Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Beggar’s Opera, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Moral Corruption and Hypocrisy
Gender, Love, and Marriage
Class, Capitalism, and Inequality
Opera, High Art, and Performance
Summary
Analysis
Polly returns to report that the visitor was actually Nimming Ned, who brought in valuables that he stole during a house fire last night. Mrs. Peachum asks what Polly will do now that she’s married. Polly says Macheath will support her, but her mother disagrees. Peachum proposes making Macheath’s possessions common marital property, so that they go to Polly if he dies. (After all, Peachum says, women only get married because they want “the comfortable Estate of Widow-hood” later on.) Polly is confused and asks what Peachum means. Peachum explains that he’ll turn Macheath in and get him executed (“have him peach’d”). That way, Polly can keep all his money.
Peachum reveals his plot to end Polly’s marriage and take control of Macheath’s wealth. Of course, he does not even pretend to care about Polly’s needs or feelings—he feels justified in derailing her plans because he assumes that maximizing profit is always the right decision, no matter what. Indeed, his notion that women only marry to get rich when their husbands die is based on the same distorted assumption. By portraying Peachum in this way, John Gay was also taking aim at England’s emerging capitalist culture, which led the nation’s economic and political elites to value profit and not life—just like Peachum.
Themes
Polly is outraged: she refuses to murder her husband. But Peachum says it’s not murder: Macheath is a thief, so he’ll eventually die at the gallows no matter what. Mrs. Peachum agrees—she says she will only forgive Polly if they can get Macheath executed. Polly sings that her parents should “ponder well” their plan to ruin her life (Air 12). Then, she sings a song about a turtle dove crying over its lover’s death (Air 13). Mrs. Peachum says that Polly is stupid and shameful for falling in love, like in a foolish storybook. She threatens Polly: “I shall knock your Brains out, if you have any.” Peachum tells Polly to consider their plan.
Peachum’s speech about murder shows that, to him, morality is only relevant as a rhetorical tool to manipulate other people. In other words, he does not care about what is good and evil—but he knows that Polly might, so he uses moral language to try and win her over. And while Peachum manipulates Polly with arguments, Mrs. Peachum manipulates her emotions. Polly’s songs about birds and her distress again mock operatic conventions—in fact, they give the audience the quaint bird similes that the Beggar promised in the introductory scene.
Themes
