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  • Essay / How Bertolt Brecht Used Comedy as a Political Device

    Bertolt Brecht was born in Germany in 1898, where he grew up in a middle-class family. He had strong social and political views that he believed in, while he discovered his love of theater and began writing his own plays, finding the perfect place to express his views. The theater is historically of a naturalistic style proposed by Stanislavski, however Brecht does not adopt this style, he developed his own style of "Epic Theater", to persuade the audience to evoke societal change. Epic Theater involves an unrealistic approach with a political message and comedic elements to present these techniques. Brecht's own experiences impacted his political views, leaving Nazi Germany before World War II. After the war, he settled in Soviet-occupied East Germany, becoming a defender of the Communist Party. His plays were aimed at the working class of the time to enable them to stand up for their beliefs and make a difference in their lives and that of their family, in order to change the capitalist oppression they lived under. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Brecht wanted his theater to attract people and express his political views while keeping the audience detached from what was happening on scene, considering the scene as it is as well as the actors and people who play characters. Verfremdungseffekt or V-effekt is a technique that creates distance between what is happening on stage and the audience, and through this Brecht is able to provoke thought and achieve his goal of epic theater. The V effect aims to make the audience aware of their place in the theater at all times during the performance, encouraging spectators to think analytically, with a critical and questioning attitude. At no point during the production should an audience member be mesmerized or invested in what they are watching. With this in mind, actors may intentionally neglect the fourth wall, speaking directly to the audience through speeches or monologues. Other techniques that can be used to distance the public include the use of a narrator (The Caucasian Chalk Circle), songs and/or signs. Actors can use Gestus to disclose the objective of the performance through a tableau or gestures that have been provoked. by Brecht. The National Theater provides an example of this in its production of The Causaion Chalk Circle, adapted by Frank McGuinness. The scene shows the governor's wife, Nutella, smoking on the baby's pram. This scene shows the complete disregard and neglectful attitude towards one's own child. This maintains the separation between the audience and the stage. The audience can see the distinction between the actor and the character, as the actor demonstrates his own opinion, contradicting his character by not personalizing it with the gestures he uses. Brecht allowed his audience to smoke and chat quietly in the theater, he wanted them to feel comfortable and enjoy themselves, without wanting to find themselves in an environment they wanted to leave. Spass, the German word for pleasure, was a fundamental element of Brecht's plays. He believed this made it more effective to convey a political and social message to the working class while ensuring his plays were fun and playful. Brecht believed that “a theater in which one cannot laugh is a theater in which one can laugh.” Through this belief, Bertolt Brecht encouraged his audiences to think critically, using the spass to inspire them. Arts such as silent filmsand cabaret inspired Bertolt Brecht in the way they used the spass. Bertolt Brecht used comedy as a political device in most, if not all, of his plays. His specific theater uses comedy appropriate to the era in which the plays were constructed, but which has now become redundant as times have changed. Most of Brecht's comedies were dark and ironic, bringing light into the darkness, finding comedy in society rather than in an individual. Many people think that because of timely comedy, especially using it as a political tool, the comedic aspect has been lost. It does not have the same effect on the public today as was expected when it was written. As times have changed since Brecht's plays were created, characters designed to ridicule society and oppress the capitalist have since become redundant and seem like stereotypes to a modern audience. Brecht was smart in how he incorporated comedy, not forcing it on or on the audience, but instead using two contrasting styles of acting together, or using too much exaggeration and irony. Brecht can place a balanced “normal” character next to one who is too exaggerated. Both characters make political statements expressing their point of view while one points out the other. An example of this can be found in The Caucasian Chalk Circle where Natella and Azdak appear to mock the upper classes of society while the peasant girl Grusha remains sophisticated in The Chalk Circle scene. In this scene, although Natella is rich, Grusha demonstrates that she is a better mother, which matters more than what is on the inside, wealth or appearance on the outside. This leaves the audience to decide who would be the better mother. As stated previously, spasm and comedy can be seen in most, if not all, of Brecht's plays. In Mother Courage and Her Children, there are several scenes in particular that use comedy to introduce Brecht's political views to the audience. In the first scene where his sons are enlisted, Brecht uses comedy through several lines such as. “If you piss in your pants, I will settle for your brother”, or “the reasonable thing is to stay with your mother, no matter if they make fun of you and call you a chicken”, as well as Mother Courage being very exaggerated throughout the conscription process. Brecht uses them to mock the conscription process, demonstrating his political opinion on the matter. Another example is when Mother Courage's daughter Kattrin sacrifices herself to warn the villagers of the impending attack. Mother Courage sings to Kattrin as she "falls asleep" or dies. There are several lines in the song such as "the neighbor kids are hungry and you'll eat cake or, the neighbor kids are gray but my kids are gay", indicating that this song is aimed at that of a wealthy family. This is ironic because Mother Courage and her children have always been poor. This irony demonstrates Brecht's advocacy of communism, with everyone being equal in stature and wealth. Through the use of comedy, or “pass”, political and social messages could be highlighted and transmitted, from the stage to the audience, in a light but also convincing way. manner. Brecht succeeded in achieving his goal: allowing the audience to analyze what they saw on stage and take it into account. Thus, audiences were more likely to take away from the show a desire to make changes to the capitalist society in which they lived. However, productions of a Brechtian play made within the framework of a modern culture and society will probably fail to realize the originality and uniqueness of.