2 h 22 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In a London where crime runs like a business, what separates a gentleman from a thief?
Mr Peachum buys stolen goods, manages thieves, and puts profit before loyalty. Then his daughter Polly secretly marries Macheath, the gang's charming highwayman, and the family business faces trouble. In John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, Polly's wish to stay true to her husband meets her parents' greed, while Macheath's taste for women and pleasure makes fidelity a difficult promise.
This satirical ballad opera mixes spoken scenes with short songs set to familiar tunes, from street ballads to country dances. Gay turns the grandeur of Italian opera into sharp comedy about politics, money, and class. From Peachum's household to Polly and Macheath's tender parting, the play sets affection against self-interest and asks why respectable society looks so much like the criminal world.
What you’ll discover
- Crime behind the counter Enter Peachum's household, where stolen goods and human loyalty become matters of business.
- Love against family profit Follow Polly as her secret marriage puts devotion at odds with her parents' greed.
- A dangerously charming husband Meet Macheath, whose hunger for freedom and pleasure sits uneasily beside his promises.
- Songs with a satirical edge Discover how familiar tunes join spoken comedy in Gay's playful challenge to grand opera.
- Gentlemen reflected in thieves Enjoy sharp wit that makes polite society and the criminal trade look uncomfortably alike.
Who will love it
For readers who love satire, stage comedy, and the background to musical theater, and anyone curious about the source of The Threepenny Opera. Songs, thieves, and sharp jokes about money and power bring these tastes together.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Peachum runs crime like a shop
- A secret marriage upsets the family business
- Macheath runs but cannot stay faithful
- In Newgate, two women claim one man
- Thieves and gentlemen mirror each other
- A play inside a play, sung to old tunes
Who’s who
- MacheathA charming highwayman and gang captain who loves company and women, and who wants freedom and pleasure above all.
- Polly PeachumPeachum's young daughter, who marries Macheath in secret and wants to stay true to him despite her parents.
- Mr PeachumA receiver of stolen goods and informer who treats his gang as stock to sell and wants profit above loyalty.
- Mrs PeachumPeachum's wife, who shares his greed and cares about her daughter's value as a match.
- LockitThe keeper of Newgate prison, a partner and rival of Peachum who also looks after his own gain.
- Lucy LockitLockit's daughter, who has her own claim on Macheath and wants him for herself.
- FilchA young pickpocket in Peachum's gang, eager to please and to rise in the trade.
- Jenny DiverA clever woman of the town who joins the plot to hold Macheath in the tavern.
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- Audiobook
- 2 h 22 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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The Beggar's Opera
by John Gay · 1728
A highwayman's secret marriage threatens a family crime business, and his bride's father plots to have him hanged.
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In short
The Beggar's Opera is a stage work by the English writer John Gay, first performed in London in 1728. It mixes spoken scenes with songs, and the songs are set to tunes the audience already knew, from street ballads, folk melodies and the work of composers such as Purcell.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Peachum runs crime like a shop
The play opens in the house of Mr Peachum, who earns his living in two ways at once. He receives stolen goods from a gang of thieves and sells them on. He also informs on those same thieves to the law when it pays him better to see one hanged. Gay uses this double trade to show a man with no loyalty to anyone except his own purse.
Peachum keeps a ledger of his gang, and he talks about it like a merchant reviewing his stock. A young pickpocket named Filch comes in with his latest takings and is judged on his usefulness. Peachum thinks about which men are worth protecting and which are worth selling to the hangman. The tone is cheerful, which makes the cold arithmetic funnier and more disturbing.
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What is The Beggar's Opera about?
It follows the highwayman Macheath, who secretly marries Polly Peachum. Her father, a thief-taker and fence, plans to have him hanged for the reward. The play uses crime to mock greed and corruption among the powerful.
What is a ballad opera?
A ballad opera is a stage work with spoken dialogue and songs set to popular tunes of the day. Gay's play made the form well known, and it was meant to poke fun at grand Italian opera.
When was The Beggar's Opera written and is it a true story?
It was first staged in London in 1728. The plot is invented, although the characters are drawn from the criminal world of the time, and the satire aims at real politics under Robert Walpole.
The author
John Gay
1685–1732 · English poet and playwright
John Gay was an English poet and playwright born in Barnstaple, Devon, in 1685. He later lived in London. He wrote the poem Trivia, published in 1716, and Fables, published in 1727. His play The Beggar’s Opera was first performed in 1728. He died in London in 1732.
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