A Brief Introduction to Bertolt Brecht Kenny Jeong

Why is Brecht Important? Brecht made very significant contributions to dramaturgy and revolutionized how we see theatre, even today. By developing theatre forms and elements such as Epic Theatre and Verfremdungseffekt, he brought a new purpose to theatre.

A Brief Biography Even though he often fabricates story of an impoverished childhood, he was actually raised in a middle-class family in Germany. Fled from Nazi Germany in WWII, he realized theatre was the perfect art form to express political criticism. Thus was the birth of Epic Theatre. Deeply moved by Charlie Chaplin and Karl Marx

Brecht’s Political Influences Brecht was one of the few people in the theatrical world who accepted communism as an acceptable form of government, seeing the element of happiness it brought people. As stated on the previous slide, he deeply revered Karl Marx. However, he regularly mocks fascism in his plays which stirred a lot of criticism and interest in the late 20th century

Marxism in Under 20 Words Marxism is a complex concept, but put simply is, A system developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels that states that the supremacy of a proletariat society will be superseded by a classless society dominated by the working class. This was an idea formed after witnessing class struggles over history.

What is Naturalistic Theatre? Naturalistic theatre is a theatre form that was developed in the late 19th to early 20th century, that was focused on creating a perfect copy of reality. The emphasis on creating a realistic copy was to truly immerse the audience in the world created and therefore using the environment to emotionally move the audience.

Brecht’s Emphasis on Reason over Emotion In his life, Brecht was always a man who was filled with political ideas. Upon realizing that theatre was the best way to convey his ideas, he made the characters in his play portray a side of an argument, rather than a realistic character. These characters would allow the audience to pick the side that they believed was “rational” for themselves. That is why he made characters clear depictions of an argument.

Alienation & Verfremdungseffekt A technique that was often seen in Brecht’s works. In Layman’s terms, it is breaking down the fourth wall. By directly interacting with the audience, a message or an idea can be conveyed clearly. Direct communication has many values and is often an artistic choice made for a certain reason.

Key Works Brecht has many popular and notable plays, but the most famous one is definitely Mother Courage and Her Children. Even in the title, we see Mother Courage directly depicts the element of courage. Drums in the Night Edward II Fear and Misery of the Third Reich