Mother Courage And Her Children Analysis

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Mother Courage and Her Children
Mother Courage and her children was set in the 1600’s, and is still relevant today. It is regarded as one of the finest anti-war plays. During our study trip, we saw Mother Courage in the Berlin Theatre Ensemble. In 1893, the ‘Theater am Schiffbauerdamm’ opened its doors. After Brecht’s death, Helene Weigel continued to work in the Berlin Theatre Ensemble for 15 years. The Theatre is highly decorated with features of Romanesque architecture. I was fortunate to being given a private seat with my friend, Elena. Indeed, Mother Courage is a suitable example for “Epic Theatre” Although the play does not ask the spectator to emotionally commit to any character, it does not lack in any design elements. There was live music and an impressive lighting design. There are many themes in Mother Courage. This includes the “alienation effect”, or “Verfremdungseffekt” or “The V Effect” was created in order to create a distance between the audience and the characters. Feelings alone are not enough to advocate change and transformation. It also encourages …show more content…

He studied Chinese, Japanese, and Indian theatre, focused heavily on Shakespeare (adapting, among other plays, Shakespeare's Coriolanus) and other Elizabethans, and was fascinated by Greek tragedy.” ("Bertolt Brecht Biography | List Of Works, Study Guides & Essays") Brecht was a compulsive actor. “Much of what he wrote and subsequently published was a response to immediate circumstances. (Hodge) He came into trouble with his work during Hitler’s reign. “The actors had to account for what they did. He insisted that they keep their gestures simple. He made them speak clearly, coolly. No emotional faking was tolerated. By these means the objective, epic style was established” (Volker 1979, page 72)

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