Instructions

Blake was born into a middle class family in London in 1757. He was a deeply religious man but one who turned away from the Established Church. From an early age, Blake was believed to have encountered visions including a tree full of angels at the age of ten. When he lost his brother in 1787, Blake claimed to have seen his spirit ascend and this influenced his later writing. He was a professional engraver, as well as poet, and became as well known for his etching as his poetry. Blake married and his wife, Sophia Boucher maintained faith in her husband’s visionary powers but his beliefs were not taken seriously by the wider populace and he was accused of madness; consequently, he became bankrupt and paranoid. Blake died in 1827 after suffering long term ill health.