The Reward of Cruelty (The Four Stages of Cruelty)

The Reward of Cruelty (The Four Stages of Cruelty) by William Hogarth is the final, climactic plate in the artist's four-part moralizing series published in 1751. Executed using the difficult medium of etching and engraving, this print represents the third and final state, showcasing Hogarth's powerful graphic technique. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds this definitive impression in its comprehensive collection of British prints.

The scene depicts the gruesome fate of Tom Nero, the protagonist of the series, who has been executed for murder and is now undergoing public dissection by surgeons at Surgeons' Hall. Hogarth uses explicit anatomical details to maximize the horrifying moral lesson. Surrounding the operating table, various men observe the procedure. Nero’s face, recognizable even in death, is visible, and the gallows rope remains around his neck. The composition is highly symbolic; Hogarth illustrates how a life of escalating violence has led to a death that is both humiliating and instructive.

In the background, human skulls and partially articulated skeletons are visible, serving as classic memento mori and confirming the academic setting of 18th-century anatomical study. This graphic conclusion underscores the series' core argument: cruelty, even beginning with the mistreatment of animals like dogs (a subject of previous plates), inevitably leads to violent destruction and a shameful end. Hogarth intentionally designed these influential prints to be widely accessible, ensuring his moral message reached both the common populace and the connoisseur. As a seminal work from the British Enlightenment designed for mass distribution, impressions of this pivotal moral graphic are frequently reproduced, making this important piece of art history widely available today through public domain resources.