“Babylon the Great” Summary

“Babylon the Great” Themes

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  The Dangerous Temptations of Sin

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Babylon the Great”

• Lines 1-4

  Foul is she and ill-favoured, set askew:
  Gaze not upon her till thou dream her fair,
  Lest she should mesh thee in her wanton hair,
  Adept in arts grown old yet ever new.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 5-8

  Her heart lusts not for love, but thro' and thro'
  For blood, as spotted panther lusts in lair;
  No wine is in her cup, but filth is there
  Unutterable, with plagues hid out of view.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 9-14

  Gaze not upon her, for her dancing whirl
  Turns giddy the fixed gazer presently:
  Gaze not upon her, lest thou be as she
  When, at the far end of her long desire,
  Her scarlet vest and gold and gem and pearl
  And she amid her pomp are set on fire.

  

  

  

  

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“Babylon the Great” Symbols

• 

  Babylon the Great

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“Babylon the Great” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Allusion

  

  

  

  

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• Imagery

  

  

  

  

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• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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• Simile

  

  

  

  

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“Babylon the Great” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Ill-favoured
• Askew
• Gaze
• Thou, Thee
• Lest
• Mesh
• Wanton
• Adept
• Thro'
• Unutterable
• Giddy
• The fixed gazer
• Presently
• Vest
• Pomp

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Babylon the Great”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Babylon the Great” Speaker

“Babylon the Great” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Babylon the Great”

More “Babylon the Great” Resources

• External Resources

  • A Brief Biography — Learn more about Rossetti's life and work via the Poetry Foundation.

  • The Face of the Deep — Take a look at Rossetti's commentary on the biblical Apocalypse, the intense devotional work from which this poem is taken.

  • Portraits of Rossetti — See some images of Rossetti (and her talented family) via London's National Portrait Gallery.

  • More on Rossetti — Find a wealth of Rossetti resources at the Victorian Web.

• LitCharts on Other Poems by Christina Rossetti

  • A Birthday

  • An Apple Gathering

  • At Home

  • Cousin Kate

  • Echo

  • From the Antique

  • Good Friday

  • In an Artist's Studio

  • In the Round Tower at Jhansi, June 8, 1857 (Indian Mutiny)

  • Maude Clare

  • No, Thank You, John

  • Piteous my rhyme is

  • Remember

  • Shut Out

  • Sister Maude

  • Soeur Louise de la Miséricorde

  • Some ladies dress in muslin full and white

  • Song (When I am dead, my dearest)

  • Twice

  • Up-Hill

  • Winter: My Secret