The Green Violin Sparknotes

The Green Violin is a play that was written by Elise Thoron with music composed by Frank London. Set in several years between 1920 and 1948, The Green Violin provides insight on the Yiddish culture that existed within the area of the former pale of settlement. Following an artist and the cast of a theatre, The Green Violin provides an examination of the art that Yiddish people created and enjoyed in Russia and Europe throughout the nineteenth century. The art created in the theatres reflects the historical past of the Jewish people. By looking at the play as a historical source, some understanding of the Yiddish people can be drawn and brought forward to the general populace. The Green Violin shows many examples of Jewish life through many periods of time and looks at how traditional Jewish life and Yiddish culture was destroyed. The Green Violin presents some of the intricacies of Jewish life in Russia post Bolshevik takeover due to it taking place in Moscow in 1920. The conditions in Russia were mostly dire …show more content…
Early in the play, it seems like the government is going to support the theatre and keep Yiddish culture alive. However, as The Green Violin unfolds the government takes more and more creative power away from Granovsky and the cast. One stark example is when Rivka declares the cast should not hold Jewish beliefs because the Russian Government says religion is no longer necessary in the world. Since a key pillar of Communism is the destruction of religion, it is clear why the government would want less focus on religion. The Green Violin shows that Jewish faith is very strong and is very hard to break. Through the demonstrations of Yiddish culture throughout the play, The Green Violin makes it very clear that Yiddish culture and Jewish faith are resilient even though the cast members and other characters are no longer in shtetls and places of high Jewish