Baal (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Bertolt Brecht
- First Published: 1922
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Tragedy
- Time of Work: c. 1911
- Setting: Augsburg, Germany, and the surrounding region
- Genres: Drama, Tragedy
- Subjects: Homosexuality or homosexuals, Sex or sexuality, 1910’s, Germany or German people, Hedonism, Expressionism
- Locales: Augsberg, Germany
Characters Discussed
Baal (bahl), a poet, named for a Semitic- Phoenician god. He embodies the vitality and amorality of the fertility principle the god represented. The god’s association with storms and with the life-giving properties of water is reflected in the violence and fleetingness of Baal’s passions. In the moral sphere, Baal is exploitive, murderous, and prone to drunkenness. He is tied to no human or ethical obligation. In the natural sphere, he insists on enjoying the pleasures and richness of the world.
Ekart (EH-kahrt), a composer, a bear of a man who...
[The entire page is 844 words long]
