The Tyger

One of the most striking contrasts in Blake’s “The Tyger” is the speaker’s awe and fear of the tiger. Even though the speaker repeatedly describes the tiger as terrifying and frightening, it cannot be denied that the tiger is also beautiful and majestic: “In what distant deeps or skies / Burnt the fire of thine eyes?” (Lines 5-6). The speaker describes the craftsmanship and artistry required for the creation of the tiger: “And what shoulder, & what art, / Could twist the sinews of thy heart?” (Lines 9-10). The speaker is confronting the reality that something can be both terrifying and beautiful at once. The speaker’s suggestion that the fires in the tiger’s eyes were made in some otherworldly land implies that there is something about the tiger that is also mystical. The speaker is attempting to resolve this tension, acknowledging that the tiger is beautiful and even magical.

However, the tiger is also frightening, and this makes it difficult for the speaker to accept that God could have been the creator: “Did he who made the Lamb make thee?” (Line 20). The speaker’s bewilderment inspires a series of questions: The tiger is a formidable predator, capable of great violence and raw power; if God was the creator, what does that say about God? How can God’s creations be both beautiful and terrifying? How can God be both beautiful and terrifying? These are the mysteries of life, and they are universal to all living beings.