Mother Courage and Her Children (original German title: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder) is a play by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956). It is considered to be one of serveral plays that he wrote in an attempt to counter the rise of Fascism and Nazism. However, the play is not set in modern times but during the Thirty Years War 1618-1648. It follows the fortunes of Anna Frieling, nicknamed Mother Courage, a wily canteen woman with the Swedish Army who is determined to make her living from the war. Over the course of the play, she loses all three of her children, Swiss Cheese, Eilif, and Katrin, to the war.

The play is an example of Brecht's concepts of Epic Theater and verfremdungseffekt or alienation effect. The action of the play takes place over the course of 12 years -- 1624 - 1636 -- represented in 12 short scenes. We get a sense of Courage's career without ever being given time to empathize with any of the characters.