Blake uses proverbs to dismantle orthodox categories of morality and thought. He employs a striking dissociation of expected meanings in the phrases and in their apparent disorder. The poet exemplifies his emphasis on overindulgence and sexuality in the phrase “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom,” which has two interpretations (Blake 250). A conventional reading of the proverb highlights the belief that passion, rather than teaching, is the only true way of gaining wisdom because the former is a fundamental aspect of the human psyche. According to the infernal wisdom perspective, sexual fulfillment is only possible if one takes the path that the self-frustrated Angels note allows mortals to fulfill their wildest desires. Therefore, people should give in to their yearnings to gain a true understanding of the human experience, appreciate their role in the universe and see through the smokescreen created by traditional religious doctrine.
Work Cited
Blake, William. The Poetical Works of William Blake. Edited by John Sampson, Oxford UP, 1906.