The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

work by Blake

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June 30, 2026

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The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a prose work by the English artist and poet William Blake, written around 1790. It is known for its unique form and its exploration of contraries, challenging conventional notions of good and evil.123

The work includes "Memorable Fancies," which parody the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, and "Proverbs of Hell," which celebrate energy and excess with lines like "Energy is Eternal Delight". It concludes with "A Song of Liberty," which praises the revolutionary spirit of the storming of the Bastille in 1789, proclaiming that "every thing that lives is Holy". Blake's poetry often delves into his self-invented mythology and his visionary experiences.13

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William Blake
Blake as a poet
…next work in Illuminated Printing, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790?), has become one of his best known. It is a prose work in no familiar form; for instance, on the title page, no author, printer, or publisher is named. It is in part a parody of Emanuel Swedenborg,…
Read More
…next work in Illuminated Printing, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790?), has become one of his best known. It is a prose work in no familiar form; for instance, on the title page, no author, printer, or publisher is named. It is in part a parody of Emanuel Swedenborg,…
Read More