The Beggar’s Opera · Character
Mr. Peachum
A thief-taker who runs London's criminals like a ledger, and who would hang his own son-in-law if the price were right.
major
Also known as Peachum, Mr. Peachum
First appearance: the beggar s opera
As a major figure in The Beggar’s Opera, Mr. Peachum is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
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Peachum sits at his account book sorting rogues into profit and loss, protecting the industrious and 'booking' the lazy for execution with the calm of a man auditing taxes. He sees all professions as variations on his…
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See Mr. Peachum in the beggar s operaCharacter Web
13 connectionsA slice of how Mr. Peachum sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Macheath's lovers and rivals
- Protagonist
- Macheath's gang members
+8 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Closing
Macheath’s psychological peak is his oscillation between defiant bravado (drinking to scorn death) and abject…
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