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POETIC RITUALITY AND TRANSCULTURALITY does Brecht expose the sacralization of the killing of the young comrade, but he also uses the forms and genres of the Christian tradition for his idea of an epic theater. The killing scene is titled “Grablegung” in allusion to Jesus’ “burial” after his crucifixion.” The rationally calculated and cold-blooded killing of the young comrade is stylized as self-sacrifice for the higher cause through the boy’s agreement and his confession that he died in the “interest of communism [...] saying yes to the revolutionization of the world.”** The aim — the communist social order — gives meaning to the seemingly inevitable death or murder of the young comrade, it even “transcends” it and thus provides a “sacred” dimension and significance.* In this regard, the content and structure of Die Mafsnahme are linked to a sacrifice ritual. But also, the language draws on the Christian tradition, biblical verse, and especially Luther’s translation of the Bible in the way it is determined by parallelisms and repetitions. Thus, Brecht makes the agitators say, “And we asked: ‘Do you agree,’ and he agreed, and went in haste and immediately fell into a state of compassion.” [Und wir fragten: Bist du einverstanden, und er war einverstanden und ging eilig hin und verfiel sofort dem Mitleid.]*° Here Brecht clearly refers to the style of Luther’s translation of the Bible: “And he went up a mountain / And called to him / those he desired / and they went to him.” [Und er ging auf einen Berg / Und rief zu sich / welche er wollte / und die gingen hin zu ihm] (Mk 3:13f.).“ One must also bear in mind that Die Mafsnahme is a musical piece that the composer Eisler described as a political oratorio.” The majority of the text was sung or spoken rhythmically.’ Moreover, the music quotes motifs from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Matthduspassion. The alternate speech or alternate songs between choir and solo voice often refer to liturgical ways of speaking and singing. One such example is the conversation between two agitators and the director of a political party house right after their arrival in China: Asthetik des Naiven, Stuttgart, Metzler, 1989; Jürgen Hillesheim: “Instinktiv lasse ich hier Abstände...”: Bertolt Brechts vormarxistisches Episches Theater, Würzburg, Königshausen & Neumann, 2011, 453-459; Wolfgang Braungart: Heimat — Sprache - poetische Einbildungskraft (Hölderlin, Brecht), Wirkendes Wort 63 (2013), Vol. 1, 39-53. 37 Brecht: Ibid., in GBA 3, 96. Ibid., 97. [Interesse des Kommunismus [...] Ja sagend zur Revolutionierung der Welt.] Arbeitsgruppe München, Kunst und Todesritual. Handeln auf der Grenze zwischen Leben und Tod, in Erika Fischer-Lichte — Christian Horn — Sandra Umathum — Matthias Warstat (eds.): Ritualität und Grenze, Tübingen/Basel, Francke, 2003, 69-90, 79. 40 Brecht: Ibid., 80. “1 Luther’s translation was adapted by me to the new German orthography for better understanding. Klaus-Dieter Krabiel: Brechts Lehrstücke. Entstehung und Entwicklung eines Spieltyps, Stuttgart/Weimar, Metzler, 1993, 170-179. 13 Ibid. 42 43 ¢
