‘Peace-that’s just a mess: takes a war to restore order’
This effectively stirs up an immense reaction within the audience only a short way into the play. This is what Brecht had intended, he wanted this kind of reaction.
Another of Brecht’s techniques used in scene one of the play is ‘montage’. The scene is entire, it is almost like a short story with a beginning, middle and an end. Also it is very informative as it reveals a lot about the main characters of the play, without going into too much detail.
‘Brecht uses ‘placards’ to assist us in understanding scenes in the intended way. Placards are used at the beginning of a scene and reveal the most important of aspect of the scene. This is so the audience do not concentrate on the prominent issue but on the effect that issue has. In scene one Brecht informs us Mother Courage looses a son. We then await the reaction this will have.
Scene one teaches us a lot about Mother Courage. We are not told much of her past but learn about her character through her actions in the present. This is almost like a ‘snap-shot’ in time.
Brecht reveals most about Mother Courage through another of his techniques-‘Music’. Mother Courage sings a song that is very informative and useful in understanding her character.
‘The new year’s come. The watchmen shout. The thaw sets in. The dead remain. Whenever life has not died out it staggers to its feet again.’
The last of Brecht’s techniques evident in the opening scene of ‘Mother Courage and her children’ is ‘Minimalism’. He followed the concept ‘less is more’ and this is why he used few props in his many plays. ‘Mother Courage and her children’ is no exception as constantly throughout the play it has just Mother Courage’s wagon on the stage. This is symbolic as her children are her life and are on the stage with her but also the wagon-her business is equally important if not more and that too is on the stage. Mother Courage has her children pull the wagon along, signifying that the wagon does hold many memories. She has travelled to various destinations on her wagon as she attempts to make sales. During scene one, it is her obsession with her business that becomes her weakness as she tries to make a sale failing to notice her son is being easily persuaded and lead away by the Recruiter. Of course Mother Courage shows no real concern.
‘You’ll have to help your bother pull now, Kattrin.’
Brecht reformed theatre because he was unique, and inventive. He did not want to conform to the conventions of traditional theatre.
He will be remembered for generations for his originality.