An Inspector Calls – List of Stage Directions
Character Exposition Before the inspector During the interrogation After the inspector leaves Questions. What patterns emerge?
Arthur Birling is a (laughs complacently.) Act 1: (after a pause, with a touch of impatience) (rather impatiently) Birling, the only active one, hears the front door slam, How does Birling initially respond to the inspector?
Mr heavy-looking,
rather portentous
(solemnly) (moves restlessly, then turns.) (staring at the inspector) (abruptly)
(with marked change of tone) (turns at the door, staring at the
moves hesitatingly towards the door, stops, looks
gloomily at the other three, then pours himself out a
Birling man in this middle
fifties with fairly
inspector angrily.) Birling looks as if about to make some retort, then
thinks better of it, and goes out, closing door sharply behind him.
drink, which he hastily swallows. (sternly) (dubiously)
(relieved) (excitedly) (with hearty approval) (keenly
How does Birling show his increasing anxiety?
easy manners but Act 2: (rather hot, bothered) (angrily) An exclamation of surprise from interested) (also shouting, threatening Eric)
rather provincial Birling and Mrs Birling. (sharply, shocked) (rather taken aback) (looking at them all triumphantly) (triumphantly) How does Birling’s behaviour change when the inspector leaves?
in this speech. (looking rather agitated) Birling and Mrs Birling exchange bewildered (He produces a huge sigh of relief) (raises his glass)
and rather frightened glances (astounded) ( terrified now) (imitating Inspector) (heartily) Nonsense! (amused)
(thunderstruck) He puts the telephone down slowly and looks in a panic- How does he react to the final phone call?
ACT 3: (Birling looks like interrupting explosively) (harshly) (angrily) stricken fashion at the others. As they stare guiltily and
(savagely) (unhappily) Look, Inspector – I'd give thousands. dumbfounded, the curtain falls.
His wife is about (reproachfully) Act 2: Mrs Birling. Enters, briskly and self-confidently, quite out of key Mrs Birling has collapsed into a chair. How does Mrs Birling initially respond to the inspector?
Mrs fifty, a rather cold
woman and her
Mrs Birling shows signs of
interrupting.
with the little scene that has just passed. (smiling social) (same easy
tone)
(coming to life) (with some excitement)
(protesting) (triumphantly) (emphatically)
Birling husband's social
superior..
(affecting great surprise) (annoyed) (haughtily) (rebuking them) (to
inspector, rather grandly) (staggered)(bitterly) (after a pause,
As they stare guiltily and dumbfounded, the curtain falls. How does Mrs Birling show her increasing anxiety?
recovering herself) An exclamation of surprise from Birling and Mrs
Birling. (sharply) (cutting in) (with dignity) (alarmed) Birling and Mrs How does her behaviour change when the inspector leaves?
Birling exchange bewildered and rather frightened glances.
(stung)(agitated now)(rather cowed) She stops, and exchanges a
frightened glance with her husband. How does she react to the final phone call?
Act 3: (distressed) (with a cry) Mrs Birling, distressed, shakes her head
Gerald croft is an (politely) Act 1: (showing annoyance) (surprised) (rather uneasily) (startled) He looks round triumphantly at them.(decisively) How does Gerald appear before the inspector arrives?
Gerald attractive chap
about thirty,
Gerald, rather embarrassed,
begins to murmur some
(trying to smile) (He looks crushed) (bitterly)
Act 2: (cutting, rather impatiently) (distressed) (hesitatingly) (he waits
(smiling) (holds up the ring)
As they stare guiltily and dumbfounded, the curtain falls.
rather too manly dissent, but Birling checks a moment, then in a low, troubled tone.) (gravely) How does Gerald’s behaviour change during the interrogation?
to be a dandy but him. He goes out. They watch him go in silence. We hear the front door
very much the slam.
well-bred young How does Gerald behave after the inspector leaves?
man-about-town
Eric is in his early Eric suddenly guffaws. His Act 1: (who is uneasy, sharply) (bursting out) (sulkily) Eric is brooding desperately. How does Eric appear at the start of the play?
Eric twenties, not
quite at ease, half
parents look at him (rather
noisily)
(suddenly bursting out)
Act 2: Eric enters, looking extremely pale and distressed.
Eric laughs rather hysterically, pointing at him.//
(laughing)
shy, half assertive Act 3: Eric goes for a whisky. His whole manner of handling the (cutting in) (sulkily)(bursting out) How does Eric behave during the interrogation?
decanter and then the drink shows his familiarity with quick heavy (Eric clasps and unclasps his hands)
drinking. (miserably)
(sudden startled tone.) (nearly at breaking point) (almost threatening How does Eric behave after the inspector leaves?
her)
Sheila is a pretty (half playful, half serious, to Act 1: (rather distressed) (staring at him, agitated) Sheila is still quietly crying. (scornfully) How does Sheila appear at the start of the play?
Sheila girl in her early
twenties, very
Gerald) Yes except for last
Summer when you never
He produces the photograph. She looks at it closely, recognizes it with
a little cry, gives a half-stifled sob, and then runs out.
(sharply attentive) ( she looks at them reflectively.)
(flaring up) (slowly)
pleased with life came near me. Enter Sheila, who looks as if she's been crying. (miserably) (bitterly) (eagerly) (shivers) (passionately) You’re How does Sheila respond to the inspector’s interrogation?
and rather excited (excited) (she kisses Gerald (she almost breaks down, but just controls herself.) pretending everything’s just as it was before.
hastily.) Sheila merely nods, still staring at Gerald. She looks at him almost in
triumph.
Act 2: (slowly, carefully now) (urgently, cutting in) Sheila gives short How does Sheila behave after the inspector leaves?
hysterical laugh (bitterly) (with sharp sarcasm) ( with irony) (she hands
him the ring.) Sheila begins crying quietly
…creates at once an impression of massiveness, ACT 1: ACT 2 ACT 3 How does the inspector maintain authority through his tone and
INSPECTOR solidity and purposefulness. He is a man in his (cutting through, massively) (coolly, looking (massively taking charge) (coolly) (cutting in, smoothly) ( taking charge, body language?
fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit of the period. hard at him) (gravely) (dryly) (rather slowly) (calmly) (imperturbable) (sharply) masterfully) They are suddenly quiet,
He speaks carefully, weightily, and has a (impressively) He looks at Gerald, then at Eric, (cutting in, with authority) (harshly) staring at him. (He looks from one to the
disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person then at Sheila.// (harshly) (sternly) (steadily) (massively) (very deliberately) other of them carefully.)
he addresses before actually speaking. (grimly)
