When I started
reading The Good Person of Szechwan I
was surprised that Brecht makes Shen Teh the protagonist and argues that
someone who worked as a prostitute is revered by the gods. This is not to say
that she should not be, and I am not trying to be prejudiced, but I did not
expect this after reading the prologue in which Wang seems to be the main
character. Instead, he becomes more of a catalyst or a guide for the audience
to find Shen Teh. She does seem to have changed her ways, in that she is trying
to make it without reverting to selling herself, but I think that is what makes
this play so intriguing so far, that the judgment of all the characters is a
little bit skewed and that the universe that they live in is a little different
than ours somehow.
1 comment:
I found Wang really interesting as a character as well. On some level he drives the conversation about good and evil, even potentially functioning as the moral center of the play, through the interrogation of the gods and his support for Shen Teh, which is arguably the least self-interested form of support seen in the play.
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