Bertolt Brecht's "Life of Galileo"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how in his play, "Life of Galileo", Bertolt Brecht describes the ordeal the famous scientist was forced to undergo as he juggled his personal values and views against those of the mainstream society in which he lived. The paper provides a scene-by-scene examination of Brecht's original play to identify these religious and scientific conflicts, as well as Brecht's treatment of the scientist's response to these conditions.

Outline:
Review and Discussion
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Scene I. Here Galileo introduces his concept of a new age of enlightened learning, where even "fishwives" will enthusiastically attend school and study advanced topics such as astronomy. Galileo states he first became aware that the Old Guard's days were numbered came when, as a young man in Siena, he watched "a group of building workers argue for five minutes, then abandon a thousand-year old method of shifting granite blocks in favour of a new and more efficient arrangement of the ropes. Then and there I knew, the old days are over and this is a new time" (7)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Brecht, Bertolt. Life of Galileo. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1994.

More papers on Bertolt Brecht's "Life of Galileo":

• Argumentative Essay # 95017 : "The Effects of Galileo's Recantation"
• Essay # 72376 : "Antonin Artaud and Bertolt Brecht"

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