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Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
Brecht wants to create distance between the play and its audience. He seeks to avoid generating a mood in the same way that a tragedy writer may want an audience to feel sad, or a comic might want to make an audience be merry. His idea of “Epic Theater”—a type of theater meant to prioritize social critique over emotional connection—means that he tries to avoid mood for the most part. But, for the moments in which the audience is not meant to be entirely alienated from the action of the play, Mother Courage and her Children invokes a mood of defeatist sadness.
From the beginning of the play, the audience is told, via Mother Courage drawing lots for her children out of a hat, that two out of three of them will die. In other words, the audience knows right away that there will be a great deal of death in the play. Still, the children meet death in ways unexpectedly devastating for Mother Courage. Eilif, when he is imprisoned and executed, misses his chance to say his last goodbye to his mother by only a few moments. Kattrin sacrifices herself to warn a town, demonstrating bravery in a scene that is both heart-wrenching and beautiful. Although most of the play argues against war from a dispassionate, cynical perspective, all these moments generate despair. The feeling of despair shows the audience the costs of war from a personal and emotional level.
Related Themes:
