The Beggar's Opera is a satirical play with over 60 short songs. The word 'opera' is used ironically in the title and the play takes many opportunities to poke fun at the conventions of classical opera. The play satirizes, through the actions and dialogues of the criminal characters, the moral standards of politicians and the upper classes in general. Several prominent figures of the age are alluded to throughout the play, and seeing them portrayed as common criminals hit a chord with audiences in the 18th century that still resonates today. The play is introduced by the Beggar (representing the author) and
the Player, who warn the audience that what they are about to see is not what they have come to know as a conventional "Opera".Act I Peachum, who is both a thief-catcher and a fence (seller of stolen goods) is going over his books to find unproductive thieves to turn in for hanging. Mrs. Peachum enters worried that their daughter Polly had taken up with one of the thieves, MacHeath, and soon finds out from Filch, the family servant, that Polly and MacHeath have already secretly married.After Mr. and Mrs. Peachum vent their anger at Polly, they calm down and ...
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the Player, who warn the audience that what they are about to see is not what they have come to know as a conventional "Opera".Act I Peachum, who is both a thief-catcher and a fence (seller of stolen goods) is going over his books to find unproductive thieves to turn in for hanging. Mrs. Peachum enters worried that their daughter Polly had taken up with one of the thieves, MacHeath, and soon finds out from Filch, the family servant, that Polly and MacHeath have already secretly married.After Mr. and Mrs. Peachum vent their anger at Polly, they calm down and devise a plan to have him arrested and executed. Polly overhears her parents and tells Macheath, who has been in hiding at the house all along, that he must flee immediately to save himself. Act II MacHeath meets his gang at a Tavern near Newgate prison. He tells them of the plot to do him in and asks the gang to cover for him. The gang leaves and his women arrive. His attentions turn to Jenny Diver who, under the pretext of seduction, disarms him of his pistol, whereupon Peachum rushes in and has him arrested.In jail, MacHeath is confronted by the jailer Lockit and his daughter Lucy, who is several months pregnant by MacHeath. MacHeath calms her by promising to marry her. Later, Polly arrives to visit. Lucy discovers that the two are married and her jealousy climaxes with great aggression. MacHeath calms Lucy again, this time by making her believe that Polly is crazy. Lucy is persuaded to get the jail key from her father who has fallen into a drunk sleep and MacHeath is freed.Act IIIAt the jail, Lockit rages over MacHeath's escape. He suspects that Peachum is trying to outsmart him and plans a trip to Peachum's Lock (warehouse of stolen goods).At a gaming house, MacHeath and his gang are planning a night of thieving.We then go to Peachum's Lock where Diana Trapes, a madam, reveals MacHeath's whereabouts.Back at Newgate prison, Polly has come to apologize to Lucy. MacHeath appears, arrested once again. Polly and Lucy plead with their fathers for MacHeath's release, but to no avail.Just as MacHeath is to be taken to the gallows, the Beggar and the Player interrupt the play and proclaim the ending unfit for an opera. The Beggar cries "reprieve!" MacHeath calls everyone to celebrate, and finds a partner for each woman claiming to be his wife, and takes Polly for his own. In 1728, the theatrical and operatic world of London was set on its ear by the arrival of a ballad opera by John Gay. The Beggar's Opera represented something entirely new for the theatre going populace. Instead of the high flown operas dealing with the characters of Antiquity, here was a hard, coarse, and funny work which, by portraying the upper classes as felons, directly satirized the society and government of the day.
