The play “The Good Woman of Setzuan” by Bertolt Brecht is a work of epic theater and revolves around the life of the protagonist Shen Te, who consists of marked elements of façade and survival in society and gender norms. The show aims to provide a clear description of contemporary morality and altruism in social and economic terms: Shen Te is constantly at war with Shui Ta's capitalist profit consciousness and the capitalist economy that determines the morality of a society. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe protagonist Shen Te is trying to live a "good" life, agreeing with the terms of morality constructed by the illustrious, to which the people of Setzuan show her no respect without allowing herself to be mistreated. She tries hard to fit into the male dominant society where a working businesswoman is not accepted by society. Shen Te is a kind and charitable woman who cannot say "no" to anyone and, interestingly, is the only person left on earth who meets the condition of a "good" human being. On the other hand, Shui Ta is tough in his approach and strict when it comes to making decisions. He doesn't really care about people and circumstances and his main concern is earning profits. Shen Te is forced to assume her double self by taking on the negative character traits, her male cousin Shui Ta. Shen Te is unable to keep her commitments and is overwhelmed by the demands placed on her. Shen Te realizes that her generous nature holds her back, even if she refuses and does not accept her neighbors' requests; his goodness is abused. Shen Te tries to preserve his goodness by helping his neighbors, his lover and, above all, protecting his child from a cruel world. Reluctantly, Shen Te takes control of his double self that is Shui Ta. Being a man, Shui Ta is obeyed by everyone and no one tries to take undue advantage of him. As a businesswoman, she must know how to profit from the business, but as a lover she gives in to Yang Sun. She even went to marry Yang Sun even when he mocks Shen Te in front of Shui Ta. Shen Te realizes that he must be strong enough to ensure his son's happiness. Brecht shows that even if you are a good person, your surroundings force you to inherit negative attributes. The mental struggles involved in playing a character can be captured by the melody Shen Te sings in scene 4a. She appeared strolling with the cover of Shui Ta and sings that "the great cannot protect themselves and indeed divine beings are defenseless." And later, as he puts on the cover of Shui Ta, he admits that "you can so to speak help one of your cursed brothers by trampling on a dozen others." It seems that Shen Te is gradually learning cruel substances despite needing to remain kind and gentle. The mental struggles of playing a character can be captured by the melody Shen Te sings in scene 4a. She is invited to walk with the cover of Shui Ta and sing that "the good cannot defend themselves and even the gods are defenseless". And later, that fair one, while putting on the cover of Shui Ta, admits that "you can only help one of your unfortunate brothers by trampling on a dozen others." This shows that Shen Te is realizing the harsh reality of the world even though he wants to maintain his goodness. Shen Te's kindness gets the best of her. At the beginning of the show, the tobacco shop doesn't even start to make money when She Te is overwhelmed by the neighbors. Her submissive nature and inability to say "no" leads her to give rice to Mrs. Shin, to provide shelter for a family.
tags