Stanhope is thought of as a leader in this drama piece. He is well respected and knows quite a bit about the war, but is also known as someone who can put away a lot of drink:
Osborne: He’s a long way the best company commander we’ve got.
Hardy: Oh he’s a good chap, I know. But I never did see a youngster put away the whisky he does.
Osborne: D’you know, the last time we went out resting at Valennes he came to supper with us and drank a whole bottle of whisky in one hour fourteen minutes – we timed him.
This quote shows he can have fun as well as taking the war seriously. There are reasons behind his drinking: To give him courage to fight in the war and to drown out his sorrow – thinking the girl he is in love with loves him back for a person that he is not. He is ashamed of what she might think of him if she knew what he was really like. I think Sherriff wanted to show that even the men in charge still had their worries about the war. That it seemed scary to even some of the bravest soldiers. He also thought that officers were separate and more mature to the men. I believe he is a sort of representative for a lot of the people who were fighting in the war, they are obviously afraid and do not need the troubles of a world war on their shoulders, therefore he turned to drunk to drown out his sorrows.
Osborne seems to be a respected soldier whom everyone can look up to. He is very close to the soldiers and shows they are like “a family”. He is an older and more experienced soldier which can give advice to younger soldiers. He is known as “uncle”:
Osborne: You’ll find the others call me uncle.
This obviously shows the he is well respected among the ranks. I think from the characters that we have seen so far, and by their, in some cases, pseudonyms, they are like a genuine family away from their families.
Hardy, the plays “narrator” is someone who tries to avoid responsibility despite being a captain.
Osborne: Come along. Finish handing over and stop blithering
Hardy: There’s nothing else to do.
Osborne: What about the log-book?
Hardy: God! You are a worker! Oh, well. Here we are. (He finds a tattered little book among the papers on the table) Written right up to date; here’s my last entry: “5 p.m to 8 p.m. All quiet. German airmen flew over trenches. Shot a rat.”
He seems to be not at all troubled about contributing to assist with anything. And when he does contribute, it seems slightly sarcastic.
From moment in which Trotter is on stage, you can tell instantly he is the joker of the group, and a very sociable person:
Trotter: Been out ‘ere before?
Raleigh: No
Trotter: Feel a bit odd, I s’pose?
Raleigh: Yes. A bit.
Trotter: (Getting a box to sit on) Oh, well, you’ll soon get used to it; you’ll feel you’ve been ‘ere a year in about an hour’s time.
This shows his friendliness to new people. Also, he can be seen as a loyal friend and a humorous person to some of the characters who’ve been on the front line for some amount of time:
Osborne: (Studying the map) There’s a sort of ruin marked on this map – just in front of here, in No Man’s Land – called Beauvais Farm.
Trotter: That’s what we saw sticking up, skipper. I wondered what it was.
Stanhope: Better go out and look at it tonight:
Trotter: I expect a nasty German’ll ‘op out of it and say “Ock der Kaiser.” I ‘ate ruins in No Man’s Land.
Trotter uses sarcasm, his wit and light-heartedness to make everything seem fine. He makes the war seem like it’s just an everyday thing:
Osborne: There’s only about sixty yards of No Man’s Land, according to this map – narrower on the left, from the head of this sap; only about fifty.
Trotter: (who has been looking curiously at STANHOPE, eating his meal with lowered head) Cheer up, skipper. You do look glum!
He is trying to make everyone feel more relaxed with the situation they are in. I think Sherriff wanted to show that not all people who fought in the war were extremely down about everything. He wanted to show that some people just got on with it and were proud to be fighting for their country. I believe that Trotter is a vital character in the play because he was convinced of British power over others, and had no second thoughts that Britain were going to win, and I believe that the soldiers needed a role model like this.
Hibbert is a very genuine character. As a character he represents what a majority of the people who fought in the war were thinking: fear, regret and apprehension.
After watching this scene performed on stage (via online video) I have understood it more than reading the script. I have understood how the characters responded and their feelings as they are acting. This applies very well in this scene, where shows trepidation whilst attempting to abscond from the war and the “big German attack”.
Hibbert: This neuralgia of mine. I’m awfully sorry. I’m afraid I can’t stick it any longer –
Many people attempted to desert the war by going down sick. But a large amount of the people who tried were declined from doing so. Cowardice and desertion were big things which affected soldiers predominantly during the war. In this case, Hibbert’s cowardice was paralleled against him by Stanhope, to make him think twice about his actions. He was scared for his life - as were many soldiers, but was ashamed of this. Stanhope threatened to shoot him for desertion, claiming it would be a horrible way to die. Stanhope also told him he could be wounded and return home a hero.
This is the only significant scene containing Hibbert. One person’s characteristics in the play can signify hundreds of people whose experiences have mirrored that specific character. Whereas Hibbert was scared about the war, new recruit Raleigh had a reversed opinion about it. He was Hibbert’s antithesis.
Raleigh enters the scene a new soldier straight out of school. He hasn’t a clue about the war and has believed all the propaganda the British public received. He thought he would go to the front line, stay there for a brief amount of time and return home a hero. This was far from the case. Being so naïve he thought it would be exhilarating, but was not what he expected.
Osborne: We are, generally [waiting], just waiting for something. When anything happens, it happens quickly. Then we just start waiting again.
Raleigh: I never thought it was like that
Osborne: You thought it was fighting all the time?
Raleigh: (laughing) well, yes, in a way.
He thought it was excitement and mind stimulation – a very good experience – but ended up sitting around just waiting for something to happen. The mood and atmosphere of the trenches was generally dull and extremely monotonous due to all the waiting. Sherriff again incorporated the process of using one character to portray an image of the typical soldier like that. This time it is used to show how youngsters straight from school accepted the war and how it differed from their expectations of it. The naivety and innocence of the soldiers are something which should not be endured at such a young age, but the army took on any man they could find – regardless of what it put him through. In my opinion, Raleigh’s arrival also made the other soldier’s think about what the British public have done to make an innocent young boy receive a false impression about the war. He makes a very good ‘just out-of-school’ soldier because he doesn’t ask questions, doesn’t answer back and is so ardently wanting to be on the front line that his death seemed to be predestined.
Mason is a character who has dug his way out of fighting in the front line by becoming a servant. He is obedient and does what he is told.
Trotter: (taking a melodious sip [of the soup]) it wants some pepper; bring some pepper, Mason.
Mason: (anxiously) I’m very sorry, sir. When the mess box was packed the pepper was omitted sir.
He is lower down in rankings compared to other soldiers such as Trotter and Stanhope and accepts whatever is thrown at him; orders are given to him left, right and centre and he is very compliant:
Trotter: (Throwing his spoon with a clatter into the plate) Oh, I say, but damn it!
This quotation shows that Mason was taken for granted:
Osborne: We must have pepper. It’s a disinfectant.
Trotter: You must have pepper in soup!
Stanhope: (quietly) why wasn’t it packed, Mason?
Mason: It – it was missed, sir.
Stanhope: Why?
Mason: (miserably) Well, Sir, I left it to –
Stanhope: Then I advise you never to leave it to anyone else again - unless you want to rejoin your platoon out there. (He points into the moonlit trench).
Mason: I’m – I’m very sorry, sir.
Stanhope: Send one of the signallers.
Mason: Yes, sir.
He is a stressed character who does what he is told because he is in fright of having to return to the front line with his platoon. He doesn’t want this to happen because he has been mentally scarred by the war. But also he is very smart because he is making the most of an unfeasible situation.
Moving on to the topic of the play’s main event - the raiding party, the characters seem to change their views on the war to show they are on the edge or anxious. This is especially noticeable with Osborne in this situation. Osborne appears to be a bit less in command and more relaxed about the situation to try and calm the nerves of the younger soldiers such as Raleigh:
They stir their coffee in silence. OSBORNE’S eyes meet RALEIGH’S. He smiles.
Osborne: How do you feel?
Raleigh: All right.
Osborne: I’ve got a sort of empty feeling inside
Raleigh: That’s just what I’ve got!
Osborne: Wind up!
Raleigh: I keep wanting to yawn.
Osborne: That’s it. Wind up. I keep wanting to yawn too. It’ll pass off directly we start.
I think he shows anxiety before he must go up to the front line and fight for his country and his life. But, knowing that this is difficult, he doesn’t want to generate an unprofessional and fearful mood to the other soldiers. I think Sherriff included this scene with Osborne and the raiding party to illustrate that even the older and trained men were hit mentally and emotionally by it.
The Colonel is a separate person to the rest of the characters and is only seen during the scenes in which he is informing the men about the attack on the ‘Boche’, when the raiding party is attacking and the arrival of the German soldier. He is present with the men and officers prior to the counter-attack on the raiding party and the briefing the day before the attack. He seems to show a great deal of change in between talking to the men and interrogating the German solder. Whilst talking to the men he can interact with them in an open and pleasant manner. But when talking to the enemy (German soldier) he can appear as slightly impolite. I think Sherriff involved the Colonel in this to show that the Colonel had the same idea about the enemy - that they were seen as nothing, scum in fact. How he can alter from being very polite with his men to rude and arrogant towards the ‘Boche’, even though all soldiers were in exactly the same boat, metaphorically speaking. The Colonel is being used to interrogate the German soldier due to the fact that he can speak a small amount of German. But the merging of this character within the play is very cunning to help the audience understand more about the war and the people who fought in it. The Colonel seems to show alot confidence in asking the German about his war life, but this is understandable since the Colonel is one of the highest ranks obtainable the British Army and has no reason to be hesitative:
Colonel: Was ist sein Regiment?
German: Wurtembergers
Colonel: Was ist der nummer von sein Regiment?
German: Zwanzig.
This shows him being very audacious in asking the German boy about his background. There are also examples of him being discourteous about the German boy. Also, he is very imposing to his lower ranks and the enemy.
Colonel: (To the SERGEANT-MAJOR) Search him.
The SERGEANT-MAJOR’s big fists grope over the BOY’S pockets. He produces a small book.
S.-M: (Giving it to the COLONEL) Looks like ‘is pay-book, sir.
Colonel: (looking eagerly into the book) Good.
The SERGEANT-MAJOR has found a pocket-book; the GERMAN BOY clutches at it impulsively.
S.-M: ‘Ere, stop that
German: Lassen sie mich! (He pauses.) Let – me – please – keep – that
S.-M (Very embarrassed) you let go! (He wrenches the case away and gives it to the COLONEL.)
Colonel: (glancing at the papers in the case) Look like letters. May be useful. Is that all, Sergeant-Major?
S.-M. (Looking at a few articles in his hands) ‘Ere’ a few oddments, sir – bit o’ string, sir; little box o’ fruit drops; pocket knife, sir; bit o’ cedar pencil – and a stick o’ chocolate, sir.
These ‘oddments’ show the German boy has little keepsakes just for himself, items of food for when he gets hungry and a pencil for writing notes down about his experiences. He is just a normal soldier like anyone who was out on the front line. And I think this would be relevant to the contemporary audience, especially at the time of production because the British public still believed that the German army were nothing and inferior, but Sherriff cleverly paralleled the German Soldier to a character from the British side, maybe Hibbert, creating a sense of empathy within the audience, because they have already understood Hibbert’s troubles.
Colonel: Let him have those back, except the pocket-knife.
S.-M: Very well, sir (He turns to the GERMAN BOY with a smile.) ‘Ere you are, sonny.
The GERMAN BOY takes back the oddments
Colonel: All right, sergeant-major. Send him straight back to my headquarters. I’ll question him again there.
This is another example of the Colonel being very demanding, like any other commanding officer would be.
Leading on to the end of the play contains the death of one of the major characters, Osborne. This seems to put Stanhope in a very distressed mood towards the rest of his men, Raleigh being one of these. Stanhope, again, turns to alcohol. Stanhope’s frame of mind causes his and Raleigh’s friendship to disintegrate after Stanhope finds out that Raleigh has been ‘feeding with the men’ and insists that he insulted other officers by doing so. Stanhope then insists he must eat his dinner with them:
Stanhope: Better eat your dinner
Raleigh: I’m not hungry, thanks.
Stanhope: Oh for God’s sake, sit down and eat it like a man!
Raleigh: I can’t eat it, thanks.
Stanhope: (shouting) Are you going to eat your dinner?
Raleigh: Good God! Don’t you understand? How can I sit down and eat that – when – (his voice is nearly breaking) when Osborne’s – lying – out there –
STANHOPE rises slowing. His eyes are wide and staring; he is fighting for breath, and his words come brokenly.
Stanhope: My God! You bloody little swine! You think I don’t care – you think you’re the only soul that cares!
Stanhope had been hit very hard by the death of Osborne and is turning on Raleigh for even the smallest reasons. I believe Raleigh thinks his ‘hero’ is not really a hero at all. Also, that he has had false belief in him from the beginning and therefore turns to alcohol to deal with his struggle. I think this scene is very significant also because it shows that the war can have serious mental effects on the soldiers, and they felt they had to bottle up their emotions, because they were ‘men’ fighting for their country. And this emotional scene shows that all the soldiers have a collective view on the war, despite entering the trenches with very different ideas.
The final scene is supposed to be the finest moment in the entire production seeing as this is the scene that will be in the audience’s mind before leaving the theatre. It needs to be left on a sort of question. This ‘question’ needs to be linked to the ending scene which sums up the entire performance. In this case it is the cataclysmic pinnacle of the death of every character, explaining to the audience that nearly every soldier in the Great War was killed or injured and was not an automatic hero. This relates to the mistaken belief Raleigh received about the war; How he has seen the reality of it through innocent eyes; How he has changed from the naïve soldier he was a few days earlier to have a complete understanding of war: The people and their changing emotions, the sounds, the smells, the food, the death and much more. There are quite a lot of aforementioned events which happen within this production and they take their effect on different characters in diverting ways. But it’s young Raleigh who has remained the same throughout it all. In a way it is slightly coincidental to make the character that is new and inexperienced the character that is the focal point of the play. His lack of knowledge and ‘sucking up’ to higher ranking soldiers isn’t very convincing that he would become the ‘hero’ in the end.
Personally, I think this is a very moving ending scene to a very well plotted production. It is very symbolic to the reality of war but on a very small scale, because in the war there were millions of different people. However, many of the soldiers shared the same views about the war, and I believe that Sherriff accumulated a ‘spokesperson’ for each group of likeminded people, and showed that this is just one story, but its veracity is multiplied an innumerable amount of times. I also think the play will have received more success in its time era compared to now. Our understanding on the realities of war is very contrasting to the 1920’s as we are taught about it in schools and throughout life. Therefore I think its relevancy would be a lot weaker today due to our understanding of war we have now.
