#songs of experience

[tyger-land]

𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗸𝗲 Plates from Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794). Etched and printed by Blake. Colored by Blake and his wife Catherine.

[boomshroom2776]

University project that has never seen the light of day. The poem is by William Blake from his 1794 collection Songs of Experience.

[devilmaycrybrainworm]

I thought it was a really strange choice for a Devil May Cry narrative at first, but I am so grateful that William Blake was a theme in DMC5. Blake is now one of my favorite authors and has changed my view of poetry completely. He was a true creative with profound ideas for his time, and somehow his work of Songs of Innocence and Experience melded seamlessly into the narrative of Vergil and the overall game. Something from 'reality' being used within the DMC universe makes me feel so much closer to Vergil as a character, as well as the universe of the game. The fact that Blake was chosen specifically with his ideologies considered says a TON. This post would be way too long to articulate why I believe this choice was intentional and would ultimately stray from DMC. However, knowing who Blake was and his work being a major theme has... implications. I am so interested who exactly it was that came up with this idea in development and why. To say that this choice was merely by chance, or the fact he is a well-known figure in the literature world would be remiss to Blake himself. Devil May Cry 5 is unique in the sense that there is so much more underneath the surface compared to the rest of the games. The player is invited to explore these undeniably spiritual topics within the DMC universe and their own reality. For someone like myself, I will endlessly come back for more because there will always be something to think about. I believe stories are best told when a satisfactory conclusion has been reached, but not in a way where all of the answers have been revealed. I also believe that Devil May Cry 5 has the best story of all of the games BECAUSE of the influence of Blake. This game was developed with so much love and thought. I hate this saying, but I believe this game was the ultimate love letter to the Devil May Cry series and it's fans. It is the perfect conclusion while at the same time leaving enough room for another installment if we are so lucky.

[anothergayghoul]

"And the gates of this Chapel were shut,

And 'Thou shalt not' writ over the door;

So I turn'd to the Garden of Love

That so many sweet flowers bore;"

- William Blake, The Garden of Love

[doctoralhashimi]

from SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE by William Blake

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Oh, the urge to analyse the dichotomy between So American and All-American Bitch by Olivia Rodrigo like they’re part of Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience or something

[quotation--marks]

‘Break this heavy chain That does freeze my bones around.  Selfish! vain! Eternal bane! That free Love with bondage bound.’

William Blake, Earth's Answer

[blackhyena]

William Blake, plates from Songs of Innocence and of Experience.