A Downfall Of Human Nature Essay Research

A Downfall Of Human Nature Essay, Research Paper

Levi Sieg

History 151

Professor Buffalo bill

17 February 1997

A Downfall of Human Nature

In John Gay s, Beggar s Opera, love and matrimony dominate the subject of the drama, but they are non as extremely thought of as they are in today s society. Polly gets married for all the right grounds, but harmonizing to her parents she gets married for all the incorrect grounds. Polly being married to her parents means a loss of income, but it did intend that Polly could kill her hubby and acquire the money that he did hold, which Polly s parents were strongly in favour of. Polly s hubby, Maceath, does non portion the same beliefs in matrimony as Polly does which makes their matrimony even worse. Maceath already has gotten Lucy pregnant and promised to get married her before he marries Polly. Throughout the drama you see how human nature at the clip of the drama is over all really selfish.

When Peachum and his married woman found out that their girl, Polly, may be married they were highly angry. Polly s parents themselves were non even married in the existent significance of matrimony, but joined merely by a common jurisprudence matrimony. Peachum and his married woman had taught their girl that matrimony was a bad thing and that marrying was merely good for one thing, money, non love. Polly says, & # 8220 ; I did non get married him nervelessly and intentionally for honor or money. But, I love him & # 8221 ; ( 57 ) . This is precisely what Polly had been taught against and it made her parents even angrier. Today people would be outraged and hearing Polly s female parent and male parents beliefs on matrimony. Marriage is supposed to be something sacred, something that is done because of love non money. Peachum and his married woman were besides angry because Polly s income would no longer belong to them.

During the clip period of the 1720 s when the drama takes place a girl s income belongs to her household, but when she is married it goes to her hubby. Polly, who s occupation was fundamentally merely to chat up and dally with work forces for money could no longer make this one time she was married. Her male parent Peachum says,

You know, Polly, I am non against your flirt and piddling with a client in the manner of concern, or to acquire out a secret, or so. But if I find out that you have played the sap and are married, you jade you, I ll cut your pharynx, adulteress. Now you know my head. ( 54 )

Here Peachum is stating that he does non mind if Polly flirts with the clients to acquire money out of them, but matrimony is a decidedly the incorrect thing. Peachum does non mind the flirtation because the Peachum and his married woman will be acquiring the money. The fact that Peachum does non care that his girl coquettes with and playthings with work forces for money, but does care that she is acquiring married is incorrect. Peachum and his married woman want Polly s hubby Maceath killed so Polly can hold his money.

Polly does non like the thought of killing her hubby and Peachum and his married woman are even angered more by this. Peachum says to Polly,

Separating with him! Why, that is the whole strategy and purpose of all matrimony articles. The comfy estate of widowhood, is the lone hope that keeps up a married woman s liquors. Where is the adult female who could scruple to be a married woman if she had it in her power to be a widow whenever she pleased? ( 61 )

Polly does non see how she could perchance slay person she is in love with. Polly who was taught that matrimony was for lone money does non desire merely her hubbies money. This is another topographic point where if this were to go on in today s clip period would be shocked. If a married woman was to kill her hubby merely to acquire at his money people would be in arrant incredulity. It was non similar Maceath, Polly s hubby, was rich, but he was really really hapless. If someo

Ne was to kill of their hubby who was rich people would non believe it was right, but they would non be every bit shocked as if they would be if the adult male had had really small money and that was why the married woman was killing him. Lockit, who is Lucy s male parent carries the same belief on being a widow that Peachum does.

Lockit thinks that his girl, Lucy, should be happy that her hubby is traveling to decease because she is traveling to be a widow. You get a clear image of this when Lockit says,

Learn to bear your hubby s decease like a sensible adult female. Tis non the manner, presents, so much as to impact sorrow upon these occasions. No adult female would of all time get married, if she had non the opportunity of morality for a release. Act like a adult female of spirit, adulteress, and thank your male parent for what he is making. ( 87 )

Lockit really wants his girl to be grateful for killing her hubby. No good male parent is really traveling to inquire their girl to be grateful for holding her hubby killed. It is insane how Lockit and Peachum think that their girls should be grateful for being widows. The worst portion of it is that Lucy and Polly love Maceath, but he does non love them or get married them because he loves them.

Maceath, who is married to Polly has already gotten Lucy pregnant and promised to get married her before he has really married Polly. Maceath does non truly love Polly or Lucy. Maceath says,

What a sap is a fond dame! Polly is most confoundedly spot. I love the sex. And a adult male who loves money, might every bit good be contented with one guinea, as I with one adult female. The town possibly hath been every bit much as obliged to me, for enrolling it with free-hearted ladies, as to any enrolling officer in the ground forces. If it were non for us and the other gentlemen of the blade, Drury Lane would be uninhabited. ( 72 )

Here Maceath is stating that if were for him and other gentlemen like him who merely used adult females for sex so there would non be any cocottes and Drury Lane, which is a prostitute house would non be in concern. Maceath thinks that people should be grateful for people like himself, but why should we? Maceath is a Canis familiaris and is the exact antonym of what a adult male should be like. Maceath does non love Lucy or Polly, he loves sex. Maceath lone uses Polly and Lucy for sex. You can besides acquire a reasonably good thought about Maceath s ethical motives by looking at how much clip he spends with cocottes. No adult male who spends every bit much clip with cocottes as Maceath is traveling to get married person because he loves them. Maceath s positions on adult females besides show how human nature in the drama is really selfish.

Maceath s general position that adult females are merely at that place for sex shows how selfish his human nature is. He cares nil about adult females, merely what they can make for him. Maceath holding two married womans shows how selfish of a individual Maceath is. Maceath is non entirely in his selfishness though, he is merely like everyone else in the drama. Peachum and his married woman are besides really selfish when it comes to their human nature. Peachum and his married woman do non desire their girl to acquire married because it would intend a loss of income for them. They do non care that their girl is in love with Maceath at all. All that they care about is the loss of income. This is a really selfish act by Peachum and his married woman, but it is non the lone 1. Peachum and his married woman besides want Maceath killed so their girl can hold his money and they want to protect themselves. Peachum and his married woman are mixed up in a offense ring that Maceath is involved in and his matrimony to Peachum s girl, Polly, would enable him to turn Peachum in to the jurisprudence and so he would derive all of Peachum and his married woman s lucks. The characters in the Beggar s Opera have really selfish human natures and in bend are really different from what we feel people should be like.