How do the songs in “Mother Courage and Her Children” relate to the play and Brecht’s conception of epic theatre?

Answer

How do the songs in “Mother Courage and Her Children” relate to the play and Brecht’s conception of epic theatre? [NU: 2017]

Bertolt Brecht’s (1898–1956) iconic play “Mother Courage and Her Children” (1941) is about war. It shows how war destroys a family. Brecht used epic theatre. In epic theatre, songs are very important. They do not make us cry. They make us think. Songs come in every place in the story. Songs are linked with Mother Courage, her children, and the people she meets.

The First Song with the Wagon: In the Prologue, Mother Courage enters with her wagon. Her sons, Eilif and Swiss Cheese, pull the cart. Her daughter Kattrin plays the harmonica. Together they sing,

“Here’s Mother Courage and her wagon!

Hey, Captain, Let them come and buy!”

The song is happy, but soon the Sergeant and Recruiting Officer come. They want to take Eilif as a soldier. The song looks like fun, but it hides danger. Brecht makes the audience think: trade and war are connected.

Eilif and the Fishwife’s Warning: Later, the Commander praises Eilif for killing peasants and stealing oxen. Eilif sings the song “The fishwife and the Soldier.” In the song, an old woman warns a soldier not to take risks. But the soldier laughs and runs into danger. Mother Courage also sings part of the song. She then scolds her son,

“Didn’t I teach you to take care of yourself, you Finnish devil, you?”

The story shows Eilif’s bravery, but also his foolishness. The song teaches that bravery in war often leads to destruction.

Yvette’s Song of Love in War: In Scene Three, Yvette Pottier sings, “The camp follower’s song.” She tells her story of falling in love with a Dutch cook. She sings,

“Scarce seventeen was I when

The foe came to our land”. 

She remembers how soldiers used her and left her. Kattrin listens carefully. Mother Courage warns