The Beggar’s Opera

Lucy Lockit calls Macheath a “perfidious Wretch.” She is pregnant with his child—he has ruined her life, and she hopes he gets tortured. She sings that, when a “good Huswife” traps a rat, she takes pleasure in watching the dog or cat tear it to pieces (Air 27). Macheath asks why Lucy doesn’t pity or respect her husband—they never formally married, but they don’t need to, because “a Man of Honour[’s] Word is as good as his Bond.” Lucy sings about how men can get away with stealing, cheating, and lying until their love lives reveal their true colors (Air 28).

Macheath proposes that he and Lucy marry as soon as possible, but Lucy calls him an “Insinuating Monster!” because she knows about his marriage to Polly. Macheath says that he and Polly aren’t really married—Polly is just spreading rumors to ruin his reputation and make Lucy jealous. He promises to prove his honor by marrying Lucy. Lucy accepts that Macheath didn’t actually marry Polly—whom he calls vain and conceited. He sings about how women convince themselves that they’re beautiful even when everyone else can see that they’re not (Air 29). Lucy decides that her father (Lockit) will help her decide whether to trust Macheath. She admits that she “long[s] to be made an honest Woman.”