Blakes The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Essay - 2511 Words

Blakes The Marriage of Heaven and Hell The Nature of my Work is Visionary or Imaginative; it is an Endeavor to Restore what the Ancients calld the Golden Age. -William Blake (Johnson/Grant,xxiv). William Blake completed the manuscript of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, as well as the twenty-five accompanying engraved plates, in 1792. In the sense that the The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a vision of a particular version of reality, it subscribes to one definition of the mythic, but also fulfills another as Birenbaum writes in Tragedy and Innocence: ...on a more specialized level...true myth...suggests a penentration to the essential nature of human experience, made by conspicuously violating features†¦show more content†¦Blake uses traditional symbols of angels and devils, animal imagery, and especially images of fire and flame to: 1) set up a dual world, a confrontation of opposites or contraries which illustrate how the rules of Reason and Religion repress and pervert the basic creative energy of humanity, 2) argues for apocalyptic transformation of the self through the radical regeneration of each persons own power to imagine (Johnson/Grant, xxiv), and 3) reconstructs Man in a new image, a fully realized Man who is both rational and imaginative, partaking of his divinity through creativity. The form of the poem consists of The Argument, expositions on his concepts of the contraries and of expanded perception which are both interspersed with Memorable Fancies that explicate and enlarge on his expositions, and concludes with A Song of Liberty, a prophecy of a future heaven on earth. Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence. From these contraries spring what the religious call Good Evil. Good is the passive that obeys Reason. Evil is the active springing from Energy. Good is Heaven. Evil is Hell. (MHH, pp. 66-7) One of the main themes of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is the confrontation of the grand oppositions of orthodox Christian doctrine: Heaven and Hell, good and evil,Show MoreRelatedRomantic Characteristics in Blakes The Marriage of Heaven and Hell525 Words   |  3 Pagestime period. One of his most controversial works, â€Å"The Marriage of Heaven and Hell† explores three of the most prominent romantic themes in his works: the battle between good and evil, the presence of the supernatural and an affinity for nature. Most likely inspired by Emanuel Swedenborg’s â€Å"Heaven and Hell†, Blake used common romantic symbolism to demonstrate the prophetic meanings of the pieces in the book. In â€Å"The Marriage of Heaven and Hell†, Blake alludes to the idea that, â€Å"Attraction and RepulsionRead MoreRomanticism in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake1393 Words   |  6 PagesRomanticism in William Blakes Poem William Blake was a poet, painter, and a printmaker all during the period in literature known as the Romantic time period. The Romantic time period, also known in Literature as Romanticism began in Europe, mainly France and Britain around the 1800s (Barker) and it was first defined as a tool to in literature and literary criticisms (Galitz). 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Additionally, he was homeschooled for the better part of his childhood, which shaped him as a person. William Blake’s family life and personal beliefs influenced his substa ntial body of work. William Blake was born in Soho DistrictRead More The Complexity of William Blakes Poetry Essay1049 Words   |  5 PagesThe Complexity of William Blakes Poetry Northrop Frye, in his critical essay, Poetry and Design, states; In a world as specialized as ours, concentration on one gift and a rigorous subordination of all others is practically a moral principle (Frye 137). William Blakes refusal to follow this moral principle by putting his poetry before his art, or vice versa, makes his work extraordinary as well as complex and ambiguous. Although critics attempt to juggle Blakes equally impressive talentsRead MoreWilliam Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757 to James and Catherine Blake. His father,1600 Words   |  7 Pageshis father bought for him â€Å"(Early Years†). James and Catherine supported and encouraged Blake’s artistic ability and enrolled him in Henry Par’s drawing school in the Strand when Blake was 10 years old, there he first started writing poetry (Harris 5). He enjoyed the works of Shakespeare, Jonson and Spenser and ancient ballads as opposed to current literature at the time (â€Å"The You ng Artist†). Some of Blake’s favorite artists ranged from Raphael, Michelangelo, Giulio Romano, Albrecht Dà ¼rer, and MaertenRead MoreWhat Are the Salient Features of Blake’s Poetry?843 Words   |  4 PagesWhat are the salient features of Blake’s poetry? Of all the romantic poets of the eighteenth century, William Blake (1757-1827) is the most independent and the most original. In his earliest work, written when he was scarcely more than a child, he seems to go back to the Elizabethan song writers for his models; but for the greater part of his life he was the poet of inspiration alone, following no man’s lead, and obeying no voice but that which he heard in his own mystic soul. Though the most