The Wasp — 1892 — page 406: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical engraving depicts two figures in distress amid chaotic imagery labeled "POLITICAL STRIFE" and "POOR." Ravens or vultures circle overhead, suggesting disaster and death. The figures appear to be politicians or public figures trapped in turmoil they've created or cannot escape. The text references "the Macbeth principle" and includes a chorus warning of "double, toil and trouble"—a direct allusion to Shakespeare's *Macbeth*'s witches' incantations. This compares political machinations to witchcraft and evil-doing. The scattered papers reading "STUFF HEELS" and other partially visible text suggest bureaucratic chaos or failed governance. The overall message seems to be that political corruption and conflict breed societal suffering, trapping even those involved in their own destructive schemes.