London

• William blake is criticising the industrial revolution, monarchy, and religion
• There's four even stanzas which can link back to the 'chartered streets' to present the imagery of him walking down each street in order
• 'chartered street'

  1. Owned by the rich to make profit for the industrial revolution
• 'every'

  1. Repetition to show that everyone without fail is affected by the industrial revolution and only he can see it
• 'marks of weakness / woe'

  1. Metaphorical marks to show everyone's been affected by the industrial revolution and it's clear but people need to open their eyes and see it for what it is
• 'every man's

  1. Patriarchal society at this point so for it to even affect men shows society is corrupted
• 'every infants'

  1. Society has ruined innocence and he uses a juxtaposition to show it affects everyone from men to infants
• 'mind-forged manacles'

  1. The people are blind to the corruption of society and William blake is trying to open their eyes to it because they don't have a free mind as all they think of is work
• 'black'ning church appalls'

  1. Black'ning could be the physical pollution of the industrial revolution
  2. Showing the pollution or corruption of the church as they're not helping and they charged people to go to heaven
• 'hapless soldiers sigh'

  1. The people in authority sending the soldiers out to die are treating them as if disposable and they're acting on impulse rather than reason and logic
• 'runs in blood down palace walls'

  1. He's saying the metaphorical blood is the blood of the soilders and the violence and guilt those in power are protected from as it's their fault men are dying for no reason
• 'midnight streets'

  1. Evil occurs at night because it's hidden. Much like how the reality of 'harlots' and 'new born infant tears' are hidden from the eyes of society and the leaders
• 'youthful harlots curse'

  1. Curse is a metaphor for an STD
  2. Harlot is a euphemism for prostitute to show William Blake isn't blaming them for the 'marriage hearse'
  3. A loss of innocence presented by youthful because they had to do whatever to survive
• 'blasts the newborn infants tear'

  1. 'blasts' innocence and essentially ruins it
• 'blights with plagues the marriage hearse'

  1. Plagues is metaphorical for STDS from the harlots
  2. 'marriage hearse' is an oxymoron as marriage is the start of something and hearse connotates to death so the end
  3. It's a man's fault for ruining marriage as they exploit harlots