1 / 9

The Beggar’s Opera

The Beggar’s Opera. “Life is a jest And all things show it; I thought so once, And now I know it.”. By John Gay. Characters. Men Beggar Player Peachum Filch Lockit Macheath Macheath’s gang: Jemmy Twitcher Crook- Finger’d Jack Wat Dreary Robin of Bagshot Nimming Ned

vesta
Download Presentation

The Beggar’s Opera

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Beggar’s Opera “Life is a jest And all things show it; I thought so once, And now I know it.” By John Gay

  2. Characters Men • Beggar • Player • Peachum • Filch • Lockit • Macheath • Macheath’s gang: • JemmyTwitcher • Crook-Finger’d Jack • Wat Dreary • Robin of Bagshot • Nimming Ned • Harry Padington • Matt of the Mint • Ben Budge Women • Mrs. Peachum • Polly Peachum • Lucy Lockit • Diana Trapes • Women of the Town • Mrs. Coaxer • Dolly Trull • Mrs. Vixen • Betty Doxy • Jenny Diver • Mrs. Slammekin • Sukey Tawdry • Molly Brazen

  3. The Beggar’s Opera • About a love triangle – two women, named Polly and Lucy, and a man named Macheath • Polly’s parents (Peachum and Mrs. Peachum) are outraged when they discover Polly has secretly married him • One of the most successful ballad operas of all time – the characters have “Airs” or ballads. • Metadrama – A play about a play (framed story) • Huge success in London in the late 1720s

  4. Satire • Satire - The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, etc. expose or ridicule an issue • Ridiculed London at the time (1728) – corruption of the government and the criminal justice system

  5. 3 Forms of Satire • Political: Prominent figures • Robert Walpole – considered the first Prime Minister (referred to as “Bob” in the opera) • Jonathan Wild – worked on both sides of the law, committed crimes but turned in criminals • Formal: Mock-opera • Typical opera: Noble, upper-class characters, spoken in Italian • Social: Low-lifes, greed, corrupt justice system, sexuality, marriage

  6. John Gay (1685-1732) • Born to a prominent family • Became financially unstable for a few years due to stock – greatly influenced his work • The Beggar’s Opera is his most celebrated work • He wrote a sequel but it was banned from stage due to its political satire

  7. In the beginning… • The play starts in Peachum’s house. He is by himself, looking through an accountant’s book. • He runs a gang of thieves, highway men, and prostitutes. • He is a professional “impeacher.” When he feels he can no longer use one of his gang members, he turns them in to the police. • Because of this, he has connections in law enforcement. • (Captain) Macheath is one of his highway men.

  8. Clips • Mrs. Peachum and Filch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExD1QqUrHF4

More Related