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• CAPITALS


  Means this is a core word for the year and it will be repeated on many of the Knowledge Organisers
• Asterisk (*)


  Means you should already know this word from KS3
• 'An Inspector Calls'
• Allegory


  A story with two different meanings, where the straightforward meaning on the surface is used to reveal/ unlock a deeper meaning underneath.
• Allusion


  A reference to something else, such as a historical event, a person, a place. Priestley makes religious allusion to the Bible in particular.
• Audience surrogate


  An audience surrogate is a proxy for the audience i.e. a character acting on behalf of the audience who the audience can identify with. Such characters think like the audience thinks and ask the questions the audience wants answering. In this play, the Inspector is the audience surrogate.
• Cliffhanger


  When the end of the text is strangely or dramatically abrupt, so that the main character/s is left in a difficult situation, without offering any resolution of their conflict or situation.
• Cyclical structure


  A structural technique where the ending of the text mirrors the opening e.g. in this play, the characters end up in the same position they were at the beginning: expecting the arrival of an Inspector. A cyclical structure can help an audience understand why change is so necessary – unless we act, things will never change and characters like Eva Smith will continue to suffer.
• Dramatic irony


  When the audience knows something that the characters do not. Dramatic irony can be used to heighten tension or expectation in the audience.
• Foil


  A character whose purpose is to emphasise or contrast with the qualities of another character.
• Foreshadowing


  Where the author gives the reader hints or signs about the future. It suggests what is to come through imagery, language, and/or symbolism. It does not directly give away the outcome, but rather, suggests it.
• Metaphorical language


  Where writers use techniques such as imagery, metaphor, motifs, personification, similes and symbols to construct their characters and convey their message.
• Monologue


  A long and important speech by one character in a play. It is uninterrupted and it is intended that other characters can hear it and take note.
• Morality play


  'An Inspector Calls' is a morality play because all of the Birlings and Gerald Croft commit crimes which are similar to the Seven Deadly Sins.
• Real time


  When the stage time is real time; this makes the play more naturalistic. In 'An Inspector Calls', the Birlings' actions are unveiled in real time, making their downfall more dramatic and showing how quickly their world can crumble.
• Tension


  A dramatic device used to create a sense of suspense or to make the audience feel on edge; tension is often created through the use of cliffhangers and dramatic irony.
• Well-made play


  In a well-made play the plot is intricate and complex – more and more layers are uncovered and the action usually builds to a shocking and dramatic climax.
• Morality plays were first performed in the late middle ages. They are a type of allegory (a story which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one). Morality plays were popular during the 15th and 16th centuries.
• In these types of plays, the main characters are met by supporting characters who are personifications of good and evil. They are used to prompt the main character to choose a good life over one of evil.
• The point of a morality play was to educate the audience and get them to lead a better life so that they would determine a better fate for themselves in the 'after-life'. The supporting characters sometimes represented the Seven Deadly Sins.
• The Seven Deadly Sins were lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. Whilst characters who committed these sins were punished, morality plays showed that if a character repented, then they could redeem themselves.
• 'An Inspector Calls' is a morality play because all of the Birlings and Gerald Croft commit crimes which are similar to the Seven Deadly Sins. Priestley uses the morality play structure to teach a 20th century audience a series of lessons that relate to his beliefs about social responsibility, age, gender and class. The audience is invited to enjoy judging these characters; they are also forced to question their own behaviour. Priestley would have hoped that people watching the play would have left the theatre as better people.
• A well-made play is where the plot is intricate and complex – more and more layers are uncovered and the action usually builds to a shocking and dramatic climax.
• Sins


  • Lust
  • Gluttony
  • Greed
  • Sloth
  • Wrath
  • Envy
  • Pride
• Characters who committed these sins were punished, but morality plays showed that if a character repented, then they could redeem themselves
• Morality play


  A play that shows the consequences of committing sins, but also the possibility of redemption through repentance
• 'An Inspector Calls' is a morality play because all of the Birlings and Gerald Croft commit crimes which are similar to the Seven Deadly Sins
• Mr Birling is greedy


  He wants more money
• Sheila is guilty of wrath and envy

  She spitefully complains about Eva Smith
• Not all of the characters manage to redeem themselves
• Priestley uses the morality play structure to teach a 20th century audience a series of lessons


  Lessons relate to his beliefs about social responsibility, age, gender and class
• The audience is invited to enjoy judging these characters


  They are also forced to question their own behaviour
• Priestley would have hoped that people watching the play would have left the theatre as better people
• Well-made play


  A popular dramatic genre from the 19th century where the plot is intricate and complex and the action builds to a climax
• In a well-made play the events are often concerned with what happened before the events of the play
• A well-made play usually ends with a return to order but Priestley moves away from this genre with the revelation at the end
• 'An Inspector Calls' is a well-made play because the events are all influenced by what happened to Eva Smith before the play takes place
• This structure allows Priestley to manipulate the audience


  They do not know what happened to Eva Smith and so each revelation about her treatment by the Birlings and Gerald Croft adds to the drama
• Each revelation is more shocking than the last and so Priestley cleverly builds to the climax
• There is a twist at the end of the plot in 'An Inspector Calls'


  The characters are unsure if the Inspector existed at all