Mr Birling
'A hard headed practical man of business'.
'A man has to look after himself'.
'Good dinner too sybil tell cook for me'
‘Now you have brought us together, and perhaps we may look forward to a time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together – for lower costs and higher prices. ’
‘Fiddlesticks! The Germans don’t want war. Nobody wants war... And why? There's too much at stake these days. Everything to lose and nothing to gain by war'
The titanic- she sails next week’-‘Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’
'Lady Croft feels you may have done better for yourself socially'.
' We were having a nice family celebration tonight. And a nasty mess you've made of it now, haven't you?'
'Lord Mayor and on the bench'
' Look here, I'm not going to have this, Inspector. You'll apologize at once'.
'
'Don't talk to me like that. Your trouble is – you've been spoilt'
'Old freind of the chief constable'
'Feels no guilt ‘There’ll be a public scandal’
'Feels no guilt ‘There’ll be a public scandal’
'You've a lot to learn yet'
'capital vs Labour
'Lower costs higher prices!'
‘Arthur Birling is a heavy looking, rather portentous man’
Analysis: These are the words that Priestley uses to describe Mr Birling. Portentous has a number of different meanings but one of these is someone who is overly serious or slightly pompous in the way they speak.
Happy family man
Successful business man and factory owner
Loves Gerald (Because of family connection/money
Hates the inspector
He sacked Eva Smith for wanting more money and going on strike
Was previously a Lord Mayor
He doesnt change throughout the play
A know it all
Hates the inspector
Runs his business based on ideas of Capitalism