He can ‘forgive as well as resent’ as it suits him when the criminals are no longer of use to him, he turns them in to the authorities in return for financial rewards. Peachum, a caricature of Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole, runs a gang of thieves, highwaymen and prostitutes and profits from their takings. ‘Through the whole piece you may observe such a similitude of manners in high and low life, that it is difficult to determine whether (in the fashionable vices) the fine Gentlemen imitate the Gentlemen of the Road, or the Gentlemen of the Road the fine Gentlemen.’
John Gay was almost certainly influenced by his close friends Pope and Swift with its cast of crooks and con artists, The Beggar’s Opera is a satire on the pretensions, self-interests and double standards of 18th century society – and a jolly good romp to boot. Founded in 1714 out of the coffee-house culture, the club included Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, John Arbuthnot and Thomas Parnell. This set of study guides encourages readers to dig deeper in their understanding by including essay questions and answers as well as topics for further research.John Gay belonged to the Scriblerus Club – a coalition of like-minded anti-Enlightenment novelists, poets, playwrights and politicians who railed against the vanities of modern intellectual life and culture in the early 18th century. The Bright Notes Study Guide series offers an in-depth tour of numerous classic works of literature, exploring characters, critical commentary, historical background, plots, and themes. Introductions to the Author and the Work.Available now on Amazon!Įach The Beggar’s Opera Study Guide contains: This Study Guide to The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay explores the context and history of Gay’s classic work, helping students to thoroughly explore the reasons it has stood the literary test of time. Moreover, the basis of the play’s success rests on three factors: its artistic merit its originality (this is in part measured by the number of later dramas which clearly display the influence of its innovations) and its pervasive humor. As a comedy of the Restoration period of British drama, the humor in The Beggar’s Opera, by John Gay, serves as a medium for carrying the author’s meaning-social satire-which is applicable in all countries at all times.
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