The Lady of Shalott Flashcards
When was the poem written and published?
This is one of Tennyson’s most famous and beloved poems. It was originally written in 1832 and was published in 1842.
Describe the form of the poem
The poem has four parts, with the first and second parts containing four stanzas, the third part containing five stanzas, and the fourth part containing six stanzas. Each stanza has nine lines with a rhyme scheme of AAAABCCCB.
What is the inspiration behind the poem?
Most critics believe the poem is based on the episode in Arthurian legend of Elaine of Astalot, or the Maid of Astalot, who died of her unreciprocated love for the famous knight. Tennyson complicated the origins of his poem by claiming his source was the Italian romance Donna di Scalotta.
Which are the main themes of the poem?
Artistic isolation:
Throughout history, the figure of the artist has been long debated. One of the recurring arguments that the scholars give is that art flourishes in isolation and damaged by obligation and interaction.
“The Lady of Shalott” is often taken as a metaphor for artistic isolation—the idea that artists must distance themselves from the world in order to truthfully depict it in their work.
She creates a “magic web,” or tapestry, based on the sights she sees in her mirror. At the beginning of the story, she “delights” in this work and has no other cares but her art. However, as the story progresses, she begins to express her dissatisfaction with her isolation and grows “half-sick of shadows”—sick of creating images of life without actually participating in it.
She, ultimately, looks out at Camelot, and her art flies out of the window. It symbolizes the central conflict between the human desire for connection and the need for artists for isolation and solitude.
Victorian women’s sexuality:
The situation of the Lady of Shalott, in many ways, is evocative of the status of women in the Victorian period. The poem subtly criticizes the society’s view of women in Victorian England.
The image of the tower is a metaphor for the woman who is locked in their homes to protect their purity because for the Victorian society, virginity was idealized, and desire demonized.
The options available to the Lady is either to confine herself in the tower or to die while interacting with society. Therefore, the “curse” that falls on the Lady might thus be read as the curse of sexuality itself. The scene in which the Lady of Lancelot looks out from the window to Lancelot can be taken as her “fall from grace.” The same is the case with the women in the Victorian era. The slightest rumor can result in their fall from grace and social ruin. The Lady of Shalott dies because she shows curiosity and choice.
