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William Blake

William Blake. Vala , or The Four Zoas What is the Price of Experience?. Urizen praying. Some interesting facts. One of William Blake’s prophetic books Blake planned on The Four Zoas being a summary of his mythic universe He worked on the text for ten years!

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William Blake

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  1. William Blake Vala, or The Four Zoas What is the Price of Experience?

  2. Urizen praying

  3. Some interesting facts... • One of William Blake’s prophetic books • Blake planned on The Four Zoasbeing a summary of his mythic universe • He worked on the text for ten years! • He stopped writing for some time due to depression • There were approx. 4000 lines in his second version of the poem!

  4. Blake’s mythology unpacked... • Blake’s mythology is based on The Four Zoas, who form the four aspects of Albion – symbolic of God • The Four Zoas are the four divisions of humanity: Reason, Emotion, Senses, Energy • Blake believed the fall of man was not caused by sin against God but man’s awareness of the four different aspects and the conflict between them

  5. The Division of Albion THE FOUR ZOAS • Urizen – head, tradition, a cruel god • Urthona – loins, inspiration, imagination • Luvah – heart, love, passion, • Tharmas – unity of body, instinct, strength FEMALE EMANATIONS Each Zoa is paired with a female emanation: • Enion – maternal, earth mother • Ahania – celestial, wisdom from the head • Vala – seductive, nature, from the heart • Enitharmon – musical, what can’t be attained in nature

  6. Modern Translation of The Four Zoas • Man fell (lost unity with God) when his four aspects (reason, emotion, senses, energy) became aware of each other. • Reason immediately thought himself superior to the other three. • This made him attempt to exert control over the others, taking control of Emotion and Sense • This can be seen in man’s refusal to accept what he senses without first processing what he sees, touches, hears or smells. • Blake believed this results in reason acting as a filter for the senses.

  7. What is the result of this?? Not a rhetorical question... How does it link to what you know about Blake’s view on society? Is it still relevant today?

  8. What was Blake implying.......? • Reason interprets what is perceived by the senses, removing man from all that he senses, grounding him in what he thinks he senses. • Result: man does not trust his senses and does not listen to his emotions, but relies on facts defined by scientific logic. • Blake believed Energy (linked to Imagination) alone could defy the Reason

  9. What examples are there in our modern world of the clash between Energy (Imagination) and Reason???

  10. ‘Contraries’ • A key element of Blake’s system is the role of contraries. • He believed there can be no life without the dynamic tension of contraries • Eg. Reason-Imagination, Imagination-Sense, Good-Evil, Love-Hate. • If one side overwhelms the other, the required tension is lost, and as Yeats said “Things fall apart.”

  11. Newton and his scientific theories

  12. In Vala, The Four Zoas, the idea of ‘Without contraries there is no progression’ is further developed • Instead of a simple connection between reason and energy, each Zoa has a female counterpart (emanation, listed previously) to illustrate the necessity of contraries Confusing......??!!

  13. Structure and Plot of The Four Zoas • The poem is structured into nine ‘nights’ • On the first night – Urizenand Luvah battle for control of man • As a result, Tharmas divides from his female counterpart Enion, and man’s fall begins • On the second night Urizen gains control and the heavens are created. • On the third night Urizen rejects his female counterpart, Ahania, who represents idealism • This unleashes chaos and he loses control

  14. Links to mankind and society • Through the nine nights, conflict among the Zoas increases, and they become less spiritual and more material. • During this period poverty and rebellion are born • By the eighth night open warfare breaks out between Urizen (Reason) and Los (Urthona, Creativity) • In night nine all ends well

  15. Fall of man... • Through the mythology Blake describes the fall of the individual and the fall of civilisation • Blake believed both falls are triggered by organised religion, and by imposing rules and conventions which restrain desire and creativity

  16. Blake believed that man had a twofold identity – one being good and the other half being evil • In Vala, the character Los (imagination) is connected to the image of Christ. Blake added Christian and Hebrew images and described Los seeing a vision of the lamb of God, which regenerates Los’ spirit

  17. What is the price of Experience... • After reading the poem, what sense do you get of the narrator? How do they perceive the world? • Describe the tone of the first stanza • What is the effect of the use of rhetorical questions in the first stanza? • What has the narrator’s experience made him realise about mankind and society? • Make a list of what the narrator has realised about mankind.

  18. Final StanzaDiscuss the following questions in your group and make annotations • What is the significance of the symbolism of the final stanza? The sun has left his blackness and found a fresher morning... • How does the tone of the poem change? What is Blake implying in the conclusion of this poem? • What Biblical links can you see? What do they symbolise? • How is Blake exploring the concept of good/evil of mankind? • Does he offer a sense of hope? • What is being lamented? • What links can you make to other poems?

  19. How does this section of Valaexplore Blake’s key ideas?Discuss and write notes for each. Don’t forget QUOTES! • Fall of the individual? • Fall of mankind/civilisation? • Impact of organised religion and conventions which restrain desire and creativity? • Poverty? • Rebellion? • Mankind becoming less spiritual and more materialistic? • Contrary nature of humans? • Reason – filtering mankind’s senses? • Mankind’s ability/choice to change?

  20. YOUR TURN!!!!! • What is the price of experience in our modern world? • Write the first two stanzas of your own poem in which you explore what your experience has taught you about mankind and society. • Try to use a similar ‘epic’ style of writing.

  21. Visions of the Daughters of Albion 1793

  22. Visions of the Daughters of Albion • Written in 1793, it is a short example of Blake’s prophetic books • As the title states, it links back to Blake’s own mythology, as discussed in The Four Zoas • It is a continuation from The Book of Thel, which explored the soul in a state of Innocence. This book represents the soul in Experience.

  23. Key Concerns Raised... • Criticism of the sexual morals of Blake’s time • Offers Blake’s view of the negatives of organised religion • Comments on slavery • Explores the oppression of women

  24. Abbreviated story line... • Based on the heroine ‘Oothoon’ • She refuses to bow to the conventions and laws set out by the tyrant ‘Urizen’. • Oothoon is in love with Theotormon, but... • Oothoon is suddenly and violently raped by ‘Bromiom’ • After that, both Theotormon and Bromiom reject her!

  25. Symbolism of the characters • Oothoon was also called ‘The soft soul of America’. She is a representation of women in Blake’s society who did not have charge over their sexuality. • Theotormon represents a chaste man with a false sense of righteousness • Theotormon has Greek origins – ‘theos’ which means god and the Latin ‘tormentum’ which means twist or torment. • Bromium is Greek and means ‘roarer’ • Bromium represents the passionate man, filled with lustful fire

  26. Key Ideas..... • All the characters are trapped by society’s expectations. • Links to Blake’s opinions of restrictive relationships • If Theotormon could accept that sex is not illicit, he could have had a relationship with Oothoon • Bromiom became trapped within his violent act

  27. Oothoon – also known as the ‘soft soul of America’ – ‘Bromiom’ is a slaveholder • Links to America and Enlightenment: The daughters of Albion look West, to America • Blake believed America held the promise of ending all forms of discrimination (even though there was slavery and women were treated the same way?!) • (He did comment that whilst they were free from British rule, there was still slavery.)

  28. Blake utilises Plato’s allegory of the cave in this book, symbolising that the characters cannot understand the true nature of reality without being limited by expectations • This is demonstrated on the frontispiece of the book, which shows Bromiom and Oothoon bound back to back at the entrance to Bromiom’s cave, with Theotormon weeping in the background

  29. Visions of the daughters of Albion

  30. Your task... Consider the key ideas Blake is exploring: • Hope in America – Enlightenment • Slavery/Discrimination • Society’s expectations • Restrictiveness of relationships • Sexual freedom • Oppression of women Write a detailed analytical paragraph about two of these key ideas. Include evidence from the poem, and discuss the poetic techniques Blake utilises to develop meaning.

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