He who says no

de Bertolt Brecht

'He Who Says No' forms a pair with 'He Who Says Yes', inspired by the Japanese Noh play 'Taniko', relating two different versions of a fable about consenting to a cause. The Boy demands to be taken by his teacher on a dangerous journey into the mountains, so that he can bring back medicine for his ill mother. The teacher acquiesces reluctantly, but when the boy can't go on, either he or the journey will have to be sacrificed. The didactic Lehrstc̈ke (or 'learning-plays') were written during 1929 and 1930, and show an abrupt rejection of most of the trappings of conventional theatre.