Oh What a Lovely War: structure

Structure - Overview

“Oh What a Lovely War” follows a non-linear structure and makes extensive use of Brechtian techniques, which focus on emotional detachment and reminding the audience they are watching a play.

The narrative does not follow a conventional timeline. Events are portrayed out of sequence to emphasise the confusion of war.
The disjointed structure reflects the chaotic nature of war, both on the battlefield and in terms of the administrative decisions being made.
The lack of a central protagonist or consistent characters (other than the generals) adds to this sense of chaos and impersonality, reinforcing the idea of soldiers as nameless and interchangeable, appallingly dispensable assets.

Director Joan Littlewood used Brechtian techniques to create emotional distance and stimulate the audience’s critical response.
This includes direct address, where actors break the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience, often blending roles as performers and narrators.
The play also utilises placards and projections to present factual information, startling the audience with cold statistics about the realities of war.
Use of irony and satirical elements are at the core of these Brechtian techniques. The cheerful songs used, often in stark contrast to the horrific events being portrayed, is a clear example of this.

The play ends not by celebrating the end of war, but with a startling moment of reality, showing the vast number of deaths each country suffered.
This haunting conclusion, paired with the use of the song “Oh! It’s a Lovely War,” encapsulates the overarching themes of the play – the ironic contrast between the perception and the reality of war, the senselessness of the losses suffered, and the callous disregard for human life beyond mere statistics.