Stanhope

The Role of Stanhope in Journey's End- Krish, Parth, Riyana

1. STANHOPE

2. STANHOPE’S CHARACTER ANALYSIS WHO IS STANHOPE- Captain Dennis Stanhope is a flawed hero and the main character in this anti-war play. He rose to the position of commanding officer of Company C, after joining the war at the age of eighteen. He consumes alcohol to cope with the brutal reality of war He is respected by all his men and is engaged

3. STANHOPE’S CHARACTER ANALYSIS STANHOPE’S CHARACTER- He is brave He is flawed He is a good leader He is compassionate

4. ‘BRAVE’- ​It is evident to the reader that Stanhope is amongst the bravest as at the young age of 21, he shows utmost responsibility and is described as "no more than a boy” Survivor of the war’s fiercest encounters- The Battle of Vimy Ridge He is only 21 years old and the stage directions describe him as “no more than a boy” Osborne lets the readers know that Stanhope has been “commanding this company for more than a year” and that “He’s never had a rest” in the three years he has been in the trenches

5. ‘FLAWED’- We can see in the play that Stanhope is flawed and is the common feature of a 'tragic hero.’​ (A tragic hero is a heroic character who makes an error in judgement which leads to his downfall) Stanhope has not returned home for a few years because he does not want his close ones to see that he has turned into an alcoholic By threatening to shoot Lieutenant Hibbert, Stanhope’s dark side is revealed We can see that Stanhope admits that if it weren’t for his addiction, he wouldn’t be the brave leader he portrays

6. ’A GOOD LEADER’- Us readers can clearly observe that Stanhope is respected by all the men and is described by Osborne as “the best company commander we’ve got” Stanhope ability to deal with issues faced by his companies and earning the respect of the men there helps show the readers that he is a natural leader Osborne describes Stanhope as “the best company commander we’ve got” Stanhope’s way of dealing with the fearful Hibbert shows his leadership skills. He is straightforward and assertive, but he softens his tone as he talks to Hibbert.

7. ‘COMPASSIONATE’- Stanhope’s compassion can be seen in the closing scenes where unlike his superiors he feels for the loss of his comrades When faced with the Colonel’s insensitivity towards the end of the play, Stanhope makes clear his disdain for his commanding officers Stanhope adopts a sarcastic tone after the death of Osborne, “Still it’ll be awfully nice if the brigadier’s pleased.” This shows how angry he is at the lack of concern shown for the death of his men We again see Stanhope’s intense humanity as he comforts the dying Raleigh. The stage directions tell us that he lays Raleigh on Osborne’s bed

8. THE ROLE OF STANHOPE IN JOURNEY’S END RC Sherriff presents Heroism in Journey’s End through the character of Stanhope and the relationship between him and Raleigh RC Sherriff creates conflict in the opening scene by using Stanhope’s character

9. Stanhope’s role is to present the theme of heroism Stanhope’s inner conflict between his desires highlights the mental strain produced as a result of the romanticized ideals of heroism As Stanhope character is used by RC Sherriff to stress the impacts the war has on young men The characters of Stanhope and Raleigh helps mark the transition of childhood into adulthood

10. Stanhope’s role is to create conflict in the opening scene Stanhope creates conflict in the opening scene using different opinions that Osborne and Hardy have on him By being able to admit his alcohol problems to Osborne, Stanhope creates conflict