“The Fly” Summary

“The Fly” Themes

• 

  Death, Mortality, and Pleasure

  • See where this theme is active in the poem.
• 

  The Mystery and Wonder of Existence

  • See where this theme is active in the poem.

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Fly”

• Lines 1-4

  Little Fly
  Thy summer’s play
  My thoughtless hand
  Has brushed away.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 5-8

  Am not I
  A fly like thee?
  Or art not thou
  A man like me?

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 9-12

  For I dance
  And drink and sing,
  Till some blind hand
  Shall brush my wing.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 13-16

  If thought is life
  And strength and breath,
  And the want
  Of thought is death,

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 17-20

  Then am I
  A happy fly,
  If I live,
  Or if I die.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

“The Fly” Symbols

• 

  The Fly

  • See where this symbol appears in the poem.

“The Fly” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Metaphor

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Repetition

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Rhetorical Question

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

“The Fly” 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.

• Thy, thee, thou
• The want of thought

• • See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Fly”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“The Fly” Speaker

“The Fly” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “The Fly”

More “The Fly” Resources

• External Resources

  • The Poem Set to Music — Listen to a musical version of the poem by Cosmo Sheldrake.

  • The Illuminated Poem — See the poem as Blake originally imagined and printed it: as an illuminated manuscript.

  • A Biography and More — Find a wealth of resources on Blake at the British Library's website.

  • Blake's Visionary View — Watch a short documentary about Blake's spiritual visions.

  • More of Blake's Works — Visit the William Blake Archive to see more of his work.

  • Blake's Beliefs — Read a short article on Blake's art that outlines his spiritual views (and his loathing of mechanistic philosophies).

• LitCharts on Other Poems by William Blake

  • A Dream

  • Ah! Sun-flower

  • A Poison Tree

  • Earth's Answer

  • Holy Thursday (Songs of Experience)

  • Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence)

  • Infant Joy

  • Infant Sorrow

  • Introduction (Songs of Innocence)

  • London

  • Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)

  • Nurse's Song (Songs of Innocence)

  • The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience)

  • The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Innocence)

  • The Clod and the Pebble

  • The Divine Image

  • The Ecchoing Green

  • The Garden of Love

  • The Human Abstract

  • The Lamb

  • The Little Black Boy

  • The Little Vagabond

  • The School Boy

  • The Sick Rose

  • The Tyger

  • To Autumn

  • To the Evening Star