# Polly Peachum — The Beggar’s Opera character guide

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

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Polly, Miss Polly, Miss Polly Peachum

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

## Snapshot

Peachum's daughter, secretly married to the highwayman Macheath, whose loyalty pits her against both her family and her rival Lucy.

## Who they are

Polly grows up in a household where crime is bookkeeping, yet she risks everything for love rather than profit, marrying Macheath behind her parents' backs. Her devotion is genuine but not naive: she knows her father's trade and understands exactly what danger her husband faces. Caught between a family that would hang Macheath for business and a rival who would keep him for love, Polly becomes the play's most sympathetic figure — a woman whose tenderness is her only weapon.

## Relationships

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

_rivalry_

Both are wives of Macheath, fiercely competing for his affection and status.

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

_family_

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

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

_social_

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

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

_social_

Marybone is a minor acquaintance of Polly, likely part of the same social circle of thieves.

### [Tom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/tom)

_social_

Tom is a minor character who interacts with Polly, likely as a servant or acquaintance.

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

_social_

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

### [Bob Booty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/bob_booty)

_social_

Bob is a criminal associate who interacts with Polly, but they are not close.

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

_rivalry_

Both are wives of Macheath, fiercely competing for his affection and status.

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

_rivalry_

Both are wives of Macheath, fiercely competing for his affection and status.

### [Tom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beggar_s_opera_se/characters/tom)

_social_

Tom is a minor character who interacts with Polly, likely as a servant or acquaintance.

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

_social_

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

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

_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/polly_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