The heretic's cloak
The heretic's coat , written by Bertolt Brecht in 1939, is a novella that tells the story of Giordano Bruno , a man from Nola . It was published in 1939 in the Moscow journal International Literature under the title The Nolan's Coat . Giordano was arrested by the Inquisition authorities in the 16th century and, along with that, still had the stubborn woman Zunto on her neck, who wanted to demand the wages for a coat he had bought.
Emergence
The heretic's mantle, written by Bertolt Brecht, was created in connection with the study of the life of Galileo . In 1939 the text appeared for the first time in the Moscow journal Internationale Literatur under the title The Mantle of the Nolan, but without the first four sections. The narration is based on a true story, that is, that Giordano Bruno from Nola really existed and that he was burned in Rome in the 16th century for heresy. Today a monument to him has been erected in Rome.
content
The story takes place in Venice in the 16th century. The main character is Giordano Bruno, the man from Nola. It all begins when a Venetian patrician, a certain Mocenigo, invites Giordano to his home in order to be taught by him in physics and memory. Mocenigo Giordano provides board and lodging for his services. But when he realizes that Giordano is not teaching him the arts of black magic, he regrets the costs and denounces him by letter to the Inquisition. Giordano Bruno is then picked up by the inquisition officials and put in prison. The process will take eight long years.
Shortly before his arrest, Giordano had a coat made by Gabriele Zunto, but he has not yet paid for it. In order to get his wages after all, Zunto, the tailor, rushes to Mocenigo to claim it from him. However, Zunto is turned away by Mocenigo's servant and he realizes that he could possibly get into trouble if he is brought into closer association with this heretic. That is why Zunto waived his fee. His wife, on the other hand, proves to be more stubborn, she insists on the 32 scudi and wants to claim them from the court. The officer in charge writes down the claim and tells her that it is unlikely to come of it. The matter is therefore narrow because 32 Sudi are a whole month's wage. Although things are so bad for Giordano, she does not want to give up and insists on talking to him, which she succeeds in doing. You can clearly feel the woman's disapproval from the conversation.
Giordano, for whom it is a matter of life and death, in addition to the agony of the prosecution, still takes care of the relatively small desire of Ms. Zunto and her 32 scudi. Nonetheless, Zunto's persistence proved its worth and the controversial coat was returned to her. However, it is also noted that Giordano could also use the coat, since it is now being delivered to Rome in the freezing cold of winter. It can be assumed that he will be put on the stake there.
shape
The narrative is written in the form of a novella . The main character, Giordano, is based on a person who really existed. As in history, the real Giordano lived in the 16th century and had revolutionary ideas for this time, for which he was also burned by the Inquisition. Brecht takes this person's story and puts it in a slightly different context. The Heretic's Mantle appears under the Calendar Stories Collection with eighteen other stories and poems.
interpretation
The heretic's mantle shows parallels to other stories, such as the life of Galileo or the Keuner story , the wise man is the attitude . Brecht wants to tell us through these stories that what is important is not what people say, but what they do. Giordano judges Ms. Zunto not according to her actions, but according to her possibilities and thus shows understanding for her just as tricky situation. What makes him great is that he not only stands up for Ms. Zunto, but also understands and treats her politely. Bruno shows social justice by equating woman's need for existence to his need for life. Bruno's attitude is only fruitful with the woman, because only she goes through a change in consciousness after meeting him. In addition, Brecht criticizes the Church, especially the Inquisition, as an institution that prevents knowledge and Giordano is portrayed as a fighter for science and freedom who bravely stands up against the Inquisition authorities and tries to fight for his rights. Ms. Zunto stands out due to her incorruptibly sensible character and thus proves to be an opponent to Giordano. Due to her lack of existence, she is forced to demand her wages from a death row inmate. However, she does so in a gruff manner, which in turn represents her despair. At the time, free thinking was a luxury that was heavily censored and controlled by the prevailing nobility and clergy. At that time it would probably have been more sensible to submit to the Church and work in secret. Brecht's Marxism is reflected in history by the fact that he criticizes all freedom-restricting authorities, in this case the church, and shows us the means by which it oppressed the people and exploited their faith. 1939 was the time of National Socialism in Germany and therefore it seems reasonable to assume that Brecht, along with the story, also criticized this, such as the imprisonment of people who think differently or the prohibition of knowledge. In addition, Brecht shows a negative attitude towards the materialism that is tearing society apart.
reception
The novella was filmed and broadcast in 1989 by the director Peter Vogel on behalf of the GDR television.