Mother Courage Essay

Outline

Introduction

 Historical Context of the Play

o Birth and Beginnings of Brecht Bertolt
o
o WWII
 Invasion of Poland
 Rise of Hitler
 Theater in Germany
o Weimar Republic
o His Political Activism
 Mother Courage's Commentary on War
o How Brecht felt and what he hoped to achieve with plays liek Mother Courage, his
quotes and actions
o References from Scenes in the Story
 How each character symbolized a different aspect of war
o
 Mother Courage
 Kattrin
 Eilif
 Swiss Cheese
 The Recruiting Officer
 The Sergeant
 The Cook
 The General
 The Chaplain
 The Armourer
 Yvette Pottier
 The Soldier
 Man with the Eyepatch
 Another Sergeant
 The Colonel
 A Clerk
 A young Soldier
 AN Older Soldier
 The Farmer
 The Farmer's Wife
 An Old Woman
 A Young Man
 The Ensign
 The Farmer's Boy
  ANother Farmer
 His Wife
 Soldiers
 A Voice
 Morality in the Play-Each character's virtue and it's relationship to their death/failure
o Elif
o Swiss Cheese
o Kattrin
o Mother Courage
 Maternity: Mother Courage vs Kattrin
 Brecht's Usage of Song
 Brecht's Symbols in the Play
o Red Boots
o The Wagon
 Who Brecht had an influence on
 His Significance to Today
 How would I approach this production?
a. (Bloom) Chapter 5- Developing the Approach
i. Answer the questions at the end of the chapter (in 2 paragraphs)
 Statement of Dramatic Action Scene by Scene