Journey's End by R.C. Sherriff

‘you mustn’t expect to find him – quite the same.’ – Osborne carefully prepares Raleigh for the worst.

‘It – it tells on a man – rather badly’ – and adds his explanation for Stanhope’s difficulties.

‘I remember once at school he caught some chaps in a study with a bottle of whisky. Lord! The roof nearly blew off. He gave them a dozen each with a cricket stump.’ – This is ironic, first of all, considering Stanhope is now dependent on whisky, but it also gives us an interesting insight into his character. To have gone from this extreme ‘whiter-than-white’ attitude to drinking right through to alcoholic dependence indicates that there is going to be massive tension and self-disgust at the heart of Stanhope’s character. His real problem is not what Madge or his father or Raleigh’s father might say or think, but what he thinks of himself. Finally, these lines are revealing because of what it tells the audience about Stanhope’s temper. It gives him his drive and determination, but it is nevertheless excessive. This is an appalling beating, even by the standards of the day. Stanhope is a hard, angry – even sadistic – figure at times.

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‘How frightfully quiet it is!// Osb . It’s often quiet – like this.// Ral . I thought there would be an awful row here – all the time.’ – The quiet – experienced, too, of course, by the audience – adds to the sense of anticipation and tension.

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‘ Despite his stars of rank he is no more than a boy ’ – emphasises Stanhope as a schoolboy.

‘You must always think of it like that if you can. Think of it all as – as romantic. It helps.’ – Osborne suggests the kind of defence mechanism possible to the young and idealistic Raleigh. It is less possible to be so romantic if you are older and more experienced as are the other officers. Osborne encourages Raleigh to believe in the ‘romance’ of war for as long as he can.