt being childish
- SB – “Don’t be childish, Sheila.” -3.59
- S – “(flaring up) I’m not being. …, it’s you two who are being childish – trying not to face the facts.” – 3.59
SB more concerned abt I’s manner than the suicide
- SB – “Well, I must say his manner was quite extraordinary; so – so rude – and assertive-” – 3.59
B has high social status. Talking about how Inspectors usually talk.
- B – “they don’t talk like that. I’ve had dealings with dozens of them.” – 3.59
SB doesn’t want to admit her defeat to I in front of her children
- SB – “He certainly didn’t make me confess – as you call it. I told him quite plainly that I thought I had done no more than my duty.” – 3.60
B thinks I was a (s)prankster
- B – “you allowed yourselves to be bluffed. Yes – bluffed.” – 3.60
SB looks to B to be the patriarchal head of the family
- SB – “Now just be quiet so that your father can decide what we ought to do. (Looks expectantly at BIRLING.)”
B still wants to maintain reputation with Gerald even after his and Sheila’s role in case have already been revealed.
- B - “(hastily) Now – now – we needn’t bother him with all that stuff.” – 3.61 –
Gerald is B’s glimmer of hope that he won’t be in a public scandal
- B - “(excitedly) You know something.” – 3.61 –
G is smart and rational.
- G – “(slowly) That man wasn’t a police officer.” – 3.62
S has learnt her lesson, but she feels everyone else is now forgetting after they discover I wasn’t a real police inspector
- S – “(bitterly) I suppose we’re all nice people now.” – 3.63
G doesn’t want details of what else Birling family did
- G – “That’s all right, I don’t want to.” – 3.63 – know the rest of their crimes and idiocies
belittles his children when they feeling nervous
- B - “If you’re still feeling on edge, then the least you can do is to keep quiet. Leave this to us.” – 3.64 –
Gerald if v. rational and tries to spot holes in I’s plot
- G – “But how do you know it’s the same girl?” – 3.66
SB admits she got bluffed by Insepctor
- SB – “And like a fool I said Yes I had.” – to the fact that Inspector claimed she’d seen Eva Smith 2 wks ago 3.67
stage direction
B hasn’t learned any lesson because he has now been told no-one died.
- B - “(He produces a huge sigh of relief.)” – no public scandal.
S trying to convince family to still learn from this encounter
- S – “Everything we said had happened really had happened.” – 3.70
B laughing and joking after case closed
- B - “Imitating Inspector in his final speech.) You all helped to kill her. (Pointing at Sheila and Eric, and laughing.) And I wish you could have seen the look on your faces when he said that.” – 3.71 – didn’t learn any lesson.
B’s forgot abt lesson
- B – “We’ve been had, that’s all.” – 3.71
S tries to convince her family to learn from the situation but they don’t listen
2
nothing, began to learn
- S – “So nothing really happened. So there’s nothing to be sorry for, nothing to learn. We can all go on behaving just as we did.” – 3.71
- S – “You began to learn something. And now you’ve stopped. You’re ready to go on in the same old way.” – 3.71
B 3.71
B still tryna get that partnership
- B – “Look, you’d better ask Gerald for that ring you gave back to him, hadn’t you? Then you’ll feel better.” – 3.71 – belittling Sheila
B 3.71
belittles both his children telling them to go to bed
- B – “Well, go to bed then, and don’t stand there being hysterical.” – 3.71
B laughing at younger gen.
- B - “(pointing to Eric and Sheila) Now look at the pair of them – the famous younger generation who know it all. And they can’t even take a joke-” – 3.72
B’s response to Sheila’s question of if the inspector was a real inspector or not
2
- B – “it matters a devil of a lot. Makes all the difference.” – 3.58 –
- S – “No, it doesn’t.” – 3.58
B’s pure fear at final telephone call
2
- B - “(looks in a panic-stricken fashion at the others.)” – just after final telephone call.
- B - “A girl has just died – on her way to the Infirmary – after swallowing some disinfectant. And a police inspector is on his way here – to ask some – questions-” – shows his pure fear.
