Preview

Enjoying "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred Tennyson

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2302 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Enjoying "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred Tennyson
If you are approaching Tennyson's poem, "The Lady of Shalott", this page will help you get started. It is intended especially for students (high-school age and older) who have read the poem in class.

The Story
John William Waterhouse, The Lady of Shalott 1888 The Lady of Shalott is a magical being who lives alone on an island upstream from King Arthur's Camelot. Her business is to look at the world outside her castle window in a mirror, and to weave what she sees into a tapestry. She is forbidden by the magic to look at the outside world directly. The farmers who live near her island hear her singing and know who she is, but never see her.

The Lady sees ordinary people, loving couples, and knights in pairs reflected in her mirror. One day, she sees the reflection of Sir Lancelot riding alone. Although she knows that it is forbidden, she looks out the window at him. The mirror shatters, the tapestry flies off on the wind, and the Lady feels the power of her curse.

An autumn storm suddenly arises. The lady leaves her castle, finds a boat, writes her name on it, gets into the boat, sets it adrift, and sings her death song as she drifts down the river to Camelot. The locals find the boat and the body, realize who she is, and are saddened. Lancelot prays that God will have mercy on her soul.

This is one of Tennyson's most popular poems. The Pre-Raphaelites liked to illustrate it. Waterhouse made three separate paintings of "The Lady of Shalott". Agatha Christie wrote a Miss Marple mystery entitled "The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side", which was made into a movie starring Angela Lansbury. Tirra Lirra by the River, by Australian novelist Jessica Anderson, is the story of a modern woman's decision to break out of confinement.

The Poem The Lady Of Shalott 1842 Version
1832 Version I

On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And through the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Like in the picture in Source A, Tennyson makes a clear distinction between what a man’s role should be and women’s roles. He clearly states that women should be in the domestic sphere by attributing to her words such as ‘hearth, needle, heart’ and men ‘field, sword, head’ making a clear distinction between indoors and outdoors, between private and public spheres, as Source D, Tennyson implies that this is not…

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tennyson deliberately uses archaic language that is out dated and old fashioned even in Victorian times. Words such as ‘blade’ and ‘ay, ay, ay’ are good examples of this blatant archaism. The archaic language places the time period of the poem distinctly in the past and separates it clearly from modern times in which Tennyson is writing. It also displays certain nostalgia for the past and the stories of English myth and legends on Tennyson’s part. It also shows that there are still things we can learn from the past, even in an age of discovery like the industrial revolution. Archaic language is contrasted…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Medusa Sarton

    • 1067 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Use Audre Lorde's "Poetry is Not a Luxury" and T. de Lauretis's "Desire in Narrative" to read May Sarton's poem "The Muse as Medusa." Expand May Sarton's project of remaking/retaking the gaze by examining what Audre Lorde and T. de Lauretis understand about the power of looking.…

    • 1067 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tennyson tells the reminiscence of immortal lover ‘Tithonus’ in an elegiac fashion. The poem depicts the suffering of the immortal Tithonus who unfortunately despite having been granted immortal life was not blessed with immortal youth with it. As such, Tithonus is doomed to age and as he withers and wrinkles away, he is left to endure alone since his lover, the immortal goddess Aurora is tasked with carrying the rising sun at dawn. Tennyson’s narrative methods are effective at conveying Tithonus’s confused and regretful state of mind. Tennyson’s linguistic devices project the powerful emotions felt by Tithonus and his lingering memories of his youth adds a sense of nostalgia to Tithonus’s mindset. The use of a dramatic monologue structure is effective in giving a true insight into Tithonus’s thoughts.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Painted Door

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The weather outside gets worse as her concern for her husband increases. She ventures outside the safety and warmth of the house to feed the horses in the stable. The blizzard is so ferocious that by the time she returns to the house, she realises that if her husband had ventured home in the storm, he has little chance of surviving.…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When Zilia sees her reflection in the mirror for the first time she is astonished and surprised by it. She sees herself and mistakes herself for the Virgin of the Sun. She is very transfixed on the image of herself and almost in a shock of never seeing herself. The mirror represents self reflection and is a very important item that she comes into contact with. When looking into the mirror she is able to see the physical differences between herself and the French and also is able to see the changes that have occurred to her throughout the journey of her capture. “These marvels disturb the mind and offend reason. What is one to think of this country’s inhabitants? Must one fear them? Must one love them? I shall be careful to reserve judgment in this matter” (Gaffigny 51). The mirror shows Zilia the advancement the French have on her people and she does not know whether she wants to embrace this or be frightened.…

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Thompson, Alastair W., The Poetry of Tennyson (London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986), p.214…

    • 2204 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    In de Beaumont’s story there is only one mention of the mirror that allows Beauty to see her father. However, in the film the mirror is used often and for many purposes. The mirror allows Beauty to see her father falling ill, however this could also be a reflection of Beauty’s subconscious and how ill she feels due to homesickness. The Beast uses the mirror to find Beauty when he feels the need, which shows a level of distrust on his part. When Beauty returns home to visit her family, the mirror is brought to her, via Magnificent. Falling into the hands of Beauty’s wicked sisters, the mirror reflects their inner selves by showing an old woman and a monkey when they look into it. When Beauty looks into it, her own reflection appears followed by the Beast dying and then returns to her own reflection. This allows Beauty to see the Beast, however due the multi-functionality the mirror has presented in previous reflections throughout the film, the viewer’s perception concerning the purpose of each reflection, by this point, is skewed and the image of the Beast can then be interpreted as a reflection of Beauty’s beastliness toward the Beast for not keeping her promise. The mirror is personified by having the ability to alter what is shown through its glass. This personification further emphasises a sense of mistrust, as the…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chopin deliberately starts the story off with the storm because it is the first sign of the “troubles” ahead, as well as setting the tone and theme of the story. Using the storm as the physical representation to the tension between the relationships of the characters in the story provides a direct comparison to the whirlwind effect the plot undergoes. The apparition of the storm lays the plot into place and allows the events of the story to occur chronologically. The duration of the storm plays a role in each character’s current situation and affects the outcome of the storm in each of their lives. The physical representation of Kate Chopin’s storm in her short story provides a gripping beginning to the plot and sets the tone and theme for the story to play out. Following the representation of the physical storm occurring in the story is the internal storm that is taking place between Calixta and Alcée. This internal emotional conflict arose out of a past romance shared between the two, which is not known to the readers until Alcée enters the house and the passion between them…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The selections in this Echo: The Quest for an Ideal, all present alike themes in various perspectives. The theme, reaching for a goal we desire to achieve can encourage us to grow and evolve although, if that goal is for perfection the outcomes can be devastating, is displayed in multiple selections. Two selections that will be explored are, the poem “The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred Tennyson and the song, “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. These selections provides sufficient evidence to support the overall theme of, The Quest for an Ideal.…

    • 96 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    She sees the tops of trees that "were all quiver with the new spring life" symbolizing a new life to come, something new happening in her life. The setting of a "delicious breath of rain" in the air refers to the calmness after a storm when the sun comes back out. Kate Chopin is using this to refer to the death of Mrs. Mallards' husband and the new joyous life she may now lead that she is free of him. Also to be heard outside are the singing of birds and the notes of a distant song someone was singing, symbolizing an oncoming feeling of wellness, a build up to her realization that she is now free of the tyrannical rule of her…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anne Sexton Cinderella

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Throughout the poem, the speaker refers to the events that occur in such a way that highlights notions of sarcasm as well as hinting at the mere expectation of each event that takes place. Towards the beginning of this piece, the speaker refers to each mirroring example as “that story” (Sexton ln 5). The recurring usage of this term stirs within us, the sheer idea of the perfect ending. Phrases such as “that’s the way with stepmothers,” and “that is the way with…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Story of an Hour” is a controversial story written by Kate Chopin. It has impeccable narrative and reveals that not all women were the same in her time period, which is also true for the current time period. Some women found a new life in the death of their husbands, and this could not be any more apparent than in “The Story of an Hour.” In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin uses two versions of irony, two counts of dramatic and one of situational, to show Mrs. Mallard’s renewal of life.…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Lady of Shalott is the not-so-typical Romeo and Juliet story, except the woman was the sole individual who was invested in finding love. “And sometimes in the mirror blue the knights come riding two and two: She hath no loyal knight and true, The Lady of Shalott” (Tennyson, 651). Tennyson shows not only how the lady is lonely, but stresses how she is longing for a knight in shining armor. He does this to show how women longed for the love from a man during this time. He shows the lady’s frustration by saying,” Came two young lovers lately wed; ‘I am half sick of shadows,’ said The Lady of Shalott” (Tennyson, 651). The lady is tired of looking through her mirror and desires to have company to keep her happy. The way that Tennyson portrayed the lady’s loneliness showed how women of the Victorian Era wanted the presence of a man in their lives to make them feel more full and complete. Further along in the story, the lady demonstrated how women are more than willing to do anything for men when Sir Lancelot called up the the Lady of Shalott. Her reaction was; “She left the web, she left the loom, she made three paces through the room, she saw the water-lily bloom, she saw the helmet and the plume, she looked down to Camelot” (Tennyson, 652). The Lady of Shalott was willing to break the curse in order to see Sir Lancelot. Tennyson is referring to the women of the Victorian Era here, showing how weak they were and willing to give in to receive the attention of a…

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Snow White

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The mirror replied, White is the fairest of them all! She lives with the seven dwarfs in the woods!” The wicked stepmother was furious. She was actually a witch knew how to make magic potions. She now made a poisonous potion and dipped a shiny…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays