Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Bertolt Brecht
- First Published: 1929
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Epic
- Time of Work: The mid-nineteenth century
- Setting: The mythical American West
- Genres: Satire, Drama, Musical drama, Epic theater, Opera
- Subjects: Class conflict, Nineteenth century, Prostitution or prostitutes, West, U.S., Greed, Ethics, Corruption, Hedonism
- Locales: West (U.S.)
Characters Discussed
Jimmy Gallagher, also known in different versions of the opera as Jim Mahoney or Paul Ackermann, a lumberjack from Alaska. He is a hedonist who entangles himself in the nets of Mahagonny, a city in which one can buy all pleasures. During the approach of a hurricane that threatens to destroy Mahagonny, Jimmy proclaims his new principle, that henceforth everything is permitted. After the city has been saved miraculously, and as the people of Mahagonny continue to indulge in excessive eating, lovemaking, fighting, and drinking, to the point at which some...
[The entire page is 659 words long]
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