GOBLIN MARKET- Christina Rossetti

Goblin Market is a moral poem by C.G. Rossetti (1830-94). “C” stands for Christina. She is the sister
of D.G. Rossetti.
Some other poems of Christina are:- Up-Hill, Song, A Birthday and , Rest
Goblin Market is the story of two sisters- Lizzie and Laura. Both are tempted by goblins. “Goblins
are the symbol of evil.”
The goblins have a market. They sell fruits. This reminds us of the Forbidden fruits in the Garden of
Paradise. Adam and Eve eat this fruit and have to suffer. Milton’s epic The Paradise Lost is on this
subject: “Of man’s first disobedience….”
In Goblin Market Lizzie has control. She is not tempted by the sweet fruits of the goblins. But Laura
is trapped: “She sucked and sucked and sucked the more She sucked until her lips were sore.”
As a result, Laura falls ill and is about to die. With courage and control, Lizzie gets the antidote
from the goblins. She saves her sister’s life.
Lizzie’s strength and control is seen in the scene. The goblins- “Hugged her and kissed her
Squeeged her and caressed her.”
They want to force fruits into her mouth. But she kept her mouth shut. The juice fell – “all her
face.”
The adults can get the erotic meaning. The poem is not fit for children.
After considering the content, consider the style of the poem. The poem is in simple language and
is pictorial: “Cheek to cheek and breast to breast locked together in one nest.”
This is the quality of the Pre-Raphaelite poets. These poets revolted against the Victorian poets like
Tennyson and Arnold. Tennyson and Arnold were worried about the problems of their age.
Goblin Market reminds us of some sensuous poems of Keats- Ode to Autumn, Lamia and The Eve
of St Agnes.
Goblin Market is musical. This is clear from the lines we have quoted alone:
(1) She sucked and sucked….
(2) Hugged her and caressed her….
(3) Cheek to Cheek and breast to breast…
The music is provided by good rhymes like “breast -nest”, “more – sore”,etc.
Music in the poem is also present because of the use of alliteration and assonance. Alliteration is
the repetition of consonant sound. Assonance is the repetition of vowel sound.
To conclude, Goblin market, in content and style , is an impressive poem. The poem is simple ,
colourful and has a moral: “There is no friend like a sister.”