Galileo's Church vs. the HeroIt is an unstable point in history: the intersection of science and religion at the height of the Inquisition; it is a time in which the Church reigns and a man, a physicist, must choose life or death, himself or science. Galileo Galilei's legendary dilemma and the circumstances surrounding it are presented in Bertolt Brecht's Galileo from a perspective that clearly criticizes the institutions with such control - in this case, the Catholic Church - while reminding us that men are simply men, no matter how heroic their actions appear. These problems are exposed throughout the work; however, scene 11 has the most significant role in Galileo's development, as it simultaneously reveals the extent of the Church's control and humanizes Galileo in just a few lines. Despite his courage to venture into unexplored realms of science and thought, Galileo is no hero. He is just a man. Scene 11 is the shortest scene in the play and one of only three scenes in which the title character does not appear. Yet it is here that Galileo becomes completely human. In the search for a hero, one might ignore his almost hedonistic desire for food, thought and good wine and the sacrifices he makes to acquire money. These characteristics of Galileo are revealed early in the play, when he plagiarizes another man's telescope invention to get a pay raise from the city (scenes 1 and 2), and then again in scene 11 when the Pope says : "He has more enjoyment in him than any man I have ever seen. He loves to eat, drink and think. However, the cowardice of a hero in the face of physical pain cannot be ignored. I... middle of paper. .. No one has foreseen for us a part beyond this wretched one on a worthless star. Our misery makes no sense” (Brecht 84). what he knows. It is the Pope's duty to preserve the unity that comes from shared faith, and since he is controlled by that which he governs, he cannot refuse to punish Galileo for fear of social collapse. Brecht cleverly uses scene 11 to plant seeds of thought in the minds of members of his audience through the controversy over Galileo's life and the circumstances surrounding his session with the Inquisition, Galileo explores both the dangers of institutional control and the folly of elevating men to heroic status. You will only be disappointed when both prove fallible. Bibliography Brecht, Bertolt New York: Grove Press, 1966.