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SASKIA FISCHER
However, these interpretations fail to recognize that Brecht’s play rather makes
the revolution — its risks and mechanisms of self-representation and justifica¬
tion of violence — the subject of discussion. The play does not simply want to
convince the audience; it wants to involve spectators and get them to develop
an opinion on what is being shown on stage. Die Mafsnahme is not that simple
or entirely affirmative in the sense of political propaganda, as I will now discuss
further in more detail.
PoETIC RITUALITY — BETWEEN AFFIRMATION AND CRITICISM
In contrast to Der Jasager, Brecht added a framing plot to Die Mafsnahme, in
which the action of the play is embedded. It begins with the control choir pay¬
ing tribute to the agitators for their successful propaganda in China:
THE CONTROLLING CHOIR: Step forward! Your work has been lucky, also in
this country.
The revolution is marching on, and the lines of
the fighters are in order there too.
We agree with you.°?
Essentially, the play could be over after these few lines. They do not intro¬
duce any conflict, nor do they describe a beginning, but a satisfying conclu¬
sion about previous actions: “We agree with you” [Wir sind einverstanden mit
euch]. But the agitators interrupt the hasty agreement of the control choir with
their agitation in China: “Stop! We have to say something” [Halt! Wir miissen
etwas sagen], by reporting the “death of a comrade” whom they themselves
killed and demanding “the verdict” of the control choir on this matter.°* Not
only is a trial situation introduced, but Brecht also creates a theater situation
on stage right at the beginning of the play with the request: “Step forward,”
which is also a spoken stage direction. The agitators’ stepping out of the control
choir recalls the genesis of ancient theater from the ritual choir. It is the situ¬
ation of a play within a play. In line with his central claim “zeigt, dass gezeigt
wird” to epic theater, from the very beginning the play demonstrates that it is
always aware that it is theater.
Despite the fundamental references to ritual forms and religious genres,
as outlined above, Die Mafsnahme also marks a distinct area of the arts and
consequently creates a distance between ritual and theater. Just as Brecht
Brecht: Ibid., 75. [Der Kontrollchor: “Tretet vor! Eure Arbeit war gliicklich, auch in diesem
Lande marschiert die Revolution, und geordnet sind die Reihen der Kampfer auch dort. Wir
sind einverstanden mit euch.”]
54 Ibid.
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