Good Woman of Setzeun

BERTOLT BRECHT -The Good Woman of Szechuan

✓ Modern play, coming modernism as a movement it have aspects of modernism 

✓He is also a theoritician and practicioner - his theater ' Brecht's Theatre ' also called epic theatre. It is a very socially oriented theatre. It is opposite to realist theater (Cathartic) . He gave alienation effect in the play ( the distancing effect), it has songs and interludes. The story is a parable ( the location is placed far away and a very non western idea of God coming etc

✓ the question of gender is interrogated with the very concept of her disguise. 

✓ after so many years realism has lost it essence..it began as a radical movement but looses it edge with time so a new type of theatre begans which breaks from the traditional. 

✓the gods are less god like

The Good Woman of Setzeun 

Wong a water seller introduces himself to the audience. He got to know that three gods are visiting the city as they recieved many complaints from people about their lives. He went to the city gates to welcome them.

3 gods appear in old-fashioned clothes. They asked him to arrange a place to stay at night. He knocked Mr. Do's door but he wasn't there. Then he went to second house - Mr Cheng's when asked he denied them entery saying he has many troubles in life, you keep the Gods. Then Wong told about the region of Kwan which always have floods. Saying it happens with them coz they are irreligious. But second God interrupted and said it's rubbish actually this is coz they ignore dam. When they though of staying with Wong , second God said that he is a swindler. They notice the bottom of the cup he gave them water in was false. When Wong inquired a Gentleman for the stay of God he denied saying they are a gang of crooks looking for free rooms. 

At last they went to Shen Te's house but she said that she is expecting a gentleman and she can let the Gods enter once this gentleman was gone. Then Wong told them that you'll be staying with a single girl- the finest human in Setzeun. Shen Te came and welcome God's who thanked her for her hospitality. She told them about their condition and that she doesn't want to work as a prostituite but has to do so for earning her livings. Then Gods left by giving her some money as a pay for the stay at her place. They gave her more than a thousand silver dollars. With that money she brought a tobacco shop for Mrs Shin. She helped everyone who come to ask for help from her. The husband and wife who came to took shelter at her shop instructed her not to believe everyone and learn to say no if she wanted to run her shop . A carpenter came who asked her one hundred silver dollars for the furnishings which wasn't paid yet by Mrs Shin. Then Mi Tzu the landlady came to ask for the rent. These old husband and wife her idea of having a cousin who would come and settle every due. The family members of this couple kept on coming and Shen Te was worried about the rent and bill of carpenter. They came up with the idea to sing song for Shen Te to keep her spirits high. Then their uncle , aunty and all the children arrived. Wong who was hiding thinking he will come out when God will go to heaven coz he thought that Shen Te refused stay to the Gods. This man Wong talks to Gods in dreams . The Gods told him about goodness of Shen Te and asked him to visit her and give them a report of her. They wanted to know if she is doing well saying good people must get good otherwise their will be no goodness left. 

In the very morning Shen Te dressed up as Shui Ta ( her imaginative cousin) and asked them all to get out as he wanted to open the shop. They all were shocked coz it was a joke of Shen Te having a cousin but how come the real cousin that too early in the morning. When the carpenter came Shui Ta deals with him smartly saying he won't pay 100 but only 20 silver dollars. If the deal doesn't suit her he can take his selves away. At last carpenter agreed. Shui Ta came up with police to deal with this family and then the boy who went to near bakery to steal food came and everyone in the street was shouting theif!! theif.  

He settled the matter with landlady too. Meanwhile a old woman from the neighbour carpet shop came to ask for a cigarette. Policeman told Shui Ta that what we need is capital and marriage is important for getting capital.

Act 3

Shen Te met Yang Sun at a park who was an unemployed pilot. He talks to her about his life. Wong enters and she brought water from him for the Yang Sun. Wong went to his place in the water pipes and narrated all about Shen Te to Gods. The old couples gave two hundred silvers to her to pay for her rent. But Yang Sun mother came saying that he will get job after he pay 500 silver dollars. Shen Te gave 200 silver dollars to her saying she will give rest of the amount in few days. Then enters Shen Te on stage with mask of Shui Ta and sung the Song of defencelessness. Shui Ta decided to sell tobacco for collecting the rest amount. He said that he won't take her with him even if she got to know about it she won't refuse to give him money coz she is a woman an emotional fool. . Being in love, for 

instance. One weakness is enough, and love is the deadliest. Mr Shu fu is a barber.Policeman came inquiring that from Mr. Shui Ta, that his cousin is supposed to have een the barber hit the water seller with a curling : in. Shui Ta fixed Shen Te marriage with barber but when Yang Sun came again and spoke few kind words to her she melted and rejected the marriage to Shi Ta. 

SHEN TE in her wedding clothes, on the way to her wedding. Something terrible has happened. As she left the shop with Yang Sun, she found the old carpet dealer's wife waiting on the street, trembling all over. She told Shen Te that her husband had taken to his bed sick with worry and excitement over the two hundred silver dollars they lent her.

Shen Te refused to sell her shop and told about it to Yang Sun. He refused marriage. The whole drama tooks place where Sun accused her of not being a good wife . They postponed the marriage for a indefinite period and the groom started singing THE SONG OF ST. NEVERCOME'S DAY. 

The sewer pipe is again transparent and again te GODS appear to WONG in a dream. He told them everything about the condition of Shen Te

Shu fu gave her a blank check. She founds out that she is pregnant. The carpenter came to ask help from her. Then she started a tobacco factory with the help of barber. Yang Sun came to ask for work there. Wong came asking to Shui Ta where is Shen Te and he also added that she told him about her pregnancy. Yang Sun got angry on it. Shen Te went back doors and started crying. When they heard her crying they concluded that she was killed by her cousin.

Wong's den. For the last time, the GODS appear to the water seller in his dream. Illustrious ones, at last you're here. Shen Te's been one for months and today her cousin's been arrested. They think he murdered her to get the shop. But I had a dream and in this dream Shen Te said her coin was keeping her prisoner. You must find her for us, illustrious ones ! 

   - Wong 

He is presented before 3 judges( Gods) and witness are called to elaborate upon the incident. 

Everyone started questioning from Shui Ta where Shen Te was? 

The court is cleared and silenced. Shen Te confessed the truth before the judges about her dual personality. 

EPILOGUE 

✓An aside is a dramatic device in which a character speaks to the audience. By convention, the audience is to realize that the character's speech is unheard by the other characters on stage. It may be addressed to the audience expressly (in character or out) or represent an unspoken thought.

✓ it present a open ended play where audience can make changes according to their will. It also brings forward several problems in the play..