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Symbols
Because of the nature of epic theater and its straightforward, fourth-wall-demolishing, stark method of storytelling, there aren’t a lot of symbols in The Threepenny Opera. One recurring image that does, however, serve a kind of symbolic purpose is that of the moon. Throughout the opera, several characters notice the brightness of the moon over their London neighborhood of Soho—and the effect the moonlight has on one another’s behavior. Polly’s parents, Peachum and Mrs. Peachum, worry that the moon is inspiring their daughter to pursue romance with an inappropriate suitor; Macheath, the thief and scoundrel, uses moongazing to draw Polly in and inspire amorous feelings within her; Polly later admits to her parents, somewhat triumphantly, that the moon has played a large role in her being drawn to Macheath. Later on in the play, after the furious Peachum has had Macheath jailed for his crimes, Polly visits her new husband in prison to lament that she’s had a dream that the moon was “quite then, like a penny […] all worn away.” Thus the moon emerges as a symbol of the frivolity of romance and infatuation—and the changeable nature of love, sex, and lust. As one of the major themes of the play concerns the ways in which love and sex distract men and women from the more pressing social issues of corruption, greed, capitalism, and bureaucratic abuse, it makes sense that Brecht would work in a symbol which paints the pull of infatuation as something inconstant, ever-changing, faraway, and mysterious.
The Moon Quotes in The Threepenny Opera
The The Threepenny Opera quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Moon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 2, Scene 1
Quotes
POLLY: Mac, last night I had a dream. I was looking out of the window and I heard laughter in the street, and when I looked up I saw our moon, and the moon was quite thin, like a penny that’s all worn away. Don’t forget me, Mac, in the strange cities.
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Act 2, Scene 3
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BROWN: I hope my men don’t catch him! Dear God, I hope he’s beyond Highgate Moor thinking of his old friend Jacky! But he’s thoughtless, like all men. If they should bring him in now, and he were to look at me with those faithful friendly eyes, I couldn’t stand it. Thank God, there’s a moon: once he’s out in the country, he’ll find his way all right.
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Get the entire The Threepenny Opera LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Moon Symbol Timeline in The Threepenny Opera
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Moon appears in The Threepenny Opera. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, Scene 1
...describing their fears about their daughter’s penchant for going out and having “fun”—they worry the moon is to blame for her restless spirit.
(full context)
Act 2, Scene 1
...says he must go. Polly tells Macheath of a strange dream she had about the moon—in the dream, the moon looked “thin, like a penny that’s all worn away.” Macheath ignores...
(full context)
Act 2, Scene 3
...Macheath is already far away beyond Highgate Moor. Looking out the window, Brown sees the moon high in the sky and hopes it will guide Macheath’s way through the dark country...
(full context)
