# Ben Budge — The Beggar’s Opera character guide

> Ben Budge in The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Ben

**First appearance:** 0007-act-i

## Snapshot

A highwayman of Macheath's gang, Ben Budge rides, drinks, and sings with the captain's crew until the law's net begins to tighten.

## Who they are

Ben Budge is one of the named gang members — alongside Jemmy Twitcher, Crook-fingered Jack, and Matt of the Mint — who give Macheath's band its texture of camaraderie and menace. His loyalty to the captain is the loyalty of a trade, not a virtue, and it is exactly the kind of bond that Peachum's account book can buy or break. As the sessions approach, Budge and his fellows embody the precarious fellowship of thieves whose friendship lasts only as long as the profit does.

## Relationships

### [Matt of the Mint](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/matt_of_the_mint)

_friendship_

Ben and Matt are fellow gang members under Macheath, sharing camaraderie and criminal ventures.

### [Polly Peachum](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/polly_peachum)

_social_

Ben knows Polly through Macheath's circle, but their relationship is not deep.

### [Polly Peachum](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/polly_peachum)

_social_

Ben knows Polly through Macheath's circle, but their relationship is not deep.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/ben_budge
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters