Frederic Melton
In the play 'Mother Courage and Her Children', Swiss Cheese is the honest and loyal younger son of Mother Courage. He works as a paymaster for a regiment in the Swedish army. After the Catholic army defeats the Swedes, Swiss Cheese is captured and tortured by the Catholics, having hidden the regiment's cashbox by the river. Mother Courage attempts to bribe the soldiers to free him, planning to pawn her wagon and redeem it with the money from the cashbox. However, Swiss Cheese is executed before she can save him, and Mother Courage is forced to deny knowing him to save herself and her daughter.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for death | Swiss Cheese is executed for his honesty and loyalty to the Swedish army |
| Mother's reaction | Mother Courage denies knowing her son to save herself and her daughter |
| Allegory | Swiss Cheese's execution has been interpreted as an allegory for Jesus' crucifixion |
| Symbolism | Swiss Cheese's death symbolizes the profound tragedy of war and the corruption of humanity |
| Character traits | Honest, loyal, and virtuous |
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What You'll Learn
Swiss Cheese's execution is not an allegory for Jesus' crucifixion
Swiss Cheese, Mother Courage's younger son, is executed in the play "Mother Courage and Her Children". His death is brought about by his honesty and loyalty, as he tries to hide a cashbox from his commanders to eventually return it to them. However, this act of honesty leads to his capture and execution.
While some may interpret Swiss Cheese's execution as an allegory for Jesus' crucifixion, this interpretation is not supported by the text. Swiss Cheese's death lacks the self-sacrifice and salvation associated with Jesus' crucifixion. Instead, it serves as a cynical re-enactment of Jesus' sacrifice, highlighting the absence of salvation for the characters in the play. Brecht's purposeful failure to portray Swiss Cheese as a Jesus figure underscores the lack of meaning Jesus' sacrifice holds in the world of the play.
Swiss Cheese's execution stands in contrast to the crucifixion of Jesus, which is seen as an act of self-sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Jesus' death is followed by his resurrection and ascension to heaven, while Swiss Cheese's death is followed by the destruction of his mother's wagon and her being fined and sent away. The allusion to Jesus' crucifixion serves to emphasize the lack of salvation for the characters in the play, rather than as a direct allegory.
Additionally, the context of Swiss Cheese's death differs from that of Jesus' crucifixion. Swiss Cheese is executed as a result of his honesty and loyalty, while Jesus' crucifixion is an act of political and psychological deterrence by the Romans. The two deaths, while both tragic, hold different meanings and implications within their respective narratives.
In conclusion, while Swiss Cheese's execution may evoke comparisons to Jesus' crucifixion, the interpretation of his death as an allegory for Jesus' sacrifice is not supported by the evidence. Swiss Cheese's death serves to highlight the cynical and hopeless world of the play, where self-sacrifice and salvation are absent.
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Swiss Cheese's honesty and loyalty lead to his capture and death
Swiss Cheese, the younger son of Mother Courage, is described as an honest and loyal character. However, these virtues ultimately lead to his capture and death.
Swiss Cheese works as a paymaster for a regiment in the Swedish army. When the Catholic army defeats the Swedes, Mother Courage suggests that the family keep the money in Swiss Cheese's cashbox. However, Swiss Cheese tries to hide it so that he can eventually return it to his commanders. He is caught and confronted by two men, who ask him about the cashbox and threaten to kill him.
Swiss Cheese's honesty and loyalty to his commander lead him to deny any relationship with Mother Courage, even though she is his mother. He is captured and tortured by the Catholics, and Mother Courage attempts to bribe them to free him. She plans to pawn her wagon and use the money from the cashbox to buy his freedom. However, Swiss Cheese claims that he has thrown the cashbox into the river, which undermines his mother's plan and may have prevented him from regaining his freedom.
Mother Courage tries to bargain down the price of the bribe, but she wastes too much time, and Swiss Cheese is executed before she can secure his release. His body is discarded, and Mother Courage is forced to deny knowing him to save herself and her daughter. Thus, Swiss Cheese's honesty and loyalty ultimately lead to his capture, torture, and death, highlighting the cruel and inhumane nature of war.
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Mother Courage's denial of her son
The first denial takes place when Swiss Cheese is captured by enemy soldiers and confronted by his mother, Mother Courage. She denies their relationship and claims not to know him to protect herself and her business interests. Swiss Cheese is then taken away, and Mother Courage attempts to buy his freedom. However, she fails due to her obsession with haggling and bargaining, which causes a delay in securing his release.
The second denial occurs when Mother Courage is faced with her son's dead body. She refuses to acknowledge him, and as a result, Swiss Cheese's body is discarded and denied a proper burial. This symbolic death exiles him to the carrion pit, as he is denied recognition and his membership within Courage's family.
The character of Kattrin, Swiss Cheese's sister, serves as a silent witness to both the denial and the execution. Her presence underscores the emotional impact of the events and highlights the trauma and horrors of war.
Through Mother Courage's denial of her son, the playwright, Bertolt Brecht, explores complex themes such as the corruption and inhumanity of war, the struggle between morality and survival, and the profound loss and tragedy that war inflicts on individuals and families.
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Swiss Cheese's death as a symbol of the profound tragedy of war
Swiss Cheese's death in Mother Courage and Her Children is a powerful symbol of the profound tragedy of war and the corruption it brings.
Swiss Cheese, or Schweizerkas, is Mother Courage's younger son and the first of her children to die in the play. He is described as honest and loyal, serving as a paymaster for a regiment in the Swedish army. However, his virtues ultimately lead to his demise. After the Catholic army defeats the Swedes, Swiss Cheese tries to hide the regiment's cash box to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. He is captured and tortured by the Catholics, and Mother Courage attempts to bribe his captors to secure his freedom. However, she fails to bargain successfully and quickly enough to save him.
Swiss Cheese's execution is a stark reminder of the cruelty and inhumanity of war. His honesty and loyalty, which should be admirable qualities, instead put him in peril and lead to his untimely death. This dynamic is a clear message from Brecht: war rewards the immoral and punishes the virtuous. Swiss Cheese's loyalty to his commander requires him to lie to the Catholic soldiers, and his attempt to protect the cash box ends up costing him his life.
The profound tragedy of Swiss Cheese's death is further emphasised by the denial of his identity and the lack of recognition he receives. Mother Courage, fearing for her own life and that of her daughter, is forced to pretend that she does not know Swiss Cheese, denying his body and refusing to identify him. This symbolic death, as described by one source, exiles him to the carrion pit, highlighting the dehumanising nature of war.
Swiss Cheese's death also serves as a critique of Mother Courage's warmongering and obsession with profit. While she attempts to save her son, her initial hesitation to pay the full bribe and her focus on haggling contribute to the tragic outcome. The audience is left with a complex mix of emotions, feeling sympathy for Mother Courage's loss while also recognising her role in the tragedy.
Finally, Swiss Cheese's execution can be interpreted as an allegory or allusion to Jesus' crucifixion. While some sources argue that there is no direct connection between the two, the allusion serves as a cynical reminder that, in the world of the play, salvation seems absent. Swiss Cheese's death reflects the lack of redemption or meaningful sacrifice in the context of the war.
In conclusion, Swiss Cheese's death in Mother Courage and Her Children is a powerful symbol of the profound tragedy of war. It highlights the corruption, cruelty, and dehumanisation that war brings, as well as the complex moral dilemmas faced by the characters. Through Swiss Cheese's demise, Brecht forces his audience to confront the devastating consequences of conflict and the ways in which it can tear families apart.
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Mother Courage's haggling over the bribe
Mother Courage and Her Children is a play written by Bertolt Brecht in response to the rise of Fascism and Nazism and the invasion of Poland by German armies in 1939. The play follows Anna Fierling, nicknamed Mother Courage, a canteen woman with the Swedish Army, who attempts to profit from the war. Over the course of the play, she loses all three of her children, Schweizerkas (Swiss Cheese), Eilif, and Kattrin, to the same war.
In one scene, Swiss Cheese hides the regiment's paybox from invading soldiers, and is captured and tortured by Catholics. Mother Courage attempts to bribe his captors to free him, planning to pawn her wagon and redeem it later with the regiment money. She sends Yvette to bribe One Eye with 200 guilders, but the haggling takes too long, and Swiss Cheese is killed.
The bribe itself serves as a commentary on the corruption and moral ambiguity present in a society torn apart by war. Mother Courage's willingness to engage in bribery and corruption underscores the breakdown of traditional social norms and the emergence of a survival-of-the-fittest mentality. Brecht uses this scene to critique the dehumanizing effects of war and the ways in which individuals navigate a landscape defined by greed, power, and personal gain.
Overall, Mother Courage's haggling over the bribe adds depth and complexity to the character, highlighting her resilience, ingenuity, and unwavering love for her children. It also serves as a powerful indictment of the moral compromises and desperate measures that become commonplace in a society ravaged by conflict.
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Frequently asked questions
Swiss Cheese gets executed for hiding the regiment's paybox from invading soldiers.
Swiss Cheese tries to hide the paybox so that he can eventually return it to his commanders.
Swiss Cheese is captured and tortured by the Catholics. He is forced to reveal that he has hidden the paybox by the river.
Mother Courage attempts to bribe the soldiers to free him. She plans to pawn her wagon and redeem it with the money from the paybox.
No, Swiss Cheese is executed before Mother Courage can secure his release.
