The Whore of Babylon

The last book of the Bible, The Revelation of St John of Patmos, also known as The Book of Revelation, recounts a series of visions given to John by God. One of these visions describes the Whore of Babylon, an agent of the Antichrist who uses her sexual allure and charm to lead people to their doom.

In European art, she is typically depicted as a mature woman riding a beast. However, Blake presents a different image—she is now a teenage girl. Her crossed legs suggest uncertainty about sex. On the one hand, she feels attraction; on the other, she is repulsed. To escape this inner conflict, she retreats into dreamy romances and distractions.

As a result, she fails to notice the world around her—the construction of vast war machines, the endless conflicts waged by the kings of Europe. She ought to resist, but instead, she remains absorbed in illusions, blind to reality. In doing so, she becomes complicit in the growth of evil.

This allegory challenges the traditional Christian view of evil as something radically external to the community. Instead, Blake offers a different perspective: evil arises not from some outside force, but from good men and women who fail to recognise what is happening around them—and who, in their inaction, allow it to flourish.