Brecht: The art of his Drama

Brecht's Epic Theatre:follow the link

epic theatre 

Mother courage: study map

1.

Mother Courage and Her Children is one of Brecht’s most well known and politcally potent anti-war plays. Set during the 30 Years War from 1618 to 1648, the story follows Anna Frieling who is nicknamed Mother Courage, as she travels through Europe over a period of 12 years. During this time she loses all three of her children, Kattrin, Eilif and Swisscheese through their affiliation with the war. This tragedy is juxtaposed with Mother Courage’s career ambition and profiteering from the war as a trader and canteen woman.

Brecht’s story is based on Grimmelshausen’s novel of the same name from 1670. Brecht wrote around 49 stage productions during his career incorporating operas, adaptations and interludes. Mother Courage was written later on in his career, in the late 1930’s, although it was not produced until 1941, in Zurich, where it was an immediate success, despite the looming Nazi invasion.  There are many parallels to be drawn between the conflict within which the play is set, and the rapidly escalating conflict that was taking place whilst Brecht was writing. It is considered as a powerful commentary on WW2 with strong undercurrents of meaning. Brecht was vehemently opposed to the oppressive Nazi regime, and was himself persecuted for his strong Marxist beliefs.

·         Further research on : 

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·         Research Brecht’s life and career as a story teller, evaluate his methods of storytelling. Examine his use of the ‘narrator’.

         Akhila & Mrinalini

 

·         Why did Brecht want to make theatre accessible to the common people? What did he think of the theatre he saw when he was growing up?

            Samantha & Prajim

·         Research Brecht’s wider political aspirations as a communist, and evaluate the impact that this had on his stories. Look particularly at his Lehrstücke (Learning Plays), what political and social messages did these portray?

         

        Karan & Lalit

 

Mother Courage by Brecht

Mother Courage and Her Children Summary ( acknow: Gradesaver)

The play is set in Europe during the Thirty Years' War. Mother Courage, a canteen woman, pulls her cart with her three children (Eilif, Kattrin, and Swiss Cheese) in the wake of the army, trading with the soldiers and attempting to make profit from the war.

We are first introduced to a Recruiting Officer and a Sergeant, who complain about the difficulty of recruiting soldiers for the war. Mother Courage's cart is pulled on and, distracting her with the promise of a transaction, the Recruiting Officer leads Eilif off. One of her children is now gone.
Two years later, we find Mother Courage haggling with the General's Cook over a capon. On the other side of the stage, Eilif is praised by the General for heroically slaughtering some peasants and stealing their cattle. Eilif sings "The Song of the Girl and the Soldier," and his mother joins in. She then berates him for risking his life so stupidly.
Three years later, Swiss Cheese has taken a job as the regiment's paymaster. Yvette Pottier, the camp prostitute, sings "The Song of Fraternization" to warn Kattrin about the horrors of a relationship with a soldier. The Cook and the Chaplain arrive to greet Mother Courage with a message from Eilif, and there is suddenly a Catholic attack. The Chaplain discards his robes, and Swiss Cheese hides the regiment's paybox.
Later the same evening, Swiss Cheese is followed when he attempts to return the paybox to his General but is captured. Mother Courage mortgages her cart to Yvette and tries to bargain with the soldiers using the money--but she bargains for too long, and Swiss Cheese is shot. Mother Courage denies his body when it is brought to her to be identified, so it is thrown into a pit.
The next scene finds Mother Courage waiting to complain outside the Captain's tent. She sings the "Song of the Great Capitulation" to a young soldier who also has come to complain to the Captain. The song, which has the moral "everyone gives in sooner or later," leads to the soldier's storming out, and Courage herself ends up deciding that she doesn't want to complain.
On the day of the funeral of General Tilly, Mother Courage undertakes a stock check, and she talks at length with the Chaplain about whether or not the war will continue. He convinces her that it will, so she decides to invest in more stock for her cart. The Chaplain suggests that Mother Courage could marry him, but he is rejected. Kattrin appears and returns to her mother, severely disfigured, having collected some merchandise. Mother Courage thus curses the war.
In the following brief scene, Courage sings a song that praises the war as a good provider. Business is good for now.
Two peasants wake up Mother Courage, trying to sell her some bedding, shortly before the news breaks that peace has broken out. The Cook returns, unpaid by the regiment, and he instigates an argument between Mother Courage and the Chaplain. Yvette makes her second appearance, now a rich widow, much older and fatter, and reveals that the Cook was once her lover. Mother Courage leaves for the town, and Eilif is dragged along by soldiers. Again he has slaughtered some peasants and stolen their cattle, but it is now peacetime. He is executed for it, but his mother never finds out. She returns with the news that the war is back on again, and she now returns to business with the Cook in tow.
The seventeenth year of the war finds the world in a bleak condition, with nothing to trade and nothing to eat. The Cook inherits an inn in Utrecht and invites Mother Courage to run it with him, but he refuses to take Kattrin. Mother Courage is forced to turn him down, so the two go their separate ways. Pulling the wagon by themselves, Mother Courage and Kattrin hear an anonymous voice singing about the pleasure of having plenty.
The Catholics are besieging the Protestant town of Halle, and Mother Courage is away in the town, trading. Sleeping outside a peasant family's house, Kattrin is woken by their search party, who take one of the peasants with them as a guide. The peasant couple prays for the safety of those in the town, but Kattrin, unseen, gets a drum from the cart and climbs onto the roof. She beats the drum to try to awake the townspeople so that the siege can be anticipated. The soldiers return and shoot her, but before she dies, she is successful in awakening the town.
The next morning, Mother Courage sings a lullaby over her daughter's corpse, pays the peasants to bury her, and harnesses herself, alone, to the cart. The cart rolls back into action, but it is easier to pull now, since there is so little left in it to sell.

Questions based on literary technique: closing scene

How is the closing scene of a play created by the dramatist in order to be effective?

comparative questions based on literary technique :question 1: OPENING SCENE

How does a dramatist make use of Opening scene in order to hook the audience?

Blood Wedding: Question bank

BLOOD WEDDING : QUESTION BANK

Post your answers as comments:

Blood Wedding

Study Questions

Act I

1. Why doesn’t the Mother like to see her son carrying a knife?

2. What did the Bridegroom have to do before proposing marriage?

3. The lullaby that the Mother-in-Law and Wife sing to the baby seems to be an omen. What is strange about this song? Is it a typical song for a child?

4. Why are the Mother-in-Law and Wife impressed by the news of the girl?

5. Why is it a bad omen when the Father says of his daughter, “She’s like my wife, in every way”?

Act II

1. Is the Bride happy about her impending marriage? Why or why not?

2. What can be inferred from Leonardo’s treatment of his horse?

3. Why does Leonardo think that his relationship with the Bride ended?

4. How are Death and Life contrasted in the dialogue?

5. Is the Mother confident that her son and relatives will prevail in the feud to follow?

Act III

1. Do the Moon and the Beggar Woman give an indication that Leonardo and the Bride will escape?

2. How is the lullaby of the horse in Act I, Scene 2 a portent of what occurs in the forest?

3. Who is the Beggar Woman?

4. How is the relationship between Leonardo and the Bride different from the one between the Bridegroom and Bride?

5. What symbols does García Lorca use to indicate the inevitability of fate in the final scene?

EXTRA QUESTION BASED ON ACT 2 sc i

What does the lullaby mean ?

revision based on Part 3

Day 1
'All plays pose questions to the world, yet some questions are easier to ignore.' In light of this statement, evaluate the questions raiser in 2-3 plays and show how and to what degree the issues are restored.



Day 2:: May 2010 TZ2 HL


1.Some dramatists make more significant use of physical elements such as stage scenery  than do others. Discuss the extent of such features and their impact on meaning in two of the plays you have studied

2.Writers may make repetitive use of details which become dramatically significant. Consider the use made of such repetition of detail in at least two plays  and discuss te impact of the plays as a whole.

Day 3&4:: FOUR GROUPS

may 2006 TZ 1 HL

1.
 “In dramatic construction there must be variation of pace and rhythm, monotony of any kind being certain to induce boredom.”Comparing at least two plays you have studied in the light of this statement, show how variations of pace and rhythm have been used to attract or heighten the interest of the audience.
 
2. To what extent can the plays you have studied be seen to have, directly or indirectly, a social or political purpose? Refer to two or three plays, exploring how they achieve their purposes.
Poetry

MAY 2006 TZ1 SL

3.Comparing the opening scenes of at least two plays, discuss what audience expectations are aroused and how.

4. “Drama explains individuals, not relationships.” Paying close attention to how individuals and relationships are presented in two or three plays you have studied, say how far you find this statement to be true.
Poetry

Also  look through these :
General Questions
5. Either
(a) “Art is on the side of the oppressed.” Evaluate the means by which two or three works in your study either confirm or raise questions about the validity of this assertion.
Or
(b) “Works of literature are often layered, and may require close attention to discover their depth and complexity.” With respect to two or three of the works you have studied, show how valid this view is.
Or
(c) “A writer conveys not only experiences but a whole world in which these are possible.” With respect to two or three works you have studied, discuss whether the author has created a coherent, imagined “world”.
Or
(d) In what ways and to what effect have writers in your study made use of illustrative elements such as anecdotes, analogies, allusions and the like in their works?



TEST ON MONDAY: 04 FEBRUARY:

Choose any one from the list. Prepare a draft /mindmap and write the whole answer or prepare and write a draft and write a detailed mind map--choice is yours. However make sure your answer can be examined through all the criteria in the MS. Sending you the MS through mail.

btw: did any one see the earlier draft of this post? those questions have disappeared:( writing again!

May 2012: TZ2

Choose any 1

Drama:

1.”Some plays excite our emotions; others make us think; others do both.” In the light of this statement compare at least two plays you have studied.”

2. Violent or threatening behavior can be presented to an audience in different ways. Compare the ways in which at least two play wrights you have studied have presented violence and/or threat s, and comment on the success or otherwise of their methods.

General Questions on Literature:

3. “ Writers very often try to convey the familiar in novel ways.” Discuss this statement with reference to works b at least two writers you have studied considering both ideas and techniques , and their contribution to the works as a whole.

4. Although writers often claim they do not try to moralise, almost every work contains a moral issue. To what extent, in what ways and to what effect have the authors of at least two works you have studied explored a moral issue?

5. “Writers may structure their works to maximize the effects they wish to produce.” Discuss this statement with reference to works by at least two writers you have studied, analyzing the use of structure and its effects.

6. “Liberty and security are potentially contradictory aims.” With reference to works by at least two writers ytou have studied, consider  how far and to what effect they effect they present this idea.

 Revision  Day 5& 6
2007 November TZ1

Drama
1. Either
(a) “The compulsion to talk,” to tell one’s story, or the stories of others might be seen as
very important to the construction of plays. How far has the telling of stories been important
to at least two plays you have studied and how have the “stories” been effectively delivered
through theatre?
Or
(b) The climax of a dramatic work does not always occur in a fixed or expected place.
Comparing at least two works you have studied, discuss the placement of the climactic moment
of the plays and the effects on dramatic action.
General Questions on Literature
5. Either
(a) How and with what effect have seasons and weather been used in at least two of the works you
have studied?
Or
(b) The presence of pairs, or of doubles and doubling often appears in works of art. How and for
what purposes have at least two writers in your study made effective use of such patterns?
Or
(c) In what ways have the materials of the sciences been used by writers to enhance the literary
elements of their works? Refer closely to at least two works you have studied.
Or
(d) “Books,” according to one writer, “mold character, enforce patriotism, and provide a healthy
way to pass a leisurely hour.” By direct reference to at least two of your works, discuss the
ways in which one or more of these purposes appears, as well as your view of their importance
in the total effect of the work.

revision day 7,8

May 2008 TZ1
Drama
1. Either
(a) “What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out?” To what extent do you find this
statement applicable in at least two plays you have studied?
Or
(b) A dramatist often creates a gap between what the audience knows and what the
characters know. With reference to at least two plays, discuss how and to what effect dramatists
have used this technique.
General Questions on Literature
5. Either
(a) “Why won’t writers allow children simply to be children?” Discuss the presentation and
significance of children, or the state of childhood, in at least two works you have studied in the
light of this complaint.
Or
(b) It is said that writers are the conscience of the world. In what ways have at least two of the
works you have studied encouraged you to appreciate or question this assertion?
Or
(c) “ Art is a lie that makes us realise the truth.” Discuss at least two works you have studied in
light of this statement, and say how far you would agree with it.
Or
(d) “Although doubt is not a pleasant condition, certainty is an absurd one.” In the light of this
statement, explore the impressions of doubt and/or certainty conveyed in at least two works
you have studied.

Day 9, 10 

M08/1/A1ENG/HP2/ENG/TZ2/XX :

Drama
1. Either
(a) “Comedy exposes human weakness; tragedy reveals human strength.” How and to what extent
does this claim apply to at least two of the plays you have studied?
Or
(b) A change in status of the characters in a play (a success, for example, a loss or exposure) helps
to convey the ideas and/or values of the dramatist. How and to what extent has change in status
contributed in this way to at least two of the plays you have studied?

General Questions on Literature
5. Either
(a) Some writers make us see people’s lives through the lens of nostalgia. In what ways have
writers used nostalgia in at least two of the works you have studied?
Or
(b) Urban settings are often portrayed as “spiritual wastelands”. To what extent, if at all, and
by what means, have at least two of the works you have studied presented urban settings in
such a way?
Or
(c) Images of sickness, both real and metaphorical, can reflect corruption in individuals
and/or society. To what degree and to what effect is this evident in at least two of the works
you have studied?
Or
(d) “All Art is quite useless.” With close reference to at least two of the texts you have studied
discuss and give reasons for the extent to which you agree or disagree with this statement

days 11,12
N08/1/A1ENG/HP2/ENG/TZ0/XX

Drama
1. Either
(a) “It is through speech primarily that a dramatist reveals who his characters are.”
Using at least two works you have studied, show how far you can agree that this is a valid
statement about the writing of plays.
Or
(b) The audience’s expectation and the fulfilment or reversal of expectation are both used
by playwrights. How have at least two of the plays you have studied satisfied or disappointed
expectation, and with what effect?
 General Questions on Literature
5. Either
(a) The description of people or places or events in literary works is likely to be more than
just decoration. Compare several instances in at least two of the works you have studied
where description has had a crucial effect on the work.
Or
(b) The courage to think or speak or act differently from others is often at the heart of literature.
In what ways have at least two writers you have studied presented such choices?
Or
(c) Literature frequently “challenges the barriers that prejudice erects”. How convincingly have
at least two writers in your study presented such barriers and with what effect have they
been opposed?
Or
(d) “In literature, names are never wasted.” In at least two works you have studied, discuss the
ways writers use names in their works to achieve their larger purpose.


days 13, 14
M09/1/A1ENG/HP2/ENG/TZ2/XX 

Drama
1. The success of any drama depends on the credibility of the protagonists. Referring closely to
at least two of the plays you have studied, explore to what extent and in what ways they illustrate the
truth of this statement.
2. Looking closely at one or more of the following elements: lighting, sound and music, discuss the
ways in which they can affect the presentation of ideas in at least two of the plays you have studied.
General Questions on Literature
9. Writers of literature rarely offer answers that resolve the issues they raise. To what extent and in what
ways does this statement apply to at least two of the works you have studied?
10. In what ways is the literature you have studied concerned with gaining, maintaining or losing a
paradise of some kind? Refer closely in your answer to at least two works.
11. Poetry can be prosaic and prose can be poetic. Explore this statement in relation to the varieties of
language used in at least two of the works you have studied.
12. “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” To what extent do at least two of the
the works you have studied present concepts of good and bad as a matter of perception?

days 15, 16
M09/1/A1ENG/HP2/ENG/TZ2/XX
Drama
1. In plays a character who appears briefly, or who does not appear at all, can be a significant presence,
contributing to action, developing other characters or conveying ideas. To what extent have you
found this to be true of at least two works you have studied?
2. “Drama, even in its darkest moments, underscores the strength of the human spirit.” How and to what
extent is this true of at least two of the plays you have studied?
General Questions on Literature
9. By what means and with what effect do writers establish and use tone in at least two of the works you
have studied?
10. “Reading literature is a way of walking in the footsteps of others.” By what means and to what effect
do at least two writers you have studied help you understand the situations of others?
11. Wit and other comic devices can often add an important edge to what a writer is trying to express.
Examine the effects of such devices on the expression of ideas in at least two of the works you
have studied.
12. “Literature is the embodiment of beauty and intelligence.” To what extent is this true of at least two of the works you have studied?