William Hogarth: The Four Stages of Cruelty: Cruelty in Perfection 1 February 1751. Etching and engraving. Dimensions: 18.5” x 22” x 1” Artwork Dimensions: 12.625” x 16” Nero has embarked on a life of highway robbery. He is seen here being apprehended after committing a murder in the dead of night. As with Tom Idle in Industry and Idleness, Hogarth underlines that the reality of being a highwayman is far from the glamorous, romantic existence presented by popular heroes such as Captain Macheath in The Beggar’s Opera. Indeed, Nero’s grotesque appearance conveys the inherent viciousness of his character and brutalizing way of life. His victim, Ann Gill, his lover and partner-in-crime, lies prostrate on the floor, her throat slit. Her swollen stomach makes it clear that she was pregnant. GrpC 7.27