Page Key Quote Mr Birling Mrs Birling Sheila Gerald Eric Inspector Responsibility Reputation Hypocrisy Old v Young Class prejudice Gender prejudice
The lighting should be pink and intimate until the inspector arrives, and
1 ✔ ✔
then it should be brighter and harder
1 Eric downstage - Stage direction ✔
1 rather portentous man… but rather provincial in his speech ✔ ✔
2 (gaily, possessively) I should jolly well think not, Gerald. - Sheila ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
2 I'd hate you to know all about port- like one of these purple-faced old men. - Sheila ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
2 Yes, go on, Mummy. You must drink our health. - Sheila ✔ ✔
I'm going to tell you frankly, without any pretences, that your engagement to Sheila means
4 ✔ ✔ ✔
a tremendous lot to me. - Birling
5 (taking out the ring) Oh - it's wonderful! Look - Mummy - isn't it a beauty? Oh - darling- ✔ ✔ ✔
6 I speak as a hard headed business man - Birling ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
7 The titanic … unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable - Birling ✔ ✔
7 silly little war scares - Birling ✔
7 We hard headed business men - Birling ✔ ✔
8 Lady Croft … feels you might have done better for yourself socially - Birling ✔ ✔
9 A man has to make his own way - has to look after himself - and his family too - Birling ✔ ✔ ✔
You'd think everybody has to look after everybody else, as if we were all mixed up together
10 ✔ ✔ ✔
like bees in a hive - community and all that nonsense - Birling
10 the sharp ring of a front door bell. Birling stops to listen ✔ ✔
11 an impression of massivenss, solidity and purposefulness ✔ ✔ ✔
I was an alderman for years - and Lord Mayor two years ago - and I'm still on the Bench - so
11 ✔ ✔
I know the Brumley police officers - Birling
Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She'd been taken there this afternoon
11 ✔
because she'd swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out of course - Birling
(rather impatiently) Yes, yes. Horrid business. But I don't understand why you should come
12 ✔ ✔ ✔
here, Inspector -
12 (cutting in massively) I've been round… ✔ ✔
Perhaps I ought to explain first that this is Mr Gerald Croft, the son of Sir Gerald Crofts -
13 ✔ ✔
you know Crofts Limited
Look - there's nothing mysterious - or scandalous - about this business - at least not so far
13 ✔ ✔
as I'm concerned. - Birling
13 Obviously it has nothing whatever to do with the wretched girl's suicide ✔ ✔
Still I can't accept any responsibility. If we were all responsible for everything that
14 happened to everybody we'd had anything to do with, it would be very awkward wouldn’t ✔ ✔ ✔
it.
Rubbish! If you don't come down sharply on some of these people, they'd soon be asking
15 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
for the Earth.
16 (dryly) I don’t play golf - Inspector ✔ ✔
17 (angrily) Look here, Inspector, I consider this uncalled-for and officious - Inspector ✔
17 (coming farther in) What business? What's happening? - Sheila ✔
17 Oh - how horrible! ✔ ✔
It's just that I can't help thinking about this girl - destroying herself so horribly - and I've
17 ✔ ✔
been so happy tonight
19 It's a rotten shame - Sheila ✔ ✔
19 But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people. ✔ ✔
21 She looks at it closely, recognises it with a little cry, gives a half stifled sob, and then runs out ✔ ✔
22 (cutting in massively) You heard what I said before, Mr Croft. One line of inquiry at a time ✔
This girl had been very impertinent - and - and - (She almost breaks down, but just controls
24 ✔ ✔ ✔
herself.)
25 If she had been some miserable, plain little creature, I don't suppose I'd have done it. ✔ ✔ ✔
26 Was it after she left Milwards?... Were you? ✔ ✔ ✔
26 (laughs rather hysterically) Why - you fool - he knows. Of course he knows. ✔ ✔ ✔
And you think young women ought to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing
27 - ACT 2 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
things?
(ignoring this) Now Miss Birling has just been made to understand what she did to this girl.
29 She feels responsible. And if she leaves us now, and doesn't hear anymore, then she'll feel ✔ ✔ ✔
she's entirely to blame
30 (coolly) We often do on the young ons. They're more impressionable. ✔ ✔
30 Girls of that class - ✔ ✔ ✔
31 (cutting in calmly) No, no. I never take offence ✔ ✔
You know of course that my husband was Lord Mayor only two years ago and that he's still
31 ✔ ✔
a magistrate -
34 (to Sheila) Thanks. You're going to be a great help, I can see ✔ ✔
34 It’s a favourite haunt of the women of the town ✔ ✔
34 I hate those hard eyed, dough faced women ✔ ✔
The lighting should be pink and intimate until the inspector arrives, and
1 ✔ ✔
then it should be brighter and harder
1 Eric downstage - Stage direction ✔
1 rather portentous man… but rather provincial in his speech ✔ ✔
2 (gaily, possessively) I should jolly well think not, Gerald. - Sheila ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
2 I'd hate you to know all about port- like one of these purple-faced old men. - Sheila ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
2 Yes, go on, Mummy. You must drink our health. - Sheila ✔ ✔
I'm going to tell you frankly, without any pretences, that your engagement to Sheila means
4 ✔ ✔ ✔
a tremendous lot to me. - Birling
5 (taking out the ring) Oh - it's wonderful! Look - Mummy - isn't it a beauty? Oh - darling- ✔ ✔ ✔
6 I speak as a hard headed business man - Birling ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
7 The titanic … unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable - Birling ✔ ✔
7 silly little war scares - Birling ✔
7 We hard headed business men - Birling ✔ ✔
8 Lady Croft … feels you might have done better for yourself socially - Birling ✔ ✔
9 A man has to make his own way - has to look after himself - and his family too - Birling ✔ ✔ ✔
You'd think everybody has to look after everybody else, as if we were all mixed up together
10 ✔ ✔ ✔
like bees in a hive - community and all that nonsense - Birling
10 the sharp ring of a front door bell. Birling stops to listen ✔ ✔
11 an impression of massivenss, solidity and purposefulness ✔ ✔ ✔
I was an alderman for years - and Lord Mayor two years ago - and I'm still on the Bench - so
11 ✔ ✔
I know the Brumley police officers - Birling
Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She'd been taken there this afternoon
11 ✔
because she'd swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out of course - Birling
(rather impatiently) Yes, yes. Horrid business. But I don't understand why you should come
12 ✔ ✔ ✔
here, Inspector -
12 (cutting in massively) I've been round… ✔ ✔
Perhaps I ought to explain first that this is Mr Gerald Croft, the son of Sir Gerald Crofts -
13 ✔ ✔
you know Crofts Limited
Look - there's nothing mysterious - or scandalous - about this business - at least not so far
13 ✔ ✔
as I'm concerned. - Birling
13 Obviously it has nothing whatever to do with the wretched girl's suicide ✔ ✔
Still I can't accept any responsibility. If we were all responsible for everything that
14 happened to everybody we'd had anything to do with, it would be very awkward wouldn’t ✔ ✔ ✔
it.
Rubbish! If you don't come down sharply on some of these people, they'd soon be asking
15 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
for the Earth.
16 (dryly) I don’t play golf - Inspector ✔ ✔
17 (angrily) Look here, Inspector, I consider this uncalled-for and officious - Inspector ✔
17 (coming farther in) What business? What's happening? - Sheila ✔
17 Oh - how horrible! ✔ ✔
It's just that I can't help thinking about this girl - destroying herself so horribly - and I've
17 ✔ ✔
been so happy tonight
19 It's a rotten shame - Sheila ✔ ✔
19 But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people. ✔ ✔
21 She looks at it closely, recognises it with a little cry, gives a half stifled sob, and then runs out ✔ ✔
22 (cutting in massively) You heard what I said before, Mr Croft. One line of inquiry at a time ✔
This girl had been very impertinent - and - and - (She almost breaks down, but just controls
24 ✔ ✔ ✔
herself.)
25 If she had been some miserable, plain little creature, I don't suppose I'd have done it. ✔ ✔ ✔
26 Was it after she left Milwards?... Were you? ✔ ✔ ✔
26 (laughs rather hysterically) Why - you fool - he knows. Of course he knows. ✔ ✔ ✔
And you think young women ought to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing
27 - ACT 2 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
things?
(ignoring this) Now Miss Birling has just been made to understand what she did to this girl.
29 She feels responsible. And if she leaves us now, and doesn't hear anymore, then she'll feel ✔ ✔ ✔
she's entirely to blame
30 (coolly) We often do on the young ons. They're more impressionable. ✔ ✔
30 Girls of that class - ✔ ✔ ✔
31 (cutting in calmly) No, no. I never take offence ✔ ✔
You know of course that my husband was Lord Mayor only two years ago and that he's still
31 ✔ ✔
a magistrate -
34 (to Sheila) Thanks. You're going to be a great help, I can see ✔ ✔
34 It’s a favourite haunt of the women of the town ✔ ✔
34 I hate those hard eyed, dough faced women ✔ ✔
