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The Beggar's Opera

by John Gay · 1728

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The Beggar's Opera introduced to theater the ballad-opera and an immortal cast of characters. The Peachums, employers of a company of pickpockets, shoplifters, and thieves, raised their daughter Polly for finer things, but she has done a dreadful deed. She has married for love. Her husband is Macheath, so exquisite a robber he might have been a lawyer or lord, and so devoted to matrimony that he has two or three wives already.

Genre
literary fictionliterary fictionMore like thisLess of thishumorhumorMore like thisLess of thissatiresatireMore like thisLess of thishistorical fictionhistorical fictionMore like thisLess of thiscrimecrimeMore like thisLess of this
Themes
theatretheatreMore like thisLess of thismusicmusicMore like thisLess of thisclassclassMore like thisLess of this
Setting
EnglandEnglandMore like thisLess of thiscollegecollegeMore like thisLess of this
Subject
historyhistoryMore like thisLess of this
Audience
adult
Length
short · 64 pages
Form
playsplaysMore like thisLess of thispoetrypoetryMore like thisLess of this

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