London, 1802

“London, 1802” is a sonnet by William Wordsworth. The poem first appeared in the poetry collection Poems, in Two Volumes (1807). In this sonnet, Wordsworth invokes the figure of John Milton, the famous author of Paradise Lost and an active participant in the government of Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century. Using Milton as a symbol of traditional English virtue and republican idealism, Wordsworth contrasts the heroism of Milton’s time with the cultural and political stagnation of England in 1802. The sonnet is valuable both as a demonstration of Wordsworth’s mastery of the sonnet form, and as a testament to the radical revolutionary ideals that influenced Wordsworth and the other English Romantics of his generation. “London, 1802” is typical in both style and content of Wordsworth’s early poetic output, containing his elegant lyricism, his idealism of the past, and his determination to help inspire both cultural and political changes through his poetry.

Poet Biography

William Wordsworth is one of the giants of English literature, and his influence has been enormous both on his literary contemporaries and posthumously. Born on April 7, 1770 in England’s Lake District, Wordsworth became enchanted with the beauties of

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