How to Analyse Form Part 1 of 2
Many students focus heavily on language analysis while completely ignoring form and dramatic devices - costing them vital marks in their English Literature exams. Because An Inspector Calls is a play written to be performed, analysing how Priestley uses stagecraft is essential for achieving top grades.
In Part 1 of this two-part guide, we unpack what dramatic form actually means and how to analyse key theatre devices in your essays. We’ll cover staging, the fourth wall, and the symbolic use of lighting and costumes. We’ll also explore character symbolism, the impact of cliffhanger endings, and how dramatic monologues and dramatic irony work together on stage to convey Priestley's social message.
Timestamp
0:00 What is form in An Inspector Calls and why should you analyse it?
2:33 Staging, the fourth wall
7:35 Lighting
9:45 Characters as symbols and costume
20:54 anagnorisis and the cliffhanger ending
23:50 More character symbolism
30:36 Dramatic monologues and dramatic irony
This video is on my YouTube channel. However, there are a few benefits to watching it here instead:
- You can register to keep a track of which videos you’ve watched
- You can bookmark lessons for later
- There may or may not be no ads, but I can neither confirm nor deny and I definitely didn't tell you if YouTube asked, OK?
There are also resources to help you in the Study Materials section:
An Inspector Calls Vocabulary Bank
The words in this vocabulary bank will help you to develop a more sophisticated and high level understanding of the key ideas and concepts in 'An Inspector Calls'.
As well as providing a range of words, their definitions and an example sentence, this book also suggests a number of activities that you can use to revise and put the vocabulary into practice.
Bonus - it's completely free!
An Inspector Calls AQA GCSE Model Answers (Coming soon!)
This resource will have model answers for multiple years of AQA past papers, giving you the ability to see what high grade essays look like for a range of essay questions.
An Inspector Calls Edexcel IGCSE Model Answers (Coming soon!)
This resource will have model answers for multiple years of Edexcel past papers, giving you the ability to see what high grade essays look like for a range of essay questions.
An Inspector Calls Flipped Learning (Coming soon!)
This resource is designed for teachers and students: it is a workbook designed to be completed alongside all of my An Inspector Calls videos. It is essentially a structured way for you to take notes and ensure that you are squeezing every ounce of advice my videos have to offer.
I fully intend to add more videos and study materials on this play. If there's something in particular you're looking for, then register and get in touch to let me know what would help you.
