Overview
Synopsis
An Inspector Calls is set in April 1912, at the home of the well-to-do Birling family. Arthur Birling, a self-made businessman, his wife Sybil, their daughter Sheila and son Eric are enjoying a spot of port in the drawing room after dinner. They are joined by Gerald Croft, son of Sir George Croft, heir to one of the most successful family businesses in England, and Sheila’s new fiance. As the family allow themselves to luxuriate in their good fortune and position in society, they are suddenly interrupted by an unexpected visitor. The maid, Edna, announces that ‘Police Inspector Goole’ has come speak with the Birling family.
The Inspector’s arrival immediately disrupts the evening and the family grows increasingly unsettled when he announces that he is investigating the death of a young woman, Eva Smith. Despite the family’s initial refusal to believe that they are, in any way, involved in the unfortunate suicide of a young, working class woman, slowly but surely the Inspector’s questions get to the truth of the matter. As his investigation unfolds, it soon becomes clear that each member of the family (Gerald included) have secrets linking them to the tragic suicide. His startling revelations not only shatter their lives, but also raise profound questions about social conscience and class values that cannot be ignored.
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Context
J.B. Priestley wrote An Inspector Calls in just one week and it first premiered in 1945 in the Soviet Union (in Moscow and Leningrad) as it was too short notice to obtain a theatre for the season in the UK. Its UK premier took place the following year, with Ralph Richardson, Alec Guinness, and Margaret Leighton in the cast. The play opened on Broadway in 1947 and ran until the following year.
An Inspector Calls has been revived many times throughout the twentieth and twenty-first
to read the context for An Inspector Calls and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
As the play unfolds, the Birling family are settled in the dining room following a celebratory dinner. They are celebrating the engagement of their daughter, Sheila, to Gerald Croft. Seizing the moment to make a particularly pompous, arrogant speech, Mr. Birling announces to the family how happy he is that Sheila is marrying Gerald, largely because Gerald’s parents are wealthy business owners with a knighthood in the family. Mr. Birling is quick to remind the family, and Gerald,
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher