A receiver of stolen goods informs on his chief supplier, setting in motion an increasingly absurd turn of events. In addition to its burlesque of the then-current vogue for Italian operatic styles, this satirical 1728 play ridicules a broad spectrum of political figures and social conventions. Influential prototype for Threepenny Opera.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
The great lords and powerful public officials of early eighteenth-century England are represented as highwaymen and thieves in this deliciously satirical ballad opera. In addition to its burlesque of the contemporary vogue for Italian operatic styles, John Gay's 1728 masterpiece ridicules a broad spectrum of political figures and social conventions—marriage, lawyers, trade, and even Walpole, the prime minister.
Depicting crime and vice at every level of society, The Beggar's Opera offers a witty and powerful indictment of greed, hypocrisy, and corruption in all social classes. When Peachum, a receiver of stolen goods, discovers that a notorious highwayman has eloped with his daughter, the wily old villain turns informer and collects the reward money as his prospective son-in-law is hauled off to prison. Events take an increasingly absurd turn as the dashing outlaw romances the jailer's daughter and effects an escape, only to return to the shadow of the gallows for a farcical climax that parodies the sentimental tragedy of the day.
John Gay was an English playwright and poet who is most famous for his satirical masterpiece The Beggar s Opera. Originally employed in the government, Gay turned to writing after losing his position following the death of Queen Anne in 1714. From then on, Gay relied on his income from writing, building up a long list of patrons over the course of his career, and making contact with some of the most famous writers of the time, including Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope (and with whom he was a member of the informal society of authors and thinkers known as the Scriblerus Club). After losing the majority of his fortune to a bad investment, Gay eventually found his greatest success in The Beggar s Opera, a ballad opera that satirized society and government, and which ran for sixty-two nights upon its initial release. Gay died on December 4, 1732, at the age of forty-seven, and is buried in Westminster Abbey.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
US$ 10.88 shipping from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speedsSeller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Condition: Good. Ships from the UK. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP102534035
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 15752223-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: The Yard Sale Store, Narrowsburg, NY, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: Good. THE SCRIPT! Reliable ACTING EDITION Script. Some shelf wear to the covers.The dialogue flows clearly. Enjoy this presentable Acting Script good for performance. Seller Inventory # AFTRSHBWHT16198
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Richard Sylvanus Williams (Est 1976), WINTERTON, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: nrVG. About 215 x 150 mm. Card covers. Stapled booklet. About 58 pages. In very good, clean, tight condition BUT spine lightly browned and diagonal crease to bottom righthand corner. Seller Inventory # kb557.116
Quantity: 1 available