THE TYGER

WILLIAM BLAKE
STRUCTURE & FORM
 6 quatrains

 Rhyming couplets (symmetry is pronounced in the old

fashioned way “simm-a-try”)

 trochaic rhythm

 Clear simple form which could mimic the articulation of

a central thought and the expansion of thought through
the questions that are asked.
STANZA I This is alliteration. It can describe the
appearance of the tyger (its bold
colours).
The repetition creates a chant- Increases mystery of the tyger. At
like mood to the whole poem. night its quite dark this amplifies
“burning bright” , makes the tyger
stand out.

Immediately
conjure Symbols of sight
references to a and creation.
creative God 

Boundary/ to contain the tyger. Or it could be

giving the tyger importance. Or giving the tyger a
shape that later on relates to the black smith
 STANZA
II
Links to Heaven and Hell – this
refers to a distant place, that the
Alliteration, stressed ‘d’ tyger was created in.
sounds to exemplify the
deepness.

Notion of
daring is
introduced,
going to be
echoed in the
final stanza
“seize” is often The fire being
“hand” can be a reference to associated with the fierce
the creator’s body part, what forcefulness , quality that the
he used to create the tyger. capturing. tyger
possesses.
 STANZA III
Blake refers to certain parts of the
“And” continues Blake’s creator instead of giving a whole
train of thought, this is image, amplifying the readers
also done by curiosity
enjambment.

‘twist’ is a
word that
conveys a lot
of effort,
exemplifying
the power it
takes to create
such a creature

The repetition of the word ‘dread’

increases the powerful quality of
greatness
STANZA IV

Blake refers to the creator as a

black smith, it’s an extended Chain, hammer and furnace are
metaphor all tools that could have been
used to make the tyger, metaphor
Image of artistic-ness for tools used by the creator.
An anvil is the
surface upon
which a
blacksmith
works metal.
Blake is
wondering upon
which “surface”
God is shaping
this monster.
That is, what is What good qualities has the
the basis for this creator given the Tyger, virtues
creation? and moral behavior
 STANZA V
This could be a reference to
the “casting down of the
angels when Satan rebelled
against god”
The last sentence suggests that
God can create both good and
bad shown by the contrast of
the Lamb and the tyger.

These are
the
reactions,
the speaker
is fascinated
with the
creator
Lamb is a religious symbol for Jesus
Christ (the sacrifice). Here the
This is a closer reference to possibility that the lamb was created by
God as “he” is mysterious and the same being who created the tyger.
the stanza has many religious
connotations
STANZA VI

Repeat of the Like a refrain, chorus of the

first stanza chant like poem.

“Dare” instead of “Could”. Instead of

questioning the ability of the creator Blake
questions the “nerve” that he had to create the
world with goodness and evil.