Forgers II 

Gustave Doré crafted this image, "Forgers II," using engraving, capturing a scene of tormented souls. Here we witness the sin of forgery depicted through self-inflicted torment. The figures scratch at their skin, a gesture that speaks to the internal corruption festering within them. These motifs of suffering and divine retribution have roots stretching back to ancient Greece, where hubris was met with relentless punishment. The contorted bodies and anguished expressions remind us of the Laocoön group, where physical agony mirrors spiritual despair. Consider how this act of scratching, of desperate attempts to alleviate internal suffering, echoes across time. We see it re-emerge in medieval depictions of the plague, where similar gestures reflected both physical and spiritual decay. Dore´s work taps into a collective memory of human suffering, revealing the cyclical nature of moral transgression and its consequences. The emotional power of this image lies in its visceral representation of internal conflict.