Dramatic Tension free essay sample

How does J. B. Priestley create dramatic tension at the end of act two? Events throughout the Act lead to the dramatic tension at the end of act two such as the gradual build up towards the shock of Eric as the father of Eva’s unborn child; Mrs Birling’s swift change form outright confidence to devastation at the end of act two and Eric’s entrance just as Mrs Birling has claimed that the father of Eva’s unborn child should take sole responsibility for the suicide. Priestley creates this dramatic tension at the end of act two in order to set up eager anticipation for the continuance of the action in Act three. At the beginning of Act two the audience expects the story to move onto Gerald’s confession. But instead, Priestley delays the action by shifting the audience’s attention to Sybil and Sheila, insisting that they should be allowed to hear what Gerald has to say. This builds tension and increases the audience’s curiosity. Priestley also increases tension by having the Inspector release information bit by bit. He shows the photo(s) to one person at a time and positions himself so the others can’t see – the characters, like the audience, are kept on their toes. Priestley creates dramatic tension at the end of act two by slowly building up to the revelation that Eric is, in fact, the father of Eva’s unborn child. Although this is not clearly stated in the Act, the audience have figured it out because of Sheila’s ‘growing hysteria’ and Eric’s obvious anxiety since the beginning of the play. The audience’s assumption that Eric is the father is almost confirmed when Mrs Birling bids the Inspector goodnight and the inspector replies with, â€Å"Not yet. I’m waiting. † Mrs Birling asks the Inspector what he’s waiting for and the inspector says, â€Å"To do my duty†. Because Eric is absent from the house at this point, we see that the Inspector is probably waiting for Eric. Priestley freezes the action between acts to create tension. Act one ends with the Inspector asking â€Å"Well? † Act two opens with the same moment. The audience will wonder about the answer to his question during the break, which builds the suspense. The end of Act two is another cliff hanger. The front door slams, announcing Eric’s return, but Priestley makes the audience wait until Act three for Eric’s confession. Also Mrs Birling’s idea that the father must take responsibility for Eva Smith’s/Daisy Renton’s suicide (without knowing that her son, Eric, is the father) creates dramatic tension. When Sheila works out that Eric might well be the father of Daisy Renton’s child, we see the irony in that Mrs Birling has not realised and is unwittingly demanding that an example be made of her own son. Due to the fact that Sheila knows that Eric is the father, she tries to stop her mother when she says that the father should take responsibility. To begin with, Mrs Birling states that the Inspector should â€Å"go and look for the father of the child. She adds that it is the Inspector’s â€Å"business to make [the father] responsible. (This idea of â€Å"business† and â€Å"duty† is a recurring motif in the play). Finally, Mrs Birling declares that the father is â€Å"entirely responsible† and should be made to â€Å"accept his responsibilitiesà ¢â‚¬ . The way in which J. B. Priestley structures Mrs Birling’s remarks about the father (as if it is a growing idea in her mind) and the repetition of the word ‘responsibility’, increases the dramatic tension because the audience have figured out that Eric is the father and Mrs Birling will attempt to take back what she has said. The contrast between Sheila’s increasingly excitable language, Mrs Birling’s high-handed and moralistic language and the Inspector’s calm, controlled and understated comments increases our awareness of the dramatic irony being played out for us. Dramatic tension is created through the contrast between the younger and older generations. Priestley presents Arthur and Sybil Birling as having very traditional views-they think that they know best, that children should be seen and not heard, and they don’t like their authority to be challenged. They represent the views of the middle class. By questioning their old-fashioned personal views, Priestley also questions their obsession with social class-he’s suggesting that the whole class system is out of touch and needs to be reformed. The younger generation are different. Some are ambitious, determined and motivated-Eva/Daisy â€Å"had a lot to say – far too much†. Her courage is the main reason Birling sacked her. The younger generation are shown as challenging the authority of their elders. This threatens Birling, who tells them they’d â€Å"better keep quiet†. In this play, Eric and Sheila learn that they are responsible for their actions and that their decisions affect other people. Because the younger generation learn their lesson, there’s a chance for an equal and fairer society in the future. Mrs Birling – â€Å"He ought to be dealt with very severely-† Sheila – â€Å"(with sudden alarm) Mother-stop-stop! † Mrs Birling’s insistence that the father of the unborn child should take responsibility for Eva Smith’s death contrasts with Sheila’s growing hysteria. Sheila-â€Å"Go on mother you might as well admit it†, Sheila’s understanding of why the Inspector is there and what has happened contrasts with her mother’s blind arrogance. Dramatic irony is created by the way that Mrs Birling describes Sheila as â€Å"behaving like a hysterical child†. This is ironic because Sheila is acting more mature than Mrs Birling and Mrs Birling is acting more like a child. Throughout the Act, Sheila is silenced by her Mother and Father many times even though, because she has grasped the situation, they should be listening to her. Dramatic tension is also created by the emotional reaction of Mr and Mrs Birling to the news of Eric’s role in the ‘chain of events’. Mrs Birling is pushy near the start of the Act but, as the act progresses, she begins to see what is happening and she ‘exchanges frightened glances’ with her husband. Both Mr and Mrs Birling are unaware of the truth until the very end of the Act, however, Sheila acknowledges and understands what has happened roughly halfway through the Act. This shows a level of immaturity in Mr and Mrs Birling, whereas Sheila (who has been treated like a child up until this point) comes across as very mature. She accepts the truth and takes the blame for her actions whereas Mr and Mrs Birling are not even remotely close to doing this. Mrs Birling pushes the blame onto her own husband by saying that â€Å"it wasn’t I who had her turned out of her employment – which probably began it all†. The sentences are fairly long throughout the Act until the end when everyone acknowledges that Eric is the father. At this point, the sentences become very short and exclamatory â€Å"My God! But – look here –†. This gives the effect that Mr and Mrs Birling are utterly gobsmacked and lost for words and refuse to believe â€Å"that [their] boy is mixed up in this†. The family all start seated, but by the end there are people standing, shouting, drinking and crying – it’s a dramatic but slow change in how the stage looks and sounds. Finally, dramatic tension is created through the way in which Eric is portrayed to us and, in particular, his dramatic and well-timed entrance at the end of the act. It is clear from the start of the act that Eric is anxious about something. His entrance at the end of act two ‘looking pale and distressed’ increases the tension and makes everyone more eager for Eric’s involvement to be revealed. The audience is also likely to have understood the fact that Eric is the father of the unborn child. This creates dramatic irony, which in turn, increases the dramatic tension. The fact that Eric will now have to face this truth and the consequences of his mother’s comments also increases the dramatic tension.