The Beggar’s Opera Terms

Cordials, now called liqueurs, are alcoholic drinks flavored with herbs, spices, and/or fruits. They have been used as medicine for centuries but became recreational beverages by the 18th century, when The Beggar’s Opera is set. read analysis of Cordial

Newgate Prison, London’s main prison from the late 1100s until 1902, is the setting for half of Act II and most of Act III of The Beggar’s Opera. It was famously cruel and unsanitary… read analysis of Newgate Prison

Penal transportation is a form of punishment in which criminals are shipped away to faraway colonies. It was frequently used in the British Empire between the late 1600s and the mid-1800s, especially for thieves. The… read analysis of Transportation