The Beggar's Opera [PDF]

The Beggar's Opera is a satirical play, reflecting various aspects of English reality at the beginning of the 18th century. The author, among others, sought to reveal to the reader the shortcomings of modern society, which seemed very far from perfect. Moreover, he largely took into account the interests of the people who experienced severe oppression. Serious and deep criticism of the political and social life of England at the beginning of the 18th century is the main task that the playwright set himself when creating the “The Beggar's Opera”. In the play, Gay parodies the Italian opera and applies its canons and cliches, depicting the scum of London - a thieves' gang with its leader, the buyer of stolen goods and his charming daughter Polly. The theme that he chose worried London and was relevant for England at the beginning of the 18th century: the 20s were marked by an incredible increase in crime that swept the whole country.