structure of the play

Question 1

‘I hate to think how much he knows that we don’t know yet’

Answer 1

At the end of Act One, this emphasises that the Birlings have concealed the truth from each other, which will be revealed.

Question 2

Act One ends before revealing Gerald’s secret and Act Two starts exactly the same as the end of Act One.

Answer 2

This preserves Aristotle’s dramatic unities.
R - the cliffhanger creates tension and suspense. The audience wonders what was Gerald’s relationship with Daisy and will it affect his relationship with Sheila.

Question 3

Dramatic climax at the end of Act Two

Answer 3

1) Sheila’s sudden realisation that Eric is the father of the child.
2) Stage directions: ‘thunderstruck’, ‘terrified’, ‘ frightened’
3) Eric’s dramatic entrance

Question 4

At the end of the play, Priestley brings the play full circle by the phone call from the infirmary.

Answer 4

1) It unsettles the audience. There is no neat resolution to the plot. Priestley wants to shake his audience complacency and to make them question their own behaviour and attitude.
2) It is dramatically effective, because it disrupts Aristotle’s dramatic unities which Priestley’s play has so far preserved.
3) The cyclical structure of the play with events repeating themselves reflect two things:
- JW Dunne’s theory of time that time is not linear, a theory that Priestley is interested in.
- Emphasises that Mr. and Mrs. Birling have not learnt their lesson. They are doomed to repeat their mistakes until they do.