Eighteenth-Century Literature: Pirates, Princes and Prostitutes - Essay Example

Eighteenth-Century Literature: Pirates, Princes and Prostitutes John Gay is one of the influential poets and playwrights of early eighteenth century, whose work reflects the social and political state of affairs prevailing in the England of his time. He has command over depicting the scenario in such an inspirational mode that serves as the great satire on the hypocrisy particularly prevailing in the governmental avenues. His famous The Beggar’s Opera (1728) has left very imperative impact on the social establishment by condemning the immorality patronising by the government of Gay’s era. Gay appears to be advocating the very notion that though the elite stratum claims to be responsible for regulating the political and social activities on the foundations of Puritan ethics, yet its conduct and policies and in sharp contrast with the morality claimed and insisted by it. Thus, Gay has boldly highlighted such traits of his time disclosure of which was considered to be taboo in past. “Gay has highlighted the prominent traits of British society through his characters by parodying the Italian opera in his work, which is a direct satire on the policies of the first Earl of Orford Sir Robert Walpole.” (Daiches, 2003: 339) Walpole pretended to be the arch supporter of ethics and morality, but patronised the corrupt people involved into debauchery, embezzlements. The Earl particularly supported the notorious criminal Jonathan Wild by never trying to prosecute him against his debaucheries and malpractices. Hence, the highwaymen, thieves and whores were encouraged those days in England, which was concealed by the Classical writers, but was revealed and censured by the authors, poets and dramatists of eighteenth century. The Classical Age strictly observed moral ethics ascribed and attributed in the Christian moral values. Though 18th century also followed the same footprints, yet the authors of this era refused to conceal social evils behind the curtain of decency. Consequently, people got the opportunity of getting acquaintance with the social and moral evils, and their consequences on others. “There were societies for the suppression of vice, the reform of morals, and for encouraging Christian faith and the leading of a godly life. Daily services and frequent celebrations of the Holy Communion were advocated in print and pulpit and in the larger towns were often adopted. Sermons, provided they were good, would hold an audience attentive for an hour or two and printed in book form they were eagerly read.” (Bayne-Powell: quoted in ourcivilisation.com) Hence, the writers belonging to Enlightenment Era did not stick to awarding the good and penalising the evil, which seldom happens in the world reality. Thus, instead of presenting religious beliefs and ethics, the writers aimed to state how the unjust and wicked got their share from the corrupt members of society in general. John Gay’s the Beggar’s Opera also focuses upon the same notion, where the so called thief-catcher Peachum himself is fence and sells the goods in the market after confiscating them from the thieves. The present study aims to explore the salient characteristics of the era with special concentration on “The Beggars Opera” by John Gay, and “The Castle of Otranto” by Horace Walpole. Both these works concentrate upon the most distinctive feature of the Age of Good Sense and strongly believe in the notion that every human has the gifted sense which he could apply while exercising his abilities as well as during the course of performing his duties and obligations. The works under analysis reveal the level of moral degradation prevailing in the society of their time. In this remarkable satirical work, Gay had mocked at the political and social evils and snobberies that had been prevalent in the England of 17th and 18th centuries. “The permanent appeal of the lyrics of Macheath, the highwayman”, Evans suggests, “of Polly, and whole of this ‘Newgate pastoral, has remained to the present day, but it had an added piquancy to audience who could detect within it a satire on the renowned politician Walpole.” (2004, pp. 186-87) The protagonist character of the Beggar’s Opera i.e. Peachum is so selfish and mean that he uses his own daughter, named Polly, for his financial gains. The news of Polly’s marriage certainly appears to be like a bomb shell for her parents, and Peachum wonders whether her marriage with the highwayman Captain Macheath without their consent would prohibit her from entering into relationship with other men. As a result, he would not be in a position to use his daughter for his pecuniary gains he obtains from the criminals, highwaymen and fences. It is not only shameful and obnoxious, but also points out to the real state of affairs under the so called moral and decent England of eighteenth century. It was also perturbing for the outsider philosophers and thinkers that used to visit England time and again. “In a Protestant country”, Bayne-Powell observes, “the outward observance of religion is less marked than in a Catholic and possibly had Montesquieu come to England twenty years earlier he might have had a different opinion. In Queen Annes reign there was marked religious activity. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel which had been founded in the previous reign were both very active.” (Quoted in ourcivilisation.com) Thus, the foreigners knew it very well that eighteenth century English society was undergoing moral decline. It is therefore, being the true representatives of their culture and civilisation, the British authors presented exact scenario of their times. Instead of hiding out the crimes and offences under the cover of morality, Gay had revealed that gangs of thieves had been active in London in planning to steal the money of the people through their nefarious designs. “Gangs of men began to make a presence in the city and thievery became a booming business. One such gangster, Joseph Blake had been arrested at the instigation of Jonathan Wild, who was comparatively similar to that of Al Capone.” (VanHorn, 2003, p. 4) Based on the criminal activities being exercised in London, Gay points out how the organised crimes and offences had been in vogue in the social establishment, which used to be conducted under the supervision of law enforcing agencies including police and jail staff. In other words the public offices had turned out to be the patrons of criminals and offenders at large. His play reveals how the so-called thief catcher Mr. Peachum, along with his corrupt jailer friend, Lockit, had set eyes on the wealth of the highwayman Macheath, as both Peachum and Lockit were determined to kill Macheath in order to capture his riches. Instead of portraying whores and thieves as villains, Gay mocks at these characters of society as the slaves to their wishes and desires, on which they maintained seldom control. However, this wonderful literary work also shows the direction of domestic, social, economic and political control through its major and minor characters. The play indicates that wives had become dominant at houses and used to apply their own will on husbands, as Mrs. Peachum appeared to be issuing various orders regarding domestic and social activities of her husband throughout the play. In addition, the play also shows that the children had started becoming aggressive, moody and independent; Polly’s decision to marry Macheath is a case in point. Furthermore, Gay also discusses how the economic affairs were fast shifting from honest and sophisticated stratum to the criminal and offensive groups of English society, as it were whores that had been selected to decide the fate of individuals through their temptations and physical charms. Hence, Gay looks very courageous and intelligent while portraying the evils of his culture. The play also discloses the human nature in a more vivid and powerful mode, where both Mr. & Mrs. Peachum maintain an avaricious nature, and instead of allowing their daughter Polly to marry Macheath, they started making plans for Macheath’s murder, so that their daughter could not be stopped from activities they meant for her. Gay has skilfully pointed out the lustful nature of males towards females, and proves that only few coquettes of pretty women are enough to ensnare and entrap the licentious men. The ballad play views that man is running amuck pelf, power and possession without acknowledging the price he is going to pay in the form of humiliation, defamation and society’s disapproval towards him. Neither Peachum, nor Macheath has any concern with the ill name he is earning just for pecuniary gains through illegal means as well as while getting involved in women and extra marital sexual activities. Hence, Gay appears to be triumphant in drawing out the true picture of the human actions, attitudes, behaviours and activities being observed by the people while interacting and communicating with other members of their society. He ridicules the prevailing statues of law in the England of his time, which looks unable to combat with the growing crimes and corruption in the country. The writer also satires the politicians of his time, which are mere hypocrites and lewd, who have no care of and concern with the norms, values, customs and traditions of their predecessors and ancestors. Instead of striving to eradicate social evils with an iron hand, they get indulged into shameful activities just for the satisfaction of their carnal desires without taking the consequences of their criminal negligence from their duties, responsibilities and obligations towards their nation. The ballad also throws light on woman psychology and describes some negative traits in the nature of females in details, according to which women easily get involved into conspiracies and envy, and hence are jealous to other women as well. Mrs. Peachum urges her husband to devise conspiracy in order to entrap and kill Macheath. It is also Mrs. Peachum that hires the services of women which play vital role in Macheath’s arrest and imprisonment. Consequently, Suky Tawdry and Jenny Diver span cobweb around Macheath with the help of their manners, coquettes and beauty, and hand him over to the Peachums subsequently. The play also portrays Lucy Lockit as the lover of dissipation and deceit, who falsifies Polly’s claim on Macheath as her husband. Thus, Gay has revealed the greed of the woman folk, which invites fighting and disgrace to win the heart of a wealthy man. It is therefore Jane Austen has rightly stated in her masterpiece novel Pride and Prejudice (1813, p. 3) that a man with a good fortune is rather hunter than hunted. Both Polly and Lucy have no concern regarding the source of wealth and either it has been earned legally or from an illegal way, but they only look for the person carrying the wealth on him. Enlightenment Age continued its journey in pursuit of truth, reason, sensibility and justice, and gave birth to marvellous pieces of literature during the course of time. Gothic novel is also the product of the same era, and Walpole’s the Castle of Otranto (1765) enjoys the status of the first Gothic novel in history of English Literature. The novel, a beautiful blend of horror and romance, Walpole has described the existence of mysterious powers and unexpected happenings that may lead to both grief and happiness in the end. Walpole is of the opinion that it is neither elite class nor the family that dominates over others, because their dominance is either incomplete or temporary one; on the contrary, mysterious powers regulate human activities and drag them towards some ultimate and inevitable state of affairs eventually. Being the son of Sir Robert Walpole, who was ridiculed by John Gay in his above-discussed work the Beggar’s Opera, Horace Walpole looks for authority and power to be handed over to the real deserver at any cost. The author submits to state that no human regularity authority can create impediments on the way to justice and fair play, though it could be delayed for some time. The foreigners in this work have been portrayed as invaders, which play unnecessary and cruel part in order to capture the power. The main theme of his story is the same that royalty, pelf, power and possession cannot be confined to one lineage, house or family forever. On the contrary, Nature creates such circumstances, which pave the way towards the re-allocation of power and resources sooner or later. “Walpole remained, Evans proposes, “wearied by the intrigue and perpetual search for power that surrounded him. His antiquarianism maintains emotional aspects, and he sought emotional relief in allowing his imagination to contemplate in solitude the relics of medieval art to be found in the ruins of abbeys and castles.” (2004, p. 232) Hence, falling of a mysterious gigantic helmet causing the death of the heir to throne Conrad and the end of the monarchy of his lineage expresses his sensibility and prediction regarding the change of monarchs to the throne. Manfred’s advances towards Isabella and mistaken stabbing his real daughter Matilda to death reveal mastery of Walpole’s judgment regarding the fate of villain. Theodore’s becoming King after many mysteries, cruelties, trials, conspiracies, fights and foreign intrusions, proves his own unfulfilled wishes to come to power in the same manner as his father had enjoyed during the early years of 18th century. “British culture underwent radical change in the eighteenth century with the emergence of new literary genres and new discourses of social analysis. As novelists developed new forms of fiction, writers of economic tracts and treatises sought a new language and a conceptual framework to describe the modern commercial state.” (Retrieved from cambridge.org) The play also depicts political, social and cultural values in a sonorous mode. The author has drawn out how other characters act on the strict instructions made by Manfred, who starts instigating Princess Isabella to marry him after the sad demise of his son. He also shows no mercy towards Hippolita, whom he is going to divorce and desert in old age, which reveals the cruelty prevailing in England at social and domestic scales. Renowned poet Robert Browning has also indicated in his poem “My Last Duchess” that how fifth Duke of Ferrara used to apply brutal attitude towards his wives, particularly the poor Lucrezia, who was killed by the Duke. The concept of villain in both the works under study is somewhat different from that of Puritan Era. In Puritan literature, the villains were either killed or met with a fateful end at last. On the contrary, goodness also undergoes serious trials and sufferings in Enlightenment literature, which is the reality of life actually. Gay draws out his story in such a way that none of his villains including Peachum, Lockit and Macheath undergoes any punishment, pains or penalty, which reflects the very reason applied by him regarding the actual fate of the criminals and offenders, who often escape trials in society. Same could be witnessed in the Castle of Ortranto, where Conrad was not guilty of any crime, but was killed under mysterious circumstances. Moreover, the conflict between Manfred and Isabella first caused the divorce of innocent Hippolita, and then circumstances take the life of poor Matilda for nothing. Consequently, Theodore becomes the prince under extremely gloomy state of affairs. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Austen, Jane. (1813) Pride and Prejudice Reprint Kessinger Publishing, 2004 pp. 3-4 2. Daiches, David. (2005) A Critical History of English Literature Secker & Warburg London pp 126- 697 3. Evans, Ifor. (2004) A Short History of English Literature Penguin Books Sixth Edition pp 141- 209 4. Gay, John. (1728) The Beggar’s Opera 5. Hackett, Lewis. (1992) The Age of Enlightenment: The European Dream of Progress and Enlightenment Retrieved from http://history-world.org/age_of_enlightenment.htm 6. Lombardi, Esther. (2009) Pope, Alexander: An Essay on Man Epistle I (1732) http://classiclit.about.com/od/essayonmanapope/a/aa_essayonman_e1.htm 7. Mullik, B. R. (2002) A Short History of English Literature Chand Publications Delhi pp 29-73 8. Nestvold, Ruth (2001) The Augustan Age Retrieved from http://www.ruthnestvold.com/Augustan.htm 9. Bayne-Powell, Rosamond. Religion, Morals. Retrieved from http://www.ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/bynpwllr/morals11.htm 10. Singh, Ishtla. (2005) The History of English: A Student’s Guide Hodder Arnold London ISBN10: 0-340-80695-8 pp 219-358 11. Tisdale, Mark. (2005) Virginia is for History Lovers – Williamsburg, Virginia http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/06-07/virginia-is-for-history-lovers-williamsburg-virginia.html 12. VanHorn, Chris. (2003) The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay pp 1-13 http://www2.unca.edu/music/history/music352/Beggars%20Opera%20-%20Chris%20VanHorn.pdf 13. The Age of Enlightenment http://www.brucekelly.com/library/enlightenment.html 14. Walpole, Horace, (1765) The Castle of Otranto Reprinted by Fairclough, Peter (1968) Three Gothic Novels Penguin Classics Read More