Download An Introduction to Bertolt Brecht

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society will be superseded by a classless society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