The Good Woman of Setzuan (Masterplots II: Drama, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Bertolt Brecht
- First Published: 1948
- Type of Plot: Epic theater
- Time of Work: Between World War I and World War II
- Setting: Fictive province of Setzuan, China
- Principal Characters: Wang, The Three Gods, Shen Te, Shui Ta, Yang Sun, Mrs. Yang, Shu Fu, Mrs. Mi Tzu, Lin To
- 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
The Play
The plot of The Good Woman of Setzuan winds through a prologue, ten scenes with numerous interludes separating them, and an epilogue. The action centers on the desire of Shen Te to be good and the impossibility of living up to that standard in society as it is presently configured. She has a small amount of money, which she must use to help herself and those around her to a better life if she is to be good. She discovers very quickly, however, that in order to survive she must invent a tough cousin, a formidable businessman, to protect her interests. Thus...
[The entire page is 3315 words long]
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