A Bakhtinian Reading of Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children

Abstract

Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children has been universally acclaimed as one of the best anti-war plays of all times. It is his treatment of war and its consequences that makes the play all the more noteworthy. He takes a subject of a very serious concern and trivializes it in the carnival square of the text, subverting all forms of authority and thereby very effectively conveying to the audience the futility and meaninglessness of war at any point in history. In terms of form, characters and language, Brecht goes against conventions and subverts the classical. Brecht, thus dexterously uses a mode of carnivalization under the banner of his epic theatre to undermine all kinds of hegemonic powers and the so called high ideals and art forms.

Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children has been universally acclaimed as one of the best anti-war plays of all times. It is his treatment of war and its consequences that makes the play all the more noteworthy. He takes a subject of a very serious concern and trivializes it in the carnival square of the text, subverting all forms of authority and thereby very effectively conveying to the audience the futility and meaninglessness of war at any point in history. Reading the play from a Bakhtinian perspective unleashes the carnivalesque power that governs the play.