The Caucasian Chalk Circle

The Singer is the narrator of the play and the only character that is seen both in the framing device (the story of the valley) and the play within the play (the story of the chalk circle). He guides the play along, filling in Brecht’s fragmented style of storytelling with useful context.

The Singer speaks for the characters at times, especially during moments of emotional distress. This provides yet another layer of distance between the audience and the characters, so they don’t get swept up in the emotions of the story. This allows the audience to remain more objective in the story, which is a large component of epic theater.

Brecht utilizes the Singer as Greek dramatists utilized a chorus in their plays. The Singer is the bridge between the story and the audience, an observer who carefully guides them in how they should think. However, Brecht’s Singer prompts more critical thought than the Greek chorus, allowing audiences to think more for themselves.

Simon is a soldier, and Grusha’s love interest. When they initially meet, Grusha is flustered because he admits he’s watched her from a bush by the river where she bathes. However, she is eventually won over by him, and she promises to wait for his return. She says, “The pillow beside mine will be empty/My mouth will be unkissed/When you return, when you return/You will be able to say: all is as it was” (46). Simon leaves his cross necklace, a symbol of his love, with her. He then departs and is not seen again for two years.

When he finally finds Grusha again, he is heartbroken to see she is married to Yussup. He is short-tempered and impatient, unwilling to hear Grusha’s reasons for marrying before he returned. His attitude toward Grusha represents the traditional gender dynamics of the time. In their patriarchal society, Grusha is only valuable to Simon if she is a virgin. No mention is made of Simon’s activities during his two years away, and he never apologizes for spying on Grusha while she was bathing before they met. However, he is still painted as a positive character. He clearly has feelings for Grusha, as he is willing to falsely testify before the court that he is the father of Michael, even though he is not yet willing to take Grusha back.

At the end of the play, Simon sees how much Grusha loves Michael and understands why she had to marry Yussup. He embraces Michael as his son, and the three of them form a new, happy family, symbolic of the Soviet working class who will raise a new generation with better values.

The Governor’s Wife, a self-absorbed wealthy woman, is Michael’s biological mother. She is a symbolic two-dimensional character rather than a full-fledged individual, a negligent mother who does not bother to make sure Michael is brought with her to safety. Instead, she is focused on her material belongings. It is telling that the nurse to is the one holding Michael while the Governor’s Wife is packing. She instructs the nurse to “put [Michael] down a moment and go and fetch my little Morocco slippers” (48). This is the last time she mentions Michael until she comes searching for him to claim his inheritance.

The greed of the Governor’s Wife is meant to prove that traditional means of establishing ownership such as birthright, written law, or historical precedent, need to be reevaluated to prioritize society’s best interests. The Governor’s Wife is a foil for the goat-herders, who want the valley merely because their families owned it but will not take care of it the way the fruit-farmers will. With this parallel, Brecht shows that issues of land ownership are not only relevant to the upper class; the working class has their own hierarchies that require reevaluation.

The Governor’s Wife represents the evils of hoarding private property. She is only invested in Michael because she wants the inheritance having him back will bring. As a parable about socialism, the play condemns accumulating private property. This is why it is crucial that, even when Grusha wins custody, the inheritance is given to the city as a whole. Neither the Governor’s Wife nor Grusha is allowed to keep all of the land for herself, and instead the needs of the children in their city are prioritized.

Azdak is a city clerk turned Judge, and his character appears towards the end of the play. In Scene 4, after following Grusha’s story for several scenes, the Singer launches the narrative back in time to the beginning of the riots to show things from Azdak’s point of view. He is a wild and unpredictable character, but despite this, he becomes Judge. During his two years as Judge, he surprises everyone in Grusinia with his rulings. He regularly accepts bribes from the rich, but still does not let them win in court.

When Grusha arrives at the trial, the Cook tells her that she is fortunate to have Azdak as her Judge. He says, “He’s a drunk and doesn’t understand anything. And the biggest thieves have been acquitted by him, because he mixes everything up and because the rich never offer big enough bribes” (114). Azdak is by no means a saint of a Judge; he makes lewd comments and the Cook is correct in noting his inappropriate drunkenness while on the bench. However, he has a strong sense of justice and advocates for the poor, doing his best to undo some of the harm that has been done to the working class under the rule of the Governor and the Fat Prince.

Azdak is the primary character at the focus of the theme Justice and How It’s Administered. Through a series of real and rehearsal trials, Brecht is able to address a number of social and political issues through his play.

Lavrenti is Grusha’s brother who lives in the mountains. When Grusha is growing weak from her journey, it is the thought of staying with family that keeps her going. Unfortunately, Lavrenti is susceptible to his wife’s fearsome nature. The Singer says, “The cowardly brother had to give her shelter” (74), but he is reluctant to let her stay too long. He resorts to arranging a marriage between a dying man, Yussup, and his sister, even though he knows she has a loved one who will return to her. Once the two are wed, he feels his duty to both women is done and is at peace with his decision. He tells Grusha as he leaves the wedding, “So farewell, Grusha. And if my widowed sister comes to visit me one day, she’ll get a ‘welcome’ from my wife. Or I’ll get disagreeable” (80). Lavrenti means well but is too easily pressured by both his wife and societal expectations.