London

William Blake

I wandered through each chartered street,

Near where the chartered Thames does flow,
A mark in every face I meet,
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every man,

In every infant's cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forged manacles I hear:

How the chimney-sweeper's cry

Every blackening church appals,
And the hapless soldier's sigh
Runs in blood down palace-walls.

But most, through midnight streets I hear

How the youthful harlot's curse
Blasts the new-born infant's tear,
And blights with plagues the marriage-hearse.


“London” Introduction



"London" is among the best known writings by visionary English poet

William Blake. The poem describes a walk through London, which is
presented as a pained, oppressive, and impoverished city in which all
the speaker can find is misery. It places particular emphasis on the
sounds of London, with cries coming from men, women, and children
throughout the poem. The poem is in part a response to the Industrial
Revolution, but more than anything is a fierce critique of humankind's
failure to build a society based on love, joy, freedom, and communion
with God.


I wander thro' each charter'd street,

2Near where the charter'd Thames does flow.
3And mark in every face I meet
4Marks of weakness, marks of woe.
5In every cry of every Man,
6In every Infants cry of fear,
7In every voice: in every ban,
8The mind-forg'd manacles I hear
9How the Chimney-sweepers cry
10Every blackning Church appalls,
11And the hapless Soldiers sigh
12Runs in blood down Palace walls
13But most thro' midnight streets I hear
14How the youthful Harlots curse
15Blasts the new-born Infants tear
16And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse


“London” Summary



The speaker takes a walk through the designated streets of

London. This walk brings the speaker near the River Thames, which
seems to have its course dictated for it as it flows throughout the
city. The speaker sees signs of resignation and sadness in the faces of
every person the speaker passes by.


 The speaker hears this pain too, in the cries men as well as those of
fearful newborn babies. In fact, in every voice in the city, in every law
or restriction London places on its population, the speaker can sense
people's feelings of being oppressed by city life.

The speaker hears the cry of young chimney-sweeps, whose misery

brings shame on the Church authorities. Thinking of unfortunate British
soldiers dying in vain, the speaker imagines their blood running down
the walls of a palace.

Most of all, the speaker hears the midnight cries of young prostitutes,
who swear and curse at their situation. In turn, this miserable sound
brings misery to their tearful new-born children. The speaker also
imagines this sound plaguing what the speaker calls "the Marriage
hearse"—a surreal imagined vehicle that carries love and death
together.



“London” Themes





The Oppression of Urban Life

In “London,” the speaker takes a walk through the titular city and finds
only misery. The dirty and dangerous city is an intense expression of
human life—not at its fullest, but at its most depraved and
impoverished. Blake was notably writing at a time when the Industrial
 Revolution was at full pace, restructuring society in a way that he
believed made people lose sight of what it means to be human. Blake
uses "London" to argue that this urban environment is inherently
oppressive and denies people the freedom to live happy, joyful lives.

The poem opens with the speaker’s experience of walking through the
city. Through the speaker’s eyes and ears, the reader gets a strong
sense of the dismal lives of the Londoners. The people are “marked”
by “weakness” and “woe"; the streets and even the river Thames are
“charter’d”—that is, their courses have been decided for them. (Rivers
are often a symbol of freedom, but not in this poem.)

The speaker also hears pain everywhere—it’s “in every voice,” even
that of newborn babies—and it's caused by “mind-forg’d manacles.”
Manacles are a type of physical restraint, like handcuffs, but these
particular manacles are “mind-forg’d”—that is, they come from
thought rather than the physical world. The root cause of London’s
misery, it seems, is the way that humanity thinks about itself, the way
that society has been conceived and developed. The speaker suggests
that society could be joyful, free, and full of love, but that people's
fear, greed, and thirst for power have made the urban environment
unbearably oppressive.

Though the poem doesn’t delve too deeply into the way it thinks
society should be, it's very clear about the strong links between misery
and its urban setting. At the time of Blake's writing London was (and
 still is) one of the busiest, most developed urban environments in the
world. The poem argues that this way of life—with its focus on
economic activity and individualism—is fundamentally flawed.

To emphasize the point that the city environment itself oppresses its
inhabitants, the speaker gestures towards some of the desperate
measures people take in order to survive. The chimney-sweepers, who
are only children, put their health at great risk to earn a living; both
the soldiers and the harlots (female prostitutes), in different ways,
must sell their bodies in order to survive. In other words, everyone is
trapped by their situation, forced to exchange the only things they
have—their bodies—in order to, paradoxically, keep those bodies alive.

What's more, the poem offers no real hope that society may find a way
to cast off its “mind-forg’d manacles.” Note that the poem emphasizes
the next generation in closing on the “youthful Harlots” and the “new-
born infants.” This image turns what should be a joyous celebration of
new life into an initiation into poverty, pain, and hopelessness; it
implies the cyclical nature of London's poverty, and suggests people
don’t have the freedom to escape their urban woes.

The poem, then, views modern city life as hopelessly oppressive. With
the Industrial Revolution at full pace, London was undergoing
significant and speedy changes. The poem argues these changes
aren't for the better, and its criticism of London may be just as relevant
to today’s cities.



The Corruption of Childhood

"London" also touches on an important theme throughout Blake's

work, one that is especially prominent in his Songs of Innocence and
 Experience: the corruption of childhood. Blake believed that people are
born with everything they need for a joyful, loving, and happy life—but
that the adult world corrupts this innocent state. In this poem, the
speaker describes how children are essentially crushed by the adult
world, thus building a vivid argument supporting Blake's broader belief.

The speaker of "London" presents urban children as being in distress

from the moment they are born. For example, line 15 describes how
newborn babies are "blasted" by the curses of their impoverished
prostitute mothers. With this image, the speaker gestures towards an
ongoing cycle of misery—miserable mothers lead to miserable
children, who may themselves create more miserable children later on
—that is integral to the urban environment. Similarly, in line 6, infants
are characterized as consistently crying, and these cries are
specifically related to the fear they feel. It is as though they can sense
the misery around them, before they've even developed their ability to
meaningfully perceive and make sense of the world.

Perhaps the most poignant reference to childhood corruption is in line

9, when the speaker discusses the chimney-sweepers. Chimney-
sweeping was a brutal but very common profession in London in
Blake's day, and it was work that children were frequently sold or
forced into. (Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" poems discuss this theme
in greater detail.) Like the prostitutes and the soldiers mentioned
elsewhere in the poem, the impoverished children of London are forced
to exchange their one possession—their bodies—for money, food,
and/or lodging. In other words, they give up their childhood—when
 they should be playing and learning about the world—in order to
merely survive. And doing so, of course, actually diminishes their
chances of survival, because chimney sweeping places them in toxic
and physically dangerous environments.

Through the images of childhood suffering that the speaker observes

and recreates for readers, Blake seems to suggest that the oppression
of children is one of the worst examples of how the "mind-forg'd
manacles" of urban life and industrialization corrupt society.


Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of
“London”


Lines 1-2

The opening of the poem sets up its premise: the reader will
accompany the speaker on a walk through London, seeing and hearing
what the speaker perceives. The verb "wander" makes the walk seem
almost casual or aimless. This helps make the misery that follows
seem like an everyday kind of misery—this world of poverty and pain is
just what people will find in London whenever they walk through it.


 Of course, we don't know yet that the city is such a dismal place;
instead, these first two lines merely hint at its oppressiveness. To
"wander" also suggests a kind of freedom, an idea which is put under
strain by the word "charter'd." A charter is a legal document, granting
or denying powers or access (to a particular plot of land, for example).
In this one word, the speaker suggests what he or she hates most
about modern society: the way it restricts and devalues human life.
The "charter'd streets" specifically hint at the way London is a kind of
cage, keeping its inhabitants within the confines of their pain.
The diacope created by the word's repetition in line 2 reflects the way
that this cage is inescapable. The streets, then, represent physical city
limits that, in turn, hint at the mental limitations of the "mind-forg'd
manacles" introduced in line 8.

Line 2 carries on with "charter'd" by now applying it to the Thames.

The Thames is the river that flows through London, and it is a key part
of the social fabric of the city. It's still pretty dirty now, but back when
Blake was writing it would have been even worse—full of filth, waste,
and even dead bodies. Here, the Thames acts as a kind of symbol in
reverse: rivers are often symbols of natural beauty freedom, but in the
poem the Thames only adds to the sense of misery, limitation, and
restriction. This symbolic subversion is clear in the grammar of the line
itself: The open assonance of "does flow" almost creates a sense of a
river running freely, but it is immediately cut short by the harsh end-
stop. The punctuation imposes its limits on any short-lived suggestion
of freedom.


 It's quite possible that the use of "charter'd" is an allusion to Thomas
Paine's Rights of Man. Paine's book was a strong expression of support
for the principles of the French Revolution (1789), and in this book he
makes a remark that quite possibly informs this poem: "Every
chartered town is an aristocratical monopoly of itself." In other words,
the layout and organization of a city reflect its imbalance of power,
power which is concentrated in the hands of a small ruling class.

Of London specifically, Paine makes another remark whose echo can

be found in Blake's poem: "It is a market where every man has his
price, and where corruption is common traffic." Worth noting here is
that in the poem's first draft, both instances of "charter'd" read "dirty"
instead. "Charter'd" must have seemed to better reflect the specific
points about London's oppression that Blake wanted the poem to
make.

“London” Poetic Devices & Figurative

Language


Alliteration

Alliteration occurs in all four stanzas of "London." In lines 3 and 4, the

numerous /m/ and /w/ sounds create a sense of abundant misery.
Every person the speaker walks past shows "marks" of "weakness"
and "woe." The /m/ is associated with these marks, and accordingly
 the four appearances of /m/ in these lines mirror the way the speaker
encounters people on his walk.

In line 8, the /m/ sound appears again. Here, it helps give the phrase
"mind-forged manacles" its terrible power. The phrase refers to the
oppressive restrictions that humanity places upon itself which, in the
speaker's view, are the result of a collective failure to imagine a better
society based on love and freedom. The /m/ sound here picks up on
the association with misery established in the first stanza, and also
helps create a feeling of entrapment. The first word of the phrase
starts with /m/ and so does the last, meaning that the phrase itself is in
a way surrounded by /m/. It also echoes the /m/ of "Man" in line 5,
strengthening the link between the manacles and human beings; the
sonic similarity suggests that people are inherently prone to
entrapping themselves—that that these shackles aren't simply "mind-
forg'd" but also "Man-forg'd," because the oppression of city life is
something humanity has created for itself.

In the third stanza, lines 10 and 12 alliterate through the words

"blackning" and "blood." Both have negative associations, and both
are associated with two of the sources of London's oppression: the
official Church and the State/monarchy. The alliteration helps underline
the way that society's authorities are directly responsible for people's
pain and impoverishment. This is further reflected in the /ch/
consonance of "Chimney" and "Church."


 And just as the first two stanzas were linked by the /m/ alliteration, the
fourth stanza shares the /bl/ sound with the third stanza. This time it's
used for two verbs, both of which describe destruction: "blasts" and
"blights." This helps create a sense that this destruction—like the city's
oppression—is inescapable. Altogether, the repetition of sounds in the
poem thus contributes to the sense that the misery of city-life is
cyclical and feeds upon itself.


Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of
“London”



Form

As with many of Blake's poems, "London" has a simple form that

furthers a discussion of complicated ideas. There are
four quatrain stanzas. Taking a zoomed-out look at these stanzas,
the first can be said to deal with the sights of London, while the
following three focus instead on the sounds of the city.

Of these, the only one with a particularly inventive form is stanza

three. Here, Blake takes the final word of stanza two and uses it to
create an acrostic. The first letter of each line in stanza three spells
out HEAR, which helps the poem emphasize the sense of sound that
the speaker experiences in London. But this formal feature is not
 immediately noticeable, which reflects the poem's idea that to truly
understand the pain and impoverishment of London (and cities like it)
takes a deliberate effort.




Meter

On first glance, "London" is written in iambic tetrameter. Indeed,

the first three lines conform to this scheme perfectly:

I wan- | -der thro' | each chart- |-er'd street,

Near where | the chart- | -er'd Thames | does flow.
And mark | in eve- |-ry face | I meet

The poem here is setting up its basic premise—a walk through London
—and the regularity of the meter calls to mind the speaker's solid and
rhythmic walking pace. But suddenly, this regularity is thrown off
by line 4, when the "marks" in people's faces appear in front of the
speaker. Their "weakness" and "woe" disrupt the speaker's walking
rhythm, and this change is reflected metrically the shortened
first foot of the line (technically something called headless catalexis;
we could also scan this is being a line made up of trochees and the
sound would be the same):


 Marks | of weak- | ness, marks | of woe.

This makes the appearance of the people's faces more dramatic, as

though they have literally just jumped unexpectedly in front of the
speaker's eyes.

What's more, line 4 isn't the only line to cut out the final syllable. Every
line in stanza three breaks with iambic tetrameter in the same way,
which makes the "chimney-sweepers' cry" and the "hapless soldiers'
sigh" more prominent and audible—stressed from the first syllable, the
lines feel louder. Lines 14 and 15 employ a form of catalexis too, with
an effect similar to that of stanza three. All of these lines scan the
same way that line 4 (quoted above) does.




Rhyme Scheme

"London" follows a simple rhyme scheme throughout:

ABAB

All of the rhymes are full, perfect rhymes as well. Generally speaking,
the steady, unchanging rhyme scheme helps the poem feel like a walk.
 Just like a pair of feet, one rhyme is laid down after another. It's also
notable how many of these end words have negative connotations. Out
of sixteen ending words, perhaps only five sound neutral when taken
out of context: street, flow, meet, Man, and hear. All of the rest deal
with pain, the sounds of pain, or images of restriction—and in the final
word of the poem ("hearse"), death itself. This helps the poem create
an overall atmosphere of misery, and brings those other five words
into this world of negative connotations. In context, "street" becomes
the site of London's misery, and every person that the speaker "meets"
is evidence of oppression and pain. The poem thus uses a relatively
straightforward rhyme scheme to keep the focus on its thematic
concerns—namely, the oppression and misery of urban life.



“London” Speaker


The poem is written from a first-person perspective, but this "I" is non-
specific. Of course, the speaker has a lot in common with William Blake
himself. In particular, they share a dislike and distrust of modern
industrial London, observing the way that London oppresses and
depresses its inhabitants.

The speaker is, like Blake, a kind of visionary. He or she deliberately

delves into the heart of London, seeking to understand the city and its
people. The speaker is a visionary not just in a visual sense, but in an
auditory one too. It is as though the speaker can see and hear all of
 London's pain and impoverishment at once. The speaker also has a
theory as to the source of London's misery: "the mind-forg'd
manacles." To the speaker, London represents a collective failure of
the human mind—a better society based on love, freedom and joy is,
or perhaps only was, possible, but has been replaced by the miserable
beast that is modern-day London.


“London” Setting


As the title of the poem suggests, the setting here is "London."

Specifically, it's the London of Blake's time—so the late 18th century.

As the poem makes clear, this was a time of economic and social
hardship. Rapid industrialization had completely changed the character
of the city, and it was a hard place to survive. The poem emphasizes
this effort for survival: the young (represented by the chimney-
sweepers), men (soldiers), and women (youthful prostitutes) all have to
put their bodies on their line just in order to exist from day to day. This
creates the sense that London is an unforgiving and foreboding place,
where threat and danger lurk at every corner.

But the poem is also set in the speaker's own particular perceptions of
London. The reader is seeing, hearing, and understanding the city
through the speaker's own eyes, ears, and mind. The "mind-forg'd
 manacles" and the "marriage hearse," for example, are the speaker's
own ideas. Indeed, the links between poverty and authority represent
the speaker's own theory that, in the speaker's mind, explains
London's misery.


Literary and Historical Context of
“London”


Literary Context

William Blake (1757-1827) is a poet unlike any other. Often considered

one of the first of the English Romantics, he also stands apart from any
movement as a unique philosopher, prophet, and artist.

Blake first printed "London" in Songs of Experience (1794), the second

volume of his important collection Songs of Innocence and of
Experience. This two-part book examines what Blake called "the two
contrary states of the human soul." Many of the poems in Songs of
Innocence have a counterpart in Songs of Experience, a twin poem
that reads the same subjects from a new perspective.

Blake conceived most of these poems not just as text, but as

illuminated manuscripts in which images deepen (and sometimes
complicate or contradict) the meanings of the words. Blake designed,
engraved, printed, painted, and published these works himself, using a
technique he called the "infernal method." In this process, he painted
his poems and pictures on copper plates with a resilient ink, then
burned away the excess copper in a bath of acid—the opposite of the
process most engravers used. But then, Blake often did the opposite of
what other people did, believing that it was his role to "reveal the
infinite that was hid" by custom and falsehood.

While Blake was never widely known during his lifetime, he has
become one of the most famous and beloved of poets since his death,
and writers from Allen Ginsberg to Olga Tokarczuk to Philip
Pullman claim him as a major influence.

Historical Context

William Blake spent much of his life railing against the cruelties of
19th-century British society. And he had plenty to rail against!

The England of Blake's time was just getting caught up in the Industrial
Revolution, a period during which the economy shifted from farming to
manufacturing. The countryside began to empty out, and the cities
began to swell. And English class divisions, always intense, began to
seem even more pronounced as impoverished workers lived cheek-by-
jowl with the fashionable and wealthy in newly crowded towns.

Workers during the early Industrial Revolution got a pretty raw deal.
Even young children were forced to work in factories, dig in mines, and
sweep chimneys (an absurdly dangerous job, contrary to the cheery
Mary Poppins image many are familiar with: chimney-sweeps as young
as three or four years old regularly suffocated in narrow flues). Adults
didn't have it much easier. With few regulations to keep factory owners
in check, bosses could impose impossible working hours, or withhold
pay for any number of trifling offenses.

Blake saw these societal changes as threats to humankind. In

"London," he describes industrial society as a form of physical and
mental enslavement—as "mind-forg'd manacles."
"London" is a poem by William Blake, published in the Songs of
Experience in 1794. It is one of the few poems in Songs of
Experience that reflects a constrained or bleak view of the city. Written
during the time of significant political and social upheaval in England,
the poem expresses themes of oppression, poverty, and institutional
corruption. Scholars have suggested that Blake used this work to
critique the impacts of industrialization and to highlight the
experiences of London's impoverished residents. [2][3]

Consequently, the poem critically examines the social conditions of the

time, particularly the exploitation of the poor, while also addressing the
loss of individual freedom and the moral decay of society. Blake's
writing is thought to reflect his response to the industrial revolution
and political unrest in England, as he sought to highlight the suffering
of the city's inhabitants.[4]

Poetry
[edit]
I wander thro’ each charter’d street,
Near where the charter’d Thames does flow.
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every Man,

In every Infants cry of fear,
In every voice: in every ban,
The mind-forg’d manacles I hear

How the Chimney-sweepers cry

Every blackning Church appalls,
And the hapless Soldiers sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls

But most thro’ midnight streets I hear

How the youthful Harlots curse
Blasts the new-born Infants tear
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.

Analysis of the poem

[edit]
The poem is widely considered a social critique of London during the
late 18th century. Scholars interpret Blake’s work as a reflection of his
perception of the city's poverty, oppression, and inequality. According
to literary critics, Blake’s “London” explores the idea of institutional
corruption and the psychological toll on the working class. Blake's
contemporary, the French Revolution, and the Industrial
Revolution had impacted British society, and critics argue that Blake
may have been influenced by these events. The poem is notable for its
focus on themes like powerlessness, as suggested by the repeated
imagery of "chartered" streets and the "mind-forged manacles" that
suggest a sense of inescapable control over individuals. Through vivid
and repetitive imagery, Blake portrays a society marked by oppression,
particularly emphasizing how institutions like the church and
the monarchy contribute to systemic despair. For example, Blake’s
mention of the "mind-forg’d manacles" suggests the psychological
impact of societal restrictions on individuals (Zhan, 2013). [2][5]

Additionally, an acrostic poem titled Shouting at the Past by Benbo

Smith, explores themes of silence and the loss of hearing. It draws a
parallel to William Blake's London, using the acrostic "H.E.A.R." to
highlight the soundscape of Blake's London, where societal conditions
create a noisy, oppressive environment. The poem conveys the tension
between the past and present, emphasizing the absence of sound as a
metaphor for emotional or social detachment. The analysis connects
these ideas to Blake’s critique of industrialization and social
injustice in London.[6]

Themes
[edit]
The poem addresses themes such as social oppression, the loss of
individual freedom, and the impact of industrialization on urban life.
Blake uses these themes to critique the institutions he saw as
perpetuating inequality and suffering in society, including the church
and the government (Zhan, 2013; Thompson, 1993). [7][2]

Blake critiques not only the societal structures but also the role of
institutions such as the Church and the monarchy in perpetuating
inequality. He draws attention to the suffering of marginalized groups,
such as chimney sweeps, soldiers, and prostitutes, who bear the brunt
of the city's moral and economic corruption. Through stark imagery
like the "youthful harlot's curse" and "runs in blood down palace walls",
Blake critiques the moral decay that spreads across generations,
exacerbating the cycle of poverty and suffering. [8][9]

Literary techniques
[edit]
Blake’s poem employs several literary techniques that are central to its
effect:
 Polyptoton: The repetition of variations of "mark" in "Marks of
weakness, marks of woe" emphasizes the pervasive suffering
among the people of London.
 Alliteration: Examples like "mind-forged manacles" add to the
rhythmic quality of the poem, highlighting key images.
 Structure: The poem follows an ABAB rhyme scheme in each stanza,
reinforcing a feeling of order that contrasts with the chaotic content
of suffering and despair.
 Repetition: The repeated use of "chartered" underscores the sense
of pervasive control, according to literary analysts.
Blake uses repetition and stark imagery to highlight the oppressive
atmosphere of London. For example, the repeated word "charter’d"
underscores the regulated, restrictive nature of city life, while other
phrases convey a sense of entrapment and despair. His choice of
structure and rhythm further amplifies the bleak tone of the poem
(Erdman, 1988).[10]

I wander thro’ each charter’d street,

Near where the charter’d Thames does flow.
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every Man,

In every Infants cry of fear,
In every voice: in every ban,
The mind-forg’d manacles I hear

How the Chimney-sweepers cry

Every blackning Church appalls,
And the hapless Soldiers sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls

But most thro’ midnight streets I hear

How the youthful Harlots curse
Blasts the new-born Infants tear
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse[11]

Publishing
[edit]
In Songs of Innocence and Experience, William Blake made deliberate
alterations to the wording and arrangement of poems across different
editions of his work, particularly in the first prints of 1794. This method
reflected Blake's evolving artistic vision. These editions were unique in
their hand-colored illustrations and in the presentation of both the text
and visual elements, with no two copies being exactly the same,
having the text etched onto copper plates. Scholars note that these
variations can be seen in changes to the order of the poems and even
in subtle differences in phrasing. The differing sequences reflect
Blake's deep engagement with the themes of innocence and
experience and how they were perceived over time. [12][13]

London was published in Blake’s Songs of Experience in 1794,

alongside other poems that explore themes of societal control and
personal suffering. The collection, which was originally illustrated and
printed by Blake himself, reflects his evolving perspective on social and
political issues of the time (Bentley, 2004).[14]

Allusions
[edit]
Blake's London contains several notable allusions that critique societal
structures in 18th-century England, which Blake portrays as oppressive
institutions. His use of several imagery conveys his criticism of both
religious and governmental powers, suggesting they contribute to the
suffering of the poor. One of the most prominent is the "Church" and
its depiction as a "black'ning Church". The reference to the "black'ning
Church" suggests that the church as an institution is not only
physically blackening from the soot of London but is actually rotting
from the inside, insinuating severe corruption. This phrase may signify
Blake’s view of the church as an institution complicit in the suffering of
the population, symbolically “darkened” by its failure to address social
issues like poverty and child labor. Scholars suggest that Blake used
this imagery to critique the church's alignment with oppressive
structures rather than acting as a force for compassion and support in
society (Frye, 1947; Thompson, 1993).[15][16]

Another significant allusion is the reference to "Palace walls" running

with blood. This line is interpreted as a criticism of the monarchy and
the ruling class, whom Blake viewed as indifferent to the suffering of
the common people. This imagery may evoke associations with the
social unrest and revolutions occurring in Blake's era, such as the
French Revolution, which Blake followed closely and viewed as a
reaction against oppressive rule. The phrase suggests that the palace
—or monarchy—is metaphorically "stained" with the blood of the
oppressed, pointing to the exploitation and suffering endured by lower
classes as a result of the monarchy’s policies (Erdman, 1988; Bentley,
2004).[10][14]

Finally, the mention of the "Harlot's curse" and the "newborn infant's
tear" evokes a cycle of suffering perpetuated across generations,
implying that societal corruption affects both individuals and families,
trapping them in a relentless cycle of despair. Scholars have noted that
this line critiques the societal impact of poverty and the breakdown of
traditional family structures in the face of industrial and urban
pressures (Bentley, 2004).[14] Blake’s use of these allusions
underscores his critique of the moral and social decay he perceived in
London’s institutions.[17][7]

Adaptations
[edit]
The poem London by William Blake has inspired various musical
interpretations, demonstrating its enduring influence across different
artistic fields. Notably, Ralph Vaughan Williams adapted the poem in
1958 as part of his Ten Blake Songs, a cycle that reflects his approach
to integrating Blake’s visual and poetic elements with musical
composition. Similarly, Benjamin Britten incorporated the poem into his
1965 cycle Songs and Proverbs of William Blake, exploring the themes
of oppression and corruption present in the work. Furthermore, the
German electronic band Tangerine Dream released an album
titled Tyger in 1987, inspired by Blake's poems, including London. This
album reflects a more modern, experimental take on Blake's themes,
showcasing how the poem continues to resonate with contemporary
artists.[18]

‘London’ by William Blake exposes the dreadful realities

of the poor who call the city home, placing particular
blame upon the religious and political institutions that
have seemingly turned a blind eye to the horror.

William Blake analyzed the horrors and sorrows of his

city as he meandered through the streets. Surrounded
by dejected Londoners, he saw evidence that the British
government had too much power and little interest in
helping those they were supposed to serve. To endure
19th-century England was to be thrust into a restrictive
world. Citizens followed an oppressive societal protocol
and those who broke the law suffered under penalty of
death.
The speaker of Blake’s poem does not mince words
when it comes to ascribing blame to the government.
Through their eyes — aided by the poet’s use of
vivid imagery — the reader is given a damningly hellish
image of the streets of London. One that conveys that
colossal sadness and indignation that the sight stirs
within those who witnessed it.

Tips to know before reading the poem

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Lines

Rhyme SchemeMeter SyllablesSTRESSED / Unstressed

LondonWilliam Blake
I wander thro' each charter'd street, Near where the
charter'd Thames does flow. And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every Man, In every Infants cry of fear, In

every voice: in every ban, The mind-forg'd manacles I hear

How the Chimney-sweepers cry Every blackning Church

appalls, And the hapless Soldiers sigh Runs in blood down
Palace walls
 But most thro' midnight streets I hear How the youthful
Harlots curse Blasts the new-born Infants tear And blights
with plagues the Marriage hearse

Explore London

 Read Poem
 Summary
 Context/Background
 Structure and Form
 Literary Devices
 Themes
 Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
 Similar Poetry
 Poetry+ Review Corner
 Comments

Summary
‘London’ by William Blake is a dark and dreary poem in
which the speaker describes the difficulties of life in London
through the structure of a walk.

The speaker travels to the River Thames and looks

around him. He takes note of the resigned faces of his
fellow Londoners. The speaker also hears and feels the
sorrow in the streets; this is the focus of the final
three stanzas. There is a true pain in the hearts of men,
women, and children. The most prominent of those
suffering in London’s streets are the
prostitutes.‘London’ ends with a fantastical image of a
carriage that shuttles love and death together around
the city.

The Poem Analysis Take

Expert Insights by Steven Ward

B.A. Honors in English Literature

Blake paints a lucid portrait of a city gripped by social,

political, and economic strife in his famous
poem 'London.' Despite being written over two centuries ago
it's lost none of its potency, immersing the reader and
forcing them to walk its hopelessly depressing streets.
Relying on both visual and auditory imagery, Blake leads you
by the hand, pointing out with woeful pity all the dreadful
sights and sounds that now reverberate throughout London.
As far as laments for once grand and celebrated cities go
— 'London' remains a devastating example of poetic social
commentary.

Context/Background
One biographer said of Blake:
 Blake was a nonconformist who associated with
some of the leading radical thinkers of his day, such
as Thomas Paine and Mary Wollstonecraft.

These people, like Blake, believed in free thinking and

were not the kind to conform to society’s standards. This
poem particularly condemns the stringent rules of
society. Blake experienced some of this firsthand. At one
point in his life, he was accused of speaking against the
king. The penalty for this was severe and Blake was
distraught over the issue until he was finally acquitted. It
is not surprising that he should revile such a strict
government. The words of this poem condemn every
kind of organized religion and government while it
reveals the human heart’s longing for freedom.

Structure and Form

‘London’ by William Blake is a four-stanza poem that is
separated into sets of four lines, known as quatrains.
These quatrains follow a rhyme
scheme of ABAB throughout. The first stanza explores
the sights around the city of London while the following
three focus more on the sounds the speaker can hear.
Close readers might notice that the third stanza of the
poem is an acrostic, spelling out the word “HEAR” with
each first letter of the first word in every line. Some of
the lines of ‘London’ make use of a metrical pattern
known as iambic tetrameter. this can be seen perfectly
in the first three lines of the poem. But, that changes in
line four when the speaker is confronted with the people.
The normal walking rhythm of the first lines is
interrupted, a way of referring back to the content
in ‘London.’
Literary Devices
In ‘London,’ William Blake makes use of several literary
devices. These include but are not limited to examples
of caesura, metaphor, and enjambment. The first of
these, enjambment, is a common formal device that
occurs when the poet cuts off a line before the
conclusion of a sentence or phrase. For example,
the transition between lines three and four of the first
stanza as well as line four of the second stanza and line
one of the third stanza.

Caesurae are pauses in the middle of lines, either due to

a break in the meter or the use of punctuation. For
example, line four of the first stanza. It reads: “Marks of
weakness, marks of woe.” Another good example is line
three of the second stanza: “In every voice: in every
ban.”

Metaphors are a kind of figurative language, one that is

quite common in poetry and often helps to create great
examples of imagery. There are numerous examples to
be found, especially in stanzas two and three.

Themes
In ‘London,’ Blake engages with themes of urban life,
childhood, and corruption. The latter relates to both
childhood and the broader nature of life in the city. It’s
clear from the first lines of the poem that Blake has a
widely negative view of what it’s like to live and work in
London. He is surrounded by misery, mostly due to the
way the adult world destroys the innocence of childhood.
These children are in distress throughout their lives,
forced to deal with the sins of their family members and
the darkness of the urban streets. The speaker hears
pain everywhere he goes in the city, something that he
knows isn’t necessary. The world could be happier and
freer but humanity’s darker side has made that
impossible in the city.

Analysis, Stanza by Stanza

Stanza One
I wander thro’ each charter’d street,
Near where the charter’d Thames does flow.
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In the first stanza, the speaker provides the setting and

tone. The setting can of course be derived from the title,
but the first stanza also reveals that the speaker is
walking down a street. He says that he “wander[s] down
each chartered street”. The term “wander” gives some
insight into the speaker as well. He appears to be not
quite sure of himself, and a bit misguided, if not entirely
lost. The use of the term “chartered” also suggests that
the streets he walks are controlled and rigid. He is not
walking in a free, open field, but a confined, rigid,
mapped-out area. The speaker will expound upon this
idea later on in ‘London’. As he walks, he notices
something about the faces of the people walking by.
There seem to be the marks of weariness in them all. He
describes their faces as having “weakness” and “woe”.
This sets up the tone as melancholy. The gloom and the
sadness seem to seep from the speaker’s voice as he
describes the passersby.
Stanza Two
In every cry of every Man,
In every Infants cry of fear,
In every voice: in every ban,
The mind-forg’d manacles I hear

While the first stanza sets up the tone of ‘London’, the

second stanza gives some insight into the speaker’s
melancholy feelings toward the people he watches pass
him by. The speaker reveals that from the cry of the
newborn infant to the cry of the full-grown man, he
hears the “mind forg’d manacles”. This gives insight into
his despairing view of mankind. The “manacles” are
shackles or some kind of chain that keeps a person
imprisoned. The fact that these chains are “mind forg’d”
reveals that they are metaphorical chains created by the
people’s ideas. The use of the word “ban” reveals that
these manacles are placed there by society. A ban, of
course, is a restriction given by law. The speaker’s use of
words such as “Charterd” “ban” and “manacles” reveal
his belief that society metaphorically imprisons people.
Suddenly, it becomes apparent that the thoughts,
pressures, and ideals of society are under scrutiny here.

Stanza Three
How the Chimney-sweepers cry
Every blackning Church appalls,
And the hapless Soldiers sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls

In this stanza of ‘London’, the speaker digs even deeper

into the reasons for his feelings toward humanity. He
implies that the shackles worn by the people and
inflicted by society have some disastrous results. He
begins with the Chimney sweeper. The Chimney sweeper
was one of the poorest in society. His life expectancy
was threatened because of his line of work. He was
consistently dirty and sick. Those of the lowest class
were forced into this kind of work to provide for their
families. Then, the speaker criticizes the church, calling
it “blackning” and claiming that even the church
“appalls” at the Chimney sweeper. Often, the chimney
sweepers were just children. They were small enough to
fit down the chimneys. These children were often
orphaned children, and the church was responsible for
them. This explains why the poet ties the chimney
sweepers with the “blackning church”.

The speaker then turns his attention to the “hapless

soldier”. He has already criticized society, pointed out
the misfortunes of the poor and the hypocrisy of the
church, and now he will also criticize the government by
suggesting that the soldiers are the poor victims of a
corrupt government. He reveals his feelings toward war
by describing the blood that runs down the palace walls.
The palace, of course, is where royalty would have lived.
Thus, the speaker accuses the higher-up people in his
society of spilling the blood of the soldiers to keep their
comfort of living in a palace.

Stanza Four
But most thro’ midnight streets I hear
How the youthful Harlots curse
Blasts the new-born Infants tear
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse
In the final stanza, the speaker reveals how the
corruptness of society attacks innocence. He says that
he hears the “youthful Harlot’s curse…”. The idea of a
youthful harlot suggests the level of poverty and
corruption, that a girl who was yet a youth would be
involved in prostitution. Then, things become even more
interesting, as the speaker reveals the object of the
Harlot’s cursing. She curses at the tears of a newborn
baby. This is the ultimate attack upon innocence. The
speaker does not reveal whether the harlot is the mother
of the baby or not, but he does imply that rather than
comforting a crying infant, she curses it. This reveals the
hardened heart of the harlot, which represents the
hardened heart of society at large. While the innocent
shed tears, the perverted attack them.

The last line of ‘London’ reveals the speaker’s thoughts

on marriage as well. The Harlot has “blighted” the
“marriage hearse”. She has deranged marriage by
having sold her body before ever entering into the
marriage union. Although the speaker believes that the
Harlot has somehow damaged marriage, he also reveals
his beliefs about marriage in the first place. The fact that
he calls it a “marriage hearse” reveals that he views
marriage as death. Overall, the poem has criticized
society, the church, prostitution, and even marriage. The
innocent baby shedding tears represents those who are
innocent in the world. They are few and they are scoffed
at. They are also infants and are not left to be innocent
for long. Their innocence is “blasted” by the cry of the
perverted.

Similar Poetry
 Readers who enjoyed ‘London’ should also consider
reading some other William Blake poems. These
include ‘The Tyger,’ ‘A Poison Tree,’ and ‘The Sick
Rose.’ The latter contains an extended metaphor in
which the speaker compares a rose to a woman’s
innocence or virginity. If the rose is sick, then it has lost
its virginity. ‘A Poison Tree’ was included along with ‘The
Tyger’ in Songs of Experience. It considers two different
ways of confronting and dealing with anger. ‘The
Tyger’ describes the cruelty of some of God’s creatures
and wonders why God made them as he did.

Poetry+ Review Corner

London

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unlock fully understanding the poem.

Poet:

William Blake (poems)

95

Period:

19th Century

75

Nationality:

English
 75

Themes:

Death

60

Disappointment

80

Religion

70

Emotions:

Compassion

65

Depression

85
Disgust

70

Topics:

Hell

65

London

90

Poverty

75

Walking

55

Form:
Ballad

65

William Blake

95
Originally appearing in Blake's collection of poetry entitled 'Songs
of Experience,' this poem explores the social turmoil that has
consumed the city of London. Through his use of imagery and
figurative language he laments over the nightmarish existence
faced by its inhabitants. Even centuries later, the poem's daunting
illustrations of life in this industrial and politically oppressive city
remain exceptionally relevant as an image of dystopian horror

What is 'London' about?

Image caption,
Bow Church and Cheapside, London, in 1750

London by William Blake was published in 1794.


 It tells the story of a speaker walking through the city of London and noticing
suffering all around them.
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London was published in Blake's poetry collection called Songs of Innocence and
Experience.


Songs of Experience explores how the world, power and life in general
can corrupt people.


Songs of Innocence focuses mostly on the naivety of childhood.

What happens in 'London'?
The Poem
In the poem, the speaker walks through London and observes the suffering going on
around them. For example, they hear the cries of men, babies and chimney sweeps; they
see the dirty walls of the church; observe a soldier sighing, a young woman cursing and a
sense of death all around them.
Blake wrote the poem to illustrate how London, the city he loved, was changing beyond
recognition due to its industrialisation.
He also wanted to show how many people living in the city were being forgotten by those
with wealth and power.
Much of Blake’s poetry sought to highlight the difference between social classes and
improve the welfare of others.

Context
William Blake was a Romantic poet. This means that he wrote during the Romantic
era in the late 18th and early 19th century.
The rapid industrialisation of towns and cities inspired many artists and poets to seek an
escape into nature. They focused on topics like nature, creativity and individuality, whilst
still hinting at the hardships of reality.
Concerns about rapid industrialisation are reflected in London. The poem criticises the
greed and imbalance of the power that the Industrial Revolution created between wealthy
factory owners and their workers.
The Romantics wanted people to prioritise creativity and individuality and these values
were in direct contrast to those of the Industrial Revolution.

Image caption,
Portrait of the poet William Blake from the British £20 note
Question
What did Blake want to raise awareness of through the poem?
Show answer
Themes
Power
London draws attention to the contrast between those with power and those without
power at the end of the 18th century. The everyday people that the speaker meets on his
walk are all powerless, including himself: “every face” shows sadness.
Blake draws attention to the power imbalance when he uses the juxtaposition:
And the hapless Soldiers sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls.
Blake paints an image of an unlucky (“hapless”), helpless soldier who has to give his life,
his “blood”, in service to those in power. In contrast, the “Palace walls” protect the
powerful, including the royal family, from danger or death.
Image caption,
An illustration of a homeless mother and child in 19th century London
by Frank Holl
Wealth
When Blake refers to the streets and rivers of London as being “charter’ed”, he is
commenting on how they are all owned by rich landowners. “Charter’ed” can also mean
they are written on maps, or that they are someone’s property.
“I wander thro’ each charter’d street,
Near where the charter’d Thames does flow.”
There is the sense, enhanced by repetition, that London belongs to the rich – despite the
fact that so many other people live there too.
“Charter’ed” can also suggest a sense of restriction and lack of freedom. Something that
should flow freely, like the Thames river, is being controlled by a minority of privileged
people.
Appearance and reality
Blake juxtaposes the appearance of London – its impression of grandeur and wealth –
with the reality of life for the majority of its inhabitants.
Appearance Reality
“Charter’d street” and “Marks of weakness, marks of woe”
“charter’d Thames” suggests highlight the widespread suffering of
order and civilisation. those living in the city.
“Palace walls” sound “Runs in blood” reminds the reader of
impressive and creates the pain and sacrifices being made by
imagery of royalty and wealth. the everyday people.
“Church” and “marriage” are The church is “blackning” and “appals”
words which could have the viewer. This implies its corruption.
positive connotations of love The marriage is “blighted with plague”
and faith. Their presence implying that an institution designed to
suggests peace and prosperity encourage health and prosperity is
in the community. responsible for disease.
Mini quiz
Language
In poetry, language is anything to do with words and the way in which they are used.
Metaphor
A metaphor symbolises or represents something else without using the words 'like' or 'as'.
One important metaphor that Blake uses is “mind-forg'd manacles”. “Manacles” are like
handcuffs and “mind-forged” means that they have been imagined.
Blake is suggesting that, due to industrialisation and poverty, the people of London are
trapped by their own lack of freedom and imagination. They feel constrained and are
unable to even imagine happiness because of the current situation they live in.
First Person
London is written in first person, which means Blake uses the pronoun “I”. This creates a
realistic and personal feel to the poem – as though Blake himself is walking through
London and commenting first-hand on what he sees. This gives the poem more authority
and urgency as his descriptions feel ‘real’.
Emotive Language
Emotive language refers to language that explores or evokes emotion.
Blake uses emotive language throughout this poem to highlight the widespread issues in
London at the time. Some examples are:
Example Interpretation
“Marks of weakness, The alliteration of “weakness” and “woe”
marks of woe” (which means sadness) draws attention to
the negative feelings reflected all around.
“In every cry” “Cry” is an emotive word suggesting
unhappiness or pain. It is repeated three
times in the poem, emphasising how
prevalent the suffering is.
“Youthful Drawing attention to the young age of the
Harlot” and “new-born people suffering encourages the reader to
Infant” feel more sympathy towards them.
“Sigh” Along with other words that evoke sound
(like “cry” and “curse”), Blake uses the
sense of sound for emotive effect. It
suggests that the suffering isn’t just there
to be seen, but to be heard also. It is all-
encompassing.
Structure
In poetry, structure is anything to do with layout and organisation.
Repetition
Blake uses repetition to emphasise the pain and loss of power throughout London. He
repeats the word “every”, highlighting how almost everyone is affected by the changes
happening in the city.
As with the other structural choices he makes, repetition gives the poem a dull and
automatic feeling. It also stresses that that poverty and pain is everywhere in London and
should not be ignored.
Image caption,
A contemporary illustration of London in 1750, similar to the London
Blake experienced in the later 18th century
Question
What could you say about the language and structure in these lines?
“In every cry of every Man,
In every Infants cry of fear,
In every voice in every ban”
Show answer
Form
In poetry, form refers to the type of poem that the poet choose to write.
Quatrains
A quatrain is a stanza made up of four lines.
London is written as four quatrains which gives it a predictable, repetitive feel.
One reason for this is to reflect the monotony and uniform nature of machines, which
were taking over lots of jobs due to the Industrial Revolution, causing high levels of
unemployment and poverty.
Blake also uses this repetitive structure to mirror the helplessness that he and the
everyday people feel - the monotonous nature of poverty and the idea that nothing will
ever change for the better.
Image caption,
The first edition of 'London' hand-drawn by the poet William Blake,
1825. The four quatrains can be seen clearly.
ABAB rhyme scheme
An ABAB rhyme scheme means that alternating lines rhyme with each another. For
example, in the last stanza:
“But most thro' midnight streets I hear (A)
How the youthful Harlots curse (B)
Blasts the new-born Infants tear (A)
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse (B)”
As with the quatrains, the rhyme scheme gives a robotic or monotonous effect.
When paired with the negative language throughout the poem, this monotonous
inevitability links to the powerlessness that Blake feels about what is happening to the
city he lives in.
Blake may also have wanted to create a nursery-rhyme or childlike feel to the poem
to mock the idea that London was a utopia, as those in power often presented it to be. The
nursery rhyme style also suited the theme of childhood from the collection the poem was
a part of.
Iambic tetrameter
Iambic tetrameter refers to a line that contains four sets of two beats. In each pair, the first
beat (or syllable) is unstressed, and the second beat (or syllable) is stressed. For example:
“de dum de dum de dum de dum.”
London is written in iambic tetrameter. The words in bold are the stressed beats:
“I wander thro’ each charter’d street,
Near wherethe charter’d Thames doesflow*"
As with the quatrains and regular rhyme scheme, Blake wanted to reflect the monotony
of machinery being used during the Industrial Revolution and also his feelings that
nothing will change for the better. The iambic tetrameter creates a repetitive, plodding
feel.
Top Tips (AQA)
Remember
Read the question carefully. Highlight the key words and focus of the question.
Make a plan. Annotate the poem or create a short list of points you could make,
supported by evidence. This will help you to stay focused and relevant.
Analyse features. When you identify a feature, always consider why it has been used and
what effect it creates.
Reread your answer. Keep checking that you are on topic throughout the writing
process.
Making comparisons
You will need to write your response using comparative connectives, such as:

Similarly


Likewise


However


In contrast

In the exam
This poem could be assessed in the anthology poetry part of the exam.
You will be asked to compare a named poem with a poem of your choice.
The choice must be from the cluster of poems you have studied. The named poem will be
provided.
This question assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3:
A AO1 assesses how well you read, understand and respond to the
O text. This includes exploring thoughtful and relevant ideas and
1 backing these up with evidence.
A AO2 assesses your ability to explore the language, form and
O structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects.
2
A AO3 looks at how you link the contextual background of the
O poem(s) into your ideas.
3

The poem forces the reader to follow narrow, dark and unfriendly
London streets while contemplating the brutal nature of the city. Streets
and rivers alike are ordered by man, blackened churches loom while
palace walls run with blood. Soldiers sigh, harlots curse and babies cry:
even the sounds described allude to desperation and woe. Blake’s
London is a near-apocalyptic vision of the rotting heart of a nation.
The British Library owns the original manuscript for London which
shows Blake developing the imagery within the poem. Here, Dr Linda
Freeman explores the manuscript further.

Analysis of London

William Blake’s London is a bleak, critical portrayal of the city during the late 18th
century. The poem explores themes of oppression, social injustice, and the loss of
individual freedom.

Key Themes:

Oppression and Restriction: The repeated use of the word chartered (meaning
controlled or regulated) suggests that even the natural flow of the Thames is
subjected to human control.

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Suffering and Injustice: The phrase marks of weakness, marks of woe conveys
the widespread suffering among the people.




Mind-Forged Manacles: This metaphor implies that societal structures and

beliefs enslave people, preventing them from thinking freely.




Institutional Corruption: The black’ning Church suggests the moral decay of

religious institutions, while blood down Palace walls alludes to the cost of war
and the neglect of the ruling class.
 


Moral and Social Decay: The last stanza highlights the destructive impact of
prostitution and disease, linking it to the corruption of marriage and family life.