Title - Goblin Market

• The Title 'Goblin Market' suggests a marketplace where desires are commodified and traded, evoking the theme of exploitation through the goblins’ transactions - In the poem, the goblins offer their fruits to the sisters, embodying the seductive allure of indulgence and the dangers of consumption in a capitalist society - This metaphor critiques the way society, particularly in the Victorian era, commodifies and exploits human desire, especially when it comes to women’s bodies and appetites
• The Title 'Goblin Market' can be seen as a reference to the place where moral choices are bought and sold, much like sin and virtue are weighed against each other - The goblins, as embodiments of temptation, lure Laura with the promise of pleasure, reflecting the eternal human struggle between right and wrong - This interpretation aligns with Christian moral teachings, framing the market as a site where the soul’s integrity is tested through the allure of forbidden fruit
• The Title 'Goblin Market' may also signify a place where women’s desires are both explored and contested - While the goblins tempt Laura with their fruit, the sisters’ experiences also highlight female autonomy and the consequences of exercising desire - The poem’s title thus suggests that women’s desires can be manipulated and exploited in society, yet it also gives space for the idea that women have the power to choose and resist these temptations
• The Title 'Goblin Market' could be interpreted as a critique of the emerging capitalist market, where desires and human interactions are reduced to transactions - The goblins, who embody predatory capitalism, barter their fruits for Laura’s hair and tears, symbolizing the exploitation of personal sacrifices for material gain - Rossetti subtly critiques how society commodifies individuals, especially women, whose desires are often manipulated for the benefit of a capitalist system
• The Title 'Goblin Market' introduces an element of the supernatural and Gothic, positioning the market as an eerie and dangerous space beyond the ordinary realm of human experience - The goblins, with their animalistic features and sinister intentions, create a world of dark temptation and moral corruption - This interpretation draws upon the Victorian fascination with the grotesque and the supernatural, using the market as a place where the boundaries between the real and the supernatural blur, suggesting that evil and temptation are closer than they appear