Oh What A Lovely War - Plot Notes.

AS and A Level English

Drama Coursework Stephanie Carter.

Oh What A Lovely War

Plot Notes

Act 1

The M.C. chats to the audience to get them involved in the show
The band play an appropriate piece of music for each nationality as stereotypical representative of each enter talking about each countries position in the war.
Secret police from Serbia and Austro-Hungary hear the shot which kills the archduke Ferdinand. We are told that Austria has declared war on Serbia and that Russia has mobilised, and everyone is unsure as to weather France will remain neutral or not.
We then learn that England, France and Russia have allied themselves to “ruin” Germany.
Slides show that men are lining up to recruit to the army and that everyone is feeling very patriotic, waving flags and marching in parades.
The newspanel reveals that Belgium is holding the Germans at Liege.
French and German officer’s talk about the enormous casualties that both sides have suffered, which is immediately followed by the song “are we downhearted?” showing that the general mood is still very positive.
We are shown that there is mounting pressure for men to enlist, with women encouraging them.
There is a scene in which we are shown the idiocy of the upper classes who refuse to use an interpreter to communicate, even though they cannot speak others language.
This is followed shortly by a scene in the trenches showing how down to earth, realistic and sensible the lower classes are. It is a scene about the Christmas of 1914 when German and English soldiers exchange presents.
The act finishes with another optimistic, patriotic song, which is interrupted by exploding shells.

Act 2

Act 2 is much more cynical, opening with the sarcastic title song “oh it’s a lovely war”
It is revealed through the M.C. that a conscription act is passed meaning that every able bodied man had to go and fight in the war.
There is a scene in which representatives of various countries meet to shoot birds. They talk about their shooting which is an unsubtle code for each countries position in the war. Switzerland is making money, as is America. Scotland is suffering great losses for Britain. Germany is firing on everyone and no one ...

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Act 2

Act 2 is much more cynical, opening with the sarcastic title song “oh it’s a lovely war”
It is revealed through the M.C. that a conscription act is passed meaning that every able bodied man had to go and fight in the war.
There is a scene in which representatives of various countries meet to shoot birds. They talk about their shooting which is an unsubtle code for each countries position in the war. Switzerland is making money, as is America. Scotland is suffering great losses for Britain. Germany is firing on everyone and no one wants peace.
This act has many sarcastic songs, original from the time of the war. The next one used is “gassed last night” which is sung as slides of the damage caused by a gas attack are shown.
The next scene takes place in the trenches, where a commanding officer has come to talk to the soldiers to keep moral. He comes across as very pompous and stupid and obviously does not have a clue about life in the trenches.
In contrast, the next scene takes place at a ball and is used to show the complete ignorance of the upper classes. All they talk about is money and idle gossip.
The following scene features Haig, a genuine commander during the war. He appears completely insane, prepared to sacrifice as many lives as he considers necessary on a not at all fool proof plan to break through enemy lines.
The newspanel informs us of the loss of one and a half million men. Haig declares this to be “most unsatisfactory”. Haig is still determined to carry out his foolish plan, and decides to get the new men from Ireland involved.
We meet the Irish soldiers out in no mans land. They are blissfully unaware that they are in grave danger. By the end of the scene all three soldiers have been gunned down.
Mrs Pankhurst attempts to lead a peace rally in the next scene. She fails as she does not know how to address her audience, who are therefore uninterested in what she has to say, accusing her of treason. The scene shows the blind faith the common people have in Haig.
This play does not take sides; it shows each country to be in the same boat. This is shown in a scene where two English women and two German women have exactly the same conversation in their respective languages.
In the next few scenes our attention is drawn to the staggering and unnecessary casualties
Again we see the madness of Haig, who is looking forward to the day when the allies have ten thousand men left and Germany have five thousand.
In the following scene we see the churches support for the war, and two cynical songs of war a sung to the tune of two hymns.
Amidst the burying and burning of the dead soldiers, Haig is still talking about “a breakdown in enemy morale”, though it is obvious that there is also a breakdown in the morale of the allies.
The scene with the Lancashire lasses personalises the losses, as they talk about losing six members of the Arkwright family. We also see the Australians joining the war.
In the next scene the French soldiers attempt to mutiny, but faced with the prospect of the firing squad, they are lead into no mans land baaing like sheep, and are all shot down.
The play ends with a series of songs, the newpanel reading “the war to end wars… killed ten million… wounded twenty-one million… missing seven million.”