Beggar's Opera, act III

Hogarth, William, 1697-1764 · July 1, 1790

Theatrical scene after Hogarth's painting illustrating Gay's "The Beggar's Opera"; audience members shown seated in boxes to the left and right. In the center, the character of Macheath, a highwayman, stands in shackles; on either side of him, his wife and lover are kneeling before their respective fathers, pleading for intervention on Macheath's behalf.