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The protagonist of The Caucasian Chalk Circle and an emblem of goodness, righteousness, and justice, the servant-girl Grusha represents Brecht’s desire for a society built on the success and triumph of the lower classes over their wealthy and powerful overlords, as well as his desire for a world built on lovingkindness and compassion. When Grusha discovers that the noble infant Michael Abashwili has been abandoned by his mother Natella during the coup, Grusha reluctantly realizes that she must take the infant into her care if he is to survive. She flees with him into the mountains, pursued by the Fat Prince’s soldiers, and though the child is a burden to her at first and she initially attempts to abandon him with a peasant-woman and her husband, Grusha realizes once again that she is the only one who can properly care for the child. Grusha is deeply concerned that Michael should grow up “right”—she wants to keep him away from the corruptive forces of wealth and power, and raise him to be just, good, and hardworking. When the Fat Prince’s regime is overturned and Natella sends soldiers to take Michael away from Grusha, Grusha stands trial against Natella and is eventually proclaimed the child’s true mother after she refuses to cause him bodily harm during the test of the chalk circle. Azdak, a judge who stands up for society’s poor, recognizes the depth of Grusha’s commitment to Michael and her desire to keep him from corruption, and devises a test which (it is implied) he knows she will pass. Thus the play concludes with the triumph of the lower class as Grusha is reunited with her son as well as her betrothed, the soldier Simon Shashava. The play’s narrator, Arkadi, thus proclaims “that what there is shall go to those who are good for it: children to the motherly, that they prosper.” The play’s overtly moralistic conclusion highlights the ways in which Grusha’s character symbolizes not only motherhood in general, but the idea that responsibility should be given to those who have the greatest capacity for care and compassion.
Grusha Vashnadze Quotes in The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The The Caucasian Chalk Circle quotes below are all either spoken by Grusha Vashnadze or refer to Grusha Vashnadze. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1
Quotes
“Know, woman, he who hears not a cry for help but passes by with troubled ears will never hear the gentle call of a lover nor the blackbird at dawn nor the happy sigh of the tired grape-picker.”
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“Fearful is the seductive power of goodness!”
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Act 2
Quotes
“She who carries the child feels its weight and little more.”
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“Deep is the abyss, son, I see the weak bridge sway. But it’s not for us, son, to choose the way. The way I know is the one you must tread, and all you will eat is my bit of bread. Of every four pieces, you shall have three. Would that I knew how big they will be!”
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Act 3
Quotes
“While you fought in the battle, soldier, the bloody battle, the bitter battle, I found a helpless infant. I had not the heart to destroy him. I had to care for a creature that was lost. I had to stoop for breadcrumbs on the floor. I had to break myself for that which was not mine, that which was other people’s. Someone must help! For the little tree needs water. The lamb loses its way when the shepherd is asleep and its cry is unheard!”
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Act 5
Quotes
AZDAK: “I’ve noticed you have a soft spot for justice. I don’t believe he’s your child, but if he were yours, woman, wouldn’t you want him to be rich? You’d only have to say he wasn’t’ yours, and he’d have a palace and horses in his stable and beggars on his doorstep and soldiers in his service. What do you say—don’t you want him to be rich?”
Grusha is silent.
ARKADI: “Hear now what the angry girl thought but did not say: Had he golden shoes to wear, he’d be cruel as a bear. Evil would his life disgrace. He’d laugh in my face.”
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Grusha Vashnadze Quotes in The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The The Caucasian Chalk Circle quotes below are all either spoken by Grusha Vashnadze or refer to Grusha Vashnadze. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1
Quotes
“Know, woman, he who hears not a cry for help but passes by with troubled ears will never hear the gentle call of a lover nor the blackbird at dawn nor the happy sigh of the tired grape-picker.”
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“Fearful is the seductive power of goodness!”
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Act 2
Quotes
“She who carries the child feels its weight and little more.”
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“Deep is the abyss, son, I see the weak bridge sway. But it’s not for us, son, to choose the way. The way I know is the one you must tread, and all you will eat is my bit of bread. Of every four pieces, you shall have three. Would that I knew how big they will be!”
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Act 3
Quotes
“While you fought in the battle, soldier, the bloody battle, the bitter battle, I found a helpless infant. I had not the heart to destroy him. I had to care for a creature that was lost. I had to stoop for breadcrumbs on the floor. I had to break myself for that which was not mine, that which was other people’s. Someone must help! For the little tree needs water. The lamb loses its way when the shepherd is asleep and its cry is unheard!”
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Act 5
Quotes
AZDAK: “I’ve noticed you have a soft spot for justice. I don’t believe he’s your child, but if he were yours, woman, wouldn’t you want him to be rich? You’d only have to say he wasn’t’ yours, and he’d have a palace and horses in his stable and beggars on his doorstep and soldiers in his service. What do you say—don’t you want him to be rich?”
Grusha is silent.
ARKADI: “Hear now what the angry girl thought but did not say: Had he golden shoes to wear, he’d be cruel as a bear. Evil would his life disgrace. He’d laugh in my face.”
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