The Beggar's Opera

The Beggar's Opera
ISBN-10
1495437124
ISBN-13
9781495437120
Series
The Beggar's Opera
Category
Drama
Pages
68
Language
English
Published
2014-02-05
Publisher
CreateSpace
Author
John Gay

Description

The tale of Peachum, thief-taker and informer, conspiring to send the dashing and promiscuous highwayman Macheath to the gallows, became the theatrical sensation of the eighteenth century. In "Beggar's Opera", John Gay turned conventions of Italian opera riotously upside-down, instead using traditional popular ballads and street tunes, while also indulging in political satire at the expense of the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. Gay's highly original depiction of the thieves, informers, prostitutes and highwaymen thronging the slums and prisons of the corrupt London underworld proved brilliantly successful in exposing the dark side of a corrupt and jaded society.

Other editions

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