The Start of Act 1 of "An Inspector Calls" is important in terms of setting the scene and establishing the characters. Discuss.

Every beginning, whether of a play or a book, has to have a very captivating and attention-grabbing opening scene. This is so that the reader can continue watching the play or reading the book without getting bored. The playwright's first job is to make sure that the start is good enough to captivate the audience's attention. J.B. Priestley does this by letting an air of mystery surround the audience as to why the Birlings …

…that it was his fault in any way. It proves that he has no social conscience whatsoever because to him, the only things that matter in life are his business and himself. All these help to set the scene so that later on, the whole scene when Inspector Google questions the family members flows by smoothly. It prepares the audience for the vast amount of denouement that is to come further on in the play.