Mother Courage and Her Children

How is irony important throughout the play? Consider both verbal and dramatic irony in your response.

What role do songs serve throughout the play? Examine their content and consider how they advance plot, conflict, theme, or characterization.

What notions of masculinity does the play present? How do war and combat facilitate these notions?

How are women characterized throughout the play? What cultural or societal notions of gender shape the female characters or the way their male counterparts perceive them?

Often the play’s characters reference well-known figures from history or literature, such as Socrates and Julius Caesar. Examine one of these allusions and determine its appropriateness to the play. Where do characters misunderstand the figure and what do these misunderstandings convey about the character?

Conduct brief research on the military innovations developed during this war. Based on what you glean, is war justified because of the technological advancements it brings?

Compare and contrast the plays of Brecht with another notable Modern playwright such as George Bernard Shaw or Henrik Ibsen. How does each dramatist respond to social issues or the social or political climate of his time?

Eglantyne Jebb, who founded the organization Save the Children following World War I, notably said, “Every war is a war against children” (Save The Children). What might this quote mean? How is it applicable to Brecht’s play?