The Threepenny Opera

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1928

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Summary

Background

Act Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Act I

Act II

Act III

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

“Beggar” Props and Costumes

Content warning: This section of the guide discusses sexual content.

The outfits with which Peacham supplies the beggars he employs symbolize both his personal exploitation of the lower classes and the broader ways in which capitalist society (mis)treats the poor. The people who come to Peachum are already impoverished, yet the reality of their poverty is not enough; to capitalize off it, he must exaggerate it, often by outfitting them in ways that make them appear to have disabilities they do not have. Those who do not comply with Peachum’s ideas about what destitution looks like cannot beg at all, as doing so requires a “license.”

The outfits thus trivialize the actual suffering of the lower classes and render them a spectacle for the voyeuristic interest of the more fortunate. Moreover, they imply the various ways in which capitalist society polices the very poverty it relies on, demanding that the lower classes conform to certain norms to be deemed worthy of even the most paltry financial relief.

Coronation

The coronation of Queen Victoria in Act III symbolizes the intersection of state power, wealth, and social hierarchy. The event, which should represent order and national pride, instead emphasizes the inequalities of society. While the upper class celebrates royal grandeur, the poor remain entrenched in suffering, struggling to survive under an economic system that favors the privileged. The most they can do is attempt to disrupt the event with a protest, but because this protest is orchestrated by Peachum, it represents little threat to the existing power structure.

The coronation also provides a moment of narrative convenience, as it becomes the reason for Macheath’s last-minute reprieve, further emphasizing the arbitrary nature of justice. Brecht uses this historical event to critique the illusion of stability and righteousness projected by ruling institutions, ultimately exposing their complicity in systemic oppression.

Betrayal

The motif of betrayal underscores the play’s critique of capitalism and develops all three of its major themes. Macheath in particular experiences repeated betrayal; Low-Dive Jenny, a sex worker with whom he has a longstanding relationship, helps the police locate him not once but twice, while his friend Tiger Brown accedes to Peachum’s demands that Macheath be arrested. Macheath himself is also a betrayer—for instance, of Lucy Brown, whom he deserts to marry Polly.

Such betrayals speak to the self-interest that capitalism promotes and even necessitates, revealing Corruption as a Universal Constant. Brown, for instance, does not betray Macheath out of malice but out of fear for his own professional survival. The perennial possibility of betrayal also contributes to The Fragile Nature of Power, as mutually profitable relationships can easily turn sour in a cut-throat world, while emphasizing The Futility of Human Aspirations by undercutting ideals of love, loyalty, honesty, etc.