Corruption of Power in The Threepenny Opera and The Trial Analysis

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Corruption of Power in The Threepenny Opera by Brecht and The Trial by Kafka
Corruption of power or abuse of power is often the misuse of office by the commission of an unlawful act done in an official capacity. Malfeasance in office by persons in authority has existed for centuries in society. The moral decay in leadership causing these heinous acts of corruption and abuse of power is often called out by members of society who face the regimes' oppression firsthand. Quite often, officials who abuse power use corruption to their advantage and seek to silence such individuals. In the words of (Lee-Chai et al., p 220), power influences people's interactions, and given the opportunity to manipulate others, people in positions of power abuse it. However, to uproot the vice, society continues to learn from the past, hoping to produce better and more responsible leaders for the future. Literature reflects society and seeks to educate the masses on vices and possible solutions. Abuse of power is frowned upon regardless of the motivation and should be eradicated by all means. This essay focuses on Brecht's 'The Threepenny Opera' and Kafka's 'The Trial' works, highlighting how the corruption of power occurs, how the perpetrators get away with it, the victims' coping mechanisms, and why it should be stopped. Wielding a lot of power is often accompanied by corruption and abuse because the people in power positions rake up ambitions in greed and with no regard for others, as shown in the two texts by Kafka and Brecht.
The Threepenny Opera highlights the career criminal called Macheath, who is planning to marry the daughter of Mr. Peachum, Polly. He plans to do this with his friend Tiger Brown's assistance. Mr. Brown is the chief of police. Mr. Peachum is in a position of power with him being the king of the Beggars, and he threatens to organize for the beggars to ruin the Queen's coronation unless Macheath is arrested and hanged! " That same night Peachum prepares to set off. he intends to disturb the coronation process with a demonstration of misery and squalor." (Kurt Weill, p.g4) Macheath receives a Queen's pardon and is even made into a Baron with a lifetime pension in the long run. The double-edged plot combines thuggery and abuse of power, creating dishonesty and cruelty in an otherwise perceived "polite society."
Throughout the play, Brecht portrays characters who are both morally and practically corrupt to highlight how greedy, selfish, and capitalist individuals run the society. More than the affluent and those in power running society this way, Brecht also depicts how people are forced to adapt to an immoral society's status quo to survive. Jonathan is such an example when his emporium is run down. He is forced to live dishonestly and in greed as a means of survival. Peachum's profiting from other people's misfortune when he sells them licenses to beg. And yet, Brecht has depicted how he is a product of his environment of coming from poverty. He has experienced misery. In act 3, Peachum declares that he has spent many sleepless nights figuring out how to extract a few pence from poverty. He views empathy and emotion only in the capacity that it may fina...