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Act 3, Scene 11
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
Polly sends Filch to attend Macheath’s trial while she waits back in the jail with Lucy. They hear the prisoners playing music; Polly says she loves music but doesn’t want to ruin her sorrow with joy. The women leave to “indulge [their] Sorrows,” and a group of prisoners dances onstage.
The women’s “Sorrows” and the prisoners’ dance indicate that the opera is headed for a bombastic, dramatic conclusion. Of course, Gay has repeatedly used plot twists to break the audience’s expectations, and the remaining scenes will be no exception.
Themes
