Mother Courage and Her Children

Interesting Facts

• The play was written in 1939, during a period when Bertolt Brecht was in exile due to the Nazi regime in Germany.
• The play is set during the Thirty Years' War, allowing Brecht to explore themes of war and its impact on people.
• The main character, Mother Courage, symbolizes the contradictions of human nature, as she cares for her children while profiting from the war.
• The play is a vivid example of Brecht's epic theatre, which aimed to provoke a critical attitude in the audience towards the events on stage.
• Brecht used the technique of 'alienation' in the play to prevent the audience from identifying with the characters and to encourage reflection on social and political issues.
• Mother Courage and Her Children is considered one of the most famous anti-war plays in world literature.