The Threepenny Opera

How does the author use foreshadowing in The Threepenny Opera?

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In Act II, Macheath's instructions to send money to a particular bank foreshadows the moment in the play's final scene in which she tells him she's done what he asked, which means there's no money for him to bribe his way into freedom. A second piece of foreshadowing occurs in both Polly's insistence that Macheath be faithful and Mrs. Peachum's very cynical song about men's sexual desires, both of which foreshadow Macheath's almost instantaneous infidelity after he leaves. The song, in the same way as most of the other songs, is as much a comment on human nature in general as it is on the specific situation. It suggests that human beings are overwhelmed by their feelings and impulses in the same way as Polly's song in Act 1, Scene 3 about falling in love.

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The Threepenny Opera