Bertolt Brecht wrote different versions of his play because he was personally affected by the world around him. Having a strong belief in Marxism, Brecht had his German citizenship revoked because of his anti-Nazi views during World War II. He moved to the United States, and after the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, Brecht was disgusted with the world. He rewrote his original play Galileo to tell the world that destruction was not the correct way to solve problems. The play strongly resembles Brecht’s Marxist views and personal experiences. Galileo’s scientific theory could benefit the entire world, but his hard work and ideas are rejected by the Catholic church for not aligning with their views. This is similar to how Nazi Germany burned Brecht’s works for not supporting Hitler’s regime, and how the United States killed thousands of Japanese in World War II for what Brecht considers to be imperial gains. The modern director at the United States Naval Academy may have portrayed Galileo as an ambiguous character because it allows the audience to formulate their own opinion. Because the play is staged at a university, a higher level of thinking is encouraged by the director. This is why the audience is left without a definite answer on Galileo’s supposed heroism. The director does not intentionally portray Galileo negatively; rather, she gives the …show more content…
They don 't know how to relate. It threatens their security, their existence, their career, image.” In the play Galileo, written by Bertolt Brecht and staged by Christy Stanlake, the Catholic church is displayed as an unaccepting higher authority which disregards ideas that do not align with its own. The church is afraid of losing power and being questioned because Galileo’s new ideas will remove the Pope from being the centerpiece of center the universe. In the modern world, new discoveries will continue to be made. The scientific truth will continue to come out, and it will continue to better all of mankind. New ideas expand the knowledge of humanity and influence everyone. New understandings are the only way to grow as a society, so why ignore