The History Boys - Notes

Introduction to The History Boys

• Written by Alan Bennett 
• Premiered in 2004, 18th May (Lyttleton Theatre)
• Set in grammar school, North of England, 1980s
• Centred around 8 sixth form boys who are applying to Oxford, 3 teachers and Headmaster
• Have to sit extra exam besides A-levels to get in ( reason it's set in 1980s)
• When applying to Oxbridge - in 80s students return to school for an extra term
• Alan Bennett went through this process 

Posner

• Quiet, small
• Jewish 
• Loves singing show tunes, hymns
• Revealed later on in the play that he is in love with Dakin
• Struggling with emerging homosexuality

Dakin

• Attractive, very aware of it
• Posner and Irwin interested in him
• Headmaster secretary, Fiona - in relationship 
• Enjoys indulging in Irwin's interest 
• Inspired by Irwin, tries to impress him
• Gets close to Irwin, compliments him  
• "Never wanted to impress anyone the way I do him" (about Irwin) 
• Likes to flirt with Irwin 
• Uses subjunctives as sexual subtexts towards Irwin 

Scripps

• Predisposed with explored Christianity 
• Budding writer
• Records events in his notebook
• Posner confides in him 

Rudge

• Star rugby player, ability surprises everyone 
• Finds Irwins teaching style difficult 
• Unassuming but only person to be authentic in practice interview 
• "If they like me they'll take me"
• Stands up to the system 

Akthar

• Muslim (often brought up)
• Happy to get involved in the teasing of Irwin

Crowther

• Keen actor
• Friends with Lockwood 

Timms

• Joker of the pack
• Struggles with poetry 
• Often hit by Hector for his humour
• Enjoys teasing Irwin

Lockwood

• Shrewd film buff
• Interested in politics

Headmaster

• Typical 
• Focused on good results/ making his school look good/ reputation
• Quite corrupt - lecherous towards Fiona 
• Limited understanding of the arts 
• More of a pantomime character - inauthentic, swearing 
• Utilitarian 
• Only good if you can use it - doesn't see any value in the way Hector teaches 

Mrs.Lintott

• Traditional History teacher 
• Teaches plain facts
• Gets excellent results 
• Does not allow emotions to interfere with her teaching 
• Only woman on staff - overlooked, frustrated with gender inequality 
• Facts and figures
• Gives first human response to Hectors abuse, didn't know - shocked, dismayed 
• Tells it straight 
• Describes history as men's incapabilities 

Irwin

• Young History teacher
• Innovative approach to education
• Teaches boys to find original and interesting arguments, flare
• Believes in presentation and history as a performance
• "What's truth got to do with it"
• Students tease him 
• Interested in Dakin
• Motif or ruins and ruination is associated with him ( ruined church, underlying meaning) 
• Disabled 
• Thinks about education as a game - how to win it 
• "Not clever enough, not anything enough actually" 

Hector

• Eccentric English teacher 
• Close to retirement 
• Teaches students to learn by heart
• Believes in the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake
• Allows emotions to affect his teaching 
• Life lessons, not information for exam 
• "All knowledge is precious, whether it serves a purpose or not"
• Free, liberal, open, no clear path
• Sexual harassment of students
• Crosses line between student/teacher 

General

• Boys act like a pack, respect each other, celebrate each other's achievements 
• Respect Hector and Mrs, Lintott ("a nickname is an achievement")
• Headmaster doesn't want to fire Hector because what he was doing was morally wrong, but because he doesn't want a scandal - reputation 
• Hector tries to defend what he was doing with historical reference - doesn't excuse what he's done (Hodge, Thomas Hardy - talks about characters who can't help themselves from meeting a tragic end "a saddish life, thought not unappreciated"
• Posner relates to Hector - "unkissed", "unembraced"
• Hector and Irwin have two opposing views
• Students don't know where to stand in shared lesson 
• Students treat the sexual harassment like its a joke
• Posner knows Irwin likes Dakin - catches him looking 
• Plays on "what ifs" of history and life (subjunctives)
• 80s boundaries with abuse were blurry, only morally correct person is Mrs.Lintott

History 

• Henry VIII - took wealth and power from the church ( took timber and lead, smashes up artwork from churches) 
• "No better way of forgetting something than commemorating it." - in reference to WWI, desensitised, bitter political point - was our fault
• Posner has connection with Holocaust - Jewish 
• Irwin - "This is history - distance yourselves"