# Matt of the Mint — The Beggar’s Opera character guide

> Matt of the Mint in The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Matt

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

## Snapshot

A highwayman and boon companion of Macheath, Matt of the Mint takes his name from the debtors' sanctuary where the desperate gather.

## Who they are

Matt belongs to Macheath's gang, the brotherhood of road agents whose loyalty is tested the moment the reward money starts to talk. His nickname ties him to the Mint, the lawless precinct where debtors and criminals shelter, marking him as a man formed entirely by the margins of the city. In the early and middle acts he helps establish Macheath's world as one of rough fellowship and shifting allegiance, a world the Peachums understand better than the highwaymen themselves.

## Relationships

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

_social_

Matt is an acquaintance of Polly through the criminal underworld, but they have no deep bond.

### [Ben Budge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/ben_budge)

_friendship_

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

### [Lucy Lockit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/lucy_lockit)

_social_

Lucy and Matt are both part of the criminal underworld, but their interactions are limited and wary.

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

_social_

Matt is an acquaintance of Polly through the criminal underworld, but they have no deep bond.

## Links

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