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Andrew Ostrow
Professor Carson
Literature in English 2
27 February 2015
(Untitled: Explain the importance of metatheatricality in Gays Beggars Opera)
In a letter to Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift wrote of his idea for a Newgate pastoral
among the thieves and whores, (cite). This idea was later passed on to their mutual friend, John
Gay, who was inspired to adapt this idea. Rather than riff off of the idea of a sophisticated opera
with lowbrow subjects, Gay created his own form that would seek to pull the rug out of the
highbrow form and culture. After a formal, traditional overture lulled the theatregoers into the
secure doldrum often induced by traditional operas, those staring at the stage found themselves
suddenly addressed by an actor playing the supposed writer of the piece, a beggar, who
addressed the audience to explain the piece they were about to see. Throughout the evening, the
cast of beggars and prostitutes took on the social traditions of the upper class and tore them down
through metatheatrical comments on the action within the book and score of what would be
known as the first musical.
The show, more play than opera, features particularly non-operatic music. Instead of the
traditional beautiful, unreachable music that required screeching sopranos and rumbling basses to
perform, Gay incorporated modern folk music that was already well-known to his audience. In
the style of the current jukebox musicals, the tune of popular music was coupled with the lyrics
needed to forward the shows plot. This meant that when Macheath and Polly sang their love
duets, the entire audience could hum along with the song, thus allowing them to identify with the
characters, something completely unknown to the world of opera, where the stories of
commoners were pushed aside in favor of the struggles of gods and kings. By popularizing the
music of a form that was inherently removed from the audience, Gay allowed the commoners to

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enjoy the score of the opera just as much as the educated elite, those who might be familiar
enough with the score of an opera to hum along to it. At the same time, the fact that popular
tunes were being appropriated by the characters onstage reminded the audience that they were
still watching a piece of theatre. Additionally, the utilization of such well known melodies firmly
placed the form of the show within the realm of the commoner. Operatic music could not be sung
by anyone, as the music is artistic, complicated and difficult in nature, allowing very few to
appreciate it. These songs were known by the public and could be heard anywhere, from the farm
where laborers toiled to the taverns where they mixed and relaxed. Thus, the audience watching
the show could feel as though they owned it, and could leave the theatre humming the familiar
score of a new show.
The characters in the show, as designed, are not meant to be realistic, but figures who are
meant to be commentaries on the nature of high society. This is an open secret with the audience,
however, as the audience is informed at the start of the show that the characters and plot are
secondary to the message of the piece as a whole. For instance, the play begins with an actor who
will play a character in the show addressing the man who supposedly wrote the play on the
subject of the show. During this conversation, the author reveals several plot points, which
emphasizes to the audience at the very start of the evening that the characters are not real and
that the story is not actually happening. This means that the audience has to find something else
to see in the show, and find new meaning to the words of the actors. After this moment, the
audience is able to observe what the supposed author wishes them to know. This leads to the
actual message of the play, which places the beggars and criminals in the show as upper-class,
in an interesting inversion that suggests the true nature of the real high society members at the
time of the shows writing. However, at the time of the shows original run, the audience would

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not necessarily be able to pick up on this, as the entire concept of what was later to become a
musical comedy was original. This made the shows metatheatrical opening a necessity, so that
the theatre patrons would be able look past the story and see John Gays true intentions.
The shows grand finale, in which Macheath is set to be hanged for his crimes before
being suddenly pardoned, is the final call to arms that Gay sought to leave his audience with as
the curtain fell. The reasoning for Macheaths pardon is never explained in terms of plot, only in
the way of the story happening outside of the play. Just as Macheath is to be hanged, the author
of the show returns to the stage and informs the cast that Macheath is to be hanged, before the
actor from the start of the play steps out of the scene to demand a happy ending in order to
comply with the taste of the town, as an opera must end happily. This moment suggests
through the breaking of the fourth wall that those supposedly being controlled are still able to
overwhelm the minority that rules over them. Despite being a joyous moment, it is truly a call to
arms for the lower class patrons to take a stand and realize that class does not determine worth.
Throughout the entire show, the worlds of the upper and lower class have melded, entirely
indistinguishable from each other, and this final moment emphasizes Gays message. Through
this radically original show, Gay tells his audience that all, from the upper class Peachum to the
prostitute Jenny to even the shows author, are all equal.

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