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You can read a synopsis, an interpretation and an character analysis of Brecht's play, The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Synopsis:The Caucasian Chalk Circle is one of the most staged German plays today. It is an excellent play in which he employed his theatrical theory of "epic theater." Brecht uses old motifs that can be found both the Bible and in old Chinese play. However, he rewrote the story: After a coup d'état against the Grand Duke, the rich Gouvernor Abaschwili was exercuted. His wife could escape, but left his son Michel simply behind because she was too busy with her own safety... After long hesitation the maid Grusche took the boy and fled the city with him to the mountains because the throne successor was wanted all over and a prize of 1000 Piasters was announced for his capture. Grusche had hardly money to feed Michael. She wanted therefore to put the child in front of the door of a farmer. However, she could not leave him alone. Schergen of the Duke Kazbeki and the Ironshirts ran after Grusche. But she luckily escaped them and finally arrived at the home of her brother in the mountains who was now merried with a very pious wife. In order to legally protect her adopted Michael from her increasingly suspicious sister in law, Grusche merried an allegedly sick-to-death peasant although she had been engaged with the soldier Simon. The peasant suddenly proved to be in top health when he heard that war was over. The Gouvernor's wife came home and wanted to get her son back. The case was to be decided in court with a simple yet smart "poor people judge" Azdak who had originally been a village recorder. He ordered two women to show evidence of their motherhood. He asked to put the child inside a chalk circle. Both women should try at the same time to pull the child out of the circle. Grusche proved to be the true mother because she released the child in fear of hurting the child. The case was decided not by blood relationship nor by heritage but by true love and sacrifice of social motherhood.
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