Priestley's Dramatic Methods Flashcards
SETTING: The dining-room of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer. It has good solid furniture of the period. The general effect is substantial and heavily comfortable but not cosy and homelike.
What could this suggest?
We know instantly from the way the stage is presented that this is a wealthy family. The fact that they buy good, solid furniture suggests there is someone in the family who understands what furniture is expected of a wealthy family. It not being cosy or homelike suggests that appearances are valued more than their homelife.
STAGE DIRECTIONS:
GERALD: Yes. We can keep it from him.
SHEILA [laughs rather hysterically]: Why – you fool – he knows. Of course he knows. And I have to think how much he knows that we don’t know yet. You’ll see. You’ll see. [She looks at him almost in triumph.]
What could this suggest?
Sheila’s laughter could indicate that she is in a fragile emotional state. It could also indicate her shock at the idea of covering up Gerald’s affair. Her smile should indicate to an audience that she understands something he doesn’t - the power of the Inspector.
LIGHTING AND SOUND EFFECTS:
BIRLING [thunderstruck]: My God! But – look here –
MRS BIRING [agitated]: I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it…
SHEILA: Mother – I begged you and begged you to stop –
[INSPECTOR holds up a hand. We hear the front door.]
What could this suggest?
Just like the end of Act One, the end of Act Two builds tension effectively towards the reveal that Eric was the baby’s father. The sound of the front door interrupts the silence of the Inspector holding his hand and everyone else being quiet. It would be quite a loud noise, and creates a moment where they wait for Eric to get from the front door into the dining room.
ENTRANCES AND EXITS:
[He moves nearer a light – perhaps a standard lamp – and she crosses to him. He produces the photograph. She looks at it closely, recognises it with a little cry, gives a half-stifled sob, and then runs out. The INSPECTOR puts the photograph back into his pocket and stares speculatively after her.]
What could this suggest?
Sheila running from the room has several layers of interpretation. Firstly, her guilt and shock are immediately obvious. This sets her apart from the rest of her family, but particularly her mother who attempts to deny even recognising the photograph. Secondly, it creates a moment of tension while the audience wait for her to return and hear her confession. It also recreates the room with just the men in - allowing Mr Birling to confront the inspector yet again.
FLUENCY OF SPEECH:
BIRLING [thunderstruck]: My God! But – look here –
MRS BIRING [agitated]: I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it…
SHEILA: Mother – I begged you and begged you to stop –
What could this suggest?
The lack of fluency in each of the characters’ lines - indicated by the ellipsis, the dashes and the repetition, replicates the shock that they are all feeling. Sheila has the most cohesive lines, which could show that she is the most ‘together’ in this scenario, with Mr Birling appearing the most shocked.
LENGTH OF SPEECH AND TURN-TAKING:
Just let me finish, Eric. You’ve a lot to learn yet. And I’m talking as a hard-headed, practical man of business. And I say there isn’t a chance of war. The world’s developing so fast that it’ll make war impossible. Look at the progress we’re making. In a year or two we’ll have aeroplanes that will be able to go anywhere. And look at the way the automobile’s making headway – bigger and faster all the time. And then ships. Why, a friend of mine went over this new liner last week – the Titanic – she sets sail next week – forty-six thousand eight hundred tons – forty-six thousand eight hundred tons – New York in five days – and every luxury – and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable. That’s what you’ve got to keep your eye on, facts like that, progress like that – and not a few German officers talking nonsense and a few scaremongers making a fuss about nothing. Now you three young people, just listen to this – and remember what I’m telling you now. In twenty or thirty years time – let’s say, in 1940 – you may be giving a party like this – your son or daughter might be getting engaged – and I tell you, by that time you’ll be living in a world that’ll have forgotten all these Capital versus Labour agitations and all these silly little war scares. There’ll be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere – except of course in Russia, which will always be behindhand naturally.
What could this suggest?
Firstly, Mr Birling talks over Eric. Despite him already having two lengthy speeches, he is not keen on letting anyone else have their say in this. He then goes on to make another lengthy speech full of dramatic irony. It is obvious that he loves to share his thoughts and opinions and seems to see himself as educating the younger generation when, in fact, we can see that the younger generation are more aware of real life than he is.
TYPES OF SPEECH:
SHEILA: No, that’s no use. You not only knew her but you knew her very well. Otherwise, you wouldn’t look so guilty about it. When did you first get to know her? [He does not reply.] Was it after she left Milwards? When she changed her name, as he said, and began to lead a different sort of life? Were you seeing her last spring and summer, during that time you hardly came near me and said you were so busy? Were you? [He does not reply but looks at her.] Yes, of course you were.
What could this suggest?
Sheila’s repeated use of questions demonstrates that she is now the one doing the interrogating. It could also demonstrate her longing for answers - she seems to have long had suspicions about Gerald’s time away from her that summer. His lack of response is also telling - he is aware she is right but too cowardly to admit it.
PROPS:
GERALD: Everything’s all right now, Sheila. [Holds up the ring.] What about this ring?
SHEILA: No, not yet. It’s too soon. I must think.
What could this suggest?
The ring represents the potential future marriage between them both. Despite having had an affair, Gerald still seems to expect Sheila to marry him, which could demonstrate his lack of emotional sensitivity. Her rejection of the ring could also represent her rejection of her former Capitalist view where she was happy to overlook the fact that she suspected him of cheating.
PROXEMICS:
INSPECTOR [sternly to them both]: You see, we have to share something. If there’s nothing else, we’ll have to share our guilt.
SHEILA: [staring at him]: Yes. That’s true. You know. [She goes close to him, wonderingly.] I don’t understand about you.
What could this suggest?
Sheila moving towards the Inspector, and away from Gerald, could demonstrate her new alliance with his views. It is also a physical representation of her curiosity about the Inspector - she is moving closer to him to look at him.
