The Marriage Settlement is the first in the series of six satirical paintings known as Marriage à-la-mode painted by William Hogarth.
All the main characters are introduced here, at the beginning of the story. Starting with the man under the canopy and moving across the scene there is:
The only other character who is given a name is the doctor in plate III. Also, Silvertongue is not named until the final place, VI; his name is given here for conv...
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The Marriage Settlement is the first in the series of six satirical paintings known as Marriage à-la-mode painted by William Hogarth.
All the main characters are introduced here, at the beginning of the story. Starting with the man under the canopy and moving across the scene there is:
The only other character who is given a name is the doctor in plate III. Also, Silvertongue is not named until the final place, VI; his name is given here for convenience.
The plot of the painting is the unmitigated greed of the two fathers, the Alderman and the Earl. The Alderman is wealthy to excess, and the Earl is heavily in debt but still retains his ancient title. The Alderman is desirous of becoming the grandfather to a noble son, and the Earl wants to ensure his line is carried on, and is willing to put up with the common Alderman for the sake of his money.
Meanwhile, the soon to be married two are completely ignoring each other, and the bride is being courted by the lawyer. Myriad details show...
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