The Beggar’s Opera

A dashing highwayman whose charm masks a volatile bravado. He robs carriages, seduces women, and relies on wit to survive, even as he faces execution at dawn. His bravado clashes with the reality of capital punishment, creating a tense, theatrical tension.

Macheath's wife who longs for him yet is bound by her parents' mercantile world. She oscillates between affection and duty, defending him while insisting on social propriety. Her actions reveal a conflicted loyalty between love and family pressure.

A calculating shopkeeper who profits from the criminal underworld by turning fugitives into commodities. He orchestrates plots to trap Macheath for reward, treating crime as a business opportunity. His scheming highlights the era's mercantile values.

Polly's mother and a social climber who helps manage appearances while extracting profit from misfortune. She navigates public image and private greed, driving the family’s pursuit of Macheath. Her control over information keeps the plot in motion.

Lockit's daughter, who meets Macheath and becomes entangled in the love triangle. She wrestles with loyalty to her father and personal longing, attempting to influence or rescue Macheath. Her choices propel the escape and the ultimate showdown.

A young prostitute bribed to betray Macheath, caught between loyalty and self-preservation. Her cooperation with Peachum and Lockit reveals the transactional nature of the era's moral judgments. Her actions directly influence Macheath's capture and fate.

The beggar who narrates the tale and embodies the opera within the story. He anchors the narrative in a prison setting and insists on the coming reversal as Macheath's fame contrasts with his confinement. His perspective frames the meta-theatrical nature of the work.

The jailor who guards Macheath's fate and plots from the outside with his daughter Lucy. He embodies the official power that profits from crime while maintaining a domestic, family-like loyalty. His actions underscore the tension between duty and personal interest.

A minor figure who appears in the network of taverns and gaming houses, linking the criminal underworld with the places of leisure. His role underscores the transactional nature of social spaces in the era. He helps expose the impostor in a key moment.