The Threepenny Opera

Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera reaches its climax and denouement in Act III, where power and political manipulation come to the forefront. These define much of Act III, particularly in the way Peachum orchestrates social unrest for personal gain. His plan to disrupt the queen’s coronation by staging a parade of beggars in part symbolizes the performative nature of protest under capitalism, where suffering is commodified. Peachum cynically explains that the rich create poverty but cannot bear to see it. This sentiment exposes the hypocrisy of the ruling class, who control economic structures that ensure widespread poverty while suppressing any visible reminders of their systemic cruelty.

This idea is further explored in the confrontation between Peachum and Tiger Brown—an interaction that reveals the supposed authority of law to be fragile when confronted with economic and political interests, developing the theme of The Fragile Nature of Power. Brown, representing the state, is forced to negotiate rather than enforce order, illustrating how political institutions bend under pressure when their legitimacy is threatened. Peachum’s victory in coercing Brown to re-arrest Macheath underscores Brecht’s critique that power is not held by those with legal authority but by those who understand and manipulate social conditions. This dynamic reflects the political instability of the Weimar Republic, where economic elites and political figures engaged in constant backroom deals to maintain control, often at the expense of the working class. Peachum’s actions mirror the tactics of those who use societal ills as opportunities for self-advancement rather than address them.

The play’s final act thus cements the idea that justice is an illusion. Macheath’s repeated arrests and escapes have already suggested that the legal system functions not as an impartial institution but as a mechanism controlled by those who know how to manipulate it. Macheath’s desperate attempts to bribe Smith, offering 1,000 pounds he does not yet have, once more illustrate the transactional nature of justice. Even as he faces death, Macheath assumes that money can buy his freedom, reinforcing the idea that within capitalism, legality and morality are secondary to wealth and influence.

This illusion is fully realized in the play’s climax, where, just as Macheath is about to be executed, a deus ex machina intervention occurs. The absurdity of this moment, far from offering a happy ending or even a logical resolution, serves as Brecht’s final indictment of capitalist society. The staged nature of the event, relayed by Peachum in a monologue, breaks any remaining illusion of justice:

Dear audience, we now are coming to

The point where we must hang him by the neck

Because it is the Christian thing to do

Proving that men must pay for what they take.

But as we want to keep our fingers clean

And you’re the people we can’t risk offending

We thought we’d better do without this scene

And substitute instead a different ending (115).

This direct address exposes the audience to the process of writing a play and to the decisions that those involved in writing and directing the play must make regarding the plot. This in turn asks the audience to recognize the contrived nature of justice under capitalism. Macheath is not spared because of any moral reasoning. Indeed, it is not clear what moral reasoning could even plausibly intervene here; the implication is that executing a man “[b]ecause it is the Christian thing to do” and rewarding a man with Macheath’s violent history by giving him a castle and title are similarly amoral responses to the situation. Ultimately, Macheath is spared only because the narrative requires it. Likewise, the text suggests that decisions for society are not made based on justice, empathy, morality, or equality but rather because those in power benefit from those decisions. In this sense, Macheath’s elevation to knighthood does represent the culmination of the work’s themes—specifically, Corruption as a Universal Constant. Macheath is no more criminal than the people who already occupy such positions, Brecht suggests.

By exposing the arbitrary nature of justice, Brecht also draws attention to how capitalist societies selectively enforce punishment. Despite his last-minute escape, small-time criminals like Macheath typically face the gallows, while those who commit far greater crimes under the guise of business and politics remain untouched. Macheath himself comments on this reality, lamenting the decline of men like him in a world dominated by larger, more sophisticated forms of exploitation.

The reconciliation between Polly and Lucy in Scene 2 offers a rare genuine moment in the play. Their rivalry, built on illusions of love and fidelity, is rendered irrelevant by Macheath’s impending execution, somewhat undercutting each woman’s generosity of spirit. Nevertheless, the moment hints at the possibility of solidarity between those exploited by a patriarchal system. Likewise, the sex workers who are ready to betray Macheath a second time provide a glimpse of true resistance, as an oppressed group dictates the fate of one of the most powerful men in society. In a play that generally insists upon The Futility of Human Aspirations, even undermining the simple expectation of narrative closure, such moments serve as counterweights, suggesting that hope for a better world is not entirely pointless.