Bertolt Brecht was known as a brilliant and shameless writer, who in his earlier plays of experimentation of expression, developed a unique style of play write. His well known play The Caucasian Chalk Circle depicts this, a parable inspired by the Chinese play "Chalk Circle" written at the close of World War Two. The story is set in the mountains of Georgia, and retells the story of a child dammed by and fought over by two mothers and King Solomon. This story is metaphorically drawn around Brecht's communist and Marxist views on society, especially focusing on the bourgeoisie class. Through the use of various gestus techniques, Brecht represents the differences between Dramatic and Epic theatre, particularly within the first two scenes of the play, creating an intellectual response, instead of an emotion one.
Epic Theatre was experimental- it employed various unconventional devices. It was aimed to allow the spectator of audience to stand outside and study the play, as it was often dialectical. This contrasts against Dramatic Theatre, known otherwise as "Aristotelian Theatre" in which the spectator is in the thick of the play, and shares the experience. Brecht wanted to change the audiences" ideals and views on society by forcing them to intellectually recognize the messages conveyed within The Caucasian Chalk Circle, using the Verfremdungseffekt. This is achieved in the first two scenes of the play through the use of characters. There are many characters introduced to the audience within these two scenes, all of them not being emotionally developed to the audience. By not allowing this to happen, Brecht is sustaining the audience from becoming "in the thick" of the play. The character of the singer is used as a narrator ensuring the audience that what they were viewing is not reality, instead actors playing a part. For example at the start of scene two the singer quotes "Once Upon a time.
