Brecht's source for the play “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” develops from the play he saw in Berlin: the Li Qianfu's medieval Chinese play “The Chalk Circle” in an adaptation by the German poet Klabund. Brecht wrote the play during World War II in 1944, when he was in exile in California, United States. Before this was the time when he was a hater of Nazis and Hitler's army followed Brecht to many places. The play was first performed by students of Carleton College at the University of Minnesota in the United States in 1947. Bertold Brecht created a theater to inspire social change in society. As he followed communism, he was greatly influenced by the writings of Karl Marx, the German philosopher and co-author of the Communist Manifesto. This influence allowed Brecht to believe that if workers and the poor could understand how the rich oppress and exploit them, the lower classes could use that knowledge to change the world – to demand higher wages and better working conditions, to stop the wars and to protect their rights. To help educate his audience, Brecht created a theater where they could examine the events on stage like scientists conducting an experiment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Furthermore, his theater can be called the laboratory of human choices, where his characters are constantly given from time to time the possibility to choose between the situations that could change their lives and push his characters to think. Hence, this theater known as “epic theatre” created the sensation of detaching the audience from the show and experiencing the emotions of the show in a detached way. He didn't want to lead the public to confuse theater with reality. So this theater appeals less to feelings and more to reason, it leads the spectator to "think". This epic theater uses the V effect which creates a feeling of alienation and detachment in the performance. Whereas this play also has some resemblance to King Solomon's Bible, where towards the end as Solomon talks about two mothers fighting over the ownership of a child, similarly here Azdak was related to King Solomon to whom Natella and Grusha go for official custody of the child and although Azdak acts like a clown, he prefers what is right for the child rather than what is true and right. Many characters in the play give a certain meaning, for example Grusha is the virgin mother as virgin Mary and an official father called Jussup (reminiscent of "Joseph"), while Azdak is the clown as the Christ figure. Brecht was a writer who wrote in the time of Nazism. where many people were ignorant of what was going on around them and many people believed they were simply ignoring the suffering before their eyes and walking away with their heads down and collars up. So, we should not be surprised that people did not think of helping because charity was only offered by the rich as it is a luxury, if being practical, the poor can only see the drama from afar. Brecht's theater had the ability to make us stop, notice, and critically challenge our own beliefs about why the world is the way it is. This comedy is generally focused on how difficult it is for the world to act in a certain prescribed moral way and how important it is today for everyone to simply do the right thing in a society built around the idea that there can only be winners and losers, so do well is it the only justice? Justice is not about doing what is right, but about finding out what would result from oneright decision and what not. Although Azdak with his abuse of power gave a corrupt judgment in favor of Grusha, claiming that Michael was his son and not Natella's, it was somewhere for the greater good of the child because although he did not do the right deed but he knew what would result in the right decision for the child. Brecht always thought of the greater good. Grusha's selflessness and maternal instincts are shown as commendable with the motherhood and love she offers Michael in the play, which he misses receiving from his blood mother, Natella. This inspiration of Brecht was taken from the Bible of Solomon and the story of Christ, as she is the reflection of one of the mothers in the story of Solomon who hands her son over to the other women out of fear of her son being cut in two. Likewise, like Grusha's act of gently dragging the child into the chalk circle, as if the child isn't his but still cares about him more than his own blood. The sacrifices she makes for him define her altruism for the child, this altruistic nature translates into a lovable character, a person who has the ability to adore a person endlessly, at a certain point where he gives up the love of his life and marries a stranger knowing she is on her deathbed. Abuse of power is when a person is given power but the person uses it for his own interest in a falsified way, although Azdak abused his power but it was for the right of the child and other needy people of Grusinia. He, however, is not like the Governor or Natella or the Fat Prince or the soldiers, who in the shadow of their powers, abused them to attack the innocent. The governor of Grusinia at first abuses power in a way where he enjoys life at the expense of other people's misery since he has many horses in this stable, thousands of beggars in front of his door, many people complaining about the useless increase of taxes and asks for mercy, these issues instead of being taken into consideration by the authorities are neglected by him and the people are in turn kicked out of his palace. Instead of seeing big problems as important, he worries about insignificant matters, where he worries about body parts lost in the Persian War and allows the water inspector to accept bribes. While people constantly ask to reduce corruption and unnecessary taxes imposed on them, he has two doctors appointed for little Michael to no avail. The Governor abuses his power once again by having a plan to demolish all the slums to make way for the construction of the East Wing Garden, which will belong to little Michael. Natella, the governor's wife, is also seen abusing her position, mistreating the servants, giving them orders, insulting them and even using physical violence on them. For example, he beats a young woman whom he accuses of almost tearing her dress. He tells her: “I'll kill you; whore!" (p.24. scene 2) The Fat Prince abuses power in many ways, intends to dethrone the Governor (his brother) from power. He beheaded him and hung his head at the entrance of his palace for everyone to see .When Grusha escapes with baby Michael, he orders the Ironshirts to follow Grusha to bring back Michael, the heir to the palace, to execute him. He also takes advantage of his position to make his nephew a judge despite his incompetence trial and he loses the opportunity and Azdak is made a judge. The abuse of power is also shown in the play within a play where Adzak as a judge abuses power exemplifying a gross abuse of power and position. He exploits the clients of the court first asking for bribes before presiding over cases and openly accepting bribes.After each case he says "....I accept" and holds out his hand. His abuse is also visible through the hiring of five hundred lawyers to defend him. He also takes advantage of customers like Ludovika where he proposes to accompany Ludovica, the innkeeper's daughter-in-law, to the site of the rape so that the court "does an inspection". He fines Grusha and Simon for contempt of court and pockets the proceedings saying he will need the money later. He asks for forty Piasters from Grusha and Simon after signing Grusha's divorce papers. He adopts a very unusual way of running a court where he never uses the status book and often asks his grandmother to sit in the judge's seat, which should never happen. Azdak is therefore a simple civilian and without any instructions he is made to sit in the judge's chair, it is normal for him to demonstrate his incompetence. He denounces the Grand Duke's abuse of power when he orders officials to flog soldiers, steal money, and for landowners to sleep with peasants' wives. Although Azdak is seen abusing all his powers and making people victims of his greed and incompetence towards education, but he has some experience and fairness in thinking with the means of the heart for the poor classes. Class injustice is a topic that Brecht forcefully addressed throughout his plays as communalism was an important belief that was strongly ingrained in his mind by the teachings and philosophy of Karl Marx. Although Azdak uses his power imprudently, he uses it to rule on behalf of the poor. Adzak, Brecht's exceptionally just character shows justice through his abuse of power, where although he takes the role of the rich but gives to the poor and needy. Thus, it makes the poor believe that they too can obtain justice in exceptional circumstances. Soldiers and Ironshirts are also shown abusing power. They use their whips to chase away the crowd waiting to present their petitions to the governor, when the crowd wants to get a look at the heir, little Michael, they are swept away. As Grusha travels north, the Ironshirts that the singer calls "Bloodhounds", Trap-setters and "Butchers" are on the highway behind her. They ruthlessly persecute Grusha with a barrage of questions, indicative of their revenge and sexual orientation, thus abusing power. Corporals are also described as people who abuse power. The corporal chasing the governor's son takes advantage of his position to harass the soldiers and the public. He abuses the soldiers, forces them to sing and forbids them to limp after having sold the horses they were supposed to use at a high price. He also orders the Ironshirts to grab and kick the fat girl's husband in the belly and scold them for not having fun by saying that they will never be promoted because they are not committed to their work. For the justice debate, the play uses the Child's Dilemma and the Valley Commons Debate. While asking what is justice? Who should get it? Not only can it be granted as something right or belonging to the rightful owner, but it has a feeling to which righteousness is subject. Although Azdak is shown as a clown figure who is a fool, the justice he metes out is up to par with the extreme right and is not an expected or ready-made response on his part, even though he is corrupt and famous for accepting open bribes. Justice will never come from the "willing judges" like Prince Kazbeki's nephew, although he is well confined and educated compared to Azdak, but Azdak's antics are different, such as asking for bribes from the court from the rich, comments on accepted corruption but although he takes fully from the contented, at the same time he gives largely to the needy. He says: “It's goodto Justice to do it in the open" while wandering in a caravan among the people. Everything he does or says satirizes the justice system. He asks Grusha: “You want justice, but do you want to pay for it? When you go to the butcher you know you will have to pay” (Scene 6, p. 91). The rich are used to equating money and rank with truth, but it is their truth, not impartial justice. From Azdak's comedic theatrics in the courtroom, he creates an insane logic for people who need help to get it, despite the law. "His balance was askew," says the singer. Although Grusha is afraid of not having the child she has cried sweat and blood for, she intends to scold Azdak for being corrupt, as his character was known.for everything. But when Azdak, based on his status of not being an impartial judge towards the poor, pronounces judgment in favor of Grusha, the Singer enunciates the principle of justice that Azdak uses: “what there is will belong to those who are good for it, like this / The children at the nursery . . . the valley to the troughs” (Scene 6, p. 97). The show opens and closes with true justice served. Justice in Grusinia is hard to find, where honest and just person like Grusha were punished and corrupt people like the Fat Prince, the Governor and his wife were rewarded with money, good food and a palace as a refuge for them. While these people got the best and the honest had to suffer. Talk about justice; The opera and the Prologue fundamentally deal with two similar contradictions. The first of these is: who should own the farm, those who have legal possession of it but have left it unattended by invaders or those who have no legal claim but have protected it and have better plans for its collective use? And the other is: who should have the child, the one who gave birth and let it die or the one who did not give birth but saved him from every danger and can teach him to be a better citizen? Both conflicts are resolved by finding which side of the conflict holds the overall good of the society. Brecht criticizes the judiciary in the play because for him justice works for the greatest well-being and not something that is just and righteous. Brecht highlights the corruption, prejudice, alignment with the dominant power, and partiality in the legal system experienced by inhabitants throughout Grusinia. In this period of war when all systems of state government were set back and suspended, the judge's seat was vacant and was filled by Azdak. This was the period in which Grusinia was in total chaos. In such bloody, corrupt and lawless times, Azdak arrives to ensure justice. His judgments are unjust by current standards of justice, but just by the utilitarian theory of justice. As already discussed, the Fat Prince wants to install his nephew as judge. This nephew also spies on the Fat Prince, which proves once again that the ruling classes are in constant war with each other and it is the poor who have to suffer for the same. There are many illegal things, as Azdak says, hidden under the cloak of justice. We have always seen that inherited property is transferred from one generation to the next on the basis of birth in a family. This distribution of property keeps the have-nots forever as have-nots. While, if property is distributed on the basis of social good and on the basis of who worked for it more than others, then such distribution of the means of production will give equal opportunity to all people in society to have access to it. By the same standards, Grusha earned the child and so did Rosa Luxemburg's collective farmers, defending him from the Nazi invaders. The traditional concept of “private property” is summarized by Jeremy Walderon in A Companion to Philosophy of