# Mrs. Peachum — The Beggar’s Opera character guide

> Mrs. Peachum in The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mrs. Peachum

**First appearance:** 0005-the-beggar-s-opera

## Snapshot

Polly's mother, a practical woman of the criminal household who measures her daughter's marriage in lost income and damaged reputation.

## Who they are

Mrs. Peachum shares her husband's trade and his ledger-minded view of the world, but her concern for Polly runs through the currency she understands best: reputation and money. She sees Macheath not as a romantic figure but as a highwayman whose profession will inevitably bring the family down with him. Her pragmatism provides a grimly comic counterpoint to Polly's romantic defiance, and her willingness to sacrifice her daughter's happiness for the household's survival reveals how thoroughly the play's criminal economy has colonized even maternal love.

## Relationships

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

_family_

Mrs. Peachum is Polly's mother, but she prioritizes money and social standing over her daughter's happiness.

### [Jenny Diver](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/jenny_diver)

_professional_

Jenny works for Mrs. Peachum as a thief and informant, but their relationship is exploitative.

### [Suky Tawdry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/suky_tawdry)

_professional_

Suky is one of Mrs. Peachum's operatives, used for thievery and betrayal.

### [Marybone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/marybone)

_professional_

Marybone is a minor operative for Mrs. Peachum, used for errands and schemes.

### [Jenny Diver](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/jenny_diver)

_professional_

Jenny works for Mrs. Peachum as a thief and informant, but their relationship is exploitative.

## Links

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