The history of Bertolt Brecht's play Leben des Galilei extends through the writing of its three versions during 1938 to 1955 -- a period of two decades that also encompassed the entirety of the Second World War. The period also covers the atom bomb from its development to America's use of the bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the beginning of the Cold War, which included the sustained threat that nuclear weapons might be used any day. This thesis traces, and offers interpretations of, changes in Brecht's Leben des Galilei from its inception in 1938-1939 -- when the protagonist, a scientist, is portrayed in a positive light -- through the play's American version in 1947, where it bitterly accuses science and scientists of having betrayed society and humanity, and finally to its last version in 1955, where the protagonist struggles to prevent the normalization--the familiarization--of the threat of nuclear warfare. Next to the writing of the Leben des Galilei, the thesis also focuses on the main critical readings of the play. A large fraction of the critical readings, but not all of them, interpret the play either as a judgment of science or as an invitation to pass judgment on science. The thesis compares Leben des Galilei with three different groups of other texts. The first comparison is with two other plays that also address the problem of science in the age of nuclear weapons, and the second comparison is with other work of Brecht himself. The first comparison leads to the observation that the muted note of optimism in the final version of Leben des Galilei is exceptional, and the second comparison to the apparently unrelated observation that it was uncharacteristic of Brecht to make explicit a certain literary allusion in Leben des Galilei. The two observations converge to a possible common explanation from a comparison with a still third group of texts, a cycle of Native American myths which appear in the oral traditions of various Native American tribes spread throughout the New World. Finally, the thesis addresses the question of why a modern-day literary text, addressing the essentially modern problem of nuclear warfare, and addressing that problem using the essentially modern techniques of Brechtian theatre, might have structures parallel to the structures of primitive mythology.

Brecht's concept of character and its influence on the content and style of his works Brecht's concept of character, based on the Marxist-socialist premise of the perfectibility of man, is one of the most important aspects of his work. He believes that man's character is comparable to an atom, constantly falling apart and re-assembling itself. He states that man should be defined by his contradictory actions. With this view of man, several assumptions of the traditional theater no longer hold. There is no stalwart hero to pit the strength of his character against fate, there is no moral code by which he could act, since all is seen as being in flux and ethics are decided upon according to the demands of each specific situation. Since the heart of tragedy usually is the struggle of a heroic figure against fate, and since Brecht's figures are changeable and no longer heroic, the premises of tragedy no longer exist. Furthermore, the hero's character can no longer serve to advance the action of the play. The environment has to serve now as a stimulus for its progress. Although Brecht believes in the eventual advent of a "golden age,” he presents his figures as being engaged in a daily struggle, winning, losing and compromising. Such figures no longer can be shown by traditional acting methods Brecht invented the "epic" way of acting to accommodate them. New methods of observation and expression are the result of these new "heroes." Thus, Brecht's concept of character serves to convey his idea of man's existential possibilities, but also causes stylistic changes in his work.

When Bertolt Brecht flees Nazi Germany in 1933 he spends fourteen years in exile where he writes some of his most significant works, among them, Leben des Galilei. In his Leben des Galilei, Brecht explores the relationship between the individual and society. Using the historical Galileo Galilei as context, Brecht elucidates the responsibility that scientists must accept for how their discoveries are put to use. With his Galilei figur, Brecht expresses his belief that scientific advancement should be employed for the societal advancement of the common person. Brecht wrote three versions of his Galilei work, each showing significant parallels to Brecht's experiences during the corresponding time period of his exile. This thesis will illustrate these parallels. It will first show that the Galilei thematic is to be found in the very first years of Brecht's exile. It then deals with the influences surrounding the writing of the first version while Brecht is in Denmark. The second part of the thesis focuses on Brecht's exile in America and the resulting second version of his Galilei work. Here, working with Charles Laughton on an English translation of the work, Brecht's Galilei undergoes a fundamental change. Brecht attempts to alter the positive perception of the first version's Galileo who cleverly outwits the Inquisition and secretly has his work the Discorsi smuggled out of Italy. Brecht now wants to portray Galileo as a traitor of the people, who missed his chance to help the common people overcome the suppression they were subjected to. This change is strongly influenced by Brecht's experiences in America and the dawning of the Atomic Age. The last section of the thesis deals with Brecht's return to Europe and the third version of Leben des Galilei written in East Berlin. This is a result of translating the American version into German and the addition of scenes and individual elements cut from the first version to make it more appropriate for American audiences. Brecht maintains and tries to heighten the negative portrayal of Galileo as traitor of the common people.

This thesis presents evidence which supports Bertolt Brecht's oft-quoted statement that the Bible was the book which exerted the greatest influence upon his writings. While Brecht's early works, Die Bibel (1913), and Die Dreigroschenoper (1928), serve as the main examples, there are also references to biblical allusions from a number of his other writings and some of his poetry. There is general information on Brecht's religious background and en his extensive biblical knowledge which enabled him to use the Bible as one of his principal sources. Brecht's manner of usage and adaptation of religious and biblical material to suit his purposes is noted. As well, a consideration of the views and findings of a number of critics and writers with an interest in Brecht both as an individual and as a writer and poet, provides a degree of clarification of Brecht's approach to the Bible. Included too is sane detail which could posit the Bible as a possible catalyst in Brecht's examination of Marxism as a viable alternative to religion in meeting the needs and aspirations of mankind and of society.

Esse estudo analisa o filme Dogville a partir do conceito de obra modelo cunhado por Bertolt Brecht. O objetivo é verificar de que modo o filme de Lars von Trier se organiza como projeto consciente em que as dimensões da forma, do conteúdo e do atrito com o aparelho produtivo não se excluem. Como pressupostos teóricos da concepção de forma, estão os conceitos brechtianos de imagem dialética, estranhamento e gestus, que servem de base à pesquisa do campo temático de Dogville, em torno das relações de trabalho. O estudo ainda discute os efeitos da estrutura teatral com tendências épicas dentro da forma do drama cinematográfico, o sentido autocrítico do filme, e as razões de seu impacto como crítica do aparelho produtivo contemporâneo. / This study analyses the film Dogville from the concept of work model created by Bertolt Brecht. The objective is to verify by which means the film of Lars von Trier organizes itself like a conscious project in which the dimension of form, content and the friction with the productive apparatus don\'t exclude each other. As teorical assumptions of form conception are the brechtian notion of dialetic image, strangeness and gestus, which will serve as base of research to the thematic field of Dogville, rounding the work relations. The study also discusses the effects of the theater structure with epic tendencies inside the cinematic dramatic form, the self-criticism sense, and the reasons of its impact as critic of the contemporary productive apparatus.

Esse estudo analisa o filme Dogville a partir do conceito de obra modelo cunhado por Bertolt Brecht. O objetivo é verificar de que modo o filme de Lars von Trier se organiza como projeto consciente em que as dimensões da forma, do conteúdo e do atrito com o aparelho produtivo não se excluem. Como pressupostos teóricos da concepção de forma, estão os conceitos brechtianos de imagem dialética, estranhamento e gestus, que servem de base à pesquisa do campo temático de Dogville, em torno das relações de trabalho. O estudo ainda discute os efeitos da estrutura teatral com tendências épicas dentro da forma do drama cinematográfico, o sentido autocrítico do filme, e as razões de seu impacto como crítica do aparelho produtivo contemporâneo. / This study analyses the film Dogville from the concept of work model created by Bertolt Brecht. The objective is to verify by which means the film of Lars von Trier organizes itself like a conscious project in which the dimension of form, content and the friction with the productive apparatus don\'t exclude each other. As teorical assumptions of form conception are the brechtian notion of dialetic image, strangeness and gestus, which will serve as base of research to the thematic field of Dogville, rounding the work relations. The study also discusses the effects of the theater structure with epic tendencies inside the cinematic dramatic form, the self-criticism sense, and the reasons of its impact as critic of the contemporary productive apparatus.