Act 3 Key Quotes

Test yourself

Inspector Goole - Key Quotes

Inspector Goole says the following key quotes in Act 3:

‘There’ll be plenty of time...'

‘There’ll be plenty of time, when I’ve gone, for you all to adjust your family relationships’.
Inspector Goole recognises that his interrogations have changed the dynamics (how they get along) of the Birling family.
He tells them that they will have to change their relationships as they get to know one another again.
- Sheila, for example, has developed a very different (less subservient) attitude towards her father – they will all need time to figure out how their family works once they show each other their true selves.

‘Each of you helped to kill her. Remember that. Never forget it’

Inspector Goole speaks very plainly to the family – he does not soften the blow for them. He wants them to have learnt something from this experience, so he tells them that each one of them killed Eva.
He urges them to always remember what they have done – because he wants them to rethink their actions in the future to make sure they start to think about other people and how their words and activities can hurt others.

'One Eva Smith has gone...'

‘One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us… We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for one another’.
Priestley uses Inspector Goole as the socialist conscience (sense of wrong and right) in the play.
Here, he expresses how people should look after one another, and suggests that everyone is equally as important as everyone else.
This statement directly contrasts with Mr Birlings comment in Act 1 that everyone should look after themselves.

Sheila - Key Quotes

Sheila says the following key quotes in Act 3:

‘You don’t seem to have learnt anything’

Although she’s heard about the horrible consequences of their actions, Sheila is annoyed that Mr and Mrs Birling do not seem to have learnt anything about themselves and how they should live their lives.
They continue to dodge any responsibility for Eva’s death and push the blame at each other.

'Everything we said had happened really happened...'

‘Everything we said had happened really happened. If it didn’t end tragically, then that’s lucky for us. But it might have done’.
- Sheila’s emotional maturity and intelligence develops.
- Here, Sheila shows how she has learnt a valuable lesson from this whole experience – she accepts blame and responsibility.
- She knows that her actions will have consequences for other people – the story of Eva Smith has made this much more realistic for her.
- Mr Birling exclaims that young people think they know everything but they’re wrong – ironically, it is the young Birlings who have learnt from their mistakes here.

1Plot Summary

1.1Act 1

1.1.1Act 1 Summary

1.1.2Act 1 Key Quotes

1.2Act 2

1.2.1Act 2 Summary

1.2.2Act 2 Key Quotes

1.3Act 3

1.3.1Act 3 Summary

1.3.2Act 3 Key Quotes

1.3.3Act 3 More Key Quotes

1.3.4End of Topic Test - Acts 1, 2 & 3

2Context & Key Themes

2.1Context & Key Themes

2.1.1Social Class & Equality

2.1.2Class Tension

2.1.3Abuse of Power & Corruption

2.1.4Socialism vs Capitalism

2.1.5Blame & Responsibility

2.1.6Attitudes to Women

2.1.7Characterisation of Women

2.1.8Dramatic Function of Characters

2.1.9End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes

2.1.10End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes 2

2.1.11Grade 9 - Key Themes

3Key Characters

3.1Mr Birling

3.1.1Mr Birling Analysis

3.1.2Mr Birling Quotes

3.2Mrs Birling

3.2.1Mrs Birling Analysis

3.2.2Mrs Birling Quotes

3.2.3Exam-Style Questions - Mrs Birling

3.3Sheila

3.3.1Sheila Analysis

3.3.2Sheila Quotes

3.3.3End of Topic Test - The Birlings & Sheila

3.4Eric

3.4.1Eric Analysis

3.4.2Eric Quotes

3.5Gerald

3.5.1Gerald Analysis

3.5.2Gerald Quotes

3.6Inspector Goole

3.6.1Inspector Goole Analysis

3.6.2Inspector Goole Quotes

3.6.3End of Topic Test - Eric, Gerald & Inspector Goole

3.7Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.7.1Grade 9 - Key Characters

4Authorial Method

4.1Arrangement & Structure of the Play

4.1.1Setting, Lighting & Dramatic Irony

4.1.2Structure & Chronology

4.1.3Structure & Chronology 2

4.1.4End of Topic Test - Authorial Method

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