ARTHUR BIRLING

• Patriarch of the Family

• Presented as an arrogant and pompous character throughout the play

“Heavy-looking, rather portentous man in his middle fifties with fairy easy manners but rather provincial in his speech.”

• Conveys Birlings self indulgence, self importance, arrogance to impress all around him

• Regional accent signifies his lower class status in comparison to his wife and Gerald Croft

• Former Lord Mayor and magistrate, Birling hopes to obtain knighthood

  • Reveals his obsession with public reputation, status and titles and the reassurance they provide him with

• Wealthy factory owner, presented as a caricature of a capitalist businessman which is the direct opposition to Gooles socialist aspirations

• Delivers lengthy monologues

  • Revealing his self-centredness, arrogance and myopic view of society

    • Believes everyone should be responsible for themselves and is devoid of any sympathy for those less fortunate

• Dramatic irony is used in several ways to reveal his short-sightedness

  • Birlings optimism for the future is superficial and his predictions demonstrate his complacency

  • He has too much to loose if things were to change

• Contrasts sharply with the Inspector and his children

  • He is brusque towards the Inspector and treats Eric and Sheila as foolish and naive

• Refuses to accept any responsibility

• Remains unchanged by the end

  • Unwilling to change because his personal beliefs don’t allow him to

  • Blind to the consequences of his own actions

  • Repeatedly defends himself, directs blame at others, tries to cover up the tragedy

  • Tries to limit the damage to himself and his family but he can only do this by distorting or minimising the truth