Journeys End Coursework

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Explain the ways in which R.C. Sheriff conveys a sense of the horror of war in Journey's End with detailed reference to three extracts from the play?

How could a film director enhance this sense of horror on screen?

Journey's end is the seventh and most famous play written by R.C. Sheriff in 1929. It is set in Saint Quentin, France, in 1918 and gives us a brief glimpse into the experienced of the officers of a British Army infantry company in World War One by showing us a mere six days in a dug out on the front line. The action centres around a twenty-one year old captain, Stanhope. Having spent nearly three years in the trenched without any significant leave, he has taken to drinking heavily to control his nerves and to ease the stress of trench warfare.

The play contains many different themes though the play, from death, to live and friendship, comradeship, class differences, and the scarring effects of war. The thing that interests me with this play is that is stays only on the single set of what is the dugouts. They are dark, underground rooms in where the officers of a British company eat, sleep and talk about the goings on outside. By being shown this so intimately, you the reader experience war and what the conditions were like. You are not faced with the usual heroic commander who saves the day, but instead there is Stanhope, a heavy drinker, badly effected by the three years of war. The play doesn't have any courageous battle scenes and huge explosions, a happy ending or a valiant death bed scene. Instead, the horrors of war are portrayed through the waiting and suspense of not knowing what was going to happen next and the way the characters would try to find security and comfort in any way possible.

Fear and cowardice is shown a lot amongst the British soldiers in this play, which is very different from the usual courageous soldiers, ready for battle. The authenticity of the play is what makes it original. It actually shows what really went on in the trenches.

During Act two, the audience experience one of the soldiers, Hibbert, attempting to escape the war before a raid by pretending he had neuralgia. By now in the play, the men are expecting an attack in about two days and as it draws closer, Hibbert is becoming more and more terrified. We are first introduced to Hibbert in the first act where he tries to hint towards a possible illness, but is quickly dismissed by Stanhope. In this scene, after much hinting to his supposed illness and unfortunately is not successful in convincing Stanhope he is ill, simply declares that he has to "go down" the line to a hospital. You can clearly tell though that Stanhope, a commander of three years, who has seen his sort of behaviour before and has regretted letting men go because they wanted to get out of going to war, certainly tries to throw off everything Hibbert is trying to say.

Hibbert: This neuralgia of mine. I'm awfully sorry. I'm afraid I can't stick it any longer -

Stanhope: I know, rotten, isn't it? I've hot it like hell -
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Hibbert: (Taken aback) You have?

Stanhope clearly does not think that neuralgia is an excuse to go to hospital, and as said previously, he could not afford to loose any more men. Stanhope, instead of having to get into an argument, tries to dismiss Hibbert and his plans to escape by just commenting that he has the same problem as well, suggesting that whatever Hibbert is whining about isn't really that important to have to leave.

The character Hibbert is desperate to get out and go home because he knows that the raid is predicted ...

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