Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

How does Brecht develop the plot of Mother Courage and Her Children to communicate character and their situation?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

Brecht wrote Mother Courage and Her Children in 1939 when he was in exile from persecution in Germany and the Second World War had started. Brecht had to travel a lot as a refugee and this is reflected in Mother Courage. The play was written as a warning to people who were supporting the war and the Nazis. Brecht created the concept of Epic Theatre which was the opposite to Aristotle's theory of time, and action known as Dramatic theatre. Scene 1 is set in 1642 in Sweden. In scene 1 we are introduced to the characters of Mother Courage and her children, we also learn a bit of background and Mother Courage's feelings about the war. She doesn't want the children involved and predicts their deaths if they do get involved in the war. Despite her warning Eilif her eldest son joins the army. In this scene Brecht shows Mother Courage's concern for her children is tempered by her love of business. She is rude and angry to the recruitment officer and sergeant, yet when they offer to buy something she is eager to help. This gives Eilif the chance to sneak off with the recruitment officer. ...read more.

Middle

The Chaplain persuades her that the war will go on as there are "plenty of heroes to replace dead generals." Mother Courage sends Kattrin of to get supplies while the Chaplain suggests a closer relationship. Mother Courage rejects him, saying she has no time for a relationship as she has to focus on her business. Kattrin comes back but she has been attacked, we learn that the reason why Kattrin doesn't talk is because she was molested by a solider when she was a child. This scene shows that Mother Courage can only survive because of the war and therefore doesn't want it to end. However Mother Courage loses faith in the war at the end of this scene as she has lost more than she expected her possessions and her children. Peace may be just around the corner and she is worried about her business Scene 7 is set in 1631. Mother Courage's business is doing well and she is celebrating the success. In this scene she is wearing a silver necklace which implies she was bribed to keep quiet about Kattrin. She is now much more enthusiastic about the war than the last scene and this is probably because of her business success and the bribe. ...read more.

Conclusion

Scene 12. Mother Courage pays the peasant to bury Kattrin as she hauls her cart off alone, still going on to make a profit. She hasn't changed even thought she has lost her family and friends. Brecht's message in this scene is that no one can really profit from war and if they try to they will lose more then they gain. Mother Courage goes on for about 12 years and she travels though many different countries. We learn more about the characters as we see them change. An example is Eilif, at the beginning he is hot-headed and arrogant but when we see him again in scene 8 he seems more grown up and aware of the effects of war. If this play was just set over a few days we would not see that growth. However Mother Courage doesn't change throughout the play. Not having a set plot means the scenes can stand on their own and we can see how the characters react in that moment without have any of the past scenes effect them ?? ?? ?? ?? How does Brecht develop the plot of Mother Courage and Her Children to communicate character and their situation? ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Plays section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related AS and A Level Plays essays

  1. My Mother Said I Never Should - Plot and Subplot

    While Rosie is off-stage, Margaret tries to persuade Jackie that she should get married and have children, and when Rosie comes back on stage, Jackie shows her concern for her by shouting at her to be careful near roads. Rosie is upset, and rejects her real mother by leaving her on stage alone to find the buried doll.

  2. The importance of the social and historical context of Mother Courage and her Children

    as no one would remember the 30 years war, so there wouldn't be an emotional attachment which allows the audience to focus on the message of the play. Brecht used a real historical event and not a fake one so the audience would take notice of the issues and not

  1. My mother said I never should Plot and Subplot My ...

    the audience has learned lessons with them so they are in no way a stereo type of women of their time apart from maybe Rosie, who I feel is not shown in as much depth as the other characters. Therefore it shows the evolution of women, families and how far they have come.

  2. Crucible plot

    the assembled villagers to make for the room, assuming that it was the psalm which had awoken her, coming to the ludicrous assumption of alleged witchcraft . A frenzied argument commences between the adults over what had awoken Betty, the argument is followed by quarrels of land and money and

  1. Threepenny opera plot

    Mr Peachum hatches a plan to frame Macheath thus getting him caught and sentenced to death, however Polly comments that his plan will not prevail, creating a strange relief in the audience as they find themselves wanting Mac to escape.

  2. Bouncers Plot adn Sub Plot

    They play same characters from the hairdressers only this time Judd plays the part of Elaine. At the start they each introduce themselves properly, they then move to get some drinks fro one another and the scene ends as they are arguing about which song to put on the jukebox.

  1. Westside story, plot and sub plot

    The dance scene is another point during the play that develops another plot that grabs the audience's attention. Both Tony and Maria despite belonging to opposite gangs fall in love at first sight and because they both realise nearer to the end of the scene they both belong to rival

  2. How does Bennett develop the audience's response to Muriel and her family in 'Soldiering ...

    She returns how she is spoken to by acting like a child in return and asking child - like questions; 'Why? Is he dead? Who killed him?' Although Margaret is spoken to like this further evidence to show why the audience may think she is slow.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work