45 pages • 1 hour read
Bertolt BrechtThe Caucasian Chalk Circle
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1944A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
PrologueChapter Summaries & Analyses
Prologue Summary: “The Struggle for the Valley”
Content Warning: This section of the guide references the sizeism, fascism, child neglect, and sexual harassment that appear in the play.
The Caucasian Chalk Circle opens on “the ruins of a badly shelled Caucasian village” (29) at the end of World War II. There, two neighboring villages (the Galinsk goat-breeding kolkhoz and the Rosa Luxemburg fruit-growing kolkhoz) are disputing who shall take ownership of the valley in the wake of the war. An Expert of the State Reconstruction Commission approaches members from both villages. They say, “When the Hitler armies were approaching, the kolkhoz had been ordered by the authorities to move its goat-herds further to the east. The kolchos now considers resettling in this valley” (29). He declares that the two villages must decide amongst themselves who will own the valley.
Each side presents an argument for why they are better suited to remain in the valley. The agronomist for the Rosa Luxemburg kolkhoz explains that they intend to “increase [their] orchards to ten times their former size” (32). The Old Man, one of the Galinsk kolkhoz, argues that their goats miss their old land, and the cheese they produce is no longer as good as it was before the Germans moved them from the valley. A Very Young Workman tries to assure the Old Man that Rosa Luxemburg kolkhoz’s plan will benefit all of them, but the Old Man is stubborn and immovable on his opinion.
With no resolution in sight, a Peasant Woman brings in a singer, Arkadi Cheidze, to perform a story that will move the groups towards a decision. She tells the Singer and the musicians, “Comrades, your play will have to be good. We’re going to pay for it with a valley” (34). With that, they settle in to listen to an old story called “The Chalk Circle.”
Prologue Analysis
Brecht establishes a power dynamic in the first scene that will ultimately mirror the one between Grusha and the Governor’s Wife. In this scene, the Galinsk kolkhoz is arguing that “The valley has belonged to [them] for centuries” (31), and therefore they should repossess it now that the Germans have left. Though they admit the land will flourish at the hands of the neighboring village, they are set on keeping the valley. Another Galinsk woman says, “Comrade Expert, we’re not trading now. I can’t take your cap and hand you another, and say; ‘This one’s better.’ The other one might be better, but you prefer yours” (31). This is the primary argument of the Galinsk kolkhoz: essentially, the land is theirs by birthright. This parallels the Governor’s Wife argument that she is the better mother for Michael, which is based solely on the bond of blood shared between them, introducing the theme The Bonds of Mothers and Their Children.
The Rosa Luxemburg kolkhoz, however, see the potential the land has and have formulated a plan that will make the best use of the land. The Agronomist presents their plan; “With the help of a dam on our mountain lake, three hundred hectares of unfertile land can be irrigated. Our kolchos could then grow not only more fruit, but wine as well” (32). Much like Grusha will put in the hard work to raise Michael with love and care, this kolkhoz village is determined to do everything in their power to make the land fertile again.
When the conversation seems to be stagnant, Brecht’s epic theater comes into play. This is the section of the play in which the framing device is introduced, and the play within a play is about to begin. This device is essential to Brecht’s style of theater, which relies on reminding the audience that they are watching a play, and that they should not feel too emotionally invested. This allows the words of the story to be heard more intently, both by the characters in the play (the members from both kolkhoz villages) and the audience watching The Caucasian Chalk Circle. The Singer opens the play by telling his audience that this tale is an old one, “It may be mistaken to mix different wines, but old and new wisdom mix very well” (34-35). This message is not only intended for the Singer’s audience, but Brecht’s as well.
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