20th Century Drama - Journey's End, R C Sheriff

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20th Century Drama - Journey's End, R C Sheriff

Thomas Robson

30/10/2001

The play, Journey's End, was written by R C Sheriff just ten years after the First World War in 1929. The play is set in a single dark, damp dugout amongst a front line trench, which has probably been chosen to give a very claustrophobic outlook to the entire piece. All of the events occur throughout just four short days, which I think is purposely tight in order to add tension and to show the futility of the war, how a whole company of men could be wiped out within a few short days. The script is based mainly on the relationships, situation and most importantly the conflict which occurs between men in the trenches. The inner conflict of the characters is also a principal feature of the script and adds physiological weight to the play, perhaps playing on the audiences' own experiences with inner conflict. There are four primary characters. These are the officers, all of whom have attended public school and are of higher social and military rank to the 'men'. Sheriff often emphasises the partition and stringent class system amongst the trenches