Project Gutenberg 2000-12-01 Public domain in the USA. 159 Gay, John 1685 1732 The Beggar's Opera Transcribed from the 1922 William Heinemann (1765 text) edition by David Price "The Beggar's Opera" by John Gay is a satirical play written in the early 18th century. The work presents a frothy critique of societal norms and corruption, focusing on the lives of characters existing on the fringes of society. The narrative revolves around the lives and interactions of Anne "Polly" Peachum, her father, Mr. Peachum, and the charming but unscrupulous highwayman, Captain Macheath, whose tangled relationships and various exploits drive the plot forward. At the start of the play, we are introduced to the Beggar and Players, who set the satirical tone for the story. The Beggar claims his status as a poet through the lens of poverty and introduces the themes of deception and moral ambiguity prevalent in the opera. The first act unfolds in Mr. Peachum's house, where he and his associate Filch engage in discussions about their business concerning criminals and their dealings. As characters express their views on crime and morality, we see the juxtaposition of respectability and roguery. Captain Macheath's reputation is established, hinting at his romantic interests, particularly with Polly, while Mrs. Peachum voices her concerns over her daughter's choice in a husband. The opening portion effectively establishes the play's dark humor and biting social critique while foreshadowing the conflicts and intrigues to come. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Ballad operas -- Librettos ML Text Opera Browsing: Music Browsing: Performing Arts/Film 152995 152891 2024-09-01T13:12:56.019101 2023-10-02T03:33:42.490122 text/html text/html 164070 2019-08-14T16:19:43 text/html 73309 2019-08-14T16:22:51 text/html application/zip 82449 2024-09-01T13:13:00.527064 application/epub+zip 80927 2024-09-01T13:12:56.833074 application/epub+zip 80183 2024-09-01T13:12:56.432092 application/epub+zip 158671 2024-09-01T13:13:03.029047 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 133574 2024-09-01T13:13:00.058102 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 132950 2022-09-02T04:01:30.251160 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 129880 129819 2024-09-01T13:12:55.329101 2023-10-02T03:33:41.811094 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 129996 2019-08-14T16:19:25 text/plain; charset=utf-8 48717 2019-08-14T16:22:51 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 18064 2024-09-01T13:13:03.166039 application/rdf+xml 14042 2024-09-01T13:12:56.521089 image/jpeg 3153 2024-09-01T13:12:56.477079 image/jpeg 73732 2024-09-01T13:12:56.035082 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia