Kurt is a young German man who has served with the Foreign Legion and who lives with Sebastian in Morocco. Kurt is a physically powerful but easily-led and unintelligent young man, and joined the army because a friend persuaded him to. After his friend died of dysentery, Kurt shot himself in the foot to escape service. As a result of this, he has a wound on his foot that is infected and will not heal. It is implied that he and Sebastian are in a relationship, and Charles meets Kurt when he goes to try and find Sebastian in Morocco. Kurt is untrustworthy and unlikable, but Sebastian loves him because he believes that Kurt depends upon him. Kurt takes advantage of Sebastian (he spends his money and allows Sebastian to fetch and carry things for him even when Sebastian is ill), but their relationship is strangely reciprocal—Sebastian enjoys taking care of Kurt because it gives him a sense of purpose. Sebastian knows that Kurt would steal from him if he got the chance, but feels sorry for Kurt because he believes that he cannot help himself. In this sense, Kurt is similar to Sebastian, who is an alcoholic by the time they get together and who cannot control himself when it comes to drinking. Although Charles despises Kurt, he is clearly capable of change because, as Cordelia tells Charles, for a while he and Sebastian live quite happily in Athens together. They both stop drinking and Kurt becomes more mature and responsible. Their story takes a tragic turn, however—at the outbreak of World War II, Kurt is captured by the German Army and taken to join the Third Reich. Sebastian follows Kurt to Germany and persuades him to escape with him, but Kurt is caught and dies shortly afterward in a concentration camp.
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Kurt Character Timeline in Brideshead Revisited
The timeline below shows where the character Kurt appears in Brideshead Revisited. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 2, Chapter 3
...and drinking beer. Charles asks him where Sebastian is, and the man, whose name is Kurt, tells him that Sebastian is ill and in the hospital.
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Kurt asks who Charles is, and Charles says he is Sebastian’s friend from university. Kurt tells...
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...patiently as Charles explains that Lady Marchmain is dying. Sebastian asks if Charles has met Kurt, and Charles says yes. Sebastian says that everybody hates Kurt but that he couldn’t manage...
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...Sebastian if he plans to return to England. Sebastian thinks about this but wonders if Kurt would agree. Charles is shocked and cannot believe Sebastian plans to stay with Kurt.
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Sebastian says that he likes Kurt because it is nice to have someone who needs him and whom he can care...
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...go back to his house, and Charles helps him move. Sebastian is pleased to see Kurt, and the two men sit comfortably opposite each other in the little house. Kurt asks...
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Part 3, Chapter 4
...ill, and the day before she left, he told her what had happened. He and Kurt had gone to Athens and, for a while, they had been very happy together and...
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Sebastian went to Germany to find Kurt and found that he was a storm-trooper for the Nazis. However, Sebastian persuaded Kurt to...
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