of the requirement for the pension. This information comes as a particularly hard blow in the light of the fact that exceptions have been made in the past. Frobisher adds unintended insult to injury when, as politely and humanely as possible, he informs Crocker-Harris that the latter’s farewell speech the next day would be more effective if it were to precede rather than follow that of a more popular master, who has done wonders with the cricket team.

The long years of emotional repression experienced by Crocker-Harris professionally and personally have finally taken their toll on the marriage, and he informs Millie that he will be leaving her. He has gained a meager self-respect as well as the sympathy of both Taplow and Hunter. In his release to Taplow, Hunter, and even Peter Gilbert, his replacement, of nearly twenty years of buried emotion, Crocker-Harris has experienced a human community that has turned his failure into a modest success. With a wordless handshake, he agrees to allow Hunter to visit him at the crammer’s school. With dignity, he telephones the headmaster to inform him of his decision to follow rather than precede the popular master at the term’s closing ceremonies. Then, alone with the bereft Millie at dinner, he has the final line in the play, “Come along, my dear. We mustn’t let our dinner get cold.”

Frequently referred to as a stylistically consummate one-act play, The Browning Version adheres closely to the three classical unities of time, place, and action. The action takes place within one twenty-four-hour period, the setting throughout is the Crocker-Harris apartment, and there is but one line of action. In addition, as in Greek drama, most of the action has taken place in the past, leaving the present to conclude the events in Crocker-Harris’ nearly two decades of marriage and of teaching at the school.

The subtle touches of the Agamemnon story—Crocker-Harris’ youthful, now lost, translation of Aeschylus’ play and Taplow’s gift of Browning’s version—begin a series of ironies that keep at bay the melodrama and sentimentality that could so easily develop. The ironies are natural, growing out of the characters, as illustrated in Taplow’s description of “the Crock’s” teaching of Agamemnon as a dull, dusty classic rather than as an exciting story with “a good plot, really; a wife murdering her husband and having a lover and all that.” Like Agamemnon, Crocker-Harris comes home from a war; his war, however, has been fought in the classroom. He has been coming home daily to a wife whose latest infidelity, with Hunter, parallels that of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. His description of himself as a corpse, and of his emotion over Taplow’s gift as the muscular twitchings of a corpse, parallels Agamemnon’s murder by his wife. Nowhere, however, does Rattigan labor the parallel or force it on his story. The ironies are innate in the characters and the circumstances.

When World War II concluded in 1945, Great Britain was left in a state of complete disarray. Like much of Europe, the country endured severe hardships during the war. Although Germany never invaded Great Britain, the nation suffered from intense bombings and economic instability, which persisted into the postwar period. In this challenging environment, the Labour Party was elected to power in 1945 and took control of Parliament for the first time, with Clement R. Attlee serving as Prime Minister.

The British economy teetered on the brink of bankruptcy and was operating at a deficit. The American Marshall Plan (also known as the European Recovery Program) was insufficient to fully revive the economy. To address this issue, a budget was developed to mitigate the economic crisis as much as possible. Under the austerity plan, taxes were raised and government expenses were reduced. The tax increases proved more effective than the spending cuts, leading to a decrease in inflation.

However, Great Britain struggled to boost productivity, particularly in key industries. The country failed to meet export commitments or generate significant profits in sectors like coal. In response, the Labour government moved to nationalize several industries, including railroads, coal mines, and the Bank of England. The Iron and Steel Nationalization Bill was enacted in 1950.

The Attlee-led Labour government also pursued socialization in healthcare. After nearly thirty-five years of planning, the National Health Services Act was implemented in 1948. This legislation, along with the National Insurance Act, provided everyone with access to free healthcare. These measures were somewhat controversial, especially among medical professionals such as doctors and dentists. A compromise was reached, and when the service became operational, the demand exceeded the supply. Many people had not received proper medical care since before the war.

Despite these efforts, economic conditions necessitated the continuation of rationing for certain items, with several new items added to the ration list. The manufacturing sector was gradually transitioning to a peacetime economy, leading to an improved standard of living. Bread and shoes were among the few items that were no longer rationed. There were also some labor issues, including a fourteen-day dock strike in London that temporarily disrupted exports and the economy. Attlee personally intervened to resolve the strike.

Attlee and the Labour Party faced additional significant challenges. There were investigations into allegations of corruption involving several of his ministers and public servants. Great Britain relinquished control over India in 1947. Ireland sought to technically separate from the Commonwealth and became a republic the following year. Burma and Ceylon gained independence in 1948. The British mandate in Palestine also ended, leading to the establishment of the state of Israel. Although World War II had ended, the Cold War began as Russia erected an Iron Curtain. In 1948, Russia blockaded Berlin, escalating international tensions.

Three Classical Unities
In The Browning Version, Rattigan employs the classical unities of drama as articulated by Aristotle in Poetics. The first unity is setting. The entire story unfolds in a single location—the front room of the Crocker-Harris apartment in 1948, situated within a public school in southern England. This room is described as "gloomy," yet the stage directions also note it is "furnished with chintzy and genteel cheerfulness." By confining the action and intense emotions to this room, the play accentuates the restricted nature of Andrew's suppressed emotions and his strained, troubled marriage.

The second and third unities are time and action. The Browning Version transpires in less than one day, with the entire story unfolding over just a few hours. This compressed timeline heightens the story's intensity and the rapid pace of change. The action follows a linear path, focusing on a single, concentrated plotline: Andrew's imminent retirement, the revelations it brings, and how these truths transform him.

Eternal Triangle
Rattigan creates a triangular relationship among three central characters in The Browning Version. At the apex of this triangle is Millie, Andrew's wife. Though still married to Andrew, she is infatuated with a younger man, Frank Hunter. Like Andrew, Hunter is also a schoolmaster. However, unlike the irritable Andrew, Hunter is well-liked by both students and colleagues.

The two men form the other points of the triangle and develop a bond, potentially strengthened by the affair. This triangle allows Rattigan to delve into two types of love: sexual passion (Hunter and Millie) versus a "higher love," a relationship grounded in social and intellectual compatibility.

Rattigan draws a parallel between this triangle and another found in Aeschylus's Agamemnon, which also involves a wife who takes a lover while her husband is away at war and ultimately murders him upon his return. Although Millie does not physically kill Andrew, she wounds him deeply with her cruel words and heartless actions.

Symbolism
The trajectory of The Browning Version is altered by two significant symbolic acts involving the young student, Taplow. At the play's start, Taplow arrives for his tutoring session, only to find Andrew running late. Millie sends him to the pharmacist to pick up Andrew's heart medicine, which he dutifully does, foreshadowing his role as a catalyst for Andrew's transformation.

Later, Taplow presents Andrew with a small gift—a verse translation of Aeschylus's Agamemnon. This gesture reveals to the aging teacher that life holds potential for change and that he is not entirely "dead." The meaningful book, beautifully inscribed, offers Andrew a fresh perspective on life.

1948: Prince Charles is born to Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. He is second in line to the throne, behind his mother, while King George VI reigns.

Today: Prince Charles is now the first in line to the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. His son, Prince William, follows him in succession.

1948: The Labour Party assumes control of the British government with Charles Attlee as Prime Minister. This marks the first time Labour has dominated Parliament.

Today: The Labour Party is once again leading the British government after many years. Tony Blair serves as Prime Minister.

1948: The Labour-led government in Great Britain starts establishing a socialized welfare state, introducing nationally-run industries and national health insurance.

Today: Much of the legislation that created the socialized welfare state was dismantled during Margaret Thatcher's Conservative administration in the 1980s. However, national health care remains intact.

1948: During the Cold War, Soviet Russia blockades Berlin, leading to the division of Germany into eastern and western sections.

Today: East and West Germany have been reunified for several years. The Soviet Union has collapsed, and the Cold War has ended.

The Browning Version was adapted into a film in 1951. The movie, produced by Teddy Baird and directed by Anthony Asquith, features Michael Redgrave as Andrew, Jean Kent as Millie, and Nigel Patrick as Frank Hunter.

In 1985, a made-for-television adaptation was filmed in Great Britain. Directed by Michael A. Simpson, this version stars Ian Holm as Andrew, Judi Dench as Millie, and Michael Kitchen as Frank.

Another adaptation was released in 1994. Directed by Mike Figgis, this film stars Albert Finney as Andrew, Greta Scacchi as Millie, and Matthew Modine as Frank Hunter.

Sources
Atkinson, Brooks. "Where Men Are Scoundrels," in The New York Times, October 23, 1949, section 2, p. 1.

Barnes, Howard. A review of The Browning Version, in The New York Herald Tribune, October 13, 1949, p. 254.

Brown, John Mason. "Brush Off Your Shakespeare," in The Saturday Review of Literature, November 5, 1949, pp. 26-27.

Clurman, Harold. "Theatre: English Visitation," in The New Republic, November 7, 1949, pp. 21-22.

Darlington, W. A. A review of The Browning Version, in The New York Times, October 10, 1948, section 2, p. 3.

Kerr, Walter. "Tasty Slices of Rattigan and Bagnold," in The New York Times, May 9, 1982, section 2, p. 3.

Newsweek, October 24, 1949, p. 84.

Rattigan, Terence. The Browning Version, in The Collected Plays of Terence Rattigan, Vol. 2. Hamish Hamilton, 1953, pp. 1-48.

Rich, Frank. "Stage: At Roundabout, 'The Browning Version'," in The New York Times, April 23, 1982, p. C3.

Rusinko, Susan. Terence Rattigan. Twayne, 1983.

Simon, John. "Croc Without Tears," in New York, May 3, 1982, pp. 71-72.

Taylor, John Russell. The Rise and Fall of the Well-Made Play. Hill and Wang, 1967, pp. 146-160.

Time, October 24, 1949, p. 58.

Further Reading
Darlow, Michael and Gillian Hodson. Terence Rattigan: The Man and His Work. Quartet Books, 1979. A critical biography of Rattigan.

Havighurst, Alfred F. Britain in Transition, The University of Chicago Press, 1985. A history of Great Britain from 1900 to 1983, including the post-World War II era in which The Browning Version is set.

Hyams, Barry. "The People's Playwright ... A Chat with Terence Rattigan," in Theatre Arts, November 1956, pp. 20-23. In this interview, conducted at the peak of Rattigan's fame, he discusses the notion of "Aunt Edna," his ideal audience member.

Smith, Kay Nolte. "Terence Rattigan," in The Objectivist, March 1971, pp. 9-16. A critical examination of Rattigan's work. Smith describes his writing as "artistry."

Wansell, Geoffrey. Terence Rattigan. Fourth Estate, 1995. This biography details Rattigan's entire life and literary career.