William Hogarth’s “A Harlot’s Progress” and “A Rake’s Progress” – Comparative Analysis Essay

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William Hogarth seems to narrate the stories of a fallen woman and a fallen man in a similar fashion with matching endings but different beginnings. In a Harlot’s progress, Moll appears to be pure and innocent. In a Rake’s Progress, however, Tom may demonstrate signs of a foul nature. The details of both series of paintings that help understand the plot feature background paintings, items of furniture, banners, and objects of symbolic meaning. Some of them indicate an influence of god or devil.

The similarity of the two Hogarth’s narrations is evidenced, among other things, by the overcrowdedness and detail-rich painting style. Moll’s purity is shown through the color of her dress, her closed posture, and her eyes. Tom’s corruptness is revealed through him buying new clothes and rejecting a woman with his wedding ring. Devil’s presence can be sensed in a broom and a hat in the third painting of Harlot’s progress. God’s presence can be imagined from the appearance of lightning in the fourth painting of Rake’s Progress.

Both series feature a crowd of people and many small details, and in both cases, almost each tells its part of the story, which gives a reason to believe the series are similar. The White color of Moll’s dress, as opposed to darker clothes of others, her closed posture, and absence of eye contact with a brothel-keeper, can symbolize her difference from the corrupt environment around. Tom buying new clothes while servants mourn his father’s death and rejecting a woman he promised to marry can indicate his moral decay. A broom and a crooked hat hanging above the bed are the attributes of a witch, a devil’s servant. The lightning in the engraved version has always been a symbol of God’s work in the antique paintings.

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"William Hogarth’s “A Harlot’s Progress” and “A Rake’s Progress” – Comparative Analysis." IvyPanda, 28 Jan. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/william-hogarths-a-harlots-progress-and-a-rakes-progress-comparative-analysis/.

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IvyPanda. (2022) 'William Hogarth’s “A Harlot’s Progress” and “A Rake’s Progress” – Comparative Analysis'. 28 January.

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IvyPanda. 2022. "William Hogarth’s “A Harlot’s Progress” and “A Rake’s Progress” – Comparative Analysis." January 28, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/william-hogarths-a-harlots-progress-and-a-rakes-progress-comparative-analysis/.

1. IvyPanda. "William Hogarth’s “A Harlot’s Progress” and “A Rake’s Progress” – Comparative Analysis." January 28, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/william-hogarths-a-harlots-progress-and-a-rakes-progress-comparative-analysis/.


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IvyPanda. "William Hogarth’s “A Harlot’s Progress” and “A Rake’s Progress” – Comparative Analysis." January 28, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/william-hogarths-a-harlots-progress-and-a-rakes-progress-comparative-analysis/.

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