The Good Person of Szechwan

E154344

The Good Person of Szechwan is a socially critical play by Bertolt Brecht that explores the challenges of living a moral life within an unjust, capitalist society.

All labels observed (10)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf epic theatre work ⓘ
play ⓘ
author Bertolt Brecht ⓘ
centralConflict individual goodness versus systemic injustice ⓘ
centralQuestion whether it is possible to be good in a corrupt society ⓘ
character Shen Te ⓘ
Shui Ta ⓘ
Wang the water seller ⓘ
Yang Sun ⓘ
the three gods ⓘ
countryOfOrigin Germany ⓘ
criticizes bourgeois morality ⓘ
capitalist social relations ⓘ
economic inequality ⓘ
dramaticStructure 11 scenes ⓘ
prologue and epilogue ⓘ
dramaticTechnique Verfremdungseffekt ⓘ
direct address to the audience ⓘ
narration ⓘ
songs ⓘ
explores the commodification of human relations ⓘ
the tension between altruism and self‑preservation ⓘ
firstPerformance 1943 ⓘ
firstPerformanceCountry Switzerland ⓘ
firstPerformanceLocation Zurich ⓘ
form play in three acts ⓘ
genre epic theatre ⓘ
political theatre ⓘ
social drama ⓘ
hasAlterEgoDevice Shen Te becomes Shui Ta ⓘ
literaryMovement epic theatre ⓘ
modernism ⓘ
mainTheme capitalism and exploitation ⓘ
goodness versus self‑interest ⓘ
morality in an unjust society ⓘ
poverty and survival ⓘ
notableFeature didactic elements aimed at provoking social critique ⓘ
open, unresolved ending ⓘ
originalLanguage German ⓘ
originalTitle Der gute Mensch von Sezuan ⓘ
periodOfWork 20th century ⓘ
philosophicalInfluence Brechtian epic theatre theory ⓘ
Marxism ⓘ
plotSummary A poor but kind woman, Shen Te, tries to live a good life after receiving money from visiting gods, but must adopt a ruthless alter ego, Shui Ta, to survive in a corrupt society. ⓘ
protagonist Shen Te ⓘ
setting China ⓘ
Szechwan ⓘ
linked to: Sichuan Province

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (19)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Bertolt Brecht → notableWork → The Good Person of Szechwan ⓘ
epic theatre → hasKeyWork → The Good Person of Szechwan ⓘ
The Good Person of Szechwan → originalTitle → Der gute Mensch von Sezuan ⓘ
linked to: The Good Person of Szechwan
Berliner Ensemble → notableWork → The Good Person of Szechwan (productions) ⓘ
linked to: The Good Person of Szechwan
Therese Giehse → performedIn → "The Good Person of Szechwan" ⓘ
linked to: The Good Person of Szechwan
Taganka Theatre → notableProduction → The Good Person of Szechwan ⓘ
Ian Shaw → notableWork → The Good Soul of Szechuan (stage production) ⓘ
linked to: The Good Person of Szechwan
Shen Te → appearsIn → The Good Person of Szechwan ⓘ
Shen Te → firstAppearedIn → The Good Person of Szechwan ⓘ
Shen Te → receivesHelpFrom → the gods in The Good Person of Szechwan ⓘ
linked to: The Good Person of Szechwan
Shui Ta → appearsIn → The Good Person of Szechwan ⓘ
Shui Ta → appearsIn → Der gute Mensch von Sezuan ⓘ
linked to: The Good Person of Szechwan
Wang the water seller → appearsIn → The Good Person of Szechwan ⓘ
Yang Sun → appearsIn → The Good Person of Szechwan ⓘ
Yang Sun → appearsInAct → Act II of The Good Person of Szechwan ⓘ
linked to: The Good Person of Szechwan
Yang Sun → fictionalUniverse → The Good Person of Szechwan universe ⓘ
linked to: The Good Person of Szechwan
the three gods → appearsIn → The Good Person of Szechwan ⓘ
Mariangela Melato → notableWork → The Good Person of Szechwan (stage role) ⓘ
linked to: The Good Person of Szechwan
Mariangela Melato → notableWork → The Good Person of Szechwan (Italian TV) ⓘ
linked to: The Good Person of Szechwan