Kendra Mullison - John Brown University

Mullison 7dignify the characters” (2). Because of Gay distinguishes his characters from the common mobby paying attention to the minutiae of human existence. Because of “his interest in their customsand the small details of their worlds,” the burlesque Opera becomes a “celebration” of a flawedhumanity (2). Macheath doesn‟t fit neatly into any stereotype or class structure, and the richnessand complexity of his personality lends, rather than detracts, from his general appeal. CliffordGeertz writes that he becomes “a cultural figure against a social ground [ . . . ] an expressiveform [ . . . that ] provides a metasocial commentary upon the whole matter of assorting humanbeings into fixed hierarchical ranks” (qtd. in Dugaw 19). Macheath‟s ability to transcend socialboundaries—even those demarcations defined by John Gay himself—challenges the reader‟sdependency on stereotypes to frame and understand his character. Gay intentionally defiesexplanation, and summons his readers to pay closer attention to the conflicts of interest thatcharacterize human behavior throughout all time, and in every station of life.In The Beggar’s Opera, Gay does not shy away from targeting and reevaluating thefunction of individuals from every social class, and his treatment of women is no exception. Hedoes not attempt to restrict women to the classic model of obedient, dutiful, and demuredaughters and wives. Instead, he presents his readers with a new class of woman in theemancipated, self-driven, and self-aware Polly Peachum. It is Polly who provides the exceptionto almost every eighteenth-century standard imposed upon women in her circumstances. In themidst of a culture that objectifies women, Polly stands out as a striking example of the selfactualizedwoman. She marries Macheath against the will of her parents, defies them when theychallenge her choice, faces her husband‟s many former lovers with dignity, and is eventuallyrewarded for her perseverance by the liberation of and her reunification with her rakish-yet-