Review of Journey's End

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Review of Journey's End

Journeys end was rejected by most managers of theatres because it was

so soon after the war, they thought the public would reject It since

it might remind them of lost family members, however after may

rejections it was finally accepted, it was branded awesome. The play

and characters reflect Sherrifs experience in the 'great war' where he

was sent home due to injury. Journeys end was a first hand account of

what the war was really like. The audience loved it because it was the

first of its kind; other war plays had just been showing the good side

of the war, not the dreadful trenches, disease and heartbreak.

Section 2

The play is set when a group of British officers are waiting for a

German attack, which will lead to their death. The captain Stanhope is

nearly going insane but coping only with the help of whiskey, Stanhope

is a tragic hero. Another officer Hibbert is close to breaking yet is

carrying on due to the continuous bullying from the captain. There is

an older wiser officer Osborne is like a father figure to the other

officers especially Stanhope. Another officer Trotter continually

provides humour he is also very lazy but loyal. A new officer enters

the company Raleigh who was a school friend of Stanhope and feels

heroism to him. There is a lot of Trench humour in the play (light

humour about the dreadful conditions that they are dealing with) an

example of this is when trotter is left without pepper for his meal he

says 'war's bad enough with pepper - but without pepper - it's - it's

bloody awful!' this shows that they try to find the funny side of the

war. There is another officer Hardy who is untidy, humorous and is

cynical this contrasts with Stanhope's leadership. There is a cook

Mason who is very similar to trotter as he is funny but he doesn't do

it on purpose so this provides the audience with relief from the other

horrors that are going on within the play.

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