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- Title
Macheath and the Gaol-Breakers.
- Authors
Rogers, Pat
- Abstract
The figure of Macheath in John Gay's Beggar's Opera has sometimes been identified with Jack Sheppard. The article suggests that Sheppard is not a plausible model for Macheath, and that other escapees such as the well-known criminal Roger Johnson fit the case more squarely. A wider history of gaol-breaking, from the time of the Jacobite lords, underlies the use of this motif in Gay's drama. Moreover, a real-life model for Lockit can be found in the career of William Pitt, who was keeper of Newgate when many well publicized escapes took place. In the background lies an eminence grise, the Recorder of London, Sir William Thomson. A conclusion is that the satiric economy of The Beggar's Opera depends on an undertow of reference to these issues, which carried important political resonance.
- Subjects
OPERA characters; BEGGAR'S Opera, The (Opera); GAY, John, 1685-1732; JOHNSON, Roger; THOMSON, William; SATIRE; DRAMA
- Publication
Literature & History, 2005, Vol 14, Issue 2, p14
- ISSN
0306-1973
- Publication type
Literary Criticism
- DOI
10.7227/LH.14.2.2