The Ghost of Abel

The Ghost of Abel is a short drama that follows the themes of vengeance, atonement, forgiveness, and self-annihilation. William Blake treats these themes through the reactions of Adam, Eve, Satan, and Jehovah to the first murder.The drama starts right after Abel's death when eve faints. She discovers Abel's ghost saying the Elohim captured him and that the devil is in charge of the Elohim and God. Abel, the victim of the first murder, is considered the first martyr, whereas Cain, the first murderer, is seen as an ancestor of evil. The British poet, William Blake, addressed this remarkable work to Lord Byron, whose Cain, a Mystery, appeared in 1821.