The Threepenny Opera: Act 2, Scene 2 Summary & Analysis

At a brothel in Wapping, a group of prostitutes in their shifts sit around busying themselves with ironing, preening, and card games. One of Macheath’s thugs, Hook-finger Jacob, is there; he laments that he doesn’t think Macheath will ever come to the establishment again. Just then, Macheath bursts through the door, asking for his regular coffee. Jacob, startled, asks why Macheath isn’t hiding out in Highgate—Macheath insists that he can’t let “trifles” disturb his routine. He hangs his coat on the door and tosses his charge-sheet to the ground. Ginny Jenny picks it up and begins reading all the charges against Macheath and his gang. Alarmed, she asks for his hand so that she can read his palm.

The other prostitutes gather around and ask Jenny what she sees. She declares that she sees darkness and “a little bit of love,” plus a line which indicates that Macheath will be betrayed by a woman whose name begins with J. Macheath suggests the woman’s name begins with P. Jenny warns Macheath that when the coronation bells begin ringing, things will turn ugly for him. As Macheath laughs off the palm reading and begins flirting with another girl, Jenny slips out of the room.

When Macheath finishes flirting, he notices Jenny’s absence and asks where she’s gone. He begins reminiscing about his past relationship with Jenny by singing a song called “The Ballad of the Fancy Man”—sometimes translated as “The Ballad of the Pimp” or “The Ballad of Immoral Earnings.” As Macheath sings, Jenny slips out to the street and beckons Mrs. Peachum and a policeman, Constable Smith, from the shadows. Macheath tells the whores of how he and Jenny lived together many years ago—Jenny turned tricks to support them, while Macheath arranged clients for her. Macheath seems to remember the arrangement as fun and idyllic.

Jenny begins singing—her recollection of things is very different. She recalls Macheath beating her when she didn’t earn enough and selling her possessions for extra cash. Still, Jenny concludes that “life was all honey from the honeycomb” then. The two of them then begin singing together, recalling a time when Jenny got pregnant—the two of them reversed their regular sexual position in order to keep from “crushing” the fetus, but Jenny lost the baby anyway. Soon after, they parted ways. Still, the two of them conclude that their makeshift bordello was their “home from home.”

Lost in song, Macheath barely notices when Constable Smith enters the brothel and taps him on the shoulder. As Smith attempts to cuff Macheath, Macheath pushes the Constable back and jumps out the window—only to find Mrs. Peachum and more policemen waiting outside. Macheath tacitly congratulates Mrs. Peachum for cornering him, then allows the police to lead him off. Jacob, who has been otherwise engaged, emerges from the brothel, realizes what has happened, and runs off to fetch the rest of the gang.