War and business seem to be inextricably linked so much so that war, in some ways, becomes a mere vehicle to gain profit. In 1939, amidst the imminent threat of another world war, Bertolt Brecht expressed his deep concerns about war through the publication of his play Mother Courage and Her Children: A Chronicle of the Thirty Years War, which depicts a canteen-woman’s journey through Europe during the destructive war (1618-48), portraying her business endeavour and the ultimate loss of her three children. In the play, Brecht presents war as a corrupt and dubious means of gaining profit primarily through the contrasting characterisation of the women in the play, namely Mother Courage, Yvette, and Kattrin. Through these characters, he debates
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For Mother Courage, the war is a great means of profit. This is made clear by her entrance in which she sings sardonically, “Let your men drink before they die!”, using the dire war situation to sell her goods. It is further substantiated by Mother Courage’s constant worry that the war will end, rendering her goods worthless. In Scene 8, for instance, Brecht creates situational irony when Mother Courage’s reaction to the war recommencing is to exclaim “thank God!” Her unexpected response alienates the audience and thus underscores Mother Courage’s rapacious nature. On the other hand, Mother Courage is also presented as someone who capitulates to war due to the harsh conditions that she has to face. This is accentuated in The Song of the Great Capitulation, in which Mother Courage bitterly recounts how, although she had been “master of [her] fate”, before long she was forced to submit to financial pressures due to “two children round [her] neck and the price of bread”. While emphasising Mother Courage’s predicament, the song also highlights the struggle of the poor, and how they are forced to become a part of the capitalist cycle to fulfil their basic …show more content…
For instance, when the recruiting officer is trying to enlist Eilif, Mother Courage threatens him with a knife, and ironically defends herself by saying “we are peaceful people”. Brecht uses gestus in this humorous scene to illustrate her intense protectiveness, the contrast between her action and her statement emphasises her muddled morals. Further, in Scene 6, Mother Courage laments the effect the war has had on her children, sarcastically calling war “a nice source of income”, and exclaiming, “curse the war”. The change in her tone shows her realisation of the effects that relying on the war has had on her family. However, Brecht effectively alienates the audience from her by using the episodic structure of the play to juxtapose the poignant end of Scene 6 with the abrupt Scene 7, which again depicts Mother Courage’s avarice in a negative light. At the height of her career, in a flashy display of wealth, Mother Courage wears “a necklace of silver coins”, which becomes a symbol of the effect of profit. Mother Courage seems to abruptly forget the hardships the war brought as soon as she starts to make profit again. Her song further illustrates this, praising war as a “business proposition”, and displaying a calculative outlook towards war. In this scene, Mother Courage is truly a “hyena of the
For Mother Courage, the war is a great means of profit. This is made clear by her entrance in which she sings sardonically, “Let your men drink before they die!”, using the dire war situation to sell her goods. It is further substantiated by Mother Courage’s constant worry that the war will end, rendering her goods worthless. In Scene 8, for instance, Brecht creates situational irony when Mother Courage’s reaction to the war recommencing is to exclaim “thank God!” Her unexpected response alienates the audience and thus underscores Mother Courage’s rapacious nature. On the other hand, Mother Courage is also presented as someone who capitulates to war due to the harsh conditions that she has to face. This is accentuated in The Song of the Great Capitulation, in which Mother Courage bitterly recounts how, although she had been “master of [her] fate”, before long she was forced to submit to financial pressures due to “two children round [her] neck and the price of bread”. While emphasising Mother Courage’s predicament, the song also highlights the struggle of the poor, and how they are forced to become a part of the capitalist cycle to fulfil their basic …show more content…
For instance, when the recruiting officer is trying to enlist Eilif, Mother Courage threatens him with a knife, and ironically defends herself by saying “we are peaceful people”. Brecht uses gestus in this humorous scene to illustrate her intense protectiveness, the contrast between her action and her statement emphasises her muddled morals. Further, in Scene 6, Mother Courage laments the effect the war has had on her children, sarcastically calling war “a nice source of income”, and exclaiming, “curse the war”. The change in her tone shows her realisation of the effects that relying on the war has had on her family. However, Brecht effectively alienates the audience from her by using the episodic structure of the play to juxtapose the poignant end of Scene 6 with the abrupt Scene 7, which again depicts Mother Courage’s avarice in a negative light. At the height of her career, in a flashy display of wealth, Mother Courage wears “a necklace of silver coins”, which becomes a symbol of the effect of profit. Mother Courage seems to abruptly forget the hardships the war brought as soon as she starts to make profit again. Her song further illustrates this, praising war as a “business proposition”, and displaying a calculative outlook towards war. In this scene, Mother Courage is truly a “hyena of the