The Beggar's Opera E-book
Author: John Gay
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Literature
Gay, John (1685-1732) Satiric dramatist and poet, John Gay was a member
of the circle that included Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift. With the
proceeds from the successful publication of his Poems, Gay speculated in
South Sea stocks with disastrous results and was caught up in the financial
crash of 1720. His popularity and fortune were restored with The Beggar's
Opera and its sequel, Polly. In 1732, a sudden attack of fever hurried
him out of life in three days. Gay is buried in Westminster Abbey.
The Beggar's Opera (1728) John Gay's greatest success is a drama set to
music that is peopled with thieves and highwaymen. The Beggar's Opera is
a political satire of the court of George II and of Robert Walpole,
Britain's first prime minister.
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