41 pages • 1 hour read
Mother Courage and Her Children
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Mother Courage and Her Children (1939) is a play by German author Bertolt Brecht (1898-1980). It tells the story of Anna Fierling, nicknamed Mother Courage, a peddler who travels across Europe during the Thirty Years’ War. It is a drama that questions the justification of warfare, revealing the hypocrisy of a war fought on religious grounds. As the war unfolds, Mother Courage struggles to keep her business afloat and her three children safe. The play interrogates themes such as Commerce in War, The Futility of Religion, and A Mother’s Duty to Her Children.
This guide refers to the 1991 Grove Press edition.
Content Warning: The source material and guide contain references to rape.
Plot Summary
It is 1624 in Sweden, and the Thirty Years’ War is underway across Europe. Anna Fierling, a Protestant tradeswoman nicknamed “Mother Courage,” enters with her three children, who pull a wagon carrying her wares. A recruiting officer urges her oldest son, Eilif, to enlist. When Eilif is undeterred despite her protestations, she displays her fortune-telling abilities, but the cards predict that all three of her children will die in the war. Her other children, an unintelligent son nicknamed Unlock all 41 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
Related Titles
By Bertolt Brecht
