Author: Kalicharan Sarder & Dr. Afifa Bano
DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.70798/Bijmrd/03090025
Abstract: William Blake (1757–1827), one of the most original and visionary figures of English Romanticism, transformed poetry and art into a unified language of imagination, symbol, and vision. His works—Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794), The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790–93), and The Book of Urizen (1794)—embody a symbolic cosmos where every image becomes a revelation of spiritual truth. Through the interplay of symbols such as the Lamb, the Tiger, Urizen, Los, and the Rose, Blake explores fundamental dualities: innocence and experience, reason and energy, heaven and hell, bondage and freedom. His imagery—drawn from nature, religion, mythology, and the social landscape of industrial England— functions not merely as ornamentation but as a metaphysical language of perception. This paper analyzes Blake’s use of symbol and imagery as expressions of his prophetic vision and philosophical idealism, revealing how they construct a universe in which imagination serves as the ultimate means of liberation and divine communion. The study argues that Blake’s symbols are living entities within a dynamic spiritual system that unites art, poetry, and mysticism. Ultimately, Blake’s radiant vision transcends time, offering a critique of materialism and an enduring celebration of the infinite power of the human imagination.
Keywords: William Blake; Symbolism; Imagery; Romanticism; Visionary Poetry; Mysticism; Imagination; Duality.
Page No: 216-221