Preliminary argument: How is comedy constructed through the use of darker themes such as abuse?

In act one, Bennett makes it very clear that the students have a sense of unspoken respect for their English teacher, Hector. This is shown through their tendency to repeat back to him that which Hector has taught them, such as Shakespeare – ‘The wonder is he hath endured so long. He but usurped his life.’ There is the feeling that there has been a past between the teacher and his students, that we are witnessing something which is picking up where it was left off. It is almost in media res, due to the idea that the students have an on-going relationship with Hector. This already shows affection and prompts the idea that Bennett is hinting toward something bigger.

It can be said that students such as Posner strive for Hector’s affection, due to his constant referring to the dictionary in order to impress his teacher, ‘Euphemism… substitution of mild or vague or roundabout expression for a harsh or direct one.’ This demonstrates their affection toward him and also raises the theme of sexuality, prompting the audience to ask if this will be a prominent element to the dramatic aspects of the play. As the act progresses, it becomes apparent from Rudge that the students are almost competing for the attention of Hector. This largely contributes to the way in which Bennett is constructing slapstick comedy, and as we begin to learn this is done through underlying themes of darkness – ‘He hits you if he likes you. He never touches me,’ to which Dakin replies, ‘(happily) I’m black and blue.’ This is interesting when considering comedy when time periods are taken into account, as an audience watching the play in the 1980’s would inevitably respond to this sort of line very differently to an audience watching now. This is because safeguarding was not as prominent years ago, but now is taken with the utmost care. However, this comedy can also be seen as a private joke between the boys, as Hector’s perception of them clearly means a lot but would be frowned upon greatly by anyone else. This, as well of the time of viewing, shows the idea of perception through the dramatic genre, and suggests that based on one's perception of and place in the situation, the dramatics of it would change.

When we learn that not only is Hector abusing his students by hitting them with books, but is actually sexually abusing them, it is very confusing to the audience. This is because Bennett has almost carefully threaded the genre of comedy with the dramatic genre, so it is almost impossible to decipher which is which. Bennett has deliberately made Hector a character of eccentricity and humour, with an unmistakable likeability about him, regardless of the fact he is molesting his students. Of course the theme of sexual abuse is undeniably wrong and unacceptable, but for reasons that are almost private to the students, they endure it, again reinforcing the theme of perception and place.