The present thesis deals with The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, one of William Blake’s prophetic books. These are a series of texts, which were written in imitation of biblical books of prophecy, but expressing the poet’s own personal romantic and revolutionary beliefs.
It is not exactly known when the work was written. One assumes it was composed in London between 1790 and 1793 , a period of political conflict arising immediately after the French Revolution. S. Foster Damon argues that the American and French Revolution had an immense influence on Blake writing the Marriage:
The American and French Revolutions promised a better world; and stirred Blake to a new enthusiasm, from which he deduced the theory that apparent Evil, such as War, is only Energy working against established order. This was a new perception of Truth; all his problems seemed solved by it; and he hailed the light triumphantly in another book, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1793)
Apart from the opening Argument and the Song of Liberty, the entire book is written in prose.
The book is about the first person narrator’s visit to Hell, a concept taken by Blake from Dante’s Inferno and Milton’s Paradise Lost. Like many other of Blake’s works, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell was influenced by the mysticism of Swedish theosophist Emanuel Swedenborg. Moreover, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is also in part a satire on Emanuel Swedenborg’s writings, especially on Heaven and Hell from which Blake adapted the title, and on the New Jerusalem Church which was set up by Swedenborg’s British followers.
Contents
Introduction
1. The Argument
1.1 Outline
1.2 The Just Man and the Perilous Path
1.3 The Function of Rintrah
1.4 As a New Heaven is Begun
1.5 Contraries and their Necessity for Progression
2. The Voice of the Devil
2. 1 Outline
2. 2 The Relationship of Body and Soul
2. 3 Milton and Job
3. Memorable Fancies
3. 1 A Memorable Fancy
3. 1. 1 Outline
3. 1. 2 The Five Senses: An Obstacle or a Tool?
3. 2 A Memorable Fancy
3. 2. 1 Outline
3. 2. 2 Blake´s Theory of the Deity
3. 2. 3 The Fulfilment of a Prophecy
3. 3 A Memorable Fancy
3. 3. 1 Outline
3. 3. 2 The Creative Process and Symbolism
3. 3. 3 Producers and Devourers
3. 4 A Memorable Fancy
3. 4. 1 Outline
3. 4. 2 An Argument on Religion with an Angel
3. 4. 3 Swedenborg´s Theology and Contrary Ideas
3. 5 A Memorable Fancy
3. 5. 1 Outline
3. 5. 2 Antinomianism
3. 5. 3 One Law for the Lion and the Ox is Oppression
4. Proverbs of Hell
4. 1 Outline
4. 2 The Book of Proverbs and the Proverbs of Hell
4. 3 The Proverbs of Hell and Swedenborg
4. 4 Poetry and Priestly Corruption
5. A Song of Liberty
5.1 Outline
5.2 Necessary Revolution for Regeneration
Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This thesis provides an in-depth analysis of William Blake’s prophetic work, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, examining how the author challenges established religious, moral, and social hierarchies. The primary research focus explores how Blake uses the concept of "contraries" to reject arbitrary moral classifications and how he redefines traditional symbols to champion the "Poetic Genius" against the repressive institutionalized order of state and church.
- The subversion of traditional definitions of Good and Evil.
- The influence and subsequent satire of Emanuel Swedenborg’s theology.
- The symbolic struggle between the "Prolific" (creative energies) and the "Devourers" (institutional restraint).
- The analysis of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell as a critique of political and social repression.
- The relationship between poetic imagination and the concept of the Divine.
Auszug aus dem Buch
1.1 Outline
The opening Argument is similar to the 35th chapter of Isaiah and might be inspired by it. Man’s salvation is described in a joyful way using examples from nature. The “perilous path” in the Argument resembles the “highway of holiness” in Isaiah 35:8 NKJV. Furthermore, many more descriptions of this chapter of the Bible do correspond to the “perilous path”, such as “the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose”(1); “for waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert” (6), “the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water” (7); “no lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up and on it, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there” (9).
In the first and the last stanza of the Argument one finds the figure of Rintrah which will be discussed later on. It must be an important figure and of great significance, since it can be found in other works of Blake as well. For instance, in Jerusalem the reader is told that Rintrah belongs to the four sons of Liberty (Jerusalem):
But the Four Sons of Jerusalem that never were Generated
Are Rintrah and Palamabron and Theotormonand Bromion.They
Dwell over the Four Provincesof Ireland in heavenly light,
The Four Universities of Scotland, & in Oxford & Cambridge &
Winchester.
Summary of Chapters
1. The Argument: Analyzes the opening section of the work, linking it to biblical prophecies while introducing the symbolic figure of Rintrah.
2. The Voice of the Devil: Explores the reversal of traditional morality where the "Devil" acts as the voice of truth, rejecting dualism.
3. Memorable Fancies: Discusses the narrator's visionary encounters in Hell, focusing on creative processes, the five senses, and the critique of institutional religion.
4. Proverbs of Hell: Examines Blake's radical wisdom, contrasting it with biblical proverbs to encourage active, imaginative thought over passive obedience.
5. A Song of Liberty: Concludes the analysis by looking at Blake’s call for revolution and the liberation of the human spirit from political and religious oppression.
Keywords
William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Poetic Genius, Rintrah, Emanuel Swedenborg, Contraries, Reason, Energy, Prophecy, Institutional Religion, Antinomianism, Imagination, Prolific, Devourer, Urizen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work provides a detailed literary and cultural analysis of William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, interpreting it as a satire of conventional morality and religious institutions.
What are the core themes explored?
The core themes include the reconciliation of contraries, the rejection of the body-soul duality, the critique of repressive religious systems, and the elevation of human imagination as the true Divine.
What is the primary goal of the thesis?
The thesis aims to show how Blake utilizes his unique vision to expose the "perversions" of institutionalized religion and to advocate for a more revolutionary, imaginative existence.
Which methodology is employed in the analysis?
The thesis adopts a literary-analytical approach, breaking down the text by its sections (Arguments, Memorable Fancies, etc.) and utilizing cross-references to other Blake works, contemporary history, and religious texts.
What is covered in the main part of the thesis?
The main part systematically reviews each plate and section of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, discussing the function of specific figures like Rintrah and analyzing the philosophical shift from Swedenborgianism to Blake's own "infernal" wisdom.
What are the defining keywords for this research?
The study is characterized by terms such as Poetic Genius, Contraries, Energy vs. Reason, Institutional Repression, and Visionary Perception.
How does Blake recontextualize the figure of "The Devil"?
Blake redefines the Devil not as an evil spirit, but as an iconoclast and a representative of revolutionary energy who exposes the hypocrisy of established religious and social dogmas.
What is the significance of the "Proverbs of Hell"?
They serve as an "infernal" counter-narrative to the biblical Book of Proverbs, intended to stimulate the reader's imagination and break free from the stagnation caused by moral laws and prudence.
Does the author consider Blake an "anti-religious" figure?
The thesis clarifies that Blake is not anti-religious in the traditional, satanic sense; rather, he attacks the corrupt systems and priests who pervert the "real" Divine for the sake of political and social control.
- Quote paper
- Stefanos Vassiliadis (Author), 2006, An Analysis of William Blake´s "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/142476
