Use Of Dramatic Irony In J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

J.B. Priestley wrote An Inspector Calls in 1945, which had a powerful moral message at its core: responsibility. In the play, a privileged family is implicated in the suicide of a young girl, Eva Smith. As Priestley presents this theme of responsibility, he uses a variety of dramatic techniques including characterisation, setting and stage directions, dramatic irony and climax. A key purpose of this essay is to explore the various drama techniques Priestley uses to convey his views on responsibility to the audience; something that is still relevant today as it was in 1945

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Through the portrayal of Mr. Birling and the use of dramatic irony, Priestley keeps highlighting the significance of this issue of responsibility. Gerald

Just before leaving, he speaks to the Birlings and shares his thoughts on responsibility; "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." The Inspector claims he does not accept the idea that members of one body can represent different social classes. Some of The Inspector's most famous quotes warn the audience about the results of selfish behaviour: "Fire and blood and misery could be a clear reference to Hell, meaning that people who refuse to take responsibility for another may end up there."Priestley might also be warning about a second world war in this scenario. He makes the argument that those who did not take the lessons of the First World War to heart may find themselves in the midst of yet another conflict. In either case, the concept of accountability permeates these crucial sentences; if society cannot learn to take care of one another, it will eventually

Instead, after learning that the Inspector might not exist, Mr. and Mrs. Birling start to rejoice since they believe they are no longer in danger for the killing of Eva Smith. However, Priestley makes use of character development to demonstrate how the play's younger characters partially reform. "The fact that I did what I did still stands, says Eric. Mother then carried out her actions. The rest of you did to her what you did. Whether the tale was given to a police inspector or to someone else, it is the same rotten story".Eric gains knowledge from the encounter and expresses sincere regret alongside his sister. He realises that, despite the Inspector's deception and the fact that Eva Smith is still alive, they all engaged in unacceptable behaviour. It's intriguing that Priestley made sure the younger Birling family members learned from the experience; it's possible he did this to inspire the next generation to outperform the one before them and to develop a sense of responsibility for one