Butler - Sweeney Todd

Tim Burton was tasked with the very difficult challenge of overcoming moral revulsion about murder and cannibalism when he adapted Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. In both the film adaptation and the stage musical, the audience is supposed to sympathize and feel for the characters of Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. Burton achieves this feeling of sympathy within the audience by making the characters’ motives relatable to everyday people. Sweeney Todd’s motive for his murderous actions is revenge against the one who wronged him: Judge Turpin. Mrs. Lovett’s motives for creating cannibals out of her customers are the longing for success from her business and her dream of living happily by the sea. Revenge, the want to succeed, and the dream of living happy lives are all various feelings that an everyday person feels on a daily basis. By using these motives to fuel the characters’ actions, the audience is able to feel sympathy for both Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett when all of their wants and dreams are crushed completely at the end of the film. 

The use of cannibalism represents a look into urbanization, especially in London. Urbanization in London caused many people to leave their home cozy homes and families in rural areas to head to large, developing cities. When this would occur, the people of the rural areas would think of the people who left as being eaten up by a large and overwhelming area, never to be seen again. This is similar to the idea of cannibalism, especially in Sweeney Todd. In Sweeney Todd, Todd’s customers are killed so they can be ground up and put into Mrs. Lovett’s meat pies. Todd is supposed to represent the ever growing and developing urban landscape of London, and Todd’s victims are supposed to represent the people who leave the comforts of their home in the rural areas of England. In both the film adaptation and the stage musical adaptation of the classic tale, the use of cannibalism is major aspect and asset of the story. Also, the use of cannibalism in the story is a very interesting choice, as it presents an interesting look into the morality of man. The people who devour on Mrs. Lovett’s meat pies eat the pies without questioning where Mrs. Lovett has gotten such fresh meat. So, the masses blindly eat the pies without realizing they are eating themselves. This aspect of the story is very interesting because it is an interesting look at people and their actions.