inspector calls

“An inspector calls is didactic play with a strong political message but it is also a very entertaining drama”



A didactic play is a text, which teaches people a moral. It points out somebody’s views. There is a persuasive message in this play. We learn about Priestley’s beliefs and views, that rich people just sit back and watch what is going on in the world around them. Priestley wants to make them care.
Priestley uses dramatic irony to describe Arthur Birling.

“If we were all responsible for anything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward, wouldn’t it?”

This sounds as if Birling doesn’t care about members of his community. Within moments of the inspector’s arrival everything is turned upside down and Birling has to disguise his beliefs.
Some critics believe that plays with a political theme don’t make good drama but this play is strengthened by the political views. Priestley makes the play entertaining a...