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Act 2, Scene 14
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
Macheath and Lucy continue their conversation after Peachum and Polly leave Newgate. Macheath tells Lucy that he was too compassionate to give Polly the harsh treatment she deserved. This, he says, is why Lucy believed Polly at first. Lucy agrees—she affirms that she loves Macheath deeply and couldn’t stand to see him with another woman.
Macheath keeps playing into Lucy’s fantasies by telling her exactly what she wants to hear. His claim to have spurned Polly out of compassion may be his most egregious lie of all—but Lucy is more than willing to believe it. In reality, as the audience should have long since realized, he’s purely self-interested and scarcely capable of compassion at all.
Themes
Macheath asks Lucy to help him escape. She notes that her father is sleeping, so she can steal his keys to open Macheath’s cell. Macheath warns that Lucy cannot follow him, as that would raise suspicions. She mentions that she can’t stop thinking about Polly, but Macheath comments that they shouldn’t let one argument ruin the rest of their lives. Lucy sings about how Macheath will be like a fox being chased by hounds, and she will be like the fox’s mate, grieving and waiting for him to come back (Air 40).
Act 2 ends in much the same way as Act 1: Macheath’s beloved helps him escape, all while lamenting having to see him depart. The only difference is that this time, the audience knows the truth about Macheath’s character and intentions. Thus, the scene takes on a darkly ironic undertone. It’s no longer clear whom the audience should be rooting for: Macheath is a villainous rogue, Polly and Lucy’s desire for him is only leading them to ruin, and Peachum and Lockit are clearly no heroes, either.
Themes
