-By Terence Rattigan

THE BROWNING VERSION

Made By:Moiz Merchant

XI-S2

INTRODUCTION(ΕΙΣΑΓΩΓΗ)

The Browning Version is the play that cemented Terence Rattigan's reputation as a serious, mature playwright. It is viewed as one of his best works, and one of the best one-acts ever written. First performed at the Phoenix Theatre, London, England, on September 8, 1948, The Browning Version was coupled with another one-act by Rattigan entitled Harlequinade under the umbrella name, Playbill. This show ran for 245 performances, and Rattigan received the Ellen Terry Award for The Browning Version, his second.

The Browning Version made its New York debut with Harlequinade on October 12, 1949, but only ran for sixty-two performances. While praise from British audiences and critics was nearly universal when the play was performed in England, American critics were generally not as kind to the Broadway version, perhaps due to the subject matter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΜΕ ΤΟΝ ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΕΑ)

• Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan, CBE (10 June 1911 – 30 November 1977) was a British dramatist.

• He was one of England's most popular mid twentieth century dramatists.

• His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.

• He is known for such works as The Winslow Boy (1946), The Browning Version (1948), The Deep Blue Sea (1952) and Separate Tables (1954), among many others.

• Rattigan was educated at Sandroyd School from 1920 to 1925, at the time based in Cobham, Surrey (and now the home of Reed's School), and Harrow School.

• Rattigan played cricket for the Harrow First XI and scored 29 in the Eton-Harrow match in 1929. He was a member of the Officer Training Corps and organised a mutiny, informing the Daily Express.

• Even more annoying to his headmaster, Cyril Norwood, was the telegram from the Eton OTC, "offering to march to his assistance". He then went to Trinity College, Oxford.

CHARACTERS & CHARACTERSKETCH(Χαρακτήρες και σκιαγράφηση του

χαρακτήρα)• Mr. Andrew Crocker Harris: Highly disciplined and principled,

Crocker-Harris was a teacher who would not compromise on the rules and regulations to suffice sentiments of students. Some may agree with his way of thinking, others may criticise him of being too fastidious. A teacher who was hard on students when it came to studies. He was not of those teachers who would crack romantic jokes in the class to make studies fun, rather his jokes were poor, according to his student, Taplow, as not a single student was able to comprehend them.

• Frank Hunter: Frank Hunter, a young schoolmaster, watches Taplow’s moves unseen. Finally, he interrupts and gives Taplow pointers on his swing. They converse for a few moments. The young man is worried, however, that Andrew will not give him his “remove.” He plans to study science, which is Hunter’s subject.

• John Taplow: Taplow is a boy of sixteen studying in lower fifth. His attitude towards his master Crocker Harris was quite mixed. He recognized his sense of discipline, sense of devotion and stoic nature. But he had a personal grudge against Mr. Crocker Harris. He had to do some extra work on the last day of the school. Taplow was a bit anxious about his result, he afraid that Harris might have marked him down. Taplow considered Mr. Crocker Harris different from other teachers.

• Millie Crocker Harris: Millie Crocker-Harris, his wife, is younger and vivacious and quite different from her husband. She no longer loves him but rather loves Frank Hunter, another teacher, yet despite having an affair with him she knows he is not in love with her.

Crocker Harris

John Taplow & Crocker Harris John Taplow & Frank Hunter

Frank Hunter John Taplow

SUMMARY(ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗ)

• John Taplow, who is about sixteen years old and in the lower fifth form of an English public school, appears at the flat of Andrew Crocker-Harris for an end-of-term tutorial in the hope of being advanced to the upper fifth. Seeing a box of chocolates, he helps himself to two pieces, eats one, and then, either out of conscience or fear of being caught, replaces the other.

• Shortly thereafter, Frank Hunter arrives, and in the course of the conversation between the two it becomes clear that Crocker-Harris is retiring because of ill health. Known for his strict discipline, students dub him the “Crock” and “Himmler of the lower fifth.” Hunter, on the other hand, enjoys easy rapport with students, as can be seen in Taplow’s readiness to share confidences with him. While they wait for the “Crock” to appear, Hunter instructs Taplow in a proper golf swing. Taplow admits that, although like most students he had his share of fun at Crocker-Harris’s expense, he does have sympathy for him.

• Taplow is in the midst of mimicking the classics master when Millie Crocker-Harris enters and overhears the mimicry. She dispatches Taplow on an errand to the druggist for Crocker-Harris’s heart medicine so that she can be alone with Hunter, with whom she is having an affair.

• Crocker-Harris appears, only to find that Taplow is not there. When Taplow returns, Millie leaves to prepare dinner, and Hunter leaves pupil and master to their work on a translation of Aeschylus’s Agamemnon, As with the earlier incident with the chocolates, Taplow’s school boyish nervousness emerges in the form of a thoughtless comment about the master’s inability to pass his love for the Greek play on to the boys. Frightened by his own audacity, Taplow attempts to make amends by encouraging Crocker-Harris to talk about the rhymed translation he made of the play at the age of eighteen. Then, overcome by emotion for the first time in years, Crocker-Harris cuts short the session and abruptly dismisses.

Frank Hunter, Millie, Crocker Harris

Crocker Harris & John Taplow Crocker Harris, Millie, Frank Hunter

Frank Hunter, Millie

MEANINGS FROM THE PLOT(Έννοιες από το οικόπεδο)

• Remove: a division in a school• Slackers: unmotivated and lazy students• Muck: useless, of no practical good• Kept in: grounded, detained, work after the official school hours• Got Carried Away: to get very excited or lose control of your

feelings due to strong emotions.• Cut: escape, go away without permission.• Sadist: a person who gets pleasure out of inflicting pain to

others• Shrivelled up: having no feelings

CONCLUSION(ΣΥΜΠΕΡΑΣΜΑ)

Frank Hunter arrives, and in the course of the conversation between the two it becomes clear that Crocker-Harris is retiring because of its ill health. Known for his strict discipline, students dub him the “Crock” and “Himmler of the lower fifth”. Hunter on the other hand enjoys easy rapport with students , as can be seen in Taplow’s readiness to share confidences with him. While they wait for the “Crock” to appear, Hunter instructs Taplow in a proper Golf swing. Taplow admits that, although like most students he had his share of fun at Crocker-Harris’s expense, he does have sympathy for him.

THE

BROWNING VERSION