Kamil Perry
Swiss Cheese is a character in Bertolt Brecht's twentieth-century play, Mother Courage and Her Children. In the play, Swiss Cheese is entrusted with a cash box belonging to the Protestant army. When the Catholics attack, he feels a sense of duty to protect it. However, he is captured and his honesty ultimately leads to his death.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Swiss Cheese |
| Origin | Bertolt Brecht's play, "Mother Courage and Her Children" |
| Death Cause | Execution by eleven bullets |
| Virtue | Honesty |
| Reason for Death | His honesty was seen as a source of his death |
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What You'll Learn
Swiss Cheese's honesty
In a crucial scene, Swiss Cheese is captured by soldiers from the Catholic army. Mother Courage, prioritizing her profits and possessions, denies knowing her own son to protect her interests. She hesitates to take immediate action to secure his release, struggling between her desire for profit and her maternal instincts. This hesitation proves costly, as Swiss Cheese is executed before she can secure his freedom.
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Mother Courage's reaction
Mother Courage's initial reaction to Swiss Cheese's capture is to deny knowing him. She claims that "he just bought lunch" when confronted by the soldiers from the Catholic army. As the events unfold, Mother Courage's reactions highlight the importance of profit over her own son's life. She hesitates to sell her wagon, even though she knows that Swiss Cheese's life is at risk. By the time she decides to sell it, she realizes that she has "haggled too long" and has lost her son.
When Swiss Cheese is first captured, Mother Courage strongly suggests that he give up the cash box. She then follows the soldiers as they take him away. Upon learning of his imminent execution, she desperately tries to bargain for his freedom, even though she knows that the army is convinced that they are hiding the cash box.
Overall, Mother Courage's reactions to Swiss Cheese's capture and death can be seen as a reflection of the themes and arguments that Brecht is trying to convey through his play. Her reactions highlight the complex and contradictory nature of human morality in times of war, where profit and self-interest can outweigh family ties and honest virtues.
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Swiss Cheese's execution
In the play, Swiss Cheese is entrusted with a cash box belonging to the Protestant army. However, he is captured by soldiers from the Catholic army. When Mother Courage realises that her wagon is at stake, she hesitates to save her son. She claims to "need more time to think" and ultimately decides that she will pay 200 guilders for his freedom. Unfortunately, she haggles for too long, and Swiss Cheese's execution is imminent.
Swiss Cheese is executed off-stage, and the audience learns of his death when he is brought back with eleven bullets in him. His virtue of honesty is seen as the source of his demise, as he felt it his duty to protect the cash box, even when confronted by the enemy.
Brecht's use of epic theatre in this play aims to arouse the audience's capacity for action and force them to confront the corruption of values and virtues in the face of the military-industrial complex. By presenting Swiss Cheese's death in this manner, Brecht invites the audience to reflect on the argument he is making about the impact of war on humanity.
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Cause of death
Swiss Cheese, a character in Bertolt Brecht's play *Mother Courage and Her Children*, meets his demise in Scene Three, Part II of the play.
Swiss Cheese is entrusted with the cash box from the Protestant army. When the Catholics attack, he feels a sense of duty to be honest and protect it. However, his honesty ultimately leads to his capture and death. Mother Courage, also known as Courage, has the opportunity to save Swiss Cheese but hesitates due to her reluctance to sell her wagon. Despite eventually agreeing to pay 200, Swiss Cheese's execution is imminent, and he is shot eleven times.
Swiss Cheese's death serves as a pivotal moment in the play, highlighting Brecht's argument about the corruption of values and the impact of the military industrial complex. Brecht intended for his plays to arouse the audience's capacity for action and force them to confront the message being conveyed, which, in this case, revolves around the tragic consequences of Swiss Cheese's unwavering honesty in a time of war.
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Mother Courage's dilemma
In Bertolt Brecht's play, *Mother Courage and Her Children*, the character of Swiss Cheese is faced with a dilemma that ultimately leads to his death. The dilemma centres around his honesty and duty, which are pitted against his own life and safety.
Swiss Cheese, entrusted with the cash box from the Protestant army, feels a sense of duty to protect it when the Catholics attack. This sense of honesty and duty is his most prominent virtue. However, his honesty becomes a source of conflict when he is captured by Catholic soldiers.
Mother Courage, the titular character, is faced with a difficult choice: she can either save her son, Swiss Cheese, or protect her valuable wagon and canteen. She hesitates, finding it difficult to choose between her son and her profits. Ultimately, she decides to haggle for more time, but this delay proves fatal as Swiss Cheese is executed before she can secure his release.
The dilemma faced by Mother Courage highlights Brecht's argument about the corrupting influence of the military-industrial complex. By presenting a situation where a mother struggles to choose between her child and her profits, Brecht showcases how values and virtues can be eroded by the pursuit of financial gain.
The play's use of epic theatre techniques, such as minimal props and a simple setting, ensures that the audience focuses on this argument and is forced to confront the difficult decisions and moral dilemmas presented by the story.
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Frequently asked questions
Swiss Cheese is a character in Bertolt Brecht's play, Mother Courage and Her Children.
Swiss Cheese was executed by the army with eleven bullets.
Swiss Cheese was executed because he was in possession of the cash box from the Protestant army, which the Catholic army wanted.
Swiss Cheese confessed under thumbscrews that he had the cash box and his honesty ultimately led to his capture and death.
