Whoa, those are some deep words we're wading into here. Even though The Threepenny Opera is funny and a little farcical, though, it has some deep currents running through it about what it means to be alive and conscious. These moments usually come up in the songs, when characters sing about how horrible human beings are to one another and how this misery is the foundation of our society. The contrast between the light action of the play and the serious business of the songs might jolt audiences out of their popcorn-induced pleasure comas, and that's exactly the point. Brecht was always looking for ways to make people think about more than the next sip of soda pop, about serious issues of human existence.
Questions About Life, Consciousness, and Existence
- According to Macheath and Jenny, what keeps mankind alive?
- What's the effect of all the singing about philosophical subjects in the middle of this tragicomedy?
- When Jenny sings the Solomon Song, she argues that having too much of a good thing can be fatal. What do you think about the examples she uses? Are they convincing?
- Why is Macheath allowed to go free, with pay, at the end of the novel? What does this ending tell us about Brecht's outlook on life?
Chew on This
Brecht shows us how the world is a miserable, immoral place.
Brecht offers hope for a better way of life, if we will rise above the immoral existence of oppression.