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What can we acquire from "looking outside the box"? A clearer perspective, interpretation, meaning, and message. One of looking outside the box is through "Epic Theater". What is Epic Theater:
This form of theater relays the message from the play to have the audience think rather than feel any emotion. One play writer Bertolt Brecht used epic theaters as way for his plays to be performed. A great of Brecht apply this is his playwright titled "Mother Courage". Mother Courage is picaresque novel that revolves around the Rise of the Nazis. The story depicts a Mother and her 3 children that run a business from a wagon during war time. Their survival is mainly based off the threshold of war, because without it the business will not strive. The novel's course prolongs with Mother Courage following the war to keep the business going, but the sacrifices made are the loss of her children. An example of epic theater is Scene 11, set at "January 1636, Imperial troops threaten the protestant city of Halle. The stone begins to speak. Mother Courage loses her daughter and continues alone. The war goes on, no sign that it will end". This is the very last of the scenes and it depicts a loss of Mother Courage. In the scene Mother Courage leaves into town to sell her goods from the wagon, Kattrin is left behind nearby a farmer's home. Abruptly troops bombard the location to invade the city injuring the Farmer's family and belonging. The soldiers threaten to kill livestock if the Farmer's Son does not help lead the them to the city. This entails the idea that livestock, children, and the farm is the order of priorities. Suddenly Kattrin springs out onto the roof to sound the drums as an alarm for the city. This action leaves us in awe and thrill as the climax is reached. In the midst of the drumming the soldiers and farmers cooperate to bring down Kattrin. Though we may think to ourselves wouldn't the farmers work alongside with Kattrin? The only person that coincides with Kattrin is the Farmer's son who encourages her to continue. Kattrin continues to drum, but soon the Soldiers shoot her down and is left to die. Her drumming invokes the town to become alert and the soldiers off to war. Mother courage returns to her daughter dead, only to have the farmers tell her to leave. Though at this point the farmers agree to give her daughter a proper burial, and Mother Courage chooses to move on with the war. Mother Courage has a self interest to follow the war having no sympathy for her losses. Her priority with the business engulfs herself to not open her emotions or changer her perspective. Her only perspective is to survive no matter the sacrifices or risk. Epic Theater allowed the audience to not feel for the underlying fact that Mother Courage does not have sympathy for her losses. As a audience member scene 11 allows us to look outside the box of what epic theater can relay. It relays the message that during time of war self interest for survival will make us doing anything live on.
- Creates an Alienation effect
- Does not identify with the characters
- Emotion is not stimulated
- Unrealistic setting
- Episodic Narration
- Interruption through the acting to de-naturalize the scene
This form of theater relays the message from the play to have the audience think rather than feel any emotion. One play writer Bertolt Brecht used epic theaters as way for his plays to be performed. A great of Brecht apply this is his playwright titled "Mother Courage". Mother Courage is picaresque novel that revolves around the Rise of the Nazis. The story depicts a Mother and her 3 children that run a business from a wagon during war time. Their survival is mainly based off the threshold of war, because without it the business will not strive. The novel's course prolongs with Mother Courage following the war to keep the business going, but the sacrifices made are the loss of her children. An example of epic theater is Scene 11, set at "January 1636, Imperial troops threaten the protestant city of Halle. The stone begins to speak. Mother Courage loses her daughter and continues alone. The war goes on, no sign that it will end". This is the very last of the scenes and it depicts a loss of Mother Courage. In the scene Mother Courage leaves into town to sell her goods from the wagon, Kattrin is left behind nearby a farmer's home. Abruptly troops bombard the location to invade the city injuring the Farmer's family and belonging. The soldiers threaten to kill livestock if the Farmer's Son does not help lead the them to the city. This entails the idea that livestock, children, and the farm is the order of priorities. Suddenly Kattrin springs out onto the roof to sound the drums as an alarm for the city. This action leaves us in awe and thrill as the climax is reached. In the midst of the drumming the soldiers and farmers cooperate to bring down Kattrin. Though we may think to ourselves wouldn't the farmers work alongside with Kattrin? The only person that coincides with Kattrin is the Farmer's son who encourages her to continue. Kattrin continues to drum, but soon the Soldiers shoot her down and is left to die. Her drumming invokes the town to become alert and the soldiers off to war. Mother courage returns to her daughter dead, only to have the farmers tell her to leave. Though at this point the farmers agree to give her daughter a proper burial, and Mother Courage chooses to move on with the war. Mother Courage has a self interest to follow the war having no sympathy for her losses. Her priority with the business engulfs herself to not open her emotions or changer her perspective. Her only perspective is to survive no matter the sacrifices or risk. Epic Theater allowed the audience to not feel for the underlying fact that Mother Courage does not have sympathy for her losses. As a audience member scene 11 allows us to look outside the box of what epic theater can relay. It relays the message that during time of war self interest for survival will make us doing anything live on.
Sources:
Brecht, Bertolt. Mother Courage and Her Children. A&C Black. 2009. Print.
Brecht, Bertolt. Mother Courage and Her Children. A&C Black. 2009. Print.