JOURNEY’S END
STUDENT WORK
Aims and objectives:
To ensure students work on the following in order to place the work in literary
tradition of first world war literature and to prepare for coursework essay
- dramatic structure
- characterisation
- use of language
- values and attitudes
- themes
- literary tradition
- use of setting
- tone and atmosphere/mood etc
Read the play through.
Watch associational texts
- Blackadder [particular the last in the series]
- The Trench
- All the Kings Men
- Oh What a Lovely War
- All Quiet on the Western Front
- The Monacled Mutineer
Reading List
Wonderful to read them through but if not, extracts are available of
- Regeneration, Ghost Road
Pat Barker
- Birdsong
Sebastian Faulks
- A long, long way
Sebastian Barry
- Life Class
Pat Barker
- Private Peaceful
Michael Morpago
- War Horse
Michael Morpago
- The first casualty
Ben Elton
These are not exclusive lists but do have good descriptions of trench life and the fear,
claustrophobia and feelings etc.
History
Try to come on the Battlefields trip because this will go into different details than you
may have experienced in a history context. You might want to do a bit of internet
surfing as there is a lot of material available on line.
Introduction
Because of the ending, it is sometimes assumed that Journey’s End is an anti-war play
but this would be simplistic and largely inaccurate. The play itself reflects the various
characters who would be represented in an officer dugout in the trenches and the
views and opinions that would have been made. It has come to be known as the play
about the truth of war. In his autobiography, Sherriff states that his play did not
explore the rights and wrongs of war, but that his characters were “simple,
unquestioning men who fought the war because it seemed the only right and proper
thing to do …in which not a word was spoken against the war…and no word of
condemnation was uttered….” Obviously with conscription, they might not have had
a choice! There are examples of types such as:
- the young idealist public schoolboy of RALEIGH
- the experienced junior officer who has coped with the horrors but is damaged
STANHOPE
- the more mature officer who provides a father figure for the younger
OSBORNE
- the frightened officer who tries to avoid going into the trenches – HIBBERT
- the working class man who uses humour and common sense to cope
TROTTER
- the cook, who like Trotter, has a sensibility and a humour often parodied by
Baldrick in Blackadder – MASON
The play is set in St Quentin, France in 1918, opening on Monday 18th March, three
days before Germany launched “Operation Michael” an attack on St Quentin.
Staging
All the action takes place in a dugout where the British officers eat and sleep. The
image of the war surrounding them was effectively created through light and sound.
As well as giving the audience a taste of what the trench dugout was like, this also
presented what Sherriff called “a nostalgic journey into the past” [No Leading Lady].
The trenches are still visible and preserved in some areas of the Somme and near
Ypres as is the reconstructed one in the Imperial War Museum, Southwark. It
provides the drama with a claustrophic sense of entrapment; no one can leave this
war.
References to the setting are made throughout the play and reinforce the conditions in
which the men lived. The very basic living conditions remind the audience of the
hardships the soldiers endured. They did not know when the war would end and
references are made to the boredom which was made worse by the cramped and often
very wet conditions. This also led to a recreation of family life, often referred to as
the domestication of men who often took “feminine” roles of cooks, carers, nurses
etc.
Consider the effects created by this staging by looking at the different settings of other
plays and novels.
Oh What a Lovely War:
Joan Littlewood
An unconventional play that uses WW1 to parody, criticise and satirise specific issues
that were raised in the 60s. These included pacifism, feminism, a cynical attitude
towards government, authority figures and a liberalisation of conduct. The play uses
a big screen on which slides of photographs taken during the war are used to contrast
what is said on screen. It also has “a news panel traversing the stage on which the
names of battles appeared, followed by the number of those killed and wounded and
the number of yards gained or lost. The only furniture: four truncated cones used as
seats”. [Joan Littlewood 2000]
The setting then remains ambiguous and determined by who is on stage and what is
said. Ultimately it looks like a pierrot show that used to be performed in theatres at
the end of the piers in seaside resort.
The Monocled Mutineer:
Alan Bleasdale
This was a TV serious in four episodes. It contains a range of sets, including a court
room, a cell, houses and the trenches. Although there are external scenes, because
these are dugouts and cells, a sense of claustrophobia is often produced. Like
Journeys End, this claustrophia suggests entrapment.
Blackadder
Richard Curtis and Ben Elton
Although the last series set in the first world war has many episodes, it is the last that
is usually used, although the others are equally pertinent and funny. The last episode
can be compared to Journeys End, in that it is primarily set in Blackadder’s dugout
prior to “going over the top”. There are so many similarities that it is derivative of the
play, with attempts to get out of the battle [Hibbert], comments on food and coffee
[Mason and Trotter], the different types of characters that are portrayed such as
George, a parody of Raleigh, Baldrick, the common working class man of Mason and
Blackadder himself, a more cynical less heroic version of Stanhope.
Accrington Pals
Whelan
Although the nature of the soldiers’ experience is presented, this play also focuses on
the people left at home in Accrington, the recruitment process, the growing
confidence of women and the setting alternates between street, house and trench
Aces High
Film
This film uses the plot and characters of Journeys End but places it within the Royal
Flying Corps where the life of a pilot was seen to be 20 minutes [referred to in one of
the Blackadder episodes]. The RFC was not a site of war poetry, other than Yeats
“An Irish Airman Foresees His Death” and was used by Captain WE Johns in some of
his Biggles books. However, it was an important feature of WW1 and because it is an
air force, the setting is obviously going to be more spacious, featuring airdromes and
sky! Also to be seen in The Blue Max, which explores class and heroism in the
German society of the war, featuring a WW1 “Ace” as they were called.
Regeneration
Pat Barker
Although Barker largely uses Craiglockhart, the Victorian mental hospital building in
Edinburgh as a central location for this book, she also uses the Suffolk coast of
Aldeburgh, the streets of Edinburgh and some beaches. However, the effect remains
claustrophobic.
Look up the following plays and be prepared to present one to the rest of the class.
Think about how they deal with the issues presented in Journeys End
Tomorrow
Tunnel Trench
The Trench
X=O
Company D
C B Fernald
Hubert Griffiths
Film
Characters
In order of seniority, the characters are as follows:
The Brigadier [unseen]
The Colonel
[highest ranking officer appearing]
Dennis Stanhope
Hardy [Commanding officer of different company]
[Commanding officer of C company]
Osborne
[Officer and second in command]
Trotter
Hibbert
nd
[2 lieut. Later 21/c Officer
James[Jimmy] Raleigh
youngest officer, 2nd lieut.
Sergeant Major
[highest ranking non commissioned officer]
Mason
[cook and private]
Company soldiers
[privates]
Madge [Unseen]
[Raleigh’s sister and Stanhope’s girlfriend]
Young German soldier
[captured from the raid]
The characters are all “types”. Raleigh is the schoolboy idealist that Stanhope would
have been before the war. Hibbert is the coward, Osborne the fatherly figure and
Trotter represents the stoic working class who just gets on with it as does Mason the
cook. Hardy is a sloppy officer, cynical and appears unconcerned about his men
which is very different to Stanhope presented as a good officer.
Timeline
1. Stanhope’s second in command, Osborne, enters the dugout to take over from
Hardy, the captain of the leaving company. Hardy talks about Stanhope as a
drunkard and Osborne defends him. This sets up anticipation for Stanhope’s
arrival.
2. A new officer, Raleigh, arrives and we find out about his links with Stanhope
which gives a completely different view of him, again adding to the
anticipation. Stanhope arrives, calls for whiskey and reacts strangely to
Raleigh. Hibbert, another officer, complains of neuralgia.
3. Stanhope tells Osborne about his contempt for Hibbert and concern over
Raleigh’s presence. He decides to censor Raleigh’s letters.
4. The men talk about life away from the war. We find out that Osborne played
rugby for England. Osborne and Stanhope discuss the forthcoming attack. It
is expected on Thursday – in two days’ time.
5. Raleigh enters and Stanhope insists on reading his letter home. The letter is
read out and we see that it is full of praise for Stanhope.
6. The colonel arrives with news of a raid on the German line that needs to take
place the following day. He suggests Osborne and Raleigh should lead the
raid.
7. Hibbert tries to leave but Stanhope threatens to shoot him and then
sympathises with him. Hibbert is persuaded to stay and help the others.
8. The officers are told about the raid. Osborne is resigned to his fate. Raleigh is
elated and Trotter thinks its stupid timing.
9. The colonel gives an encouraging talk to the men, promising that Osborne and
Raleigh will be awarded a Military Cross for bravery. The raid takes place
and Osborne and six others die, but a German soldier is taken prisoner.
10. The German prisoner is interrogated and the colonel seems happy but Raleigh
is stunned by his experience and Stanhope is bitter.
11. All the officers eat a celebratory dinner, but Raleigh does not join in .
Stanhope sends Hibbert to bed. Trotter is made second in command. When
Raleigh appears, he and Stanhope argue.
12. The final German attack comes. Raleigh dies as Stanhope looks after him,
Just after Stanhope leaves the stage, the dugout collapses into darkness.
DETAILED STUDY
Act 1
The first part of the act works as EXPOSITION.
What does the audience learn in the first nine pages?
- about characters
- about the situation
- about the war
- examine tone and language; what dates the play and how is the language
ironic?
- explore the claustrophobia of the dugout
Make links with the way in which trench life is described/conveyed with examples of
first world war poetry such as Break of Day in the Trenches, The Dugout [Up the line
to death p61] Bombardment [Up the Line, p 83],
Act 1, Scene 1
Read up to Act 1 Stanhope’s entrance
Look at scene directions in terms of staging. Sherriff is quite particular in his
description of the dugout in the trench presumably drawing on his own experience in
the war. The stage directions describe the setting: the chaos and the untidiness shown
though litter of papers, jumbled mass. Disinfectant is added to water to combat
infection; floor is damp, rats and earwigs mentioned. Setting is unwelcome
environment and the boredom suggested by the earwig races.
Hardy is drying his sock over a candle and humming a song. Soldiers’ songs can be
seen in Oh what a lovely war and Tipperary Days [p23 Up the Line] Consider the
initial attitudes and approaches to war; introduce Happy is England Now [section of
Up the Line to Death] The sock and candle represents the hardship that the soldiers
endure and the terrible damp that pervaded the trenches. There are accounts of men
drowning, especially when the dykes were broken in Belgium. Trench foot was a
common complaint and suggested by Osborne’s comments about not taking off the
boots.
Hardy’s physical description [a red faced, cheerful-looking man] contrasts with
Osborne [a tall thin man… a fine head, with close-cropped iron-grey hair, physically
as hard as nails.] and suggests differing personalities and attitudes to the conflict.
Hardy is cheerful but flippant, untidy and disorganised while Osborne is fussy. His
song, to alleviate his boredom sings of women in a place where there are none and he
refers to time Tick Tock suggesting that life is a waiting game. Sometimes nothing
happens for hours on end; then – all of a sudden “over she comes!” rifle grenades
…” It also indicates the groaning boredom of the trenches coupled with the tension
of waiting for something to happen.
The reference to whisky shows the importance of alcohol to alleviate the tension and
pre-empts its link to Stanhope and the comments on the water again reflect the
conditions.
His comments about the blown up dugout “came down in the men’s tea. They were
frightfully annoyed” minimises the impact. This is also reflected in “Her Privates
We” by Frederick Manning in that whenever they relieve positions the soldiers always
respond to “How is it here?” with the same remark that it is “cushy enough”. Hardy
sets the scene however and his comments about the expected “big German attack”
and the noise of German movement prepares the audience that it will be the new
battalion who will suffer this attack, confirmed by Hardy’s “Then I should think you’ll
get it – right in the neck” Although Hardy is not in the play for long, he does show a
different sort of officer to Stanhope with his lack of knowledge where his men sleep,
“The Sergeant Major sees to that”
At this point it might be worth watching The Trench..
We learn that they are expecting a new officer. Osborne’s comments “I hope we’re
lucky and get a youngster straight from school. They’re the kind that do best” is a
reminder that many of the junior officers were very young and had responded to the
recruitment through school. This can be seen in “All Quiet on the Western Front”
when Paul and his school fellows are recruited by his own school teacher
The conversation between Stanhope and Osborne serves to focus the audience on the
conditions suffered by the men. The dugout is for officers and for privates, the
conditions were even worse. Look at extracts from “Her Privates We”. One of the
issues referred to is the rats. These are frequently described in war poems and novels,
as well as the lice that plagued the men. Hardy claims that there are “roughly – about
two million; …” and that the “rats gnaw your boots”
Read Break of Day in the Trenches [Rosenburg] for description of the laconic rat.
Hardy’s description of the supplies is telling, Besides they are rusty, in any case.
Then there’s five hundred Mills bombs, thirty four gum boots – and proceeds to
inform Osborne that they don’t have matching pairs.
Lack of equipment was a problem for both German and British soldiers. Compare
with All Quiet on the Western Front with the argument over the boots of the soldier
whose legs were blown off.
In “Her Privates We”, Manning refers frequently to the importance of scrounging,
whether it be hot water to shave or food to eat. Bourne’s tin hat is “condemned”
because it has been hit by a bullet but there is no replacement. On inspections he is
constantly reprimanded yet when he repeats what the quartermaster told him, he is
again punished for swearing. He claims that he will “pick one up in the trenches”
sardonically informing us that men did supplement and replace their equipment from
those of dead colleagues.
Hardy refers to Stanhope’s reputation as a drinker and it becomes clear that Osborne,
who defends him “He’s a long way the best company commander we’ve got” has a
close relationship. The drinking was one way in which men coped with the tension
and fear. In “Her Privates We”, [p158] Bourne warns Regimental Sergeant Morgan
about getting into trouble when drinking, “..but you were canned up and you never
know what you are doing when you’re canned. …I should be sorry if you made a
mess of things”. Finding alcohol is important to the soldiers in this book and Bourne
is strangely sent a loaf of bread and other provisions in a plywood box. It is not until
they cut the bread that they find that his friend had sent him a very good bottle of
whiskey which he obviously shares with his three friends.
Osborne comments about the social relationships and shows us the effects of the war
on the young,
“When a boy like Stanhope gets a reputation out there for drinking, he turns into a
kind of freak show exhibit. People pay with a bottle of whisky for the morbid curiosity
of seeing him drink it.”
The emphasis on boy reminds us that he is only young. Hardy’s comments about
Stanhope’s father being a vicar and not going home because “didn’t think he was fit
to meet papa” introduces Stanhope’s self loathing and the fact that he spent his leave
in Paris shows the distance between the soldier and the home front. This lack of
understanding is a central theme in many texts. “Not so Quiet” by Helen Zenner
Smith contains considerable vitriol about the lack of understanding of those at home
and the brutalising effects of war. She describes how as a 21 year old girl, she would
have blushed at some of the language that she easily uses herself after experiencing
the war. In “Birdsong”, Stephen chooses not to go home and prefers to spend his
leave in Paris.
Osborne lays out the worth of Stanhope as an officer, “You don’t know him as I do; I
love that fellow. I’d go to hell with him”.
The play focuses on the relationships between the men and this is another central
feature of texts. The relationship between the men in “Birdsong”, “Her Privates We”,
“All Quiet on the Western Front” are mirrored by the camaraderie of the women in
“Not so Quiet”. Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon both spoke about the necessity
of returning to the front to look after their men, worried that other officers might not
care as much. In “Regeneration”, Pat Barker documents the vision of the dead soldier
that Sassoon experiences that prompts him to return.
Hardy’s comments “I don’t specially want to see him. He’s so fussy about the
trenches. I expect they are rather dirty.” does two things. Firstly it tells the audience
that Stanhope does have high standards and secondly that Hardy is a sloppy officer.
The conversation about the earwig is both a symbol of futility “It’s been running
round and round that candle since tea-time; must have done a mile.” and an example
of the boredom of the trenches when waiting for something to happen. “Ever had
earwig races?”
Hardy leaves the stage singing one of the many songs that came out of WW1. These
can be seen in Oh What a Lovely War and in Her Privates We. Woodbine Willy, the
pseudonym of the curate trench poet often writes similar doggerel but the reality is
that they were much more obscene than shown here. Songs of the war were seen in a
sentimental light at one point, but Joan Littlewood presented them more realistically
and showed that there was an irony about it. Look at Gassed last night …
Mason, the officer’s cook/servant enters and the subject of food is raised. Food was
an important aspect for the soldiers because often there was little of it. Blackadder
gives a satirical presentation of it, particularly with Baldrick’s description of the ways
in which he puts particular ingredients to use! In Her Privates We and All Quiet on
the Western Front, there are many references to the ways in which soldiers scrounged
and found food. In Not so Quiet there is considerable disquiet at the way in which the
ambulance drivers would return from shifts to find that there was no sustenance for
them.
Raleigh enters, the young officer. He is described as well built, healthy-looking boy of
about eighteen with the very new uniform of a 2nd lieutenant. He is Stanhope at the
beginning of the war, before it took its toll - the epitome of the public school boy
soldier that was valorised in poems such as Into Battle [Up the line … p34] and Vitae
Lampada. In all public schools that existed before this time, you will find war
memorials that list their dead and it is chilling to see the list of casualties.
The conversation with Osborne illustrates the situation of the young public school boy
recruit, I only left school at the end of the summer term and draws comparison with
Paul in All Quiet on the Western Front. Immediately, Osborne explains that he is
called Uncle by the other officers. This refers to the familial relationships that
developed in the trenches. Some call it the feminisation of men because they took on
feminine roles such as cook, carers and indeed in this play, Osborne is the father
figure. In Regeneration, Rivers comes across as a father figure and many memoirs
refer to this development of relationships between the men.
Raleigh explains that he knows Stanhope from school. He says He’s three years
older than me.. This makes Stanhope 21, by modern terms, relatively young! The
way in which Raleigh describes Stanhope’s past skipper of Rugby at Barford and kept
wicket for the eleven does construct him as a stereotypical hero of the period and
obviously Raleigh idolises him. He describes Stanhope’s visit to the school after he
received his MC and how he managed to get his uncle to pull strings in order to get
Raleigh in Stanhope’s company. His I expect Dennis’ll be frightfully surprised to see
me” is ominous and after Hardy’s description, the audience can anticipate problems.
This is continued by Raleigh’s explanation that Stanhope is seeing his sister and
Osborne’s you mustn’t expect to find him – quite the same. Ironically Raleigh
describes a situation in which Stanhope found some chaps in a study with a bottle of
whisky and how he punished them. The audience have already been told of
Stanhope’s drinking, so dramatic irony is produced.
The conversation that occurs explains the nature of the duties in the trenches, the
sleeping patterns, the quiet – the fact that the Germans are about a hundred yards
away. After describing the pattern of the trenches even Osborne admits , There’s
something rather romantic about it all. And there is. Look at The Great War by
Vernon Scannell which describes the iconography of the war which is romantic in a
grotesque way.
When Mason, the cook returns, the conversation regarding the pineapple chunks is
relatively humorous and it is obviously the source that Curtis and Elton used for
Blackadder.
Think about:
-
how valuable is Hardy in providing the audience with necessary information
and setting the scene
assemble evidence that Hardy is a less conscientious and efficient
commanding officer than Stanhope
how does Raleigh reveal that he is young and inexperienced? Find examples
of Osborne’s tact in helping Raleigh settle in
what have we learnt about Stanhope before he arrives
Read to the end of Act 1
Stanhope arrives and there are detailed stage directions concerning his entrance with
Trotter. Stanhope is described as despite his stars of rank he is no more than a boy..
reminding the audience of the parallel with Raleigh. Stanhope’s first words are
concerns about the state of the trenches which illustrates the competency as an officer.
His first request is for whisky. When he sees Raleigh it is obvious that there will be
an issue with him. Osborne attempts to break the tension with comments about the
pineapple and apricots. Trotter introduces himself and by his accent, he is clearly not
of the same social class. This was a big issue in WW1 and particularly illustrated by
Billy Prior in Regeneration who is very aware of it. Historically it was an issue in the
British army. Look at Sharpe. Richard Sharpe is working class, gained officer status
by merit but not totally accepted because of his social background.
Trotter is portrayed as a stereotypical working class soldier who has been promoted.
He is stoic, practical, good natured and does offer some light relief to the play. There
is a discussion of the importance of pepper which seems ludicrous in light of their
situation but many war texts focus on the issues of what might appear to be minor
issues. Trotter epitomises this with I mean – after all – war’s bad enough with pepper
– but war without pepper – it’s bloody awful!
Meanwhile Raleigh is still sitting there. The conversation is about rations, the
situation and the tension is still present. Stanhope is clearly tired, exhausted but he
organises the duties and eventually pays attention to Raleigh. Trotter takes him out
and his cheerful advice about needing the revolver to shoot the rats, his explanation of
what he needs to do is evidence of the care men felt about each other. In Her Privates
We Manning describes how the experienced felt about the new recruits coming into
the trenches and their disdain but these are privates rather than officers. Raleigh
leaves with Trotter for duty and Stanhope’s conversation with Osborne reveals the
pressure he is under and the relationship that they have.
Study
-
study the first meeting between Raleigh and Stanhope. Why is it so difficult
for them to be at ease together? Notice the part played by Osborne in trying to
smooth over the awkwardness.
-
how is it possible to interpret the characters in the play and in what way do
they represent all the types of soldiers that might have been seen in the war.
Think about
o the hero
o the coward
o the public school boy
o the working class man
o the inefficient officer
These are all represented in various poems such as The General, SIW, The
Hero, The Sentry, Base Details, The Coward etc and you will find them in
poetry collections such as Up the Line to Death [examination text] and The
Penguin Book of First World War Poetry [ed Silkin]
Hibbert is introduced – he is the coward, the obviously scared soldier who wants to go
home. Often these “slackers” were admonished in many texts [Her Privates We] and
by Sassoon and Owen in some of their poetry. Those who were seen as cowards or
ran away were shot. Although Osborne is more pragmatic, Stanhope has no time for
Hibbert Artful little swine! Neuralgia’s a splendid idea. No proof, as far as I can
see”. “No man of mine’s going sick before the attack. They’re going to take an
equal chance – together”.
Read The Deserter by Frankau [Up the line: [page 85] and SIW [Owen]
The discussion regarding Raleigh outlines the hero worship of schoolboys and
Stanhope’s concern that he will not meet expectations. – as long as the hero’s a hero.
Raleigh’s sister is mentioned and Stanhope’s concern that She doesn’t know that if I
went up those steps into the front line – without being doped with whisky – I’d go mad
with fright”.
The chances of death are also mentioned and Stanhope’s fear that he has been lucky
so far, but its rather damnable for that boy – of all the boys in the world – to have
come to me. I might at least have been spared that.
As Stanhope gets drunker, he gets more paranoid. His own self loathing is such that
he cannot believe that Raleigh won’t write home and tell the truth and yet he doesn’t
want him to deceive his sister. The reference to censorship of letters emerges as
Stanhope decides that he will censor Raleigh’s. Censorship of officers letters was
considered dishonourable as they were trusted not to release important information
that could have benefited the enemy. Because of this, Wilfred Owen’s letters to his
mother Susan are uncensored and do tell of the conditions of the trenches. Vera
Brittain Letters from a lost generation contain a lot of correspondence between the
home and western front from both her brother and her fiancé. Have a look at some of
these from both officers and men.
Osborne effectively puts Stanhope to bed and acts almost as a mother figure as well as
a father. A lot of literature talks about this feminisation of the men in the war as they
undertook feminine roles. This is also seen in All Quiet on the Western Front,
whereas Helen Zenner Smith’s Not so quiet shows how the ambulance drivers became
almost masculinised. This relationship is poignantly demonstrated in Stanhope’s
request Kiss me Uncle to which Osborne retorts Kiss you be blowed!.
This is to ensure that the audience are aware that Stanhope is still a boy and wants the
comfort of childhood back, rather than any reference to homosexuality. There were
trials at the time of the war of homosexuals and both Sassoon and Graves went to
great lengths to ensure that they weren’t seen as such and whilst Owen’s love for his
men was comradely, it later emerged that he was homosexual. Ben Elton The First
Casualty deals a lot with homosexuality amongst the officers but this could only be
discussed in a much later text.
-
consider the dynamics and differences between Stanhope and Hibbert.
Consider Stanhope as a classic soldier of WW1. Think about Owen, Sassoon,
Graves etc and compare with Regeneration Pat Barker. What is Sherriff
saying through this representation? There are a lot of poems that describe the
“ageing” effect of war on young men. The Veteran by Postgate-Cole Pluck
by Eva Dobell. Read some of them and compare with Stanhope.
Act 2
On stage, Trotter, Osborne and Raleigh only the latter takes several pages to speak
and then to answer Trotter.
It’s the following morning and the emphasis is on food. Food was an important issue
in the war, not enough of it often and of course mealtimes alleviated the boredom.
There was also the problem of missing your rations if you were not there at the right
time. Trotter is always associated with food and is the source of most of the comic
elements, particularly in his conversations with the cook, Mason who must have been
the prototype for Baldrick’s role.
Trotter’s reference to the bloomin’ little bird and the sign of spring is quite
significant. Many writers look at nature and the effects of war and often express
surprise at the ways in which nature seems to recover despite the ravages of war.
Look at Magpies in Picardy [Up the line: page 26] Break of Day in the Trenches and
Returning we hear the larks, both by Rosenberg [Up the Line, pages 104 and 105]
Amongst all the joke about the food, Trotter explains that it’s too quiet and it’s
ominous. He raises the issue of Stanhope looking ill and looks to Raleigh for
confirmation that Stanhope had drunk a whole bottle of whisky since dinner and that
he didn’t recognise them, suggesting completely drunk. Raleigh head is lowered
which suggests that he is unhappy to confirm this. Osborne’s loyalty is affirmed in
his attempt at changing the conversation and returns to the prospect of summer and
the bird. Trotter’s explanation and description of his garden and his showing of a
photograph of his ‘olly’ock is poignant. The hollyhock is a very traditional English
garden flower and it reminds us that he does have a life back in England. This also
allows Osborne to describe his gardening, reminding us of the ordinariness of these
men.
Trotter’s little narrative about the may tree shows how everything has been corrupted
by the war. The scent of the may tree reminded them of the phosgene gas. By
focusing each character on reminiscences, Sherriff provides a lot of information both
about the war and the soldier.
Trotter’s departure back to the trench leaves Raleigh and Osborne together and an
opportunity for Raleigh to give his first impressions of the trenches. Raleigh refers to
the quiet, the whispering because the Germans are so close and Rugger if brought up
as it is used to measure the distance between the sets of trenches. It enables more
exposition of character and Osborne reveals that he once played rugger for England.
It’s the ultimate waste of talent – Osborne the ex rugby player, school teacher, man of
substance and honour; Stanhope with all his potential that has been abused; Trotter,
salt of the earth and it is inevitable that they will die and that it is a waste.
They find Trotter’s plan to make the time pass quickly! One hundred and forty-four
little circles – one for each hour of six days. He’s blacked in six already. He’s six
hours behind. It is also a reminder of the boredom.
The issue of the enemy is raised when Raleigh declares, The Germans are really quite
decent, aren’t they? I mean outside the newspapers?
Thus, Sherriff introduces both the propaganda of the press and the reality of how
soldiers actually felt about the enemy. This is an issue that is raised in many texts. In
Birdsong Stephen falls into the arms of a German, both weeping as he survives the
collapse of the mine; Edward Thomas This is no petty case of right or wrong and
Wilfred Owen, Strange Meeting both refer to the enemy as the same as them. In
Thomas Hardy’s The Man He Killed, he actually admits that in other circumstances he
would probably buy his opponent a drink in the local pub. In All Quiet on the
Western Front, Paul does not rage against the Allies but as with many contemporary
commentators and participants in the war felt more anger against those who started
and maintained the war, rather than the enemy. In A Dead Boche, Robert Graves
describes a dead German propped up against a destroyed tree with horror and argues
that it would prove a cure for war.
Osborne tells Raleigh the story of when they rescued a wounded man after a battle
and a German officer called out, Carry Him and fired some lights for them to see by.
The futility and paradox is outlined with Osborne’s sardonic conclusion, Next day we
blew each other’s trenches to blazes.
With naïve simplicity, Raleigh comments, “It all seems rather – silly, doesn’t it?”
Stanhope arrives and Raleigh leaves to finish his letter. This reminds the audience of
Stanhope’s outburst in the previous act. Orders for wiring are given and apart from
reminding the audience of what the soldiers have to do, it also shows Stanhope as a
proactive, careful commander. The date and time is referenced also reminding us of
the imminent possible attack by the enemy.
Looking at Trotter’s chart, Stanhope comments on the lack of imagination.
Stanhope: Funny not to have any imagination. Must be rather nice.
Osborne: A bit dull, I should think
Stanhope: It must be, rather. I suppose all his life Trotter feels like you and I do
when we’re drowsily drunk.
And later
He doesn’t see into the earth beyond – the worms wandering about round the stones
and roots of trees. I wonder how a worm knows when it’s going up or down.
There are many philosophical discussions about elements of nature in war literature.
In Break of Day in the Trenches, Rosenberg contemplates how a sardonic rat has
more freedom to traverse the trenches and a better chance of life than the human
beings he often feeds on. Stanhope continues exploring whether it is only him who
feels this way and asks Osborne,
D’you ever get a sudden feeling that everything’s going farther and farther away – till
you’re the only thing in the world – and then the world begins going away – until
you’re the only thing in – in the universe – and you struggle to get back – and can’t.
Osborne puts it down to a bit of nerve strain, that’s all. But Stanhope knows that he
doesn’t quite understand.
Osborne changes the subject to that of sunsets. He is trying to move Stanhope away
from this reflective state and also provides some of the background out of the
trenches. The play is set in this dugout and it is important for the characters to make
references in order to widen the setting. His references to I never knew the sun could
rise in so many ways till I came out here. Green and pink and red and blue and grey.
Extraordinary isn’t it? mirror the references to nature in many texts.
Osborne describes life at home on leave with his children and this is reminiscent of
Helen Thomas’ memoirs of the night before Edward leaves for the front. It shows the
ordinariness of the soldiers and We pretended there wasn’t any war at all. Just as in
Her Privates We, the poignancy comes from the lack of heroes – just ordinary men
who wish they were not at war.
Stanhope mentions Raleigh seeing him drunk and once more mentions censoring the
letter. It is going to be a point of conflict and Sherriff is gradually raising the tension
regarding this. When he tells Raleigh that he must read the letter, the boy is
embarrassed and decides against sending it which raises Stanhope’s temper as he
thinks he may have been critical about him. His outburst as he insists on reading it,
surprises even Osborne, Good heavens Stanhope!. Eventually, Osborne agrees to read
it and his description of Dennis Stanhope is admiring, describing a perfect officer,
concluding with I’m awfully proud to think he’s my friend.
The curtain falls which creates an impact and gives the audience time to reflect. Act 1
has no scene divisions and it is clear that the scene division here is to emphasise the
issue of the letter and Raleigh’s relationship with Stanhope
Study
Re-examine the references to home, to nature and to the “normal”. How does this
emphasise the unnaturalness of the men’s lives in the trenches and suggest an attitude
to war?
How much further developed are the characters of Raleigh, Stanhope, Trotter and
Osborne in this scene?
Scene 2
Stanhope gives the sergeant major orders about the expected attack on Thursday.
Again, there are very precise references to dates and time. The exchange shows the
respect the sergeant has for Stanhope and the bravery and commitment of the officer.
This can be compared with various exchanges in Her Privates We and the respect that
Sassoon and Owen show for the ordinary soldier. The exchange also contrasts with
that of the Colonel who enters as the sergeant leaves.
Although Sherriff is not as critical as Owen, Sassoon and several other commentators
about the nature of high command, the presentation of the Colonel and his references
to the General’s order for a raid to capture a German prisoner for information is not
particularly admiring.
Stanhope’s first response Oh but that’s absurd! to the proposed timing and
organisation of the raid indicates that some orders are not designed for the safety of
the men executing them. The Colonel wants Osborne to go He’s a very level-headed
chap and another officer. Trotter is too fat Not much good at dashing in? and
Hibbert is too scared which leaves Raleigh. Stanhope tries to avoid this by suggesting
a sergeant but the Colonel disagrees The men expect officers to lead a raid.
Stanhope tries to avoid using Raleigh knowing the suicidal nature of the raid, It’s
rotten to send a fellow who’s only just arrived.
The Colonel’s comments about fish for dinner and inviting Stanhope brings to mind
Sassoon’s comments about the scarlet Majors at the Base who are guzzling and
gulping in the best hotel a reference to where they were billeted, away from the
trenches and away from danger. [Base Details p 114 Up The Line].
The reference to the unsuitability of Hibbert introduces him and he comes from off
stage where the sleeping quarters are to discuss the possibility of sick leave. Hibbert
becomes hysterical at the possibility of not being able to get out of the Thursday
attack and the argument becomes very dramatic, Better die of the pain than be shot for
deserting. Stanhope has no sympathy for Hibbert although later texts do show more
compassion for those soldiers whose nerves had gone. Look at Owen’s Mental Cases.
Regeneration by Pat Barker deals a lot with this. The Deserter by Frankau in Up the
Line p 85 describes the shooting of one and Her Privates We gives a very scathing
description of a man who had deserted but who was not going to be shot.
Hibbert’s fear is such that he strikes out at Stanhope who retaliates, God! You little
swine! You know what that means – don’t you? Striking a superior officer! The
confrontation with Stanhope giving an ultimatum to Hibbert that if he attempts to
leave he will shoot him is dramatic. Tension mounts as Stanhope counts down until
he realises that Hibbert is prepared to be shot. Writers have said that it is not the
prospect of death, but the waiting and the tension that is worse. Suicide in the
Trenches [Sassoon] is a poignant poem about a young man who decides to kill
himself rather than wait for death. Alan Seeger in Rendezvous [32 Up the Line]
writes I have a rendezvouz with death…I shall not fail that rendezvous. Although
Yeats [p53] is writing of the love of flying rather than hatred or patriotism, his title An
Irish Airman foresees his death leaves no doubt about what the men expected. In a
humorous way, Blackadder and his group decide that they would be safer in the skies.
In an episode featuring Flashman, they decide to join the Royal Flying Corps because
they understand that they only have to do forty minutes. When they realise that the
average life span of a new pilot was forty minutes, they return to the trenches and
their inevitable fate.
The exchange between Hibbert and Stanhope about fear is illuminating and Stanhope
admits how he feels. His long speech If you went – and left Osborne and Trotter and
Raleigh and all those men up there to do your work – could you ever look a man
straight in the face again – in all your life? concluding with it’s the only thing a
decent man can do sums up what keeps him going. Motivation for the soldiers was
varied and Ezra Pound describes them in Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, cynically outlining
that only a few fought for patriotic reasons.
The tension is broken by the arrival of Mason and the discussion of the oniony tea.
Stanhope tells Osborne as he arrives about the planned raid. He receives the news
stoically and pragmatically. The lack of conversation about the possibility of survival
tells us everything.
Trotter’s entrance again breaks the tension and his little rhyme about the strawberry
jam is a reminder of the ways in which men dealt with death and tragedy. Many of
the songs they sang were bleak reminders of this. It is satirised in Oh What a Lovely
War with the song Gassed last night …..
In response to Osborne’s news about the raid, Trotter tells of the raid just south of ‘ere
the other night, where the Germans knew where they were coming in because of the
hole in the barbed wire that was made too soon. And in the night the Boche went out
and tied bits o’ red rag on each side of the ‘ole ……..And even then our fellers ‘ad to
make the raid. It was murder. Doesn’t this tea taste of onions?
In front of Mason, they both make jokes about the onions but when he leaves, the
subject returns to the raid and Trotter expresses his opinions damn ridiculous making
a raid when the Boche are expecting it. Because this is a play, it is not possible to
reveal thoughts and everything must be said. It would not be appropriate for the
officers to directly criticise the orders of their superiors so Trotter is used here to
clearly explain to the audience, the stupidity of the plan. Osborne’s understanding is
shown when he says, There’s no need to tell him it’s murder – referring to Raleigh.
Osborne is reading “Alice in Wonderland” .. and quotes the crocodile poem. This is a
comment on the position of the soldiers,
How cheerfully he seems to grin
And neatly spreads his claws
And welcomes little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!
Trotter does not understand the relevance but Osborne is trying to show that there is
no point in what they are doing – it is as sensible as the nonsense Lewis Carroll wrote,
an exercise in futility and probable death.
In contrast to the rest of the officers, Raleigh is excited about the raid and very
impressed that he was picked specially. The Act ends at this point as an emphasis on
the naivety and lack of understanding of Raleigh.
Look at Blackadder with Haig sweeping all his toy soldiers from the desk; Oh What a
Lovely War comments on his poor decisions and there is a lot of controversy over the
tactics in the battle of the Somme, where the men advanced into guns at walking pace
and were effectively slaughtered. The General [p97 Up the Line] is a direct criticism
of the General who did for them both with his plan of attack.
Study
Look at the way tension is raised and relieved throughout the Act. Look particularly
at the role of Trotter in providing this and the role of humour.
Look at the ways in which Stanhope’s character is developed through the scene with
Hibbert.
Examine the ways in which the different men respond to the news of the raid. What
does this say about their characters?
Act 3
Scene 1
The time is shown through backlighting and the scene directions clearly indicate
sunset.
The Colonel enters and Stanhope’s You’ve no news then suggests that he has asked
that the raid be reconsidered and refers to the incident of the previous raid that Trotter
mentioned in the previous act. Stanhope shows his critical thoughts when he
mentions that the timing must coincide with the staff’s dinner.
Meanwhile, the Boche are sitting over there with a dozen machine-guns trained on
that hole – waiting for our fellows to come.
Why didn’t the trench-mortars blow a dozen holes in different places – so the Boche
wouldn’t know which we were going to use?
Sensible comments which the Colonel fields and his comment that Its too late shows
the degree of importance with which they view the men’s lives. The Colonel shows
some humanity when he asks Have those red rags on the wire upset the men at all?
although he is reluctant to speak to the men until persuaded by Osborne. His And if
you succeed, I’ll recommend you both for the MC” is hollow in the light of their
possible and probable deaths.
Osborne empties his belongings and asks Stanhope to send them to his wife if he fails
to come back. Stanhope is all too aware of the possibility but is honest when he says,
Damn it what on earth should I do without you?.....Must have somebody to tuck me
up in bed.
When Raleigh enters as Stanhope leaves, there is an eerily quiet conversation between
the two men. Osborne is very aware of the dangers and Raleigh appears more
nervous after the initial excitement. Osborne gives the instructions about what they
are going to do which informs the audience. Their conversation about coffee and tea
barely disguises the increasing tension of waiting. Raleigh is pondering on the raid
and Osborne attempts to change the subject. A poem from Alice is quoted.
“The time has come”, the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things…”
And the things are of course nonsensical, because nothing else is appropriate at this
time and Osborne effectively changes the subject and they compare their home
settings which is another poignant reminder of what they will lose. Reflections of
home is a common feature of WW1 literature, from the Ireland of A Long long way by
Sebastian Barry, to the poetry of Edward Thomas where references to the war are
present if disguised. Raleigh’s innocence is revealed in his invitation, You must come
and stay with us one day.” And Osborne’s I should like to – awfully. Suggesting that
he knows he won’t be alive to visit. The conversation adds to their characters by
providing them both with backgrounds and fleshes them out. There is reference to a
special dinner because we’ve had fresh chicken sent up from Noyelle Farm.
When Raleigh notices Osborne’s ring, he dismisses his leaving it with the lie, I don’t
want the risk of losing it and Raleigh is no wiser. This last piece can be compared
with the conversation towards the end of the film, The Trench between Billy and the
Sergeant just as they are going over the top in the battle of the Somme. The more
experienced man reassures Billy that he always knows who is coming back and that
Billy is one of them. They leave the stage.
The scene directions are crucial – especially as the raid, the response is described
aurally and create both excitement, tension and havoc. Stanhope is heard off stage
with the Colonel and they both enter with the sergeant-major bringing a German boy
who has been captured in the raid. Stanhope leaves to see the men and the audience
are presented with a German version of a very frightened young boy – their equivalent
of Raleigh. The youth of the soldier is always referenced in both Allied and German
texts. All Quiet on the Western Front describes the soldiers as young. Look at the
poems, Youth at Arms[ p 41 Up the Line] Anthem for Doomed Youth [p 136 Up the line]
The Veteran Margaret Postgate-Cole, Pluck by Eva Dobell. In the film The Trench,
Billy is only 17.
The German soldier is crying and replies to the Colonel’s bad German eventually
showing that he can speak English. This is obviously for the benefit of the audience
and also shows the incompetence of the Colonel, You wish to know where I was born?
After taking papers the Sergeant-major hands him back his possessions, Here you are
sonny. The boy is not badly treated and leaves with the sergeant-major. Stanhope
returns to the Colonel’s excited words about now knowing where the German
regiment came from. He has not yet asked about the state of the raiding party and
becomes aware when Stanhope deadly says,
How awfully nice – if the brigadier’s pleased.
Through the Colonel asking, we are told the situation. Osborne and six other men
were killed.
Colonel: I’m very sorry. Poor Osborne!
Stanhope: Still it’ll be awfully nice if the brigadier’s pleased.
Raleigh enters clearly adversely affected and is less responsive to the news about the
Military Cross and the colonel leaves. Raleigh sits down and meets Stanhope’s eyes
who just says, Must you sit on Osborne’s bed? And the curtain closes on the tragedy.
Scene 2
Again Sherriff provides detailed scene directions to display a post dinner setting with
Trotter, Stanhope and Hibbert all of whom have been drinking and the laughter is
semi-hysterical. They are telling each other jokes and stories and Trotter is almost in
tears of laughter. Hibbert’s story of the girls is not met with Stanhope’s approval and
gives further insight to his character. It is not dissimilar to Barker’s portrayal of Billy
Prior in Regeneration. It would be useful to remind yourself of this by looking at the
scene with Sarah on the beach. Trotter’s comments, Well I never ‘ad no motor car;
my old lady and me used to walk; legs is good enough for me reminds the audience of
his working class background and his basic decency. Hibbert passes round some
postcards of women presumably semi pornographic. This is similar to the postcards
in The Trench that causes an argument between the men when one goes missing. In
Her Privates We, the role of the prostitute is described as it is in Ben Elton’s The First
Casualty. Soldiers and ‘camp followers’ – women who have no choice are a common
partnership as shown in Sharpe.
Stanhope’s need to get very drunk is shown by his ordering of more whisky and
Trotter’s comments, Whisky on top of champagne? Mason explains that this is the
last bottle and it would appear that in the three days, they have drunk five. Trotter has
tea and then I’ll go and relieve young Raleigh. Pity ‘e didn’t come down to supper
Hibbert explains that Raleigh told him that he liked being up there with the men better
than down here with us which annoys Stanhope who objects to being reminded about
the raid. It’s a reminder to the audience that he has lost Osborne and this is the way
he deals with it. Trotter and Hibbert tell us more about the way in which Raleigh has
reacted and Stanhope breaks up the party getting rid of Hibbert. Get out of here, for
God’s sakes.
He says to Trotter, I envy you, Trotter. Nothing upsets you does it? You’re always
the same. The reply, Little you know is left in the air but we are informed that there is
more to Trotter than Stanhope can understand. He is made 2nd in command and he
says that he won’t let him down and Stanhope knows that he won’t.
When Raleigh enters, Stanhope has his dinner brought and there is a confrontation
between them. You eat the men’s rations when there’s barely enough for each man?
Raleigh is clearly broken, a very different character from that we see in Act 1 and 2.
The matters are addressed however when Raleigh eventually says, if I annoyed you by
coming to your company. He explains that he can’t eat and doesn’t understand how
they can when Osborne is dead. Stanhope explodes,
You think I don’t care – you think you’re the only soul that cares! And then continues
to explain, The one man I could trust – my best friend – the one man I could talk to as
man to man – who understood everything – and you think I don’t care!
This is Raleigh’s first experience of loss which is obviously a central theme in war
literature. From Wilfred Owen’s poetry which takes a poignant and pitiful look at the
tragedy of such losses to Robert Graves’ disgust at the mess left, most texts will
address this aspect in some way or another. The reality was a continual loss and each
soldier had to find a way of handling this or go mad, which many did. Friendships
became important in the trenches and the loss made worse because of this. Look at
Trench Idyll by Aldington, The scene ends with Stanhope alone having shouted at
Raleigh.
Scene 3
The scene directions focus upon lighting to indicate the time of day. Mason has come
in to wake Stanhope who is asleep. References are made to the time, the cold and
Mason has cut sandwiches for the men and made tea. It is the battle as Mason is
instructed to prepare to join his platoon in the line. Her Privates We also shows how
the signallers had to join their platoons when it was time for battle.
Stanhope discusses the strategies with the sergeant major, Trotter is sent up to the
trench calling for Hibbert and Raleigh. Raleigh joins him but Hibbert is scared, trying
to procrastinate to avoid going. Mason, who is obviously aware of the situation
intercedes I’d like to come along of you if you don’t mind sir. I aint been up in this
part of the front line. Don’t want to get lost. And with a smile he leaves and steps
into the trench.
The state of the battle is described, first by the soldier who explains that Corporal
Ross has been hit badly and then the sergeant major enters with news that Raleigh
has been hit and his spine broken.
Stanhope is clearly upset, orders a stretcher but the state of battle is such that the
trenches are besieged. His feelings are more obvious as he bathes Raleigh’s face and
actually calls him by his first name, Jimmy. He clearly does not realise how badly
wounded he is until he tries to move and then he realises that he can’t move his legs.
He is brave and doesn’t want to be trouble but obviously appreciates Stanhope being
there. His request for light because its so frightfully dark and cold indicates that he
is dying on Osborne’s bed. All feelings are given in the actor’s stance.
A soldier comes to ask him to come and he leaves. The scene directions are all about
the noises off stage and the destruction of the dugout indicating that all the men are
dead.
Study
Look at the change in Raleigh and Stanhope’s anger with both Hibbert and Raleigh.
Look at the way Sherriff constructs tension and builds up to the final scene.
How does Sherriff avoid sentimentality in this play?
General
Analyse the dramatic purpose of Mason’s entrances and preoccupations
In what respects does Mason resemble Trotter? Why are their nerves steady when
Hibbert cracks and Stanhope relies upon alcohol.
One essential ingredient of drama is conflict. Show how all the characters including
the German prisoner are united in conflict with the external forces of war. Look at the
way in which dramatic excitement is dependent upon conflict of wills among the
characters.
Much of the emotion of the play comes from the relationship between Raleigh and
Stanhope, both of whom have the sympathy of the audience. What makes the barrier
between them so poignant and how is it removed at the end?
Write about the type of humour which the men use as a means of concealing their real
feelings
Estimate the importance of food and talk of food in revealing character
How far do you sympathise with Hibbert? What is his dramatic value in the play?
Stanhope is relatively developed as a character.
sympathetically and pitiable?
How is he shown both
How appropriate is the following poem by Siegfried Sassoon to the characters in the
play?
DREAMERS
Soldiers are citizens of death’s grey land,
Drawing no dividend from time’s tomorrows.
In the great hour of destiny they stand,
Each with his feuds, and jealousies, and sorrows
Soldiers are sworn to action; they must win
Some flaming, fatal climax with their lives.
Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin
They think of firelit homes, clean beds and wives.
I see them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats
And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain,
Dreaming of things they did with balls and bats,
And mocked by hopeless longing to regain
Bank holidays and picture shows, and spats,
And going to the office in the train.
From Counter Attack
THEMES
[taken from York notes]
War
Sherriff tried to show audiences how men really lived in the trenches. This was a time
when men would not speak of the war as it was not comprehensible by those who had
not served and many texts refer to this separation from the home front. In Her
Privates We, the soldiers constantly refer to their positions as cushy when clearly it
wasn’t. In his autobiography he claimed that he wanted people to recognise
themselves, their friends, their sons and husbands in the characters and he was aware
that some of them had not returned. The play then was a tribute to them.
The setting emphasises the terrible conditions, the rats, the damp, the endless waiting
and eerie quiet punctuated by cacophonous noise and shelling. In Anthem for
Doomed Youth, Owen refers to the shrill demented choirs of shells. He was also
aware that his audience would understand the stupidity of some orders and the
impossibility of not following them.
Raleigh’s youthful enthusiasm and Stanhope’s hard bitten cynicism are two ends of
the same characterisation with the former developing into the latter after three years
of war. The complacency of the colonel and his lack of interest in the men has been
described by both Sassoon and Owen and such officers are often portrayed as such in
prose texts. Raleigh’s idealistic expectations are preserved by Osborne who is aware
of the possible temporary nature of this stance Think of it all as – as romantic. It
helps. The raid changes him when he sees the reality of war.
The men are all seen as sacrificed for no real reason. Only a little information is
obtained from the German prisoner, yet seven men die for it. When Osborne and
Stanhope talk about the worms and reflect over the fear they might feel in going the
wrong way pointlessly, Sherriff uses this conversation as a metaphor for the men’s
feelings of hopelessness and futility. The use of Alice in Wonderland equally refers to
the madness of the world where nothing makes sense.
The play can be seen as anti-war but mostly because modern attitudes to war are
unsupportive. There is a suggestion of criticism but it is aimed at the Colonel and
anonymous orders but the emphasis on futility and madness lends it to that stance.
Sherriff claimed that he did not intend to write an anti-war play but his focus on the
suffering and dying is a reference to the tragedy of war. The “lost generation” as
Vera Brittain called the youth who died in the war consisted of a range of talented and
able people.
Heroism
Raleigh arrives specifically asking to be posted to Stanhope’s company because of his
heroic status in his school. He views the war as an extension of the sportsfield which
reflects a lot of the ways in which the war was presented in some earlier poetry. Vitae
Lampada is an example of Play up, play up and play the game. Stanhope is
portrayed as a typical hero, having already been awarded the Military Cross. He has
been at the front for the longest and is admired by his officers in spite of his drinking.
His volunteering himself for the raid confirms him as a hero in the play. However, it
is his knowledge and likelihood of death which makes him afraid for himself and
others. He wants to protect Raleigh from the truth and preserve his view of him as a
hero. This causes him to behave strangely towards Raleigh and try to censor his letter
to Madge. Osborne’s view is that Raleigh’s admiration will continue, There’s
something deep and rather fine about hero-worship.
Sherriff presents the heroism and its cost. After the raid, Raleigh begins to recognise
the true price of glory. He has been exposed to the truth and the futility of the attack
so that when he comes back to the dugout he is described as walking as though he
were asleep. He is a hero because of what he has done in the raid yet the Military
Cross has lost its appeal.
Sassoon, angry at the prolonged war which he believed was for political and
economic gain of a few threw his medal into the water in disgust. There have been
various examples of old soldier heroes returning or throwing their medals away as
they realise the nature of war.
This cost of war causes Stanhope’s tirade against Hibbet. Part of the everyday
heroism in the soldiers is that they united in the face of difficulties. His reliance on
volunteers for the raid shows the courage and heroism of his company.
The deaths of Osborne and the others may be seen as pointless but in the face of
difficulties and complacency in the shape of the colonel and his superiors, their deaths
are heroic. Sherriff recognises and pays tribute to the men who died in the war. It
might be that the play was written so soon after the war, but later texts tend to see
some of the men as less than heroic.
Comradeship
Comradeship and unity are important to the men in the play and is a theme that is
considered by many writers about the war. The constant threat of death and the men’s
subsequent reliance on each other create this special bond. This is apparent
throughout the time in the dugout.
When Raleigh first enters the play, Osborne takes him under his wing, explaining to
him trench life. Osborne is known as “Uncle” and takes a fatherly/uncle attitude,
particularly to Stanhope. This is also shown in Regeneration with Rivers often being
viewed as a father figure. Given the increasing anger of the young men at the old
ones who sent them to war, it was almost as if they substituted the real fathers with
preferred ones. Trotter is equally welcoming and their fondness is shown in their
comments to reach other.
Osborne is close to many of the officers. He and Trotter share memories of the
gardening; he and Raleigh talk of home and rugby and they become closer by being
chosen for the raid. Osborne often acts as a confidante and it is in him who Mason
confides about the pineapple chunk error and the one to whom Stanhope talks frankly.
Osborne tells Hardy that I love that fellow [Stanhope]. I’d go to hell with him
Stanhope later admits that he is his best friend. His distress at his loss of Osborne
demonstrates the friendship between the two of them.
Raleigh and Stanhope knew each other at school and are family friends which makes
Stanhope’s position difficult, causing great conflict in the play. Their true bond is
evident at the end when Raleigh is injured. Significantly, Stanhope prepares
Osborne’s bed for him which he had previously told Raleigh to get off and stays with
him until he dies.
It is the special bond and friendship between men that Stanhope draws on when trying
to persuade Hibbert to stay and one which suggests that all of them die in the end.
Public School and Class
The British army has always been class conscious and a quick view of any of the
episodes of the TV series Sharpe will confirm this. There was a regular army in place
at the time of WW1 but was supplemented by the volunteers and later by conscripts.
The soldier has never been viewed with respect in Britain except for he regular senior
officers who were often from the higher classes. Junior officers who led battalions
and divisions in the field of battle were often recruited from public schools, especially
those with the tradition of combined cadet force and whose boys would enter into the
army or navy. However, just as Richard Sharpe is promoted to Major on merit, so
there were examples of lower class soldiers to be commissioned. This is seen in Billy
Prior [Regeneration] who is vitriolic in his opinion of social class and in Trotter
whose class is shown by his accent. Although there are claims that social class was
breaking down, it is debateable.
In the play, the central focus on public school life is talk of rugby, cricket and
schoolmasters and acts as a bond between the men. It allows them to view life at the
front as an extension of school life. At the time public schools were single-sex mostly
boarding in dormitories rather than bedrooms and men all working and living together
in close proximity would not have been different to their school experience.
This shared background is shown in Osborne measuring distances in rugby fields,
Raleigh relating his injury to a rugby tackle. Osborne, who was a school master is
viewed as a benevolent housemaster, Stanhope the head boy [as he was at school] and
Raleigh the newcomer who needs to know the rules. Stanhope sees a clear division
between the men and the officers, My officers are here to be respected – not laughed
at and whilst he respects Trotter as an officer and he becomes the 2 i/c after Osborne’s
death, he sees him as different, without an imagination and Trotter’s brief comments
suggests that he is aware that Stanhope really does not understand his class.
STRUCTURE
The play follows the “unities”, three acts, over a few days in the same location based
on the same story/plot. The confined timespan, the claustrophobic setting and the
overwhelming feeling of doom help create unity.
The play is very realistic and as such some critics have accused it of having no
structure. However, the apparently disorganised nature of events is a reflection of the
chaos of war where things do not follow a strict pattern. George Bernard Shaw
described it as a “document not a drama”
Sherriff introduces all the characters in the first act and suggests potential
complications and conflict with the inclusion of Raleigh. There is a mini climax over
the letter which is resolved half way through Act 2 when the next complication, the
raid, is introduced. The next dramatic moment occurs when there is a conflict
between Hibbert and Stanhope leaving the audience expectant by the end of the act.
In the first scene of the 3rd act, the raid has taken place, Osborne has died and the final
battle is imminent. In the last scene, Raleigh and all the others die.
It is interesting to trace the moods of the play which oscillate between moments of
calm to tension, light relief to drama, joy to sadness and anger to peace and eventual
death. There is an acute awareness of theatre and effect on the audience. He wrote in
his autobiography No Leading Lady, “everything depended jupon the realism of the
sounds of war outside”. He recognised a range of emotions to maintain the interest of
the audience and to present a realistic view of war.
Mason and food are included as light relief, Osborne as a friend to all and a range of
character types that would have been recognisable amongst the soldiers and who are
often described in other texts.
Go through the play and plot out the following:
Characters
The use of language by characters
The use of understatement, irony and humour
Inference, symbolism and imagery
Most of these are addressed in the commentary and should help you identify them.
Some texts to read that are not included in Up the Line to
Death.
Suicide in the Trenches
I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.
In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
From Hugh Selwyn Mauberley by Ezra Pound
IV.
THESE fought, in any case,
and some believing, pro domo, in any case . .
Some quick to arm,
some for adventure,
some from fear of weakness,
some from fear of censure,
some for love of slaughter, in imagination,
learning later . . .
some in fear, learning love of slaughter;
Died some "pro patria, non dulce non et decor". .
walked eye-deep in hell
believing in old men's lies, then unbelieving
came home, home to a lie,
home to many deceits,
home to old lies and new infamy;
usury age-old and age-thick
and liars in public places.
Daring as never before, wastage as never before.
Young blood and high blood,
Fair cheeks, and fine bodies;
fortitude as never before
frankness as never before,
disillusions as never told in the old days,
hysterias, trench confessions,
laughter out of dead bellies.
V.
THERE died a myriad,
And of the best, among them,
For an old bitch gone in the teeth,
For a botched civilization,
Charm, smiling at the good mouth,
Quick eyes gone under earth's lid,
For two gross of broken statues,
For a few thousand battered books.
Pluck
Crippled for life at seventeen,
His great eyes seem to question why:
With both legs smashed it might have been
Better in that grim trench to die
Than drag maimed years out helplessly.
A child – so wasted and so white,
He told a lie to get his way,
To march, a man with men, and fight
While other boys are still at play.
A gallant lie your heart will say.
So broke with pain, he shrinks in dread
To see the 'dresser' drawing near;
And winds the clothes about his head
That none may see his heart-sick fear.
His shaking, strangled sobs you hear.
But when the dreaded moment's there
He'll face us all, a soldier yet,
Watch his bared wounds with unmoved air,
(Though tell-tale lashes still are wet),
And smoke his woodbine cigarette.
Eva Dobell
"Trench Idyll"
Richard Aldington
We sat together in the trench,
He on a lump of frozen earth
Blown in the night before,
I on an unexploded shell;
And smoked and talked, like exiles,
Of how pleasant London was,
Its women, restaurants, night clubs, theatres,
How at that very hour
The taxi-cabs were taking folk to dine...
Then we sat silent for a while
As a machine-gun swept the parapet.
He said:
'I've been here on and off two years
And seen only one man killed'.
'That's odd.'
'The bullet hit him in the throat;
He fell in a heap on the fire-step,
And called out "My God! dead!"
'Good Lord, how terrible!'
'Well, as to that, the nastiest job I've had
Was last year on this very front
Taking the discs at night from men
Who'd hung for six months on the wire
Just over there.
The worst of all was
They fell to pieces at a touch.
Thank God we couldn't see their faces;
They had gas helmets on...'
I shivered;
'It's rather cold here, sir, suppose we move?'