A pointless argument you don't need to read. 


Goblin Market is considered one of Christina Rossetti’s most accomplished works, an expression of her views on society, politics and feminism, to name a few. Whether her poem is a cautionary tale has remained a controversial matter for many years, and critics express many, many different interpretations of it. It could be that this was what Rossetti had intended, and that it is each individual’s take on the poem as a whole that is the most significant. She reaches out to readers throughout Goblin Market, physically luring us in so that we, like Lizzie and Laura, are captivated by the goblins; she holds us in a trance through the duration of the poem, the rhythm almost like a heartbeat, fast paced and quick – mirroring the movements and actions of the goblin men so that we are surrounded by her images, the colours she uses. It is only when we take a breath at the end of each stanza that we can allow ourselves to look back and reflect on the true meanings of Goblin Market; in this sense the tale could be cautionary for children, as they learn from it not to trust strange men, and to also love and stand by the ones you love, because to children’s eyes there is no other meaning, no other danger or sinister discomfort behind Rossetti’s words.

Rossetti begins her poem Goblin Market by creating a stanza which is filled with persuasive language; she lists the fruits, along with their origins and colours, emphasizing the taste and texture of them ‘Bloom-down-cheeked peaches’ tempting the readers, luring us into her poem, much the same way as the goblins do when they entice the young girls.  The enjambed sentences in this stanza make the reader feel as though they cannot tear their eyes away until they have reached the end, another reflection on the way the goblins tempt people with their fruits and cries. If you notice the colours of the fruits ‘dewberries’, ‘strawberries’, ‘barberries’ and ‘crab apples’, you find that the majority of the fruits are greens and reds, both contrasting colours; an example of juxtaposition. The idea of double-meaning behind Goblin Market is mirrored in her use of colours and imagery; behind the goblin’s cries, and the beautiful fruits, there is something much more sinister and this use of language continues throughout Rossetti’s poem. The list of fruit and internal rhyme such as ‘Rare pears’ make their offerings seem delicate and precious which again emphasizes the idea of temptation, and luring people in. You could even go so far as to say that Rossetti is hinting at appearances, and how beneath the beauty, the facades that society holds in place, the much practiced stances and manners, there is something irresistible and dangerous.

There are a vast amount of critics interpretations of Goblin Market, not least of all Rossetti’s poem being a reflection on Victorian society, allusions to Adam and Eve, forbidden fruits, Christianity, temptation and drug addiction, amongst others. I believe one of the most popular ideas is women’s temptation of men in Victorian society; in this case, the goblins would represent the men. This idea is even confirmed at the end  and beginning of Goblin Market, ‘At last the evil people’, ‘Curious Laura chose to linger, wondering at each merchant man’ two lines describing the goblins as human, though the first not specifically referring to men - as they ‘run’ away from Lizzie. With this in mind it is easier to view Rossetti’s poem as a cautionary tale, though not necessarily for children. Throughout Goblin Market we come across a range of different language used in order to convey some kind of warning, in some cases not related to the tale at all. ‘Who knows upon what soil they fed their hungry thirsty roots’ is a line spoken by Laura as she warns Lizzie not to look at goblin men, it could be read as a metaphor for men’s sexual motivation, as the language throughout Rossetti’s poem is purposefully erotic, and the roots of men’s  incentive. If this is the case then Goblin Market could be considered an extended metaphor for men, how they lure women in with their charms and looks; lines such as ‘One whisked a tail’ and ‘One prowled obtuse and furry’ are animalistic qualities, as though describing the nature of men as individuals, each like their own animal. Particularly the use of ‘a voice like voice of doves’ and ‘They sounded kind and full of loves’ emphasize the more sinister aspects of these goblins; doves ‘coo’, a sound which is harmonious but also eerily beautiful, and the use of ‘sounded’ implies the goblins are not completely what they seem.

As far as cautionary tales go, there is an example of three lines in Goblin Market which sound curiously like an old saying: ‘Twilight is not good for maidens; should not loiter in the glen in the haunts of goblin men’ which in itself is a caution to young girls and unmarried young women, but it also sounds as though it would have been derived from a contemporary source, perhaps in Victorian society as a caution for young girls not to trust men. These ideas, the interpretations of the poem, are suppressed beneath the child-like structure and rhyme, the repetition of ‘Come buy! Come buy!’ and also some of the language; many aspects of the poem are exciting, the colours are vibrant, the imagery is beautiful, the fruits are tempting and the lists are persuasive; Rossetti uses sound in to convey the goblins as they move, and includes plosive and sibilant language in order to emphasize the actions of the characters, ‘plucked from bower’ and ‘pined and pined’ as well as ‘sugar-sweet their sap’. Including this language in her poem makes it seem child-like, intriguing, like a fairytale, but like most fairytales there are underlying meanings behind the stanza’s, most of which are uncomfortable when revealed. It is controversial whether Rossetti intended Goblin Market to be a reflection on something other than goblins and little girls, but her use of language and the possible metaphors which could relate to other things are undeniable.

There is also the idea that the characters of Lizzie and Laura are representative of a more psychological outlook on Rossetti’s poem; light and dark, good and bad, tainted and untainted. It could be that it is one woman’s silent battle against the temptations of men, against conforming to a society that would shunt any woman guilty of ‘sinning’ or temptation away; a woman’s conflict over a drug addiction, or how she is psychologically damaged. This idea comes from Rossetti’s biography – a volunteer worker at the St. Mary Magdalene ‘house of charity’ which was a refuge for former prostitutes. Rossetti would have experienced, witnessed, women who had been physically and mentally scarred by their pasts – their encounters. ‘With clasping arms and cautioning lips’, ‘golden head by golden head’ and especially ‘like two blossoms on one stem’ portray the two girls as being extremely close to each other, again suggesting that they are two aspects of one mind. The conflict with each other ‘Look, Lizzie, look, Lizzie’ and ‘No, no, no’ is mimicked through the disparate actions of the two sisters. I considered this idea because, if this poem were to refer to women in Victorian society, the ending would be unrealistic; a woman’s reputation would be completely ruined if she were to be guilty of Laura’s actions, and yet the end of Goblin Market is idealistic – they are older, married, with children, happy. The idea of the story being a feature of a woman’s mind could show how desperately she wants that as a future and that she tries to overcome her own destruction by gaining the strength she has left – which Lizzie is symbolic of – and facing what she fears the most in order to be forgiven for her ‘sin’, or something of the like.

Rossetti also refers to the role of women in Victorian society ‘Laura rose with Lizzie; fetched milk and honey, milked the cows. Aired and set right to the house’ and ‘Talked as modest maidens should’ combined with ‘Laura in an absent dream’ could refer to the way of life women were expected to follow, the responsibilities and reputation they had to build and endure, and how Laura is tempted by other things, by dreams, wishing for something that would never be acceptable in such a society. This hints at the right of women, and how Rossetti perhaps opposes this. There is also a great deal of sexual imagery and language throughout Goblin Market such as the use of ‘Plump, unpicked cherries’ and ‘Cherries worth getting’ perhaps symbolising purity and virginity, and also ‘Pomegranates, full and fine’ and ‘Figs to fill your mouth’ which are both sexualised fruits, especially ‘figs’ in Rossetti’s time. There are so many references to female sexuality, women being submissive to men, and so on, that it cannot be a coincidence, and to have such an explicit poem would mean Rossetti must have had other intentions whilst writing this poem; some kind of message is being conveyed through the stanzas. Another reference to facades is ‘She heard the tramp of goblin men’, it seems that throughout the poem Lizzie is not tempted by the goblins because she doesn’t look at them, just like young women were taught by their nurses or even mothers about men but never experienced them until they married. When they do look upon them they become enticing, intriguing and their appearances and what they offer – again, symbolized by the fruits – are alluring.

There is also an evident sense of women and their morality; when Lizzie is faced by the goblins, sacrificing herself for her sister in order to find Laura the ‘antidote’, she shows extreme courage and strength, and belief in her love for her sister. The goblins taunt her, they mock her and tempt her and then physically harm her. All through this Lizzie stands ‘White and golden like a lily in a flood, like a rock of blue-veined stone’. This area is so important in the poem that Rossetti goes on to write six similes in order to describe Lizzie’s strengths and her purity. ‘Blue-veined stone’ is vaguely oxymoronic in the sense that it shows something delicate, ‘blue-veined’, conveying the beauty of Lizzie – her skin is so pale and clear you can see her veins – against something solid and sturdy such as a stone. The references to ‘lily in a flood’ could symbolize the element of water, one of nature’s most powerful sources; by standing her ground she becomes a symbol of hope. This stanza is entirely made up of similes that convey purity and honour, sacrifice and strength. For women living in the Victorian era this would be extremely encouraging. There is evident allegory here too, in the two stanzas, from line 380 to 423; there is a meaning beneath the words that unearth the idea of women’s moralities; to be polite but firm. Lizzie is a symbol of this, her words becoming mono-syllabic ‘Give me back my silver penny’ which shows she won’t be persuaded but she is still sure and certain, she isn’t rude to the goblins but she stands her ground. This could be a reflection on what Rossetti believes a woman’s role could or should be in society.

Whether Rossetti’s poem was meant to be a cautionary tale for just children alone is controversial, but there is a vast amount of evidence throughout the text which suggests otherwise. I believe this poem is a cautionary tale but for women in general and not just for children; through use of sexual imagery and references, persuasive language and extended metaphors – such as the ‘thirsty roots’ of a man’s motivation – amongst many other rich and intertwined aspects of the play, we must consider Goblin Market to be allegorical. There is a great amount of symbolism throughout Rossetti’s poem, some of which we cannot ignore. She manages to create both beautiful and unnerving atmosphere’s, ‘Chattering like magpies, fluttering like pigeons’ in order to physically draw the readers into her poem, she reaches out to every possible audience through her use of similes. It is this idea that brings me to believe Goblin Market has many underlying meanings, and that it is for us, as individual readers, to interpret how we see fit.