The Birling family are celebrating Sheila's
engagement to Gerald. It all seems to be going well,
but Sheila suspects that Gerald lost intrest in her
last summer.
Arthur gives a speech to
Eric and Gerald about
buiness. He says that
every man should look
after himself.
Inspector Goole arrives and says that a woman called
Eva Smith has commited sucide by drinking disifectant.
He starts to question the family members, one by one.
It turns out that Arthur Birling sacked Eva
Smith from his facory for striking in protest
against low wages and that Sheila asked for
Eva Smith to be sacked from a department
store last year.
The Inspector explains that Eva Smith then
changed her name to Daisy Renton. Gerald
appears shocked and Eric leaves.
Act 2
Although he wants to keep it a secret, Gerald eventually
describes how he spent last summer with Daisy Renton-
she was his mistress.
Gerald is upset. Sheila returns
his ring and Gerald leaves.
The Inspector gets to Sybil to confess that she
persuaded a woman's charity organisation to reject
Eva/Daisy's appeal for help. Eva/Daisy was
pregnant at the time.
Sybil blames the father of
Eva/Daisy's child for her death.
Sheila guesses that the
father of the child is Eric.
Act 3
Eric returns. He knows that
the Inspector has led
everyone to the conclusion
that he's the father of
Eva/Daisy's unborn child.
He describes how he met Eva Smith at a bar,
and drunkenly forced her to have sex. He got
her pregnant and then stole money from his
father's office to support her.
Eva/Daisy rejected the stolen money and turned to Sybil's
Charity for help. Eric says Sybil murdered her own
grandchild by refusing to give her charity.
The Inspector reminds the Birlings that they were all
responsible for each other. He warns that unless
everyone learns to look after each other, the lesson
will have to be learnt with great suffering.
Gerald returns, having spoken to a police officer who doesn't
recognise the name 'Goole'. Birling calls the police station to
confirm there is no Inspector called 'Goole' in the area.
Gerald calls the hospital and finds out that no one has commited
sucide. Birling, Sybil and Gerald decide it's all a been a hoax and
start to relax.
Sheila and Eric argue that they are still guilty
of treating someone badly.
The phone rings. A young woman has just been found
dead after drinking disifectant, and the police are
sending an Inspector to question the Birling family.