How good a mother is Mother Courage? How courageous is she?
This question asks you to consider what counts as a “good mother” and what counts as “courage”–both as presented in the play and as what seems true to you. In thinking about Courage in these terms, consider her attitude towards her children when there is a conflict of interest with her business. • “All good Catholics here” (Chaplain, Scene 3). What is the role of religion within the religious war in which the play is set? The quotation is a clue that the Chaplain is the key character to analyze in answering this question. One good answer would attempt a character study of him before relating it outward to the bigger pictures of the war and the play. • Explore Brecht’s presentation of Kattrin, commenting particularly on the significance of her being dumb (mute). Writing about Kattrin can be difficult in that she speaks no lines. Consider, though, moments where Brecht gives her specific gestures in the stage directions, and analyze her growing role in the play, particularly her final sc
