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Love is one of the major issues Bertolt Bretch strongly brings out in the play the caucasian Chalk Circle. Write a composition in support of the above statement with close reference to the novel.

      

Love is one of the major issues Bertolt Bretch strongly brings out in the play the caucasian Chalk Circle.
Write a composition in support of the above statement with close reference to the novel.

  

Answers


Martin
Bertolt Bretch explores the theme of love and friendship via various characters in the play.This is mainly seen through the parental love between the Governor and his son Michael,Grusha,the Kitchen Maid and Michael,Grusha's Romantic love with Simon Shashava and finally loves between Grusha and her brother Lavrenti Vashnadze.
Natella Abashwili does not give baby Michael motherly love as her biological mother,but on the other hand ,his father Governor George Abashwili shows Michael fatherly love. By this the Governor makes sure that Michael is attended to by two doctors in order to keep him in good health. Natella is jealous of the attention the child is given to by his father.She says that " ...........but her husband would build the East wing for Michael since he is the apple of the governor's eye." "........will only build for little Michael............Michael is all........". Finally she abandons him.


When Natella Abashwili leaves behind the child Michael, Grusha, the kitchen maid takes it,watches over the child the whole night,and in the morning,as the writer puts it,the seduction between Grusha and Michael was complete.She saves the child from the ironshirts. She sacrifices a lot for the child,She buys him milk from his savings of piasters she had,she risks both Michael's life and hers by hitting the corporal,crossing the rotten bridge and marrying the dying man Jussup so that Michael can have a father,risking her engagement to Simon Shashava.

In court,Grusha shows her love for the baby Michael when the judge Adzak draws a chalk circle and tells both Natella and Grusha to pull the child so that the real mother is known. Grusha refuses to pull as she can not hurt the child and she says "......I brought him up! shall i also tear him to bits? I can't ". Natella pulls the child insensitively out of the Chalk circle.

Grusha loves her brother and this is shown when she takes with her baby Michael and undertakes a difficult journey to seek help from him when the city is not at peace after the death of the Governor. After arriving she meets Lavrenti's wife who has issues with the illegitimate child. Lavrenti's wife does not appreciate Grusha and so Lavrenti seeks to protect Grusha by finding her a dying husband to marry her.He convinces Grusha by telling her that "......you don't need a man in bed - you need a man on paper.....And you will have a place to live."

Grusha's and Simon's relationship is romantic.It is already sealed through an engagement.Their conversation is full of intimate words.Simon removes a chain from his neck and puts on Grusha's and says "..........my mother gave me this cross.......please wear it." The promise is that Grusha was to wait for Simon until he backs from the war.Although Grusha marries Jussup the dying man, for the sake of Michael,deep inside her, she love Simon and wishes that her re-union with Jussup will not last long.
marto answered the question on June 19, 2017 at 06:26


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