This document covers the poem: 'Babylon the Great' by Christina Rossetti. I studied this poem for my A Level, Edexcel English Literature Exam as part of the poetry module.
By constructing these summarises and notes these provided me with ideas and themes which I could for my essays and thesis. ...
• Allusion to the revelation bible
• Idea of a fallen women
• Irony in the idea of ‘great’ highlighting both her assertion in society. Equally is ironical as often a
fallen women would not of been held as high value. Perhaps questions societies viewpoints
• Highlights the stigma towards prostitute women which needs to be dispelled within society
Language:
• Persona refers to her as ‘foul’ and ‘ill favoured’. Adjectives are visceral but speak more to the
influence she has on the world rather than physical traits. Persona also says that she is ‘set
askew’. Gives the reader an image of a fallen women’
• ‘Foul is she and ill-favoured'. Adjective expresses an archaic form. Refers to the sinfulness that
distorts her being. Lacks the symmetry and balance of something good and pure. Line itself is
rhythmically choppy and unsettling
• Persona warns the reader ‘gaze not upon her’. If one spends too long looking at her then they
will come to a different conclusion. While the dynamic verb ‘gaze’ creates a sense of appearance
vs reality. Highlights the somewhat seductive and voluptuous appearance of Babylon. Use of the
second person pronoun is representative as it forces the reader to depict the ideas of the fallen
women. Casting such an image creates a tone of trepidation for the audience
• View that Babylon is ‘dream her fair’. While the dynamic verb ‘dream’ represents the deceptive
and illusory nature of Babylon to express the potential threats that she exhibits in society. Yet,
the adjective ‘fair’ conveys the beauty and innocence portrayed by Babylon. In this sense
Rossetti warns against objectifying and being attracted to a women based off of their
appearance
• Might by seduced by her beauty and become ‘mesh thee’ in ‘wanton hair’. Hair as the adjective
‘wanton’ creates a sexual image is commonplace throughout religious and literary traditions.
Rossetti makes use of an already established line of though the further her argument for living a
good, clean life/ Yet, ‘mesh’ is often used for capturing exotic creatures. In a sense creates a
level of inescapability. Wants caught and corrupted by Babylon there is no esca ability of one's
fate
• Rossetti speaker makes clear that the prostitute is a complete temptress. Spent he days learning
the ‘old’ arts of education and manipulation and made them ‘new’ for this modern world.
Evokes fear from even Babylon the great as an allusion from the book of revelation in a sense
provoking such ideas in the 19th century warns against the prostitutes that are contaminating
society, supposedly. ‘ats grown over yet ever new represents seduction’. Art that has existed as
long as humans have lived, yet forever finding new ways to attract a victim
• ‘Heart lusts not for love’. The abstract noun ‘lust’ is often associated with ones need to reach
sexual fulfilment yet the abstract noun ‘love’ conveys a decayed and distorted version which
threatens society. Highlights the abuse of love to fulfil one's own pursuits rather than conform
to ideas of the angel in the house
, • ‘thro’ and thro’’. Repetition of ‘thro’. Lexical choice evidenced by Rossetti to highlights the
manifestation of the corruption within Babylon the Great. Reflects the threat that she withholds
over society in the potential threat to spread the corruption
• Persona continues to suggest the prostitute's heart is not pure like the listeners is. Does not
want the things a normal person does, like love. Instead, she seeks ‘blood’. Rossetti speaks
makes uses there is no doubt that her heart contains anything but a lust for more. Repeats the
world ‘thro’ in line five in order to emphasize these points. Nothing inside this woman worth
seeking out
• Looks for ‘blood’ like a ‘panther’ creating out of its lair, looking for food. She Is strong, conniving
and dangerous. Persona describes her ‘cup’. Reference to the womans soul, or inner moral
being, and to the luxury Babylon the great is meant to be surrounded by. Woman does not have
‘wine’ in her ‘cup’ though. There is only ‘filth’. If one were to over to her side, they would soon
find that money, jewels and sex do not bring any sort of happiness
• Presenting the persona as primitive and animalistic through symbolising her as a ‘spotted
panther’ expresses the corruption of the women. The use of the adjective ‘spotted’ being
ambiguously used by Rossetti. While it could indicate the women's corruptions that is tainting
her physically due to her psychological corruption. However, the fact that she could be ‘spotted’
could highlight the deceit of the women. She traps men with her beauty in order to corrupt
them when they come to her ‘lair’. Rossetti here would represent fear in society of the
degermation of the societal order that stemmed from the occurrence of the fin de siècle
anxieties
• The depiction of evil mores from human to animal. The ‘spotted panther’ is one of the fastest
animals alive; a dangerous hunter. Adjective ‘spotted’ can be taken literally but has no archaic
meaning, 'sinful’. The use of alliterative ‘i’s in ‘lust,’, ‘love’ and ‘lair’ provide emphasis. Also, the
plosive ‘b’ in ‘blood’ and ‘is’ in ‘spotted panther’ have a sinister spitting quality
• Description become more repulsive as the poem progressive, with ‘filth’ instead of wine in her
cup and sinister hidden ‘plagues’. The vivid, empathetic adjective ‘unutterable’ with its
percussive ‘t’s add to the effect. The positioning of ‘unutterable’ at the beginning of the line,
contrary to usual syntax, is known as fronting and adds drams. Full marks stop the end of the
octaves and the volta or turns after which begins Rossetti's new approach
• ‘No wine is in her cup, but filth is there’. The symbolic use of ‘wine’ often could suggest the
indulgence in materialism and artificial substance. However, the fact that it is no longer in the
cup suggests the women has already indulged in these worldly pursuits. In doing so the adjective
‘filth’ portrays the corruption the women have succumbed to, physically polluting herself by
drinking the wine. Impact of consumption of the persona.
• What is inside this woman’s mind and heart is ‘unutterable’ to a good soul. No one should go
near her who still holds God to be the most important thing in their heart
• Womens ‘plagues hid out of view’. Metaphorically Rossetti portrays the corruption that has
diseased the women. The fact that they are ‘hid out of view’ portrays the deception of women.
In this sense Rossetti portrays the threat of prostitute women in society. They draw men in with
their looks. Often blamed on prostitute women for the spread of stds in society, at time when
the contagious diseases act was passed in an attempt to prevent this. ‘plagues’ are often
associated as deadly, usually wiping out whole population. Here Rossetti creates a warning
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