Today, it's your turn to pick the topic. Comment upon your reaction to "The Beggar's Opera." Some possible issues: Do Peachum and Lockit seem any more immoral than people in other professions than theirs? How are the two central female characters, Polly Peachum and Lucy Lockit, alike and/or different? Do they have individuality, or are they merely "types"? What is the effect of the surprise ending of the play? Comment upon these or any other issue in the play, using a quotation from the text as a springboard for your remarks. Also, read the comment before yours, and respond to it briefly.
Peacham and Lockit appear more immoral than several of the other characters in the play. It amazes me how they will do anything for money. Not to mention, they are crook in their professions but also willing to kill just to be assured of money. For example Peacham states, "Secure what he hath got, have him peached the next Sessions, and then at once you are made a rich widow," (p 2623, 1.10)when referring to Polly's love, Macheath, be killed after they wed so she can be a rich widow. Peacham's daughter loves this man and he is only supportive of their marriage so she will get his money after he dies. Lockit and Peachum both do corrupts things just to benefit themselves for money. In essence, they're kind of like government today :) They talk about hanging an innocent man and debate whether they should or not depending how much money they will earn from it. Peachum states, "Unless the people in employment pay better, I promise them for the future, I shall let other rogues live beside their own (p. 2636, 2.10)." Other characters in the play are corrupt too, but I believe Lockit and Peachum are more corrupt in a sense that their morals are absent and they seem to only care about money and their reputation as money men. They don't seem to realize what they are doing is morally corrupt and costing innocent people their lives and money and reputation.
ReplyDeleteI really did like this play. I think that it was quirky and satirical in a light but also meaningful way. Gay wrote about some serious moral issues by disguising it through these low down and rascally characters. I do I agree with modernmyth91 when they say that Peachum and Lockit are the most immoral of the characters. Like Modernmyth91 said, their jobs are to attain as much money as possible even if it is through unlawful and immoral ways. However, the two characters who grabbed my attention the most were Polly and Lucy. I think that these girls are both a different archetype of a woman. I think that Polly, is the stereotype of a lady who is walks into love blindly. Despite Macheaths job, and the stance her parents have about him, she is still willing to risk everything to keep him safe, despite the fact that this man at the end is revealed to have impregnated four more women. Yet, she still loves him, I couldn’t decide if Polly did not care about this fact, or if she was just of in her own little world and didn’t grasp the full concept. Lucy on the other hand is the woman who is willing to do anything to get what she wants, even poison Polly. Both of these girls are willing to do almost anything just to win the affection of this man who even at the end while celebrating his marriage to Polly, “I am sure she who thinks she is my wife will testify her joy by dance.” (2656) He refers to Polly as a woman who thinks she is his wife, not his real wife whom he should love and cherish. I think Gay was ultimately making fun of the woman of the day who were so in love with men they would do anything to get one that they “loved”.
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed this play. It was entertaining and kept my attention. I agree with both Watts Davidson and Modernmyth91 when they said that Peachum and Lockit are the immoral characters and are only looking for money. They could care less about anything else, including other innocent people's lives. As modernmyth91 stated other characters jobs were also pretty wack, but I full heartedly agree that Peachum and Lockit's were the worst. In the beginning of the play when Peachum and Mrs. Peachum find out that Polly has married the man she "loves" Mrs. Peachum flips out and starts calling her own daughter vulgar and ugly names that really shocked me. I was rather surprised to see that Peachum was not freaking out as badly and actually tried to calm his wife down by saying "Let not you anger my dear break through decency...Besides what he hath already, I knwo he is in a fair way of getting, or of dying; and both these ways, let me tell you, are most excelent for a wife."(2620) By stating this Peachum is basically full out admitting that he is okay with his daughters choice because Macheath is good at what he does, which is pickpocket, so he will continue to make a lot of money. It was also exceptable because once he were to die, his daughter would inherit all off his money. So rather than approving of his daughters marriage because he was happy she was in love, it was only because the man she loved had money, and lots of it. As modernmyth91 stated they would even be willing to put people to death if they were not pickpocketing the right amount of money or doing their job right. They would rat them out to the authorities and that person would be hanged. Non of the jobs in this play are moral at all, it is basically all about the money, but I think that Peachum and Lockit are the worst.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Watts Davidson to some extent but I think the girls are more similar then that. The two main woman in The Beggar's Opera, Lucy and Polly are representing the stereotypical woman who blindly falls in love with a man and gives him her all and does not listen to the cation from people around her even though there is reason to. On page 2635, Act II scene 9, Macheath is talking to Lucy about his true and faithful love her her. During this scene, Lucy expresses her doubts towards their relationships and tells him of the rumors she has heard of his marriage to Polly. Macheath quickly assures her that she is the one he loves and that Polly thinks she has him because she is vain. Macheath admits to sleeping with Polly but denies her claims of marriage. In the middle of page 2635 Macheath replies to Lucy when she brings up the topic of their marriage or lack there of:"In every respect but the form, and that my dear, may be said over us at any time. Friends should not insist upon ceremonies. From a man of honor, his word is as good as his bond." Macheath is showing to be the stereotypical 'player' who says and promises sweet things but never fulfills those promises. Macheath continues this way of action when he says to Lucy "The vary first opportunity, my dear (have but patience), you shall be my wife in what ever manner you please."
ReplyDeleteIn Act II Scene 13, Polly walks in on Lucy and Macheath calling to him "Where is my husband...'Tis Polly! 'Tis thy wife!" Polly comes in to the room as the good and innocent wife looking for her husband.
This whole play shows how silly and naive women can be when they fall in love.
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The two main woman characters in The Beggar’s Opera could not be any more different. Mrs. Peachum is a logical, stern, harsh-worded woman. On the other hand, Polly is naïve, softspoken, and driven by her love. I personally believe that they are just the stereotypes of women, and do not have very much individuality at all. When people think of women as a whole, it is easy to separate them into two types: independent and dependent. Mrs. Peachum, although married, seems more of a modern day independent woman. These type of women are strong-willed and not worried about hurting others feelings with their words. For example, in Act one Mrs. Peachum scolds Polly for marrying for love: “I knew she was a proud slut.” Independent women are more career oriented, and do not need a man in their lives. Although Mrs. Peachum is not all of these things, I feel she is as close to this stereotype as one can be in the eighteen century. Polly, on the other hand, is a dependent. She is so focused on loving Macheath that she doesn’t realize that he is double crossing her. She even had conflict with her own family over a man. She is not as feisty as Mrs. Peachum, and more focused on love and having a family one day. Women are definitely more than just independent and dependent, don’t get me wrong, but it is easy to catergorize woman as being one of the other. Most women already acknowledge that they are either independent or dependent. Mrs. Peachum and Polly are perfect examples of two different stereotypes of women.
This play was a very nice play. I really understood concept behind “The Beggar’s Opera” and the underlying message. Although I didn’t agree with some of the characters’ morals, they seemingly came together in the story to create the main conflicts and dilemmas. The morals of the characters were low and scummy, but in a very interesting way, Gay was able to make light of them. By doing this he kept my attention. Gay also found a way to justify they characters’ low moral standings in a way that the reader was able to understand. After reading, Nerilli’s blog entry, I would agree with his/ her statement on the women. They are simply portrayed as a “type”. They are portrayed as weak, vulnerable women who fall in love with a man and whatever he says goes. Even Macheath understands this, and it is clear to the reader when he says, “Do all we can, women will believe us, for the look upon a promise as an excuse for following their own inclinations” (Scene 2, Act 8). Really, Polly is the only character in this story that has morals. Even though she has gotten pregnant outside of wed – lock, when it comes to the reason she is with Macheath, her morals shine through. Although everybody in her immediate surroundings is telling her to marry for immoral reasons, she still believes in the true meaning of marriage, love. That is about the only thing saving her from being just as immoral as the other characters in the story. Her and Lucy were alike in this sense; they both would do anything in their power to be loved by the one they love, no matter what. Lucy had to look past the fact that her so called “husband” impregnated her and four other women. Polly was even willing to poison Lucy to be with Macheath.
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