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Threepenny Opera As A Mirror To Society

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To me, one of the most important aspects of theatre is to be a mirror to society or to a person’s individual psychology. A play should be painting a picture of a pre-existing reality, not just making up a new one for entertainment purposes. The best plays are just this, either a complex picture of society as it is or a character study that the audience is meant to take into their own lives. Threepenny Opera does follow this guideline, though it is most decidedly not a character study. The characters of Threepenny Opera are cruel and shallow, meant to prove a point rather than serve as a vessel for empathy. Three Penny Opera is a show that focuses more on society, a show that wants us to question it and ourselves. Three Penny Opera is an important show for modern audiences to see because the issues that it brings up are still relevant. It is important because of it’s messages about our treatment of the poor, and the call to action that it makes on the poor’s behalf. The society presented in the Threepenny Opera is one that is very divided by class. It is an England that is separated by rich and poor where the richer and more influential receive better treatment and luck than the beggars who have to spend their time attempting to engender enough pity to eat and live. We spend most of the play observing these poor, but we do get glimpses at some of the more privileged. Peachum is one of these described as more wealthy, as are the police and the reverend. Throughout the

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