The Good Woman of Setzuan (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Bertolt Brecht
- First Published: 1948
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Moral
- Time of Work: The twentieth century
- Setting: The fictional province of Setzuan, China
- Genres: Drama, Epic theater
- Subjects: Gender roles, Mistaken or secret identity, 1920’s, 1930’s, Poverty or poor people, Barbershops or barbers, Gods or goddesses, Ethics, Business or business people, China or Chinese people, Hunger
- Locales: China, Setzuan, China
Characters Discussed
Shen Te, a prostitute in the capital of the Chinese province of Setzuan. Later, she assumes the identity Shui Ta, supposedly her male cousin and a ruthless businessman. A kind, charitable woman who cannot say “no,” Shen Te apparently is the only person left on Earth who fulfills the prerequisites of a “good” human being. Although the three gods in search of such a person reward her with sufficient money to enable her to buy a tobacco shop, she soon finds herself again in a state of destitution when the news of her new possession attracts many...
[The entire page is 871 words long]
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