Comprehensive and detailed notes on the play 'The Caucasian Chalk Circle' by Bertolt Brecht. These notes include scene by scene analysis, character analysis, theme analysis, Brechtian techniques and explanations and a list of quotes
Brechtian Techniques in The Caucasian Chalk Circle
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St Mary's School, Waverley, Johannesburg
Dramatic Arts
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The Caucasian Chalk Circle
Key
● Characters
● Scenes
● Techniques
Brechtian Techniques
● Epic theatre- episodic, over a long period of time
● Historification- using historical events in the present- you can’t relate to the
context
● Gestus- a physical manifestation of the physical and social status of character-
exaggerated body language
● Didactic- to teach- theatre is a place to learn
● Alienation (Vervreemdingeffek)- constantly breaking the theatrical illusion
1. Narrator (singer)
2. Backstage is visible
3. Directly addresses audience
4. Multimedia
5. Masks (half and full)
6. Juxtaposes drama and comedy in the same scene
● Brecht was a Marxist, no leading roles
● He wants you to think critically first and then feel
● He thinks theatre is a form of social engineering
● There is stereotypical and stylized acting
● Actors must not be emotional, they are there to tell a story and must be matter of
fact, they are not there to show the audience how to feel
, ● There was a war
● Communist/ socialist themes- people who work on the land should own the land
● Expert
○ No sympathy for people. Shows the divide between high status and low status
(this sets up the themes for the whole play)
● A play within a play- a theme of alienation
● “It’s our job to entertain, your job to draw conclusions”
● “Things belong to those who treasure them”- fundamental to ownership
Act 1
● The play is episodic
● Each scene can stand alone and has a beginning, climax and end
● Each scene teaches a lesson
○ Terrible is the temptation to do good
➢ Grusha puts herself in danger by taking Michael
○ The ignorance of the privileged
➢ They are blind and stupid
● The acting style of the upper class is over the top
● The acting style of Grusha and Simon is realistic
○ The acting styles contradict one another which alienates- this is the
vervreemdingseffek, making strange
The love scene
● The acting style is real and not over sentimental and the audience isn’t emotional
● There is an awkward quality to their love
● There are integrity and sincerity and is no indulgence
Grusha
● She is matter of fact
● She is the only character that changes
● Once she picks up the baby her life is changed forever
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