Project Gutenberg 2000-12-01 Public domain in the USA. 172 Gay, John 1685 1732 The Beggar's Opera Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beggar%27s_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.) Reading ease score: 83.2 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Ballad operas -- Librettos ML Text Opera Category: Humour Category: Plays/Films/Dramas Category: British Literature 153123 2025-08-01T13:21:50.569508 text/html 164070 2019-08-14T16:19:43 text/html 73309 2019-08-14T16:22:51 text/html application/zip 82679 2025-08-01T13:21:54.734429 application/epub+zip 80919 2025-08-01T13:21:51.377487 application/epub+zip 80174 2025-08-01T13:21:50.933452 application/epub+zip 158661 2025-08-01T13:21:57.044435 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 133574 2025-08-01T13:21:54.225431 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 132950 2022-09-02T04:01:30.251160 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 129880 2025-08-01T13:21:50.045458 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 129996 2019-08-14T16:19:25 text/plain; charset=utf-8 48717 2019-08-14T16:22:51 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 18886 2025-08-01T13:21:57.195416 application/rdf+xml 14042 2025-08-01T13:21:51.048444 image/jpeg 3153 2025-08-01T13:21:50.991444 image/jpeg 73765 2025-08-01T13:21:50.589446 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia