Summary
Analysis
Polly sends Filch to attend Macheath’s trial while she waits back in the jail with Lucy. They hear the prisoners playing music; Polly says she loves music but doesn’t want to ruin her sorrow with joy. The women leave to “indulge [their] Sorrows,” and a group of prisoners dances onstage.
The women’s “Sorrows” and the prisoners’ dance indicate that the opera is headed for a bombastic, dramatic conclusion. Of course, Gay has repeatedly used plot twists to break the audience’s expectations, and the remaining scenes will be no exception.