Hudubras and Ralpho Disputing (Seventeen Small Illustrations for Samuel Butler's Hudibras, no. 8) 1721 - 1726

William Hogarth made this print, "Hudubras and Ralpho Disputing," sometime in the 18th century. It belongs to a set of small illustrations for Samuel Butler's satirical poem, "Hudibras," which ridiculed the excesses of Puritanism during the English Civil War. Hogarth's print translates Butler's literary satire into visual form, mocking the pretensions of the characters through caricature and detailed depictions of urban life. The setting, architecture, and clothing are all distinctly British. By exaggerating the physical features and gestures of his subjects, Hogarth amplifies the poem's critique of religious and political fanaticism. Hogarth was deeply engaged with the social and political issues of his day, and believed that art should serve a moral purpose by exposing vice and folly. By studying the literature, politics, and social customs of 18th-century England, we can better understand how Hogarth used his art to comment on the world around him. This print shows how art can question social norms.