The Rake's Progress Teachers Guide - San Francisco Opera

Prompts for Discussion
1. What’s in a name? All the characters in this opera have names that suggest
something about their who they are. Even down to the auctioneer! What does
each character’s name tell us about the personality or role of the character?
2. Hogarth, the artist who inspired this opera, was very fascinated with extremes
in behavior. He also had a very clear vision of what was right and wrong. His
characters get what they deserve. Is this true in real life? What are examples
that we see in stories or in the news of people either getting or not getting what
they deserve?
3. Tom Rakewell is influenced greatly by his friend, Nick Shadow. If he had
never met Nick, would he have lived his life differently? Did Nick introduce new
ideas to Tom or just encourage him to follow his own path?
4. Why does Tom marry Baba, the Turk? What happens to her?
5. Is there a turning point in the story where Tom could have saved his own life?
What could he have done differently to make the story turn out better for him?
6. Is Squire Trulove justified in having concerns about his daughter’s ties to
Tom?
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