The Beggar’s Opera, as the most popular play of the eighteenth century writer John Gay. It is Ballad Opera which hits their height of popularity during the early 18th century, in England. In the course of the story, the protagonist, Macheath, a highwayman who has secretly married Peachum's daughter, Polly. In this regard, Polly's father, Mr. Peachum wanted to kill Macheath. The story satirised politics, poverty and injustice, focusing on the theme of corruption at all levels of society. John Gay wrote The Beggar’s Opera in 1728 alongside Johann Christoph Pepusch, who arranged the music.
The Beggar's Opera premiered at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre on 29 January 1728. In 1920, The Beggar's Opera began a revival run of 1,463 performances at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, London. According to, American News Paper, The New York Times "Gay wrote the work more as an anti-opera than an opera, one of its attractions to its 18th-century London public being its lampooning of the Italian opera style and the English public's fascination with it."
In the first act of the play, Peachum, a thief-catcher, and his wife are furious when they learn that their daughter Polly has secretly married Macheath, a famous highwayman. Mr. Peachum expresses, "Why, then, it is decided: Macheath shall die. And to make a sure thing of it, I'll have the job done myself." Meanwhile, Macheath is celebrating his wedding to Polly with his friends and fellow thieves. He sings a song about his love for Polly, but the Peachums arrives and arrests him. Macheath is taken to Newgate Prison, where he bribes the jailor to give him better quarters. He then sings a song about how women trick men, leading them to ruin.
Polly begs Lockit, the jailor, to let her see Macheath. Lockit agrees, but only if she promises to marry him. Polly agrees, but she secretly plans to help Macheath escape. Meanwhile, Peachum and Lockit argue over how to split the reward for Macheath's capture. They eventually agree to share it equally. Macheath sings, "The charge is prepar'd, the lawyers are met, The judges all ranged (a terrible show!) I go undismay'd—for death is a debt— A debt on demand, so take it, you know."
Macheath escapes from prison with Polly's help. They are pursued by Peachum's men, but they are eventually able to escape to a remote cabin in the woods. Lucy Lockit, who is pregnant with Macheath's child, is furious when she learns that he has escaped with Polly. She betrays Macheath to Peachum, and he is captured again. Macheath is brought before the judge, who sentences him to death. However, Macheath is saved at the last minute by a pardon from the king.
Throughout the play, John Gay's play "The Beggar's Opera" shows that all people, regardless of their social class, are capable of corruption and hypocrisy. Gay satirizes the upper classes and the criminal underworld alike, showing that both groups are equally corrupt. Gay also uses the play to criticize the British government and the legal system. He shows that the government is corrupt and that the law is only enforced against the poor and the powerless. He also explores the ways in which poverty and inequality lead to crime and other social problems.
To conclude, Gay's popular work "The Beggar's Opera" unfolds that the play also suggests that there is hope for a better future. An important character, Polly Peachum is a strong and independent woman who is able to overcome the obstacles in her path. She also represents the possibility of a more just and equitable society. Although the play is a complex and ambiguous one. It is a powerful reminder that corruption and hypocrisy are pervasive in society. According to an Irish Polemicist, Georgw Bernard Shaw, "The Beggar's Opera is the most brilliant and subversive piece of writing for the stage that has ever been produced in England."
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