In Bertolt Brecht's Galileo, the setting is the dawn of the age of reason in the early 17th century when Galileo was teaching young students the incredible account of how the earth moves around the sun, rather than the other way around. His heretical announcement, that both the moon and Jupiter only reflect the sun's light, is brought to the attention of the church and Galileo is summoned to the Vatican. His friends abandon him and his appeal to the Pope is intercepted by the inquisitor. Galileo recants, but even while imprisoned continues his writings surreptitiously. Throughout his life Galileo is pitted against an institution that claims the truth as its own commodity and threatens torture and death to those who would offer an opposing vision.