Act 1 (part 1)

Summary of events:
 The Birlings are celebrating Sheila Birling and Gerald Croft’s engagement - they are
in a happy and celebratory mood.
 Mr Birling lectures Eric and Gerald on his ideas about society and needing to look
after others – he is a firm capitalist.
 The Inspector interrupts their celebration with news of the suicide of a young
woman called Eva Smith.
 The Inspector begins questioning the characters and it is revealed that Eva was
sacked from Mr Birling’s factory two years ago.
 The discussion of the suicide causes conflict between the characters: Mr Birling
defends his actions and doesn’t accept responsibility, while Eric and the Inspector
are more critical of his actions.
Key points from the scene:
The setting
 The play is set in 1912, in the fictional city of Brumley, North Midlands.
 The opening stage directions reveal that the play takes place in the large suburban
house of a wealthy businessman.
 The stage directions create an impression of a substantial, wealthy house but not a
home, showing a lack of warmth in the family
The situation
 The Birling family (Arthur Birling, Sybil Birling, and their two children, Eric and
Sheila) have just finished dinner. The atmosphere is warm and celebratory.
 The Birlings’ guest is Gerald Croft, Sheila’s wealthy fiancé, and they are all
celebrating the couple’s engagement.
The characters
 The audience are briefly introduced to all the characters, but the main focus is on
Arthur Birling.
 After congratulating the young couple, he makes a speech about the political and
social climate of society in 1912.
 Birling is adamant that there will not be a war and that the miners’ strike will end
soon.
 He also speaks of the technological advances, and references the Titanic, which he
says is ‘absolutely unsinkable’
 Gerald and Arthur Birling are left alone and Arthur reveals his social aspirations –
to be knighted.
 It is clear that the Birlings and Gerald are pleased with their lives and view
themselves as good people.
 When Eric returns, Mr Birling continues to talk to the
young men about his experience of the world and how there
won’t be any wars.
 He is part way through speaking about how capitalism is
important and men must look after themselves and their
families only, but he is interrupted by the doorbell and the Inspector’s arrival.

The changing mood

 Inspector Goole arrives and the audience and characters are told about the suicide
of a young woman called Eva Smith.
 Despite Mr Birling’s status, the Inspector is confident, abrupt and mysterious.
 We learn Mr Birling sacked Eva from his factory two
years ago, in September 1910. She led a group of
women to ask for a pay rise in line with other factories
in the area.
 Mr Birling refused to give them a pay rise, instructing
them to work elsewhere if they didn’t like what they
were currently being paid.
 This resulted in an unsuccessful strike, after which
the ringleaders (including Eva Smith), were sacked.
 Mr Birling finds himself defending his actions and Gerald supports him.
 Hearing Eva’s story, Eric feels sorry for her, which causes him to argue with his
father.
 The Inspector is clearly on Eva’s side and this angers Mr Birling. He tries to
intimidate the Inspector by listing who he is friends with and that he was once Lord
Mayor.
 The Inspector is not intimidated by Mr Birling, he ignores his comments.
 At this point, Sheila enters the room unaware of what is going on

Act 1 (part 2)
Summary of events:
 Sheila feels sorry for Eva Smith. When she sees the photo, she becomes distressed
and confesses that she knew the girl
 Stella reveals that she complained about the girl, assuming she was laughing at
her and mocking her. Her complaints got Eva Smith sacked from Milwards.
 Eva Smith changed her name to Daisy Renton. Gerald reacts to this name and the
act ends with the audience realising Gerald knew her somehow.
The focus shifts to Sheila
 Sheila is upset by the news of the girl’s suicide, particularly as the Inspector
reveals she was both young and pretty.
 The Inspector reveals that the case involves more than just Mr Birling.
 The Inspector gives some background details to Eva Smith’s life and her situation.
 Sheila agrees with him that the girl led a pitiful life and that she needed
compassion.
 The Inspector reveals that Eva took a job at Milwards in
December 1910, but she was then sacked in the January
after a complaint by a customer. Sheila recognises the girl’s
picture and runs out of the room upset.
 When she returns, Sheila admits that it is her fault that the
girl was sacked.
 She explains that she was in a bad mood and felt that the
girl was laughing at her. She also admits that she was
jealous because Eva was a pretty girl. She is clearly upset,
partly for herself, but also for the role she has played in the
death of Eva Smith.

The shift to Gerald

 When Sheila leaves the room upset, Mr Birling departs to speak to her and his wife.
 Eric and Gerald are left with the Inspector. Eric gets angry and tries to leave the
room, but the Inspector insists that he stays.
 After Sheila returns and confesses, the Inspector tells the three young people that
Eva Smith then changed her name to Daisy Renton. From Gerald’s reaction to the
news, he is clearly disturbed by this information.
 The Inspector and Eric go to the drawing room to speak to Mr and Mrs. Birling,
leaving Gerald and Sheila alone.
 Sheila realises that Gerald knew Daisy during the previous spring/summer of 1911
and he had been having an affair with her.
 Gerald thinks that he can keep this news hidden, but Sheila realises that the
Inspector knows everything already.
 The Inspector returns to the dining room and the act ends with his line: ‘Well?’

Act 2 (part 1)
Summary of events:
 Gerald still hopes to hide his involvement with Eva/Daisy
 The Inspector tells Gerald and Sheila that they are all responsible for her death
 Mrs Birling behaves in a superior and condescending way to the Inspector
 Gerald reveals details of his affair with Daisy, and Sheila breaks off the
engagement
Key points from the scene:
The presentation of Mrs Birling
 Continuing from the end of Act 1, Gerald tries to get Sheila to leave so that he can
hide his involvement. Sheila refuses.
 The Inspector explains that Sheila wants to stay because she doesn’t want to nor
should she have to shoulder all of the blame for Eva’s death
 As the Inspector talks about their joint responsibility, Mrs Birling enters the room
in a very confident manner. Sheila is immediately alarmed as she, Gerald and
Arthur Birling all initially behaved in the same way.
 Mrs Birling is condescending and patronising towards the majority of the
characters: she refers to Eva’s lower class status, talks down to Sheila and tries to
undermine the Inspector by boasting of her husband’s high status in the
community. Despite this, the Inspector remains calm and blunt when speaking to
her.
 When Sheila reveals that Eric drinks too much, also confirmed by Gerald, Mrs
Birling is shocked and annoyed, refusing to believe this could be true.
 Sheila repeats her warning that her parents are making the situation worse and
they are shocked to discover that Gerald knew Eva/Daisy as well.

Gerald and Daisy’s relationship

Gerald reveals he met Daisy in March 1911 in a bar. Sheila’s
parents don’t want her to hear this story, but she refuses to
leave. The audience begins to recognise the juxtaposition
between the protected life led by Sheila and the harsh
existence and treatment of Eva Smith.
The reality of Daisy’s death suddenly hits Gerald and he
becomes visibly distressed.
He describes taking Daisy for a drink to take her away from
an upsetting encounter with Alderman Joe Meggarty (a city
councillor who Gerald describes as a womanising drunk).
Mrs Birling is shocked by this revelation and the audience
can see that she is blinded to the faults of those of a similar
class/status to her.
Gerald explains to the Inspector that Daisy had no money and
was hungry. He innocently moved her into his friend’s empty
apartment, and they became lovers.
 Mrs Birling is disgusted by his behaviour.

Gerald reveals that he didn’t love Daisy, but he enjoyed the love and attention from
her. He broke off the relationship in September 1911. The Inspector discloses
that Daisy then went to the seaside as she was so upset;
she wrote in her diary that she wanted to be alone to
pretend that her time with Gerald was continuing.
 Gerald asks to go for a walk. Before he goes, Sheila
returns the engagement ring. She says that she respects
his honesty, but they are now both different people as
reality has removed any illusions.

Act 2 (part 2)
Summary of events:
 Eva was pregnant and asked Mrs Birlings charity for help.
 Mrs Birling didn’t like the girl because she was a lower class woman, and used her
influence to have her claim rejected.
 The Inspector manipulates Mrs Birling into stating that the father of Eva’s child is
entirely to blame for her death.
 The audience and the characters on stage start to realise that Eric was the father.
Key points from the scene:
Mrs Birling’s role in Eva Smith’s death
 Mrs Birling says she doesn’t recognise the photo of Eva. Both the Inspector and
Sheila know that she is lying.
 The Inspector reveals that Mrs Birling is a prominent member of the Brumley
Women’s Charity Organisation – as part of this charity, she is meant to offer help to
women in need
 Eva appealed to the charity for help two weeks ago, because she was pregnant,
alone and had no money.
 Mrs Birling reveals Eva was using the name ‘Mrs Birling’, which she found
insulting as she was a lower class girl. This prejudiced
Mrs Birling towards her.
 Mrs Birling states that Eva only had herself to blame
and says that it was her duty to use her influence to have
the girl’s claim refused. Eva Smith left the charity with no
help or support.
 The Inspector clarifies that the father wasn’t Gerald.
 Mrs Birling states that she told the girl to look for the
child’s father as it was his responsibility.
 Sheila says that her mother’s behaviour was terrible,
while Arthur is merely concerned that her actions will look bad on them.
 In response, she points out that it was Arthur sacking Eva ‘which probably began it
all’.

The focus switches to Eric

 At this point it has not been made explicitly clear that Eric was the father of Eva
Smith’s baby, but the audience are beginning to work this out.
 As Mrs Birling begins to be questioned, there is the sound of Eric leaving the
house, but the Inspector states that he will be needed. This creates clear tension.
 As the Inspector continues to question Mrs Birling, he pushes her into
criticising the father of the illegitimate child. She calls Eva a
liar for claiming that the man had offered her money but she
thought it was stolen so didn’t want to take it, as Mrs Birling
believes someone like her would never refuse money.
 Mrs Birling refuses to accept any blame, saying it is the
girl’s fault first and the lover’s second.
 She says that the man should be made an example of and
accepts that if the girl’s story about stolen money is true
then the lover is entirely to blame.
 Sheila realises that the young man is Eric and tries to stop
her mother from saying anything else.
As Mr and Mrs Birling begin to realise the truth, Eric returns to the dining room.

Act 3 (part 1)
Summary of events:
 We learn that Eric met Eva and forced himself on her.
 Eric is revealed to be the father of Eva’s child.
 Eric accuses his mother of killing Eva and the baby, and says that his father is
unapproachable.
 The Inspector reminds the Birlings that they are all responsible for Eva Smith’s
death.
 The Inspector states his belief that all members of society need to look after each
other.
Key points from the scene:
Eric and Eva
 The story picks up from the end of Act 2 and Eric realises that everyone knows the
truth.
 The family argue over Eric’s drinking and he retells how
he met Eva in a bar.
 Eric had been drinking a lot on the night they met.
 After he turned aggressive, she let him stay at her flat
where they had sex. At this point, Mr Birling orders Sheila
to take her mother out of the room. Again, this highlights
the contrast between the sheltered lives of the Birling
women with the treatment and suffering of Eva.
 Eric continues his confession. He met Eva again, by
accident, and they slept together. Eva revealed that she was
pregnant, but knew that Eric didn’t love her. To help her, he
stole money from Arthur Birling’s office but when she found
this out, she refused to take it.
Mr Birling’s reaction
 Arthur loses his temper several times before Eric’s confession: first with the
Inspector, who refuses to be intimidated by him, and then with Sheila when she
doesn’t want to leave the room.
 He also reveals his aggression during Eric’s confession. When Eric points out that
some of Birling’s supposedly respectable friends have affairs, the Inspector has to
stop Arthur from interrupting. He has another angry outburst when Eric admits to
stealing. This action is what really makes Mr Birling angry
 Arthur also comes across badly when Eric explains that he has a poor relationship
with his father, feeling that he couldn’t have asked him for help.
 Mr Birling still wants to cover the events up and avoid a public scandal.
 It is particularly damning when he says that he would give thousands of
pounds to make the problem go away, showing his
capitalist values rather than any genuine regret.
The Inspector’s final message
 When Sheila and Sybil return, the Inspector tells Eric
how Eva was rejected by his mother’s committee,
causing Eric to accuse Sybil of killing Eva and her own
grandchild.
 The Inspector sums up, telling them that they all killed
Eva Smith. He goes through the family members, one
Eric now uses
Euphemism! He says
Eva ‘wasn’t the usual sort’,
meaning the prostitutes at
the Palace Theatre bar.
The connections between
prostitutes and theatres is
one going back a long time,
at least to Shakespeare’s
time
AO2
Some critics have said
the Inspector’s final speech
is unnecessary as it comes
across as preaching at the
audience. Others have said
this speech is deliberately
designed to make the
audience think about their
own responsibilities
AO3
18
by one, finally reminding Arthur that he destroyed a girl over two-and-a-half
shillings.
 The Inspector focuses on the state of the county and
reveals J.B. Priestley’s key messages. He points out that
there are ‘millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths’ who
are similarly mistreated. Talking to the Birlings (and the
audience) he says, ‘We are members of one body. We are
responsible for each other’. He leaves with a warning
that change will have to come or society will be forced to
learn to change their behaviour through ‘blood and
sweat’. The irony of this statement would be evident to an audience who had just
experienced two world wars.

Act 3 (part 2)
Summary of events:
 Gerald returns and reveals that the Inspector was not a real police officer.
 They find out that there is no dead girl at the infirmary.
 Arthur, Sybil and Gerald relax, thinking that everything can be covered up and
forgotten.
 Sheila and Eric still feel guilty and cannot understand the others’ behaviour.
 The play ends with a phone call from the police saying that a girl has died and an
inspector is on his way to the house.
Key points from the scene:
Reactions after the Inspector leaves
 Arthur’s reaction to the Inspector and his revelations continues to be fear of the
scandal. He also states his belief that he and Sybil can excuse their actions.
 Sheila shows more guilt, pointing out that her parents haven’t learnt anything and
criticising them for not focusing on the actual victim.
 Sheila and Sybil begin to suspect that the Inspector was not a real police officer.
Sheila doesn’t however, really think that this matters because they still killed Eva
Smith. However, Mr and Mrs Birling focus on the possibility of the whole affair
remaining private if the police don’t actually know.
Gerald’s return
 When Gerald returns, Arthur tries to stop Sheila from telling
him about Sybil and Eric’s involvement in Eva’s death.
 Gerald reveals that the Inspector was not a real police officer.
 Mr and Mrs Birling are relieved and believe the secret can be
kept amongst them. Arthur telephones the chief constable
and it is confirmed that Inspector Goole doesn’t exist.
 While Gerald agrees with Arthur and Sybil, Sheila and Eric
still feel guilt for what has happened.
 Gerald, Arthur and Sybil begin to think the whole evening
may have been a hoax. They ring the infirmary and find that
there is no dead girl.
The end of the play
 Arthur and Gerald relax and are pleased that their experience is over. Arthur raises
a toast to the family but Sheila and Eric refuse to take part.
 Arthur feels that everything is back to normal. He laughs about the evening’s
events and suggests that Sheila asks Gerald for her engagement ring back.
 Gerald offers her the ring but she refuses.
 Sheila and Eric realise that the others haven’t learnt anything. She and Eric have
been affected by the Inspector’s words of warning before he left.
 Arthur laughs at his two children as the phone rings. It is the police: a girl has died
after swallowing disinfectant and an inspector is on his way.