“London, 1802” Introduction

• "London, 1802" is a sonnet by William Wordsworth, one of the most influential English Romantic Poets. The poem praises the famous 17th-century poet John Milton and suggests that England would be better off if it modeled itself after Milton and the values of his era. Wordsworth composed the poem in 1802, shortly after returning to London from France, where he witnessed the aftermath of the French Revolution. Comparing France's somber social landscape to England's boisterous, care-free atmosphere, Wordsworth composed "London, 1802" as both a critique of his country and a celebration of its former glory.

• Read the full text of “London, 1802”

“London, 1802” Summary

• The speaker addresses John Milton and wishes the poet were still alive, noting that England needs him because the country has become like a swamp full of still water. To that end, things like religion, militaristic pursuits, literature, home life, and the country's economic glory no longer align with England's prosperous history. The speaker suggests that he and his fellow citizens have lost sight of everything but themselves, so he calls upon Milton to uplift the people of England after returning from the dead, hoping the famous poet will remind British society of its values, how to live virtuously, and how to recover its sense of liberation and strength. Praising Milton, the speaker compares his soul to a star that stood out from all others in the sky, adding that Milton's voice sounded like the ocean. Still addressing Milton, the speaker depicts him as possessing an intrinsic goodness and dazzling sense of freedom that was worthy of heaven itself. With these qualities, the speaker upholds, Milton led an ordinary life while happily devoting himself to religion. But even with his godly traits, Milton was never above even the most humbling responsibilities.

“London, 1802” Themes

• 

  The Past and Societal Decline

  In “London, 1802,” the speaker laments that 19th-century England has failed to maintain certain standards. These standards, the speaker believes, were perfectly exemplified by the 17th-century poet John Milton, a writer widely admired for his artistic innovation, religious devotion, and moral compass.

  With this in mind, the speaker presents Milton as the model off of which England should base itself, believing that the nation should learn from Milton’s integrity in order to reverse what the speaker sees as the country’s unfortunate decline. By celebrating Milton and the values of a bygone era, then, the speaker criticizes 19th-century England while upholding that the past can (and should) inform the way people think about the present.

  The speaker’s concerns about the present are closely tied to the feeling that 19th-century England as a whole has become lazy and complacent. Suggesting that the nation is now “stagnant,” the speaker implies that England has lost touch with its core values. Unlike when Milton was writing in the 17th century, the speaker upholds, the country no longer thrives in the arts or uplifts its religious principles, having stalled when it comes to “altar, sword, and pen” (religion, military pursuits, and literature, respectively).

  Accordingly, the speaker calls upon Milton to restore things like “manners, virtue, freedom, [and] power” to the country, thereby implying not only that Milton represents these traits, but also that these are the very tenants that used to define England’s greatness. In this way, the speaker celebrates the commendable aspects of the nation (suggesting that the country is at least capable of virtue) while still critiquing it for letting these things fall by the wayside.

  Furthermore, the speaker believes that it shouldn’t be particularly difficult for people to live up to Milton’s standards. This is because these standards aren’t that high in the first place, which is why the speaker chastises fellow citizens for failing to meet them. Milton, the speaker notes, lived in a “common way,” suggesting that the virtue he embodies isn’t actually all that rare, but rather unremarkable and commonplace.

  And yet, the speaker makes it clear that these values have declined so much in British society that they are no longer “common.” It should be relatively easy, the speaker implies, to live like Milton. However, that it now seems extraordinary to exemplify this kind of virtue underscores just how far British society has fallen since Milton’s time.

  The speaker calls attention to England’s societal decline in the hopes of restoring the country, but “London, 1802” isn’t just about refreshing the nation’s image. After all, the speaker also maintains that leading a virtuous life leads to contentment. Indeed, the very values that the speaker celebrates can create a sense of “cheerful godliness.” This, in turn, means that British citizens have sabotaged their own happiness by letting their values slip.

  To regain this happiness, it seems, the speaker’s fellow citizens will have to look to the past and learn from honorable figures like Milton. With this in mind, Wordsworth’s speaker illustrates the usefulness of turning to history for guidance, ultimately arguing that doing so will improve individual lives as well as society at large.

  • See where this theme is active in the poem.

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “London, 1802”

• Lines 1-3

  Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour:
  England hath need of thee: she is a fen
  Of stagnant waters:

  The speaker begins with apostrophe, calling out to the 17th-century poet John Milton. This is startling for a few reasons. "London, 1802" is a sonnet composed primarily in iambic pentameter, meaning its lines should have five sets of poetic feet that follow a da DUM rhythm. But this opening line is jarring because it begins with a trochee—DUM da, the inversion of an iamb.

  Starting with "Milton!" jerks readers to attention, immediately inverting the unstressed-stressed pattern of iambic pentameter by using a strong stressed-unstressed metrical foot. This trochee ("Milton!") is then followed by a strong caesura in the form of an exclamation mark. This pause only adds to the emphasis placed on Milton's name, as if giving readers a moment to fully absorb the importance of the speaker's address. Overall, this is an abrupt and alarming beginning, one that communicates the speaker's passion—a passion that, in turn, communicates both a deep respect for Milton and a sense of desperation, as if the speaker is frantically eager to communicate with the famous poet.

  As the first line continues to unfold, it becomes clear why the speaker wants so badly to invoke Milton. Indeed, the speaker wishes Milton were still alive, noting that England "need[s]" him. This assertion alerts readers to the speaker's dim view of the country, ultimately suggesting that England can't survive without the help of a long-dead poet.

  To that end, the speaker believes that England has become a "fen," which is a low, marshy body of water. And, the speaker adds in the beginning of the third line, England is not just a fen, but a fen "of stagnant waters"—a metaphor that depicts England as having lost its energy and momentum ("stagnant" means that something isn't moving).

  This is a rather straightforward metaphor that functions as a critique of England's lack of rigor or progress, but it's also worth further examining the speaker's use of the word "fen." A fen is a marshland, and marshlands frequently flood. With this in mind, the speaker subtly implies that the general integrity of England has eroded, much like the muddy banks of a swamp that endures periodic floods.

  It's also worth noting that the speaker's depiction of England as a "stagnant" swamp aligns with the opposition many Romantic poets—like Wordsworth—felt toward the Industrial Revolution. Of course, most people think of Industrialization as a period of growth, change, and progress, but the speaker clearly sees it differently, suggesting that England "need[s]" a thoughtful poet like Milton to restore it to its pre-Industrial ways. This implies that the speaker doesn't think the country has made progress, but has stalled out despite its technological advancements and, more importantly, lost something valuable along the way—something Milton could restore to the nation if only he were still alive.

• Lines 3-6

  altar, sword, and pen,
  Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
  Have forfeited their ancient English dower
  Of inward happiness.

  

  

• Lines 6-7

  We are selfish men;
  Oh! raise us up, return to us again;

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Line 8

  And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 9-11

  Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:
  Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
  Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 12-13

  So didst thou travel on life's common way,
  In cheerful godliness;

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 13-14

  and yet thy heart
  The lowliest duties on herself did lay.

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

“London, 1802” Symbols

• 

  John Milton

  The subject of the poem, Milton represents what the speaker sees as England's former glory. More specifically, Milton exemplifies all the values that have failed to make their way into 19th-century England—values having to do with religious devotion, purity, and duty.

  Invoking Milton in the very first line, the speaker argues that England would be better off if the famous poet were still alive, thereby indicating that Milton was a perfect embodiment of everything the country now lacks. This is why the speaker asks Milton to give the people of England "manners, virtue, freedom, [and] power." That the poem focuses so intensely on Milton as a symbol of the country's historical greatness underlines the human tendency to look to the past in order to find a productive way forward. In this sense, Milton is more than a representation of England's former splendor, but also a guiding presence the speaker hopes will lead the nation into a better future.

  • See where this symbol appears in the poem.
• 

  The Natural World

  For Romantic poets like William Wordsworth, the natural world is inseparable from divinity and religion. Accordingly, nature functions in "London, 1802" as a symbol of godliness and purity.

  To praise Milton, the speaker compares him to natural elements, likening his soul to a bright and powerful star and his voice to the sea. These similes present Milton as wholesome and significant, starkly contrasting the way the speaker characterizes 19th-century England.

  Whereas the speaker uses the beauty and power of nature to describe Milton, the speaker calls upon uglier images of nature to depict England in 1802. Indeed, the speaker calls England a "fen / Of stagnant waters," representing it as a marshy swamp. Considering that the Romantic poets believed divinity was wrapped up in nature, this is an especially startling image, since it suggests that England has failed to harness the beauty of the natural world.

  In this way, the natural world symbolizes Milton's purity and a certain religious harmony while also reminding readers that society is in decline and has lost touch with the simple, fundamental gifts of life. With this in mind, the poem's celebration of nature launches a subtle critique of the Industrial Revolution, chastising England for focusing on the industrial world instead of reaping what there is to gain from the environment.

  • See where this symbol appears in the poem.

“London, 1802” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Apostrophe

  The very first word of the poem is a moment of apostrophe, as the speaker immediately calls out Milton's name. The title of the poem clarifies that it takes place in 1802, but John Milton died in 1674, meaning that he couldn't possibly respond to the speaker's address. In this regard, the speaker treats Milton as a muse, a person the speaker would like to summon for both creative and spiritual guidance.

  Milton is an especially appropriate muse, since his magnum opus, Paradise Lost, opens with an invocation of a heavenly muse, whom Milton hopes will help him tell the story of the "Fall of Man." Apostrophe is a very common poetic device in epic poetry, as speakers often call upon divine figures to help them navigate their way through the rest of the poem.

  Of course, "London, 1802" is a sonnet, not an epic poem, but it's no mistake that it uses apostrophe to mimic the beginning of an epic poem. After all, the speaker wants society to model itself after John Milton, so it makes sense that the poem emulates Milton's poetic style. By addressing Milton in the same way that Milton addresses a heavenly muse in Paradise Lost, the speaker gets that much closer to living and behaving like the famous poet himself.

  After calling out, "Milton!", the speaker continues throughout the rest of the poem to address the famous poet, ultimately framing him as both a muse and a savior of sorts, asking him to "raise up" and "return" from the dead in order to restore British society to its former greatness.

  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Caesura

  

  
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• End-Stopped Line

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Enjambment

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Euphony

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Metaphor

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Simile

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Consonance

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Asyndeton

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Personification

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Metonymy

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

"London, 1802" Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Fen
• Stagnant
• Altar
• Fireside
• Bower
• Dower
• Virtue
• Dwelt
• Lowliest
• Lay

• A marsh that often floods. The speaker is especially interested in the unmoving, eroded quality of "fens," using the word to capture England's lack of progress and overall decline.

  • See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “London, 1802”

• Form

  "London, 1802" is an Italian sonnet, otherwise known as a Petrarchan sonnet. Following the conventional form of an Italian sonnet, the poem has 14 lines. The first 8 lines are known as the octave, which is made up of two four-line quatrains. The next six lines make up the sestet, which itself is composed of two three-line tercets.

  What's more, the poem's turn (or "volta") appears in the first line of the sestet, which aligns with the standard structure of an Italian sonnet. Normally, the turn features a solution to the problem (or "proposition") outlined in the octave. This is more or less the case in "London, 1802," as the speaker laments the dismal state of 19th-century England in the octave and then transitions in the sestet to celebrating Milton, uplifting the famous poet and his way of life, presenting it as the antidote to England's decline.

  However, it's worth noting that the turn in "London, 1802" isn't quite as stark or unexpected as the turn in other Italian sonnets, since it's clear from the beginning that the speaker reveres Milton. In this way, the turn is just a continuation of (or a return to) the celebratory attitude laid out in the very first line of the poem.

• Meter

  "London, 1802" is written in iambic pentameter. An iamb is a poetic foot with an unstressed-stressed syllable pattern, and pentameter means there are five of these iambs—five da DUMs—per line. That said, very few of the poem's lines perfectly adhere to this metrical pattern. Throughout, trochees (the inverse of an iamb, stressed-unstressed) disrupt the iambic rhythm characteristic of the Italian sonnet.

  This disruption appears with the very first word of the poem: "Milton!" The effect of this word is quite strong, since the line begins with a trochee but soon falls into the steady flow of iambic pentameter. The scansion of line 1 looks like this:

  Milton! || thou shouldst be living at this hour

  There is a caesura after the opening word. This intensifies the feeling of falling forward created by the trochee ("Milton"), as if the reader has been tipped into the caesura's silence. From there, though, the speaker continues in iambic verse, following a reliable pattern for the rest of the line.

  However, that iambic rhythm breaks again at the beginning of the second line, since "England" is yet another trochee. In a way, the poem's second trochee establishes a different pattern, mirroring the rhythm of the first line so that both lines substitute iambs with trochees at the beginning of the line. But unlike the first line, the second line does not have a caesura after the opening trochee, instead going immediately into an iambic rhythm.

  If it seems like the poem might continue in perfect iambic pentameter from here on out, the caesura after "thee" in the second line makes it clear that this is not the case, especially since the metrical foot directly after the caesura is yet another trochee:

  England hath need of thee: || she is a fen

  Of course, caesuras do not necessarily disrupt the flow of iambic pentameter in and of themselves, but in this case they make it possible for the speaker to begin new phrases using trochees. This fragments the poem's rhythm, causing readers to fight their way through each line. A similar formula appears in line 6, which features a caesura followed by a trochee:

  Of inward happiness. || We are ...

  Because there are so many trochees and so many caesuras in the octave, the perfect iambic pentameter of line 9 (the first line of the sestet) sounds especially smooth and musical:

  Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:

  This creates a sense of relief, as if praising Milton's soul has soothed the speaker's frustration with England—a frustration that has been building up throughout the octave. Accordingly, this calls attention to the sonnet's turn, when the speaker stops complaining about England to focus on Milton's rejuvenating qualities.

  The sestet's second line (line 10) is also in perfect iambic pentameter, further reinforcing the shift to a more relaxed, happier tone. This, however, is not to say that there aren't any metric substitutions in the sestet, since line 11 (for example) includes a trochee at the beginning of the line instead of an iamb ("Pure as"). Overall, though, the poem's final 6 lines are much smoother than the lines that make up the octave, effectively underscoring the fact that "London, 1802" is a celebration of an honorable man, not just a harsh criticism of England.

• Rhyme Scheme

  "London, 1802" follows the standard rhyme scheme of an Italian sonnet, though it's worth noting that the rhyme scheme for the sestet often varies in Italian sonnets. Still, "London, 1802" adheres to convention. Its rhyme scheme is:

  ABBAABBACDDECE

  As previously mentioned, the sestet's rhyme scheme in an Italian sonnet often differs, so this particular pattern isn't necessarily the form's definitive rhyme scheme. All the same, the poem follows in the tradition of the Italian sonnet, though the frequently disjointed rhythm of the lines often subverts—or at least obscures—this otherwise perfect rhyme scheme. Throughout the octave, for example, the various caesuras and trochees where readers expect iambs often call attention away from the final word in each line, thereby distracting from rhymes that might otherwise sound stronger or more obvious.

  In contrast, the first line of the sestet uses an internal slant rhyme ("star" and "apart") that actually calls attention to the speaker's rhyming. In a poem that largely buries its own rhyme scheme, this is a significant change, one that emphasizes line 9's euphony and, in doing so, spotlights the turn (or "volta"), as the speaker transitions from choppily lamenting England's decline to musically praising Milton.

“London, 1802” Speaker

• There is not enough contextual information in "London, 1802" to clarify the speaker's gender or identity. Regardless, it's clear that the speaker is an English citizen who is deeply upset by the current state of the nation. Moreover, the speaker worships the deceased 17th-century poet John Milton, calling upon him to restore the country to what it once was.

  This attitude suggests that the speaker is the kind of person who appreciates history and even idealizes the past, seeing it as something that can and should inform the present. Furthermore, it's worth noting the speaker's similarities with William Wordsworth himself, especially since Wordsworth—like many Romantic poets—essentially worshipped Milton and his poetry.

  This possibly suggests that the speaker and Wordsworth are one in the same, but there isn't quite enough information about the speaker to fully justify making such a claim. As it stands, then, the speaker emerges as somebody who simply embodies Wordsworth's respect for Milton and his (Wordsworth's) appreciation of the natural world. This becomes particularly evident in the sestet, when the speaker praises Milton using naturalistic imagery, combining a reverence for the famous poet with the spiritually inflected worship of nature that characterized the Romantic movement.

“London, 1802” Setting

• The poem's title establishes that it takes place in London in 1802. This situates it roughly in the middle of the Industrial Revolution. England was a driving force when it came to industrialization, but the speaker is uninterested in the country's technological advancements. Given that England developed so rapidly during the Industrial Revolution, the speaker's assertion that the country has become "stagnant" is particularly noteworthy, since this viewpoint is at odds with the general opinion that the country thrived under industrialization. Uninterested in this kind of progress, the speaker cares more about the spiritual, artistic, and moral integrity of the nation than anything else, idolizing John Milton because he represents the values of pre-Industrial England.

Literary and Historical Context of “London, 1802”

• Literary Context

  "London, 1802" was first published in William Wordsworth's 1807 collection, Poems, in Two Volumes. It therefore appeared alongside other poems that have become quite famous, including "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802," "The Solitary Reaper," "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," and "The World Is Too Much With Us."

  The poems Wordsworth composed during this time exhibit his characteristic appreciation of nature, his devotion to beauty, and his thoughts about England at the turn of the 19th century. In particular, "The World Is Too Much With Us" is similar to "London, 1802" in that it expresses misgivings about the impact of the Industrial Revolution on England. "Westminster Bridge," on the other hand, looks at London in a different way, choosing to focus first and foremost on the city's beauty. In this way, these three sonnets build a complex image of life in London in the early 1800s, combining Wordsworth's dim view of industrialization with his tendency to look for beauty in the world.

  Wordsworth published Poems, in Two Volumes nine years after Lyrical Ballads, which he wrote with Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Lyrical Ballads appeared in 1798 and established Wordsworth as one of the founding members of the Romantic movement in poetry, especially since his Preface to the Lyrical Ballads served as a manifesto to the movement, laying out his and Coleridge's intention to focus on the beauty of the natural world and to compose poetry that "takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility."

  This is the exact approach Wordsworth applies to "London, 1802" and the other poems in Poems, in Two Volumes. In terms of critical reception, though, Poems, in Two Volumes was reviewed poorly when it was first published, as critics took issue with the language Wordsworth used to convey his ideas. However, the poems in this collection are now considered some of Wordsworth's finest, since they demonstrate what it might look like to write poems in which emotion is "recollected in tranquility."

  Historical Context

  The Industrial Revolution began around 1760 and lasted for roughly 60 to 80 years. This means that "London, 1802" takes place in the middle of this period, when England had already made a number of technological advancements. Indeed, England saw great progress in its production of textiles with the invention of machines to help expedite the process of working with wool and cotton. The nation's metalworking industry also improved, enabling it to more efficiently create iron and steel products that ultimately pushed the country's infrastructural changes, setting the railroad industry up for success and rapid advancement.

  In the midst of all of these manmade developments, Romantics like William Wordsworth worried about society's deteriorating interest in the natural world, believing that humanity had lost hold of its spiritual connection to simple beauty. This is the sentiment expressed in "London, 1802," as the speaker suggests that England has stalled out despite the fact that, historically speaking, 1802 was a time of great progress and change.

More “London, 1802” Resources

• External Resources

  • A Reading of the Poem — Listen to a clear, slow, and concentrated reading of "London, 1802."

  • Preface to Lyrical Ballads — Read Wordsworth's "Preface to Lyrical Ballads," an essay that greatly influenced the trajectory of Romantic poetry.

  • The Industrial Revolution — Watch an informative BBC documentary about the Industrial Revolution and its impact on England.

  • More Information about John Milton — Learn about John Milton's life, his writing, and how he influenced the course of British literature.

  • Wordsworth's Life and Work — Read an overview of William Wordsworth and his life as a Romantic poet.

• LitCharts on Other Poems by William Wordsworth

  • A Complaint

  • A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

  • Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802

  • Expostulation and Reply

  • Extract from The Prelude (Boat Stealing)

  • It Is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free

  • I Travelled Among Unknown Men

  • I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

  • Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey

  • Lines Written in Early Spring

  • Mutability

  • My Heart Leaps Up

  • Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room

  • Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood

  • She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways

  • She was a Phantom of Delight

  • Strange fits of passion have I known

  • Surprised by joy—impatient as the Wind

  • The Solitary Reaper

  • The Tables Turned

  • The World Is Too Much With Us

  • Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower

  • To a Snowdrop

  • We Are Seven