Amelia Norman

Compare and contrast the ways in which R.C Sherriff in Journey’s End and the writes of the last episode of Blackadder create depict ideas about heroism and cowardice, saying too what extent you agree with the view that ‘due to its comic focus, we do not appreciate the sense of poignancy in Blackadder as much as we do in Journey’s end.

Throughout R.C Sherriff’s Journey’s End and Ben Elton and Richard Curtis’ Blackadder, ideas about heroism and cowardice are presented using a range of techniques. Both are very different in tone, the last episode of Blackadder being a comedy drama and Journey’s End a tense and realistic play. However, they share similar views on the topic of war and are both set towards the end of the war, certainly in terms of the characters of the play.

One way in which cowardice and heroism are depicted in Blackadder and Journey’s End is through the main characters of Stanhope and Blackadder. R.C Sherriff encourages Stanhope to be seen as a hero. At the beginning of the play a conversation between Osborne and Hardy gives us a first impression of Stanhope that he is ‘the best company commander we’ve got’. That impression is of a hero, who encourages his men and ultimately later in the play boxes himself and his men with ‘screen of wire put down on both flanks’ so there is no retreat. This demonstrates Stanhope’s heroic quality to fight on until the end. However Sherriff slowly strips it away to reveal someone Stanhope is ashamed of. He isn’t immune to fear ‘if I went up those steps…without being doped with whiskey – I’d go mad with fright.’ Sherriff also uses Raleigh and his enthusiasm to heighten Stanhope’s heroism and to introduce the theme of hero-worship ‘Small boys at school generally have their heroes’. Sherriff uses short sentences as well as mono-syllabic responses by Stanhope ‘I hate and loathe it all.’ This reflects Stanhope’s true feelings about the realities of war. It also exposes Stanhope’s inability to cope with his reputation for heroism. As well as his harsh opinion of himself giving him even more of a heroic status.

Similarly, in Blackadder the character of Blackadder is presented as the war hero from Mboto Gorge, even though the warfare has changed drastically since then ‘warriors armed to the teeth with kiwi fruit and guava halves.’ The writers use Blackadder as the one who understands the war and criticises it throughout the drama, appearing as more of an anti-hero ‘Harrow full back wasn’t armed with a heavy machine-guns.’ By displaying this side of Blackadder and by constantly comparing the war to a game like rugby the writers undermine the heroism. Melchett and Darling are portrayed as cowards by the writers who show them to be hiding behind all the fighting where there is no danger and they are safe.