A Summary of 'Goblin Market'

Potentially Rossetti’s most famous poem, ‘Goblin Market’ is a narrative which is can be comparable to her life in the Victoria era; where the sisters Lizzie and Laura represent social constructs. These young girls are innocent and pure yet are threatened by the horrors of “goblin men” who torment the sisters into buying their “orchard fruits,” which scar the girls for the rest of their lives.


At first hearing the goblin cries from their house, Laura is intrigued and eventually enticed by the goblins to give over her “golden curls” in exchange for the delicious, magical fruit.“Curious Laura [‘s]” temptation of the “Bloom-down-cheek’d peaches” and “crab-apples” opposes Lizzie’s wariness, shown where she “shut eyes and ran” from the goblin merchants. Lizzie warned Laura by reminding her of the fate of their friend, Jeanie, who ate the goblin fruit, wasted away and died. However Lizzie’s warning was ignored, so gives Laura terrible consequences by the near end of the poem.

The enchanted fruit is addictive, leaving Laura pining for it ever since she has her first bite, just like Jeanie. Laura’s “passionate yearning” leads her to become entranced into a “sullen silence of exceeding pain” as she attempts to ignore the goblins’ cries for her to buy more fruit. Herself and Lizzie were together by twilight, "like two pigeons in one nest," where they are protection to each other from the addiction of goblin fruit. The next morning the goblins cry yet again, and the temptation for Laura is unbearable, however Lizzie tries her best to guard her from the evil, by saying “you should not loiter” and “come with me home.” Laura became lonely and no longer cared for herself or the house, as now it was Lizzie’s job to go along the glen, as Laura could not go as she couldn’t resist the temptation of the goblin cries. However Laura is concerned that her sister had to listen to the bewitching goblin cries alone, so she turns as “cold as stone” thinking of this.  Eventually the desperation for the magical fruit leaves Laura to turn grey, and wither away in a state of desperation and sorrow. Lizzie wanted to bring home some of the fruit to comfort her sister, but feared the price to pay would be "too dear."


In desperation Lizzie searches for the goblins to give her fruit for her dying sister; yet she rejects their offer to “rest with them.” This leads to violence upon poor Lizzie who is beaten by the goblins, by being “Claw’d with their nails,” and have them “squeez[e] their fruits against her mouth.” This violence can be seen as an extended metaphor for rape and sexual assault upon Lizzie.

Trudging home from the attack, she calls for Laura and wishes for her to “hug [her], kiss [her]” and just generally give her sisterly affection in order to replace the forced sexual affection from the goblins. Laura worries that Lizzie's life is now "goblin-ridden," so kisses her with a "hungry mouth" in order to show her love for her. Strangely, Laura's lips begin to scorch as "fire spreads" through her veins and heart, causing a frenzy within her body. She falls, leaving the reader to wonder "is it life or death?" Miraculously, Lizzie becomes 'human' again, as her locks have not "one thread of grey," and her eyes "dance[d]" once more.