Hypocrisy is Bertolt Brecht's bread and butter (and that's some alliteration for you). He loves to reveal the hypocrisies of bourgeois morality, and The Threepenny Opera is chockfull of examples. There's the upstanding, law-abiding business owner, whose business is to outfit beggars so they can make more money. There's the chief of police whose best friend is the most notorious criminal in London. There are the parents who don't want their daughter to get married to that same criminal, not because he's an outlaw, but because they want her to stay around and provide funds for them. Everyone's fronting being a good old boy or gal, but while they point fingers at each other, they forget their own faults.
Questions About Hypocrisy
- Who is the most hypocritical character in the play, and why?
- What is the relationship like between Mac and Jackie, and what does it have to do with hypocrisy?
- How does the play criticize hypocrisy in society?
Chew on This
The police chief's friendship with the most wanted criminal is a symbol of all corrupt, hypocritical politics.
While Peachum believes he is better than Mac because he is a business owner (rather than, you know, a criminal), he is actually just as corrupt as Mac.