ENG305H1 Lecture Notes - Beer Street And Gin Lane, Highwayman, Upper Class
Document Summary
Social obligations neglected, people self-serving and degenerating to beasts. People went to opera to escape, scene shown would be surprised, same scene can be seen steps away outside theatre. Opera expensive, reserved for upper classes, empty entertainment; subtitles everyone who wanted to be fashionable went although don"t know what it meant. Scenes in opera are luxurious, idyllic, no worries, lavish, unrealistic, artificial celebration of artifice and expense. Logic of how plots executed not questioned. Beggars, prostitutes, criminals set in london, english ballads and folk tunes rather than italian arias . Peachum -> bring them to trial, professional thief taker living from turning thieves over for reward. Poor -> jailed, hanged stealing capital offense, hanged. Peachum also has own thief gang, advanced system of institutionalized robbery no justice system, complete control, thieves" lives in his hands steal for him, pay fee to get item back .
