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
In private, Peachum tells Mrs. Peachum that, even though Polly’s decision was “rash,” Macheath has money, which cures all ills. But Mrs. Peachum doesn’t think they can get Macheath’s money—after all, he probably has other wives, who will also go after his assets in court. Peachum agrees. He sings that women can steal a man’s health, money, and sanity, but a lawyer is even worse because “He steals your whole Estate” (Air 11).
The Peachums want to get Macheath’s money before he can get theirs. Of course, their conversation once again makes their true priorities clear: to them, even their daughter’s marriage is just another business transaction. Still, Peachum’s misogynistic song reminds the audience that this kind of thinking is everywhere in their society: there is little difference between petty criminals like Peachum and the lawyers and statesmen who run England.
Themes
Literary Devices
