Reply to comment

The story I found most interesting was the story I was expecting and how it differed from the story that Brecht actually told. The beginning of the play portrays Galileo as a vivacious, insatiably curious scientist and teacher; he had positive attributes by today's standards. Thus, I thought the play would present Galileo as a hero, bravely facing the powerful, corrupt church in the name of science. However, as the play progressed, it revealed more of his "ickiness": he sold someone else's invention to make money, and he sacrificed his daughter's happiness and marriage when he thought it was safe for him to begin talking about astronomy again. Ultimately, he gives in to the church because he values his own comfort over his work's potential revolutionary consequences. I think Andrea represents my views well: he kept trying to make Galileo a hero character when he wasn't in Scene 13. I believe that this story functions as a commentary on society's inclination toward hero-izing certain historical figures and glossing over thier less desireable traits. This in turn reminds me of the fairytales we just finished studying, as this polarization mirrors the simplification in the characters in fairytales.