1. An Inspector Calls Dramatic Devices and Audience Reaction

2. Thinking Questions  Which different dramatic devices can you identify in the play?  Why are these important to us as we study the play?

3. Stage not page The important thing to keep in mind about drama - AND SO MANY STUDENTS FORGET - is that plays are written for the stage not the page! It is absolutely vital, therefore, that you write about a play from the perspective of a member of the audience, commenting not only on what you HEAR but also what you SEE. If you are given an extract in your essay or exam, always bear in mind that although you know the remainder of the play the audience do not. Therefore when writing about an extract, think: what do the audience know up to this point?', 'what does this extract add to their knowledge and thoughts concerning character, events, plot and theme', 'what expectations or tensions does it create?'

4. dramatic devices Set and lighting The use of a photograph to show characters Eva Telephone ringing Entrances and exits Dramatic irony Comedy Tension A dramatic device is any element that a writer intentionally uses in the structure of their work.

5. At the beginning of the play, Priestley’s stage directions are detailed and explicit. Included in this are the colour and the brightness of the lighting. Initially, the lighting should be ‘pink and intimate’, although the atmosphere is not ‘cosy and homelike’. This contrast implies that the Birlings are looking at life through rose-tinted spectacles, while over- looking the brutal reality faced by people less fortunate than themselves. When the Inspector arrives, the lighting should become ‘brighter and harder’, representing the exposure of truth. The Inspector is effectively shining a light on them all, forcing them to recognise their part in Eva Smith’s death.

6. At the beginning of the play, the characters are dressed in ‘the evening wear of the period,’ with the men wearing ‘tails and white ties’ and not dinner jackets. The colour white has connotations of purity, but the characters are not pure in thought and deed, and as the Inspector will reveal, have acted selfishly at the expense of a relative innocent. Equally, the emphasis on white suggests a formality, a coldness between the family members. Priestley may have been suggesting that the Birlings, for all their wealth and economic power, are lacking in love.

7. Your task We are going to use the hand outs provided to practice the P  E  E structure. Lots of people are still not doing it correctly or consistently and THIS WILL LOSE YOU MARKS! You will need 3 colour pencils ---------------- Point ---------------- Evidence ---------------- Explain For each paragraph you need to highlight the point, evidence and explain.