A Death Deserved

In Act 3 Scene 11 MacHeath is about to die. Polly and Lucy and recently found out about both being his wife and are both equally mourning over his imminent death. Their duet has alternating lines with them each singing a line after the other. This does not happen often and is showing the agreement between them. The music is meant to add to the mood and help support what is happening. In having Polly and Lucy sing in this duet it is highlighting the sadness and despair of these two women. This section also goes against the pop culture of the time. In normal Opera’s the execution would usually be that of a nobleman who is either dying an honorable death or is wrongly accused. In this play MacHeath is a thief and deserves his death. Gay is once again featuring the low class instead of honoring the upper class