London

From the poem’s beginning (along with the title), the speaker establishes an urban setting. While “London” announces the general setting, the speaker then wanders “thro’ each charter’d street” (Line 1). The term “wander” (Line 1) implies that the speaker may be confused, lost, or listless. This sense of confusion mimics the city’s chaotic state. The speaker also reflects about the oppression of urban life, stating that they see the city’s “mark in every face I meet” (Line 3), implying that the state of oppression is so severe that it takes a physical toll on people. Its inhabitants bear “[m]arks of weakness, marks of woe” (Line 4) and seem broken both physically and spiritually. This description establishes a grimly melancholic tone. As the poem continues, the city’s oppression continues. The speaker describes the city’s inhabitants as wearing “mind-forg’d manacles” (Line 8), reinforcing the idea that urban life restricts and oppresses the city’s occupants; it even draws the implicit analogy between London and a prison. As the poem concludes, the speaker highlights the “youthful Harlots” (Line 14) who “curse” (Line 14), and no escape from the city’s oppression seems likely.