Character Analysis: Sheila Birling Flashcards
What is Sheila presented as by Prieslty ?
A spoilt, immature girl who develops into an independent women
How does priestly use terms of address to convey Sheila ? ( not a point on change but instead immature and materialistic)
- deposits stage directions telling us that she is ‘in her early twenties’
- Sheila refers to her parents as ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’ and infantile and immature choice of terms of address for her parents
- she is referred to as ‘childish’ by those around her
- her comments on the engagement ring and how she ‘will never let it go out of my sight’ presents her as materialistic
How does Priestly present other characters treating Sheila as inferior ? (Good point for gender) 2 quote and elaborate
Early Act 1 Gerald inquires of Sheila ‘ I’ve been trying long enough’ however Mrs Birling interrupts and reply’s for Sheila telling Gerald ‘ of course she does’
Later Gerald tried to remove Sheila from the room during his inspection says ‘ I think Mrs Birling should be exused’
It is clear that she is not treated as equal by anyone
In Edwardian society women were treated as inferior to men
Sheila’s treatment by others reflects how women were considered inferior to men within the patriarchal soviet of Edwardian England
After the interrogation what does Sheila do ? ( good point on change and inversion of gender roles, mocking Gerald)
She begins to change as a character
Her words to Gerald subvert our expectations for her to be a submissive character
She says ‘ you fool—He knows’
Demonstrating a dramatic shift in her personality
Further to this she sarcastically mocks him by referring to him as a ‘hero’ whilst his story is being uncovered
Further to this the maturity behind her returning of the ring as opposed to her becoming aggressive shows the audience that this is a women who is now not governed by emotions but by logic and reason
How does Priestly present Sheila as character that quickly learned the inspectors message ? ( good point on change)
She quickly learns the inspectors message on social responsibility unlike her parents who say ‘ they can’t even take a joke’
The contrast between the reactions of the two seems to be deliberate by Priestly as he suggests the older generation are fixed in their ways
How do her terms of address shift ? ( tie this in with another point)
In Act 2 she begins calling he parents ‘ mother’ and ‘father’ which is symbolic of her increased maturity since the first Act
How can we see the inversion of the relationship between Mrs Birling and Sheila ?( good point on change and tie this in with another point’
Sheila answered for Mrs Birling when asked if she is a member of the Brumley women’s Charity Organisation by saying ‘yes she is why ?’
This dramatic change in dynamic between her and her mother when Mrs Birling was interrupting Sheila at the start of the play shows the change in Shiela and serves as an example of how the audience too can change
How does Sheila take the role of the inspector ?
In the final act when the inspector leaves Sheila can be seen in some ways to take on his role and voice of reason
- Sheila begins interrogating her family and Gerald with a series of questions, through this use of questioning she mirrors the interrorgating role of the inspector
REPETITION
- Sheila mirrors the language previously used by the inspector as she says ‘Fire and blood and anguish’ the exact words provision said by the inspector, she is presented as accepting the blame and now trying to make others aswell
