Asadakta wedi thiyanu – Sri Lanka August 28th

Nirosha Godamulla

The biggest effect to society from the Industrial Revolution of the 20th century, can be experienced through the form of drama. Especially through people like Bertolt Brecht who was a German theater practitioner, playwright and poet, who heroically mastered the ethics of theater, brought a fresh look and experience to masses.

His drama “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” transcends specificity in its depiction of the universal narratives of politics, social structure and cultural differences. It is truly eternal and universal. Azdak a rather unconventional judge, ruled on Micheal’s legal custody, not taking to account his biological mother or the Servant who filled the role of the mother, by using the chalk circle as his visual evidence, and coming to the logically correct conclusion of “When something happens, the deserving should be given the rightful place”. “Shoot Azdak” is drama where we show the inner workings of this logic. We belive the high Society ways inherited by Micheal at his birth will one day fade away towards that same group of people. He is filled with hatred towards the working class society that nested and took care of him, and not the society that abandoned him. His detestation is not at the judge who ruled fairly towards him, but at the bandit Azdak, who understood the reality of life. The finale is when Micheal who has become a young adult, goes looking for his heritage and realizes that he was prevented of his high society birth right. He begins to detest everyone who stood by him when growing-up, which in essence writes the death certificate on fair, hardworking human civilization. Micheal’s decision to Shoot Azdak is justified to him because of this comprehension