50 pages • 1-hour read
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
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Symbols & Motifs
Razors
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and graphic violence.
Todd’s razors are prominent motifs for The Perils of Obsession, symbolizing his overwhelming desire to attain revenge at all costs. The razors first appear when Todd arrives at the pie shop of Mrs. Lovett, who held on to them out of admiration for Todd when he was still Benjamin Barker. Todd approaches his razors with reverence, calling them his “friends” since he is excited by their potential for violence. He does this again the first time he encounters Judge Turpin near the end of Act I and again near the end of Act II, after he kills Turpin and urges his razors to rest. Todd’s reverence hints at his trust in the razors to satisfy him. Wielding them for the first time, he declares that his “right arm is complete again” (22), signifying that he defines himself by his drive for revenge.
Just as Todd uses the razors to exact his vengeance, the razors become the tools of his folly. He uses them to kill the beggar woman, later revealed to be his wife, Lucy. By turning the razor on her without learning her true identity, Todd commits himself to the blindness that his obsession casts over him. Fittingly, Tobias kills Todd with his own razors, bringing his folly full circle.
Meat Grinder
The meat grinder is a motif for The Revenge of the Working Class, representing the exploitative system that destroys working-class people for the benefit of the business owners driving the Industrial Revolution. On its own, the meat grinder churns out the raw meat that Mrs. Lovett will bake into her meat pies. However, the meat grinder gains added significance from the fact that Mrs. Lovett is taking meat from the dead customers of Todd’s barbershop. This means that Mrs. Lovett and Todd literally make their living from the suffering and death of others.
The company frames Todd and Mrs. Lovett’s business partnership as a vindictive act since Todd kills “fancy clients” and people “who moralize” (2). However, Mrs. Lovett weaponizes Todd’s desire for blood and vengeance, manipulating him into their partnership for profit. The play ends with Tobias, shocked after discovering the corpses in the bakehouse, churning the meat grinder. This signals that the exploitation persists in the Industrial Revolution, even as Todd and Mrs. Lovett are dead.
Birds
Birds are a symbol for the character of Johanna, reflecting her feelings of growing up in isolation from the world around her while also exposing her naivety. Johanna herself draws this comparison during her first appearance, singing to the birds held captive by the bird seller outside her window. She wonders whether they are ever frustrated by their captivity, revealing her wish to go into the world she sees from day to day. This gives her character a sense of melancholy, implying how much Turpin shelters her from the world, ostensibly to keep her to himself and protect her from the truth of his actions.
When Anthony tries to purchase the birds as a gift for Johanna, the bird seller tells him that the birds flutter their wings because they are blind. Unable to tell between night and day, they sing on ceaselessly. This suggests Johanna’s naivety, not knowing the difference between true and idealized love. When Anthony courts Johanna, she accepts him immediately, urging him to liberate her and marry her even if she does not know his name. This diminishes the romance between them since Johanna only admires Anthony because she associates him with escape. She does not really know him or whether she actually loves him.
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