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Act 1, Scene 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Beggar’s Opera, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Moral Corruption and Hypocrisy
Gender, Love, and Marriage
Class, Capitalism, and Inequality
Opera, High Art, and Performance
Summary
Analysis
Now alone, Mrs. Peachum remarks that her husband is wrong to treat for Polly differently just because she is a woman. Polly should be able to love her husband and other men. After all, “All Men are Thieves in Love,” and they like married women better. Mrs. Peachum sings a song comparing women to gold ore and their husbands to the mint, which turns them into money (Air 5).
Mrs. Peachum’s song and monologue once again show off John Gay’s skill with satire: Mrs. Peachum recognizes society’s double standard regarding marriage and fidelity, but she takes it in the opposite way of the audience’s expectations. Instead of condemning cheating men, she argues that women’s cheating should be tolerated, too. Similarly, while her song may appear to be about how men bring out what is beautiful and valuable in their wives, actually, she is criticizing the way that they take ownership over women.
Themes
Literary Devices
