Through the selection of three characters in 'Journey's End' examine how Sherriff presents human weakness in the play.

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Through the selection of three characters in 'Journey's End' examine how Sherriff presents human weakness in the play.

'Journey's End' is an anti-war play written by R. C. Sherriff. It deals with the effects of war on a select group of officers and has a static setting: the dugout of these officers. The play explores the way war affects men, the concept of masculinity, the exploitation of youth during the war, as well as class differences and other themes. One overarching theme, which encompasses how war affects men and masculinity, is that of human weakness. Sherriff questions contemporary and modern views of human weakness, as well as asking whether mental disturbance is intrinsically tied to war and whether this can be avoided.

Sherriff's decision to write 'Journey's End' as a play may simply be due to his own preferences; he may simply have wanted to write a play as opposed to a novel. However it allows an intimate atmosphere to be created between the audience and characters. In presenting human weakness Sherriff has the advantage of being able to force the audience to experience life in a dug-out – the noise, the claustrophobia, the constant threat of attack - thus sharing the stress of the environment between the characters and audience, and demanding that the audience empathise with the experiences of the characters through this.

Sherriff's gender directly influences the play as Sherriff had served in the trenches during the First World War, something which would not have been possible had he been female. He was able to use his own experiences within the play, and also knew first-hand the reality of warfare and how humans are affected by this. His portrayal of human weakness is therefore likely to be accurate and true to the situation; it would be much harder to create convincing characters in this situation had Sherriff not experienced life at the frontline.

'Journey's End' is very much a play of its period. It was first published in 1929, eleven years after the end of the First World War. Although attitudes to war and human weakness had changed due to the huge losses incurred and the collective observation of the effects, such as shellshock, the war had had on an entire generation of young men, there still remained an association between human weakness and effeminacy. Sherriff therefore had to present human weakness in a way which would introduce those who believed that displaying weakness was a feminine trait to the fact that not every man who feels fear or breaks down is effeminate, but which would also further the understanding of those who had already realised that this link was broken. 'Journey's End' still works as a play now and has messages for a modern audience, which is a testament to Sherriff's skill.

The three characters which best display the theme of human weakness in 'Journey's End' are Stanhope, Hibbert and the Colonel. Although this is a shared characteristic there are many contrasts between the trio: Stanhope and the Colonel both hide their weaknesses, while Hibbert's are plainly displayed. Their weaknesses also come in different forms: the Colonel cannot, or does not, wish to empathise with the men, while Stanhope and Hibbert are both cracking under the strain of war. Stanhope and Hibbert both display vices, most notably drinking, which are weaknesses in themselves but also ways of coping with weakness.

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Dramatic devices are used to present human weakness throughout the play and in Stanhope, Hibbert and the Colonel. A dramatic device is any technique used within the play to create a specific effect, which is in this case to comment on human weakness. One dramatic device Sherriff uses is a physical description within the stage directions. Although the audience would obviously not read this, it would translate into the way a character was presented (costume, choice of actor, make-up etc.) on stage. Both Stanhope and Hibbert are described in this manner, the Colonel is not, although this has something ...

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