Earthly Delights

Now here is an image straight from hell... Hogarth's Satan, Sin and Death (A Scene from Milton's Paradise Lost) [Room 6]. Of course, you all recognize the story... Sin is telling Satan that Death is their bastard child, and that she is his daughter (yes, that makes it incest!):

Nice, huh? Who do you think the "baby" takes after?

Here's a piece of it, in all its Miltonian splendor, in case you don't remember.

Sin speaks: (PL, Book II)

All on a sudden miserable pain
Surprised thee, dim thine eyes and dizzy swum
In darkness, while thy head flames thick and fast
Threw forth, till on the left side opening wide,
Likest to thee in shape and countenance bright,
Then shining heavenly fair, a goddess armed,
Out of thy head I sprung. Amazement seized
All th' host of Heaven; back they recoiled afraid
At first, and called me Sin, and for a sign
Portentous held me; but, familiar grown,
I pleased, and with attractive graces won
The most averse--thee chiefly, who, full oft
Thyself in me thy perfect image viewing,
Becam'st enamoured; and such joy thou took'st
With me in secret that my womb conceived
A growing burden.[...]

Pensive here I sat
Alone; but long I sat not, till my womb,
Pregnant by thee, and now excessive grown,
Prodigious motion felt and rueful throes.
At last this odious offspring whom thou seest,
Thine own begotten, breaking violent way,
Tore through my entrails, that, with fear and pain
Distorted, all my nether shape thus grew
Transformed: but he my inbred enemy
Forth issued, brandishing his fatal dart,
Made to destroy. I fled, and cried out Death!
Hell trembled at the hideous name, and sighed
From all her caves, and back resounded Death!


This is one of the scariest paintings in the whole museum. Guaranteed to give you nightmares for at least a week.