"Goblin Market"

Christina Rossetti

"Goblin Market" is considered the masterpiece of Christina Rossetti. It talks about a fairy tale but there are several allegorical meanings about women question, women independent and women temptation. The major theme in this poem is the theme of temptation which leads to the fall, redemption and restoration. All the characters in this poem are females i.e. Laura, Lizzie and Jeanie. There is no mentioning for any male character even after the marriage of the sisters. The poem ends with the moral advice of the importance of sisterhood.

Tackling the women question has many levels. First of all, it touches upon physical, profane love. In addition to that, Lizzie's disability to make use of her silver coin to get the fruit might be a reference to the economic situation of women at that time.

When Lizzie faces the goblins and offers herself to save her sister, she is being like a female Christ who gives herself to save humanity.

The fruit, in this poem, stands for temptation and represents the Victorian women exclusion from the world of art. It is a symbol of sin and related to sensual love.

There is a kind of attention between two different types of love. The profane love which is the distractive one, represented by Laura, and the spiritual love which is considered as a preserver and savior, represented by Lizzie.

The poem is a long one and it contains many stanzas; most of them are long and some are short. It has elaborate de************************ion, extended ****************phors and rich language. The language is very immediate and direct but the well-organized order in mentioning several kinds of fruits in the first stanza as well as the precise de************************ion of the goblins shows Christina's great skill in mastering the language of the poem.