Links

Watch:
The Life of Galileo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVfZV2I-VEw

Other related links:
Differences Between Brechtian Theater and Dramatic Theater
http://www.slideshare.net/ghalcrow/brechtian-theatre-presentation
What's "Brechtian"?
http://nosheep.net/story/whats-brechtian/
Bertolt Brecht and Epic Theater
http://herbergeronline.asu.edu/the220/notes/EpicTheatre.html
Brecht's Epic Theater
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1358503/bertolt_brechts_epic_theatre.html

Destination:
Simmons College
http://www.simmons.edu/

Brechtian Theater

1.

While reading the play “The Life of Galileo” by Bertolt Brecht, I immediately noticed that it was vastly different from all other plays that I have read in the past. While most plays generally tend to convince the audience to sympathize with the main character, Brecht creates the main character (Galileo Galilei) as a sarcastic, prudish man who, at times, is misunderstood by those around him, but is also loved indefinitely by those closest to him. Brecht wrote the play using the diction of language by each character in order to convey their unique personalities, particularly with Galileo and his daughter Virginia. Two complete opposites, Brecht often used a sarcastic yet brutally honest tone when displaying Galileo. He is a man who is wise beyond his years, and urges those among his society to listen to his philosophies, despite whether or not they choose to believe him. Galileo is a strong willed man, focused on teaching others of his time what no one else had yet discovered. On the contrary, Virginia, his daughter, is a well mannered young marvel, yet not as ambitious as her father. Her unique ability to love him despite his seemingly silly philosophies and ideas and his somewhat hostile personality had a profound effect on my outlook on the play as a whole. Brecht's peerless ability to persuade the audience to break away from becoming involved with the characters on a personal level caused me to look at the play on the basis of what was being portrayed rather than who was trying to convey it. This is what many (including Brecht himself) call the Alienation Effect, in which the audience is no longer connected to the play via the character portrayal, but rather via the social context that is being presented. Never in my many years of reader's experience, have I ever viewed a play based solely on context. I often tend to connect and sympathize with the characters in a way which Brecht was able to distract me from. It allowed me as a reader to get more out of the purpose of what was being performed, while also allowing me to engage with the realistic and believable personalities of the characters without becoming too involved with them, which would substantially impede my ability to have discovered Brecht's initial inquisition: the difficult standpoints between the morality of science at the time and society's view of intellectual morality.

2.

In scene nine of “Galileo”, a very typical aspect of Brechtian Theater is portrayed: the random outburst of song and dance in order to distract the audience from becoming too involved with the characters and allow them to become critical and conscious observers of what is happening. Another technique used in Brechtian Theater which is also present more so in this scene is the initial description of what is happening. Throughout the play, Galileo is trying to persuade society to believe his discoveries. Unfortunately, the monotonous society only believes that of which authority tells them to. This is portrayed by the Ballad Singer and his wife in scene nine, in which they mock Galileo in front of a small group of curious onlookers. The Ballad Singer begins by first stating that in Chapter One of the Bible in the Book of Genesis, God created both the earth and the sun, with the sun constantly revolving around the earth. It was Galileo with his telescope who first philosophized that the earth actually revolves around the sun, and with good reason, but no one except his closest peers believed his ideas. This scene in particular is relevant to the Brechtian Theater and technique because while instating comic relief in order to distract the audience, it also addresses the general mind state of society at the time of Galileo. The song that the Ballad Singer performs is portrayed to the audience as an ignorant and naive mindset because the audience knows better and is conscious of the social context of the main point. It reminds the audience of the perception of society at this time in history and the hardships that Galileo faces each time he struggles to teach them about his newfound knowledge because of the stubborn bitterness of people who were afraid to consider anything else than what they were taught up to this point. The song and dance of scene nine also help the audience to reconsider Galileo's bitterness and reconsider it to be a bold action in Galileo's struggle to remain confident in his discoveries despite the attempt of authority to smother his knowledge.

3.

The use of Epic Theater (also known as Brechtian Theater) in the creation of “The Life of Galileo” by Bertolt Brecht greatly influenced the way in which the play was interpreted by both the reader and the audience. The importance of Brechtian Theater is to understand that the unique format of such works is done so in order to detach the audience from the characters and tune them into the main plot and purpose of the piece. Most Brechtian Theater addresses social and authoritative issues in society throughout the years, so it is important that the audience does not become too distracted. In order to prevent distraction, Brecht often described scenes just before they began so the audience had an idea of what was to come, very little set props or scenery (and that which was being used was changed between scenes in full view of the audience), and actors often changed costumes on stage in front of the audience. This helped them to be aware that it was merely a play, a way to help them visualize the true issue at hand. In these techniques, the Brecht Theater (or Epic Theater) was developed. In order to provoke thought among the audience in a way that both entertained and educated them, oftentimes the audience of Brechtian Theater was what Brecht himself referred to as a “Relaxed Audience”. Particularly in “Galileo”, Brecht wrote about the conflict that existed during the time of Galileo Galilei, which he encountered as a result of his bold attempts to educate the world of his new scientific findings. While educating the audience of Galileo's findings, Brecht also makes them aware of the issues that can arise between the scientific morality and the influence of authority on the people of which they rule. To create what Brecht called a “Relaxed Audience”, he used a neutral sarcasm and casual language that both drew attention from those watching but yet gave them the ability to relate on a common ground. While I read “Galileo” for myself, I indefinitely found that Brecht's ability to convey Galileo in a unique, yet realistic way helped me to stay focused on the play. Because I was allowed the chance to initially observe Galileo as a hostile character, it caused me to become more concerned with what was going on in his mind rather than how he reacted to it because his bitter nature drew me away from sympathizing with him. The scenes were very loosely connected (as they often tend to be in many of Brecht's works) which at times confused me because the subtle inconsistencies between each one were evident in several ways. Namely, Brecht tend to jump from different locations without clear explanations as to why. Although the scenes were clearly described at the beginning of each one, it was still somewhat difficult to piece together certain pieces. If one is not used to Brechtian Theater and his techniques, the sudden input of random outburst of song and dance and comic relief may be difficult to understand. Initially, I was thrown off when it came to scene nine and the Ballad Singer's mocking of Galileo. In the end though, it did help because I got a better understanding of what exactly those during Galileo's time believed was the truth and how convinced they were that God's truth was spoken in the Bible and that that was the only truth. It also gave me a better understanding as to the struggle that Galileo had to courageously overcome in order to educate the people who did not want to differentiate the difference between science, religion, and truth. While at first I found that I had to almost train myself on how to read Brecht's work, I found that ultimately, I got more out of an 80-page play than I probably could have from a 300-page novel written by anyone else. Brecht's work opened up my mind to the different aspects of his piece, rather than focusing on the basic characters, scenery, and plot. Brecht is not only a playwrite, but also an educator.

Works Cited:

Brenton. “Brechtian Theater”. Tales From The Other Side. 15 Nov 2007. 29 May 2009.

McDonald, Janet. “Brecht's Epic Theater”. USQ Artsworx. 10 Jan 2005. 28 May 2009. <http://www.usq.edu.au/performancecentre/education/goodwomanofszechwan/brecht's_epic_theatre.com>

Moore, Andrew. “Studying Bertolt Brecht”. AM. 2001. 28 May 2009. <http://www.teachit.co.uk/armoore/drama/brecht.htm>

4.

“I Never Loved You More” by Bertolt Brecht

I never loved you more, ma souer

Than as I walked away from you that evening.

The forest swallowed me, the blue forest, ma souer

The blue forest and above it pale stars in the west.

I did not laugh, not one little bit, ma souer

As I playfully walked towards a dark fate-

While the faces behind me

Slowly paled in the evening of the blue forest.

Everything was grand that one night, ma souer

Never thereafter and never before-

I admit it: I was left with nothing but the big birds

And their hungry cries in the dark evening sky.

What was it exactly that Brecht was trying to convey in this short, yet profound piece of poetry? As I began reading, I was not sue what to expect. It did not, by any means, follow the outline of Brechtian Theater, at least not in any way that was familiar to my understanding of the style. I was so moved by Bertolt Brecht in this poem. While in most of his plays, he draws the reader or audience away from identifying with the character(s) in order to educate them about his initial plot and/or purpose, this poem drew me into Brecht as a person and made me feel connected to him in that moment. The sad and disappointed mood that Brecht seems to be feeling at the time of writing this poem can almost be physically felt. He talks about regretfully walking away from something that he once knew, perhaps a true love, or perhaps a way of life. The “blue forest” that he walks through in order to get to his “dark fate” enhance the features of “pale stars” and pale faces that he leaves behind. One generally thinks of a green forests as lush and serene. I find a blue forest to be cold, and crisp, and unfriendly, possibly as Brecht was implying about his emotions and state of mind when he wrote this. Since I am unsure as to what exactly “ma souer” is, it was especially difficult for me to pick up the initial tone and context of the poem because it seems that “ma souer” is the object, but I am not so sure as to what that object may be. Could it be a made up object created by Brecht so he had something to profess his feelings to? Is it a person who perhaps disappointed him? Or could it be a way of life in which he is choosing to end when he “walked towards [his] dark fate”? This poem is so short, yet it provides the reader with so much to ponder.

5. I chose to create a piece of work in which I drew out the typical male and female costumes of Brechtian Theater. Particularly those of which were worn in “Galileo” and “Threepenny Opera”, the costumes were simple yet stylish. Since actors and actresses often changed costumes on stage in front of the audience during and between scenes, they were made so that they were easily transitioned in and out of. In my drawing, I have drawn the main costume of Virginia when she travels with her father to the University. The male costume that I have drawn was the basic costume that the male characters (namely Galileo and Andrea) would have worn. Not quite as extravagant as Virginia's piece, the male costume could be used in multiple scenes, and also added to to make it either more or less formal. I found it quite interesting that Brechtian Theater often practiced interchanging costumes on stage, which is why I was enthused to draw them.