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Act Three Scene Three of Journey's End by RC Sheriff Essay

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Act Three Scene Three of Journey's End

Journey's end, written in 1918, is a short play set in the trenches of
World War One. The English trench is opposite a German trench with only sixty or so yards of 'no mans land' between them. The play tries to show the reality of war through ideas or comradeship and the way that the characters interact under pressure of everyday life in the trenches. The play also displays ideas of heroism through respect for other soldiers or characters. Overall it is the horror of war itself that is conveyed in this play, shown mainly through death and the lifestyle that had to be lead.

Act three Scene three is the very last scene of the play. From almost the very beginning we have known that an …show more content…

The atmosphere at the beginning of Act three Scene three is very eerie. The dug out is 'intensely dark' and the single match being struck is the only light in the room, maybe there to represent a glimmer of hope. The writer ensures that the audience is very clear about the exact time and that it is the third day of the play therefore the attack from the Germans is expected. This creates a tense and nervous atmosphere between the characters and this is transfered to the audience.

Although the men and soldiers carry out their duty as normal and pretend that nothing out of the ordinary is to take place, their nervousness and worries are shown to the audience. This in turn makes the audience feel uneasy and concerned for the characters. Trotter tries to ease the tension by saying, "sounds quiet enough out there" and makes things seem okay for a split second. On page 94 interaction between Trotter and Stanhope is comical, breaking the tension once again, but soon the characters return to reality and their fears.

Stanhope relates differently with different people. In this play there are not two people he connects with in the same way. Stanhope's relationship with Mason is either purely work related or quite humorous which adds a light relief to the play. Mason seems to know that at the beginning of the scene tension is high and he must do all that he can not to irritate

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