Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. The Lady Of Shalott Summary. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Plot Summary of “The Lady Of Shalott” by Alfred Tennyson Baron Tennyson. In contrast to the “delight” in her art from the earlier parts of the poem, the Lady now cries out as her weaving is destroyed. This required the poet to retain a certain distance from society in order to maintain the purity of the artistic soul. Your IP: 45.56.83.179 This is a tricky one, since no one in "The Lady of Shalott" admits to being in love. | "She knows not what the curse may be..."  You've been inactive for a while, logging you out in a few seconds... Whatever else the Lady of Shalott has going on, she's definitely alone. However, it also introduces an element of uncertainty. The image of a lady in a tower acts as a metaphor for the woman who is locked away from society in order to protect her purity. Freedom Comes at a Cost: Regardless of the lens with which readers approach “The Lady of Shalott,” the concept of freedom is a recurrent end goal. The degree to which he impacts the Lady, and the nature of her relationship to or interest in him, are never made textually explicit, allowing the poem to be read on a number of thematic levels. See in text (Text of the Poem). "Or is she known in all the land..."  In Tennyson’s time, Victorian women, especially those of the upper classes, were expected to remain chaste and avoid any behaviors that might result in rumors of impropriety. See in text (Text of the Poem). The fastest way to understand the poem's meaning, themes, form, rhyme scheme, meter, and poetic devices. She then leaves her work, walks across her room, and looks outside. Join for Free The funeral she watches lacks any emotional weight, appearing instead almost as a parade: “with plumes and lights / And music.” That funeral is then equated to the approach of “two young lovers,” arguably a more joyous sight. See in text (Text of the Poem). A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. See in text (Text of the Poem). Symbolically, Camelot represents the outside world and freedom. Aside from positioning the poem as a part of Arthurian legend, the use of the word “Camelot” as a refrain in almost every stanza centralizes it alongside the Lady herself. "She loosed the chain, and down she lay;..."  "She looked down to Camelot...."  The Lady’s disassociation from the surrounding world goes beyond physical isolation, preventing her from reacting in an emotional manner to the events she witnesses, even as her tapestry replicates them visually. Symbolically, the river is connected with the flow of life and the passage of time, realities from which the Lady of Shalott is sheltered. This description of the Lady as being “in a trance” and having “a glassy countenance” seems to imply that she is still under the effect of an external power—especially as “glassy” relates back to the image of her mirror, destroyed by the curse—but she could also be reacting to the major emotional upheaval that would naturally follow the destruction of her artistic work. The reaper’s description of the Lady as a fairy is implied to be a result of her isolation, rather than any innate otherworldliness on her part. It is notable how soon this moment arises after the statement of her “delight” just at the beginning of this stanza; it is possible that the “delight” is a false report and that the Lady has long felt dissatisfied. " The Lady of Shalott can be seen as an artist, for she creates a “magic web,” or tapestry, based on the sights she sees in her mirror. See in text (Text of the Poem). The Lady experiences the outside world through her mirror, and the level of emotional disassociation it causes renders all sights equal to her eyes. “The Lady of Shalott” is a departure from this tradition in that Lancelot is more of an object to observe than an active agent in the story. This line, however, explicitly links that whiteness with her death, negating the potentially positive connotations of the associated purity. This is a literary device called synecdoche, where a part of something is used to symbolize the thing’s entirety. Literally, the river is a physical presence surrounding the island of Shalott. ""I am half sick of shadows,"..."  Tennyson makes sure to describe her vividly, from her “snowy white” robe to the “gleaming shape” she becomes in death, evoking images of white marble statues. In both Tennyson’s poem and Elaine’s story, Lancelot unwittingly becomes the downfall for a lady who begins the story as the Victorian ideal of womanhood, isolated and pure. She spends her days weaving a “magic web” based on the sights she sees in her mirror, a kind of supernatural craft. “Imbower” is the archaic form of the word “embower,” which means to enclose or surround something. Her declaration that she is tired of seeing only “shadows” of the world opens up the interpretation that she may be reconsidering her situation and waiting for something worth looking at. "Pass onward..."  See in text (Text of the Poem). Many Victorians believed that poetry had had its day and No matter how it is interpreted, her action makes clear to readers that despite the Lady’s departure from Shalott and implied approach to Camelot, she has in many ways not achieved a greater degree of freedom. Scholars often view “The Lady of Shalott” and “The Palace of Art,” which were both originally published in Tennyson’s 1832 collection Poems, as records of his conflicting views on the same topic. The mysterious curse on the Lady of Shalott is a big part of the plot. The Victorian Ideal of Womanhood: In many ways, the Lady’s situation is evocative of the status of women in Victorian England and subtly criticizes their lack of agency. It is worth noting the specific sequence of events that occur in this section. In both instances in which someone directly reacts to the Lady, it is with a sense of fear or awe: the reapers dub her a “fairy” and the knights of Camelot cross themselves out of fear. To “cross” oneself is to trace the shape of the Christian cross across one’s head or upper body using the hand. The mysterious curse on the Lady of Shalott is a big part of the plot. Discussion of themes and motifs in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott. Thus Camelot takes on an unattainable quality since it can be seen and sought after, but not touched or truly experienced with the other senses. "“The Lady of Shalott” has most often been read as an allegory of the artist’s condition in a society indifferent or even hostile to art. The Lady is isolated in a tower and subject to a curse that tells her she cannot look at Camelot except in her mirror. Rather than being received warmly by the world, the Lady is again perceived as a supernatural presence and the people of Camelot react with fear, cementing her isolation even in death. The reapers, or field harvesters, see in the Lady a supernatural air and compare her to a fairy. Tennyson loops back again and again to the fields and trees and flowers that surround the island of Shalott. "lilies..."  Here, the Lady of Shalott is enclosed within the grey walls and towers on the silent island of Shalott, isolated from lively Camelot and human contact. If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. It flows on all sides of her, transporting other people to Camelot. In Tennyson’s Victorian context, the image of a woman adhering to social norms suggests a feminist critique of societal standards. "Came two young lovers lately wed;..."  The Lady, in her tower on Shalott, is surrounded by lilies, a frequent symbol of chastity and purity. "“’Tis the fairy 35 ""The curse is come upon me,"..."  See in text (Text of the Poem). Tennyson’s rhetorical questions reinforce the Lady’s isolation. The Lady’s options in the poem amount to either remaining in the tower, lonely and “half-sick of shadows,” or risking a curse through interacting with society. Previous images specify that the trends of motion are toward Camelot and involve inanimate objects: the river, the road, the boats. The Victorian age was not, by and large, especially sympathetic to art and artists. Beyond her physical isolation, the Lady is also isolated from her own humanity. The river is a recurring visual image in the poem that carries a symbolic meaning. This evokes the Victorian ideal of womanhood, which emphasized purity and required women to remain in the domestic sphere. See in text (Text of the Poem). One interpretation is that this is a metaphor for a loss of artistic inspiration resulting from emotional interference. Even without knowing the source or the scope of the curse she is subject to, the Lady of Shalott obeys it unquestioningly. Owl Eyes is an improved reading and annotating experience for classrooms, book clubs, and literature lovers. The Lady of Shalott can be seen as an artist, for she creates a “magic web,” or tapestry, based on the sights she sees in her mirror. See in text (Text of the Poem), In the Arthurian tradition, knights were adventuring heroes who went on quests and rescued fair maidens. She eventually looks out at Camelot only to have her art fly out the window, symbolizing the central conflict between the artist’s need for solitude and the human desire for connection. This is an important moment of agency for the Lady. ..."  In Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, lilies are a frequent symbol of both physical and spiritual purity. Rather than a lonely woman trapped in a tower, she is an inhuman fairy unknown outside of whispered legends. Her situation in this respect can be read as a commentary on unquestioning adherence to rules. This potential for misinterpretation is carried into the curse itself, which is subject to similar misconceptions. Here, the curse on the Lady can be read as the call of her artistic sensibility to retain the necessary distance from Camelot, and society, in order to protect the purity of her relationship with her art. The thoughts and feelings of the Lady are not deeply explored within the poem, so readers must trust the narrator’s report that she is content to sit in her tower and weave. In this case, the verb “stay” means to stop or delay doing something. "God in His mercy lend her grace, 170 See in text (Text of the Poem). The price of looking out the window at Camelot, as the Lady finds out, is death. It can also be seen as a criticism of superstition and unfounded belief, ways of understanding the world that eroded in the wake of the 18th-century Enlightenment. One of the poet's best-known works, its vivid medieval romanticism and enigmatic symbolism inspired many painters, especially the Pre-Raphaelites and their followers. His closing lines, a standard benediction, indicate his ignorance of the Lady and of his impact on her. We don't know who shut her away in the castle or why, but it doesn't seem fair. Ultimately, the Lady made her own choices rather than wait for a knight to save her. It is constantly associated with movement through the use of words like “flowing” and “whirling.” In contrast, the Lady herself remains stagnant, “imbowered” within the “grey walls” of her tower. Lancelot’s omission here highlights the ambiguity in the Lady’s motivation. The Lady of Shalott (1832) By Alfred, Lord Tennyson About this Poet More than any other Victorian-era writer, Tennyson has seemed the embodiment of his age, both to his contemporaries and to modern readers. It also marks the turning point where her “cheer” and “delight” in her life and work begin to wane. "the silent isle imbowers..."  When the Lady looks outside, her gaze first passes over the surrounding water lilies, flowers associated with purity.