The Beggar's Opera

E4960

The Beggar's Opera is an 18th-century ballad opera by John Gay that satirizes politics and high society through the lives of thieves and prostitutes in London.

All labels observed (10)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ballad opera
stage work
composer Johann Christoph Pepusch
countryOfOrigin Kingdom of Great Britain
creator John Gay
firstPerformanceDate 1728-01-29
genre ballad opera
satire
hasAdaptation 1920 film adaptation
1953 film adaptation
The Threepenny Opera
various television adaptations
hasCharacter Lockit
Mr. Peachum
hasMainCharacter Lucy Lockit
Macheath
Polly Peachum
hasPart Air "How happy could I be with either"
Air "Let us take the road"
Air "Over the hills and far away"
hasSubject class inequality
corruption
crime
law and justice
marriage
influenced The Threepenny Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
language English
literaryMovement Augustan literature
locationOfStory London
linked to: London, England
narrativeFocus prostitutes
thieves
notableFor critique of Italian opera
founding the ballad opera tradition
originalNetwork Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre
partOf 18th-century English theatre
placeOfFirstPerformance Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre
publicationDate 1728
publisher John Watts
satirizes Robert Walpole
high society
politics
settingPeriod early 18th-century London
structure three acts
uses folk melodies
parodied operatic arias
popular tunes
workPeriod 18th century
yearOfFirstPerformance 1728

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (47)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

John Gay notableWork The Beggar's Opera
subject linked to: Gay
John Gay notableWork The Beggar's Opera
John Gay wrote The Beggar's Opera
John Gay hasWorkAdaptedAs The Threepenny Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera influenced The Threepenny Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Alfred Drake notableWork The Beggar's Opera
Augustan literature notableWork The Beggar's Opera
Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre notableProduction The Beggar's Opera (1728)
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre hasWorkPremiere The Beggar's Opera
Macheath appearsIn The Beggar’s Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Macheath firstAppearanceWork The Beggar’s Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Polly Peachum appearsIn The Beggar's Opera
Polly Peachum firstAppearance The Beggar's Opera
Lucy Lockit appearsIn The Beggar’s Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Lockit appearsIn The Beggar's Opera
Lockit firstAppearance The Beggar's Opera
"Over the hills and far away" (air) usedIn The Beggar's Opera
"Over the hills and far away" (air) partOf The Beggar's Opera
"Over the hills and far away" (air) firstPerformanceInWork The Beggar's Opera
Air "Let us take the road" partOf The Beggar's Opera
Air "Let us take the road" partOfAct Act I of The Beggar's Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Air "Let us take the road" associatedWork The Beggar's Opera by John Gay
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
"How happy could I be with either" partOf The Beggar’s Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
"How happy could I be with either" originalWork The Beggar’s Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Polly follows The Beggar's Opera
Polly isSequelTo The Beggar's Opera
Polly partOfSeries The Beggar's Opera series
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Polly relatedWork The Beggar's Opera
Polly isSequelInLiterature The Beggar's Opera
Mr. Peachum appearsIn The Beggar's Opera
Mr. Peachum characterIn The Beggar's Opera
Mr. Peachum firstAppearance The Beggar's Opera
Johann Christoph Pepusch notableWork The Beggar's Opera
The Threepenny Opera basedOn The Beggar’s Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
The Threepenny Opera influencedBy The Beggar’s Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Catherine Douglas, Duchess of Queensberry supportedWork The Beggar's Opera
subject linked to: Duchess of Queensberry
Trivia relatedWork The Beggar’s Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Ballad of Sexual Dependency basedOn The Beggar’s Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Johann Christoph Pepusch notableWork The Beggar's Opera (arrangement)
subject linked to: Pepusch
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Mrs. Peachum appearsIn The Beggar’s Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Mrs. Peachum firstAppearance The Beggar’s Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Nick Dear wroteAdaptationOf The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Roger K. Furse workedOn The Beggar's Opera (1953 film)
linked to: The Beggar's Opera
Dorothy Tutin notableWork The Beggar’s Opera
linked to: The Beggar's Opera