A Man's a Man, but What about Woman?: Widow Leocadia Begbick in Bertolt Brecht's Play (1926-2006)

This essay argues that Bertolt Brecht's play, A Man's a Man (Mann ist Mann), is not merely about men, as its title suggests. Indeed, the play seems to tell the story of Galy Gay, a civilian who assumes the name and identity of another soldier. However, canteen owner widow Leocadia Begbick, who follows the British Army in India, not only drives the action of the play forward, but also analyzes the play's events as the narrator. Until it attracted the interest of feminist critics in the 1980s, her character had been almost ignored. Yet the gender critique put forward by Brecht persists through changing political circumstances and his deliberate adjustments to them in different versions of the play. Given the fundamental alterations that he made to the play without modifying Begbick's character, feminist inquiries might do well to examine Begbick's role in his texts, and particularly in contemporary interpretations. (MSE)