“The Lady of Shalott”p. 1204
Arthurian Background
• Based on medieval legend of Elaine, the Lily Maid of Astolat.
• Elaine died of love for King Arthur's greatest knight, Sir Lancelot.
• Illicit affair of Lancelot and Queen Guinivere led to civil war and destruction of Camelot.
• Elaine's death foreshadowed destruction of Camelot.
Interpretation
• Arthur's ideal kingdom Camelot is analogous to Victorian society threatened by loss of traditional beliefs.
• Tennyson's Lady could represent the artist's role in society.– tension between "private and public voices" in art– desire to create art as a private expression of
beauty/emotion vs. desire to express a social message in art
Form/Structure
• Ballad—medieval poetic form, intended to be sung
• Uses repetition of words and sounds (alliteration and assonance) for dramatic effect
• Repetition enhances sense of monotony, imprisonment, stagnation
• Parts 1 & 2—Isolation/Imprisonment• Parts 3 &4—Active Participation
Setting
• Island of Shalott—stillness, remoteness
• Lady’s castle/tower—isolation, imprisonment
• River—activity, passage of life/time
• Road to Camelot—involvement in human life
Symbols
• Weaving—“a magic web”– Symbol of art– Imaginative reflection of “real world”– Creative and destructive (can entrap the
artist)• Mirror—reflects “shadows of the world”
– Distancing effect of artist’s perception of reality
– Provides shadows instead of substance
Symbols
• The Curse—do not “look down to Camelot”– Contaminating effect on art of involvement
in mundane life– Concerns for audience and social
relevance can ruin an artist’s personal imaginative expression
Symbols
• Sir Lancelot—the blind, shallow audience– Images of dazzling light– Images of superficial materialism
• The Lady—the withdrawn, misunderstood artist– Images of creativity and imagination– Images of imprisonment and stagnation
“The Lady of Shalott”: Musical Adaptation
• You are listening to Celtic singer Loreena McKennitt's musical version of Tennyson's poem
• How do changes in rhythm, tone, and vocals from one section of the song to another embody the poem's thematic duality--the conflict between a desire to withdraw from the world into artistic isolation and a desire to participate in life and community?