405. DSC 354. Bertolt Brecht. The Life of Galileo (4)

Author:
Bertolt Brecht studied medicine and theater together.

The Play:
The original name of the play is "Leben des Galileo." It was written in 1938 but enacted in 1943. The setting is Renaissance, Italy. The story is about the genius of his times, Galileo Galili who was the first man to officially declare that the planets move around the sun and not the sun. He was the Professor of Mathematics in Padua University.

Structure:
It has 1 Act and 15 scenes. The genre is Epic Theatre. The theme is social responsibility of the scientists.

The Plot:
Galileo Galileo is the protagonist who used to tutor the small son Andrea of the landlord. One day, when the boy brought the breakfast, Galileo made the son of the housekeeper sit and started explaining how our solar system worked. The boy was corrected that sun didn't revolve but through a wooden model showed the reverse. And that from 2000 years, humans have been thinking it true but the speding science is correcting those old beliefs. He told that previously Copernicus also tried to say that the sun is at the center of solar system. The planets and stars we see at night, all spin around the sun. He demonstrated all these with the help of all the available wood and other materials to reiterate what Copernicus had also previously alerted. Andrea was listening and responding very well until boy's mother Mrs. Sarti intervened and warned Galileo not to teach her son such thing or else the church and school will create problem for her son.

Galileo was in need of money for his research. A rich man's son named Ludvico advised him to tutor him and earn but this way's earning was disliked by Galileo. The University salary was too meagre. The University asked to find some useful work to earn.

Ludvico wanted a teacher like Galileo. He informed Galileo about a hot selling telescope outside Italy and if Galileo brought it to their country then his tutor's dream of earning immense money would get completed. Galileo who had immediately understood the mechanism of the machine and made one similar and started to sell it. At this time, a Dutch seller appeared in their land with a boat filled with telescopes. But Galileo didn't care and showed the moon to Sagredo and said that how it has no light of its own. The sun only has its own light and with the telescope he can prove it now. Sagredo warned that if the church comes to know that Galileo was talking about Copernicus then he might be burnt alive because a similar man who had took the name was tortured beyond imagination. To Galileo he too was just stating facts.

Then he went to Florence which was known for respecting artists. He came across there the Medichi family who were close to arts and were traders. However people were still unwilling to accept his theories and findings. At this time, plague spread in Florence. And all warned Galileo to run and save himself from plague and church. But Galileo refused to abide. Plague ended.

Then he went to Vatican to show his works and telescope to Christopher Clavius who was the chief scientist of Vatican City. Witnesses were amazed to see his confidence of Galileo. Silence fell down when Clavius couldn't unacknowledge. The church said that he could continue the research but they wouldn't let these facts be disclosed and published before the world.

Little Monk, a boy was the next character who saw the telescope and Galileo's all equipments. He becomes the latter's student and reads all the manuscripts of Galileo.

Galileo was worried if he died before he could publish his work. So, he started sharing it with his students to spread his word. The students believed his works.

The senior pope of the church dies. Now, Galileo was sure that the next pope would be a mathematician who was familiar to him and his work would be accepted. He started publishing and readers enjoyed experiencing new findings. The run was still risky. So, the church without wasting any further time didn't yet permit him to publish his findings.

Andrea, his first student revisited and Galileo asked his to take his book to Holland and publish it.

And this was how Brecht, who was a radical communist, brought the story of Galileo through a play and showed how society which is intoxicated with capitalism but one day society will one day value communism as Galileo has been accepted by society. Copernicus had not the exact proofs but Galileo could just as people failed to understand karl Marx as he had no proofs like Copernicus.

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