The V-effekt, or alienation effect, was a dramatic theory developed by German playwright Bertolt Brecht that used techniques to distance the audience from emotional involvement in a play. This was meant to make the audience think critically rather than experience catharsis. Examples included explanatory captions, actors breaking character, and unusual stage designs that exposed the theatrical elements. Brecht's goal was for viewers to see the "real world" reflected on stage and question the production's relationship to real-life events and history. He opposed dramatic forms that elicited emotion over analysis.