"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver. us from evil;" Rossetti

 

Possibly because of Rossetti's diagnosis of 'religious mania,' the fear of Hell and divine punishment have followed Rossetti throughout her life, causing an extreme urgency to avoid temptation that is reflected in both these poems. In 'Babylon the Great,' written near the end of Rossetti's lifetime, temptation is presented as out rightly menacing with layers of seduction and lust. On the other hand, whilst temptation is presented as equally as horrific in 'The World,' temptation is depicted as having a capricious demeanor, ensnaring innocent with its' unassuming and angelic façade. Thus, not only is Rossetti concerned with her own biblical afterlife, she is also worried about the fate of society, which was already falling prey to these temptations.

In 'Babylon the Great,' Rossetti portrays the dangers of temptation as the speaker narrates their perception of Babylon. She presents Babylon as seductive and conniving, encouraging readers to "gaze not upon her." The poem is an allegory that refers to the Book of Revelations 17:5, where the 'Mother of Prostitutes,' the central figure within the poem, is a vivid symbolism of evil and temptation. This theme of sin and tainting something pure manifests due to Rossetti's religious concern for society. The depth of this anxiety is highlighted by the fact that Rossetti had published the 'Face of The Deep,' a religious depiction of the end of the World that encourages others to stay away from temptation, two years before her death. To put it simply, even whilst on her death bed, Rossetti is concerned about temptation and sin.

Dinah Roe comments that this poem is an anti-sonnet; the content and form of the poem acts as a parody of a traditional Petrarchan sonnet. A sonnet is usually connoted with romantic imagery, narratives of love and a positive tone, whereas in this poem, Rossetti distorts this by making the horrors of temptation and sin a focal point. This sense of corruption is further highlighted through the form where the rhyme is altered to ABBA ABBA CDDECE. However, this corruption that highlights the consequences of giving in to temptation is contrasted by the use of iambic pentameter, which is usually used in a traditional sonnet. Therefore, Rossetti manipulates and changes the form to further encapsulate temptation. Through this, the poet adds to temptation’s dangerous manner; it’s so powerful that it destroys the form of a traditional sonnet, ergo the purity of love.

In addition to this, Rossetti utilizes the poem's structure to present the evilness associated with temptation. Throughout the poem, the depiction of Babylon stays consistent; at the start of the poem, Babylon is described as dangerous, and at the end, the same message remains. To further highlight this, Rossetti uses the anaphoric phrase, "gaze not upon her." This imperative statement becomes stronger and urgent in the sestet, where Rossetti directly addresses how temptation, ergo Babylon, renders people "giddy," before dragging them to Hell. This message really emphasizes Rossetti's advocacy of hope deferre- the avoidance of temptation and earthly pleasures entirely. By adopting this lifestyle, it was believed that one could avoid an eternity of pain in Hell. **This is a stark contrast to the narrator at the end of this poem. Therefore, Rossetti presents the dangers and consequences of temptation through structure.

Rossetti further encapsulates the dangers of temptation through language and the characterization of Babylon. A lexical field of red is seen, thus supporting the use of colour imagery to depict Babylon. Words like 'heart', 'blood', 'lusts', 'wine', 'scarlet', 'desire', 'fire' are consistent throughout the poem. This highlights the danger of temptation, ergo the threat of fire, but also the enchantment and appeal of temptation, such as the beauty of fire. Thus, within the lexical field, a duality of evilness and beauty is presented, such as "wine," and "blood," and "desire," and "lust." Through this, Rossetti recognizes how temptation, although corrupting and sinful, can get out of the individuals' control, highlighting the warning of "gaze not upon her," ergo avoid temptation entirely. This demonstrates the danger of temptation. In addition to colour imagery, Rossetti also employs animalistic imagery through the simile:

Her heart lusts not for love, but thro' and thro'

For blood, as spotted panther lusts in lair;

The visceral image of "blood," and a "panther," reiterates the threat temptation poses, with the use of simile allowing Rossetti to compare Babylon to a dangerous predator. The duality explored earlier is reiterated here; "her heart lusts not for love but (...) for blood." On the outside, temptation may seem unassuming and demure but it actually yearns for the corruption of innocent. This message is further punctuated through the lateral alliteration of "lusts," "love," "lusts," "lair." It's worth noting that the noun, "love," is in the middle of the list, with the other words surrounding it. This image of purity and love is scarce in the poem, and when it is mentioned, Rossetti juxtaposes it with associations of peril, emphasized by the repition of "lust," which reinforces this predatory characterization of Babylon.

Unlike 'Babylon the Great,' where temptation is outright in its' seductive and dangerous nature, on 'The World,' Rossetti shows the dangers of temptation because of how deceitful it is. Throughout the poem, Rossetti constantly interchanges between an angelic depiction of temptation, such as "soft, exceeding fair," to an evil presentation, like "foul with hideous leprosy." Rossetti takes inspiration from the Fall of Man in Genesis, which details how the serpent tricks Eve to disobey God by tempting her. The fruit is depicted as pleasing and desirable by the snake, only for it to cause the eternal damnation of humankind. Maybe this is why Rossetti chooses to portray temptation as a woman. For centuries, women were blamed for the suffering and pain in the world as Eve succumbed to temptation, a clear link to the title. Another reason as to why Rossetti personifies temptation as a woman is as, around the time Rossetti wrote this poem, prostitution was a huge concern to public health. Therefore, women were seen as temptations to men. As well as temptation ruining society, Rossetti would have seen how temptation destroys you as an individual as she volunteered at the St. Mary's charity for Fallen Women. They were discarded from society and deemed undesirable; this figurative Hell that is portrayed in the poem was very much literal for society at this time, ranging from diseases to social rejection.

'The World,' seems like a regular, fourteen-lined sonnet that is associated with purity and love. Rossetti highlights the power of temptation’s transformation by changing the rhythmical meter; the poem was written in iambic pentameter (associated with a traditional sonnet) but changes to anapestic, before changing back. By disrupting the rhythm, Rossetti forces the reader’s attention to the change of temptation. This form is thus reflective of the threat it poses as it offers a graceful face but is actually a monster. Rossetti cements this change to a monster by concluding the poem with the disrupting rhyme scheme of CDCEDE. Therefore, Rossetti utilizes form to present the corruption and capricious appearance of temptation.

Mentioned earlier, Rossetti depicts temptation as innocent and pure, only to reveal the ugly and monstrous truth of corruption. For example, "ripe fruits, sweet flowers, and full satiety," contrasts with, "monster void of love and prayer." Rossetti delivers this change through light imagery, which frames these sets of descriptions. This further highlights the connotations of these dichotomizing imagery, with "day," being associated with life and safety and "night," being connoted with evil. This notion is carried consistently throughout the poem until volta in the tercet. The narrator is fully enchanted by temptation and "gives her my life and youth," ending the poem with a vivid image of pain and suffering of Hell. Rossetti ends the poem with a rhetorical question, signifying how the world will always be plagued with constant temptations. Therefore, through the juxtaposing images in structure and then the sinister finality of the ending, Rossetti reflects the capricious nature of temptation. As well as Rossetti's own religious commitment, another reason for this juxtaposing structure that is punctuated with horrific imagery is how Dante, Rossetti's brother, fell to temptation. Around the 1860s, Dante had shifted from following his faith to a balance between sexuality and spirituality, seeking pleasure in drinking, sexual experiments and other earthly pleasures. Thus, Rossetti would have seen first hand how enchanting and how fast temptation takes hold of someone. Whilst it may look angelic, temptation is "foul," and a "beast." Furthermore, through structure, Rossetti highlights her urgency to the readers, which Williams comments is because she had a "horror of the world."

Rossetti, touched briefly upon earlier, utilizes language to portray the disgusting existence of temptation, acting as a guise to ensnare innocent people to Hell. She does this through a biblical lens by making constant references to Genesis. She states how temptation had "subtle serpents gliding in her hair," which is an omen to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. This notion of femininity and purity that is associated with "hair," in the Victorian era has been subverted to mean something evil and sinful. This reflects the duality of temptation. Similarly, the use of sibilance further aids how fickle temptation's disguise is, being interpreted both as a soft whisper and a threatening hiss. The use of animalistic imagery through serpents aids this sense of hypnotism and enchantment, bringing allusions to Medusa. By tempting men, Medusa turned them into stone. This emphasizes the poem's depiction of temptation as corrupting and evil. Likewise, Rossetti references Genesis directly through "naked horror of the truth." Placed in the tercet, framed by the volta, Rossetti reflects the revelations of sins and shame of impurity that is seen through Adam and Eve. Again, this demonstrates how temptation is like a predatory trap that enthralls the innocent through its' unassuming demeanor.

In conclusion, Rossetti takes a fearful and hostile approach to her presentation of temptation, highlighting her message of "gaze not upon her." In 'Babylon the Great,' Rossetti utilizes the from of an anti-sonnet and the complex plethora of language techniques, like animalistic imagery, to present temptation as dangerous. Similarly, in ;The World,' structure and language is used to present the capricious disguise of temptation, thus encouraging readers to follow a hope-deferred lifestyle. Both these poems have entrenched roots in biblical chapters, reflecting just how deeply Rossetti was concerned with the plaguing of temptations in Victorian society.