The first verse tells us that the poem is spoken by someone wandering the streets of London. He is an observer and watcher. He records what he sees and tells nothing about himself. He seems to have no identity.

The first two lines indicate the feeling of sameness in London. The streets of London and the river Thames are both described by the word "charter'd". Both the streets and the Thames convey images of bustling activity, much trade and constant mobility. The speaker though feels that they only merely deserve to be described by the one word, "charter'd".

The word is ambivalent; he uses the word cleverly to describe London as a planned and constrictive city. London was mapped out into trading districts at the time. He may be referring here to

A different and deeper interpretation can be taken from this image. Blake's belief in free love and his opposition to the institution of marriage would indicate his view that marriage is deathlike and kills one's freedom. Blake shares the same views as the speaker's. They believe society is profoundly hypocritical and corrupt. But where they differ is Blake's confidence in the potential of change whereas the speaker does not offer any alternatives to the degradation of society in London. This is in stark contrast to the speaker of "Holy Thursday". We cannot rely on what the speaker says is true about the poem. His dark, disenchanted view of London is through his own experience. His experienced view is not necessarily valid or any wiser as we know from his childlike views in the Songs of Innocence.

The final verse gives us a very bleak view of 18th century London. Telling the reader that London is riddled with poverty, disease, and corruption. The mention of the "youthful Harlots" indicates that London has gone too far and is now corrupted. Sex has now become a financial transaction. The "midnight streets" of London is a degrading sight and leaves the speaker feeling no pride for this disgraced city.

The second image Blake uses is of the people in this indistinguishable city. Again "every face" the speaker sees "marks of weakness, marks of woe". He emphasises the point of London being the "city of sameness" here.

Secondly, is the speaker manacled by his own outlook? The speaker has a very dark interpretation of London. He doesn't have any belief in th

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1072
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)