Life is a Jest, and the beggar knows it.

 

“Fill every Glass, for Wine inspires us,

And fires us

With Courage, Love and Joy.

Women and Wine should life employ.

Is there ought else on Earth desirous?” (Gay, 1728)

In the early seventeenth century, the world of theatrics was rapidly changing.  The rigid guidelines of contemporary theater and especially opera were no longer strictly enforced.  There was a new contender in the field of drama:  A rising star known as the Ballad Opera.  These works were far from the elegant, yet unrealistic, operas of Italian origin; these plays were comprehendible to even the lowest layman.  Whereas the former operas had the additional hindrance of a language barrier, these works were written, and spoken, in ordinary tongues.  The recitative quality was trashed; no longer would every word have to be sung.  These ballad operas were essentially plays, with short melodies mixed in with the dialogue, and the content itself was of everyday matters.  Needless to say, these plays became extremely popular, especially with the lower classes that had, until then, been mostly excluded from the great works of the theater.  Now, here was something they could understand and indulge in; ballad operas succeeded in making the joys of the theater accessible to everyone.

One of the first of these ballad operas released was John Gay’s masterpiece, The Beggar’s Opera, in 1921 in London.  It was an immediate hit.  In fact, it was so popular that it ran a record 62 straight nights of performances in the first year (Bareket, Eisendrath, & Selig, 2002).  This play was something everyone could really enjoy.  The songs were short and memorable; one can imagine the masses pouring out of the theater bellowing the lyrics “Fill every glass, for wine inspires us! (Gay, 1728)”  This air takes place during a bar room scene full of robbers, gamblers, womanizers, and other forms of disreputable folk.  These are the characters of the play; they are what make the work so memorable and unique.  No longer are operas to be comprised of only heroes and noblemen, now all trades, even the lowest, are represented.  This feature was what made these ballad operas so popular with the lower classes.  Of course, the public was not composed of all scoundrels such as are portrayed in The Beggar’s Opera, but the depiction of lesser members of society made the work much more appealing.

The Beggar’s Opera is full of satire:  This is what makes the work so amusing.  Apparently, it was a double satire, of both a traditional Italian Opera and the Prime Minister and his cronies of the day.  To satirize the opera form, Gay used simple tunes, rather than the drawn out, artificial airs of traditional opera, and used baser characters, rather than kings and noblemen.  There are rumors that his two leading female characters and their combative relationship were based on the two most popular divas of the day in England, who had gotten into a real live cat fight on stage involving screaming and the tearing out of each other’s hair (Bareket, Eisendrath, & Selig, 2002).  What a sight that must have been!  The play also satirizes Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister.  He was known as an adulterer and a corrupt leader who tried to control the press.  These traits are more than apparent in the leading characters of the play.  After the most popular newspaper of the day wrote a raving review on The Beggar’s Opera, Sir Walpole saw the play for himself:  He was not impressed (Bareket, Eisendrath, & Selig, 2002).

The social, cultural, and political satire of The Beggar’s Opera was monumental for writings and theatrical works.  This play explored boundaries before untouched by authors and actors alike.  Gay used raunchy lyrics with beautiful tunes, witty text, and rogue characters to create a masterpiece that set new standards in the field of drama.  This was one of the first works so criticized by those it satirized that it lead to the eventual creation of the Licensing Act of 1737.  John Gay was a brilliant playwright, who made the theatre accessible to every class and opened the flood gates of satire for the rest of the world.   He was not afraid to show the public how he saw the world and must have enjoyed a good laugh at his accomplishment.  His greatest work, The Beggar’s Opera, was an amazing passkey to the future of playwrights and authors everywhere.  A humorist to the very end, even upon his tomb are engraved words from his beggar:  “Life is a jest, and all things show it.  I thought so once, and now I know it. (Gay, 1728)”

Sources:

Bareket, D., Eisendrath, A., & Selig, D.  (2002)  The Beggar’s Opera.  Retrieved from http://www.umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/beggars_opera/

Gay, John.  (1728)  The Beggar’s Opera. Retrieved from www.gutenberg.org.