The Tyger

Renowned English poet William Blake published “The Tyger” in 1794, during the Romantic period. The poem was included in a collection entitled Songs of Experience and is perhaps Blake’s most popular work. In it, the speaker poses a series of unanswered questions about the nature of the Tyger’s creator who dared to “forge” such a beast into existence. Ultimately, the Tyger becomes a symbol of darkness and danger as the speaker confronts the poem’s central paradox: how can God allow goodness and evil to exist together in the world?