The Lady of Shalott

A detailed Summary of The Lady of Shalott

This paper will try to analyze the growth of consciousness of the Lady of Shalott. Ranging from her state of mind in total isolation, her 'childhood', to her changing 'adolescence' and eventually reaching 'adulthood' and death,

It will further deal with the development of tension throughout the poem. By making a distinction between tension through formal aspects, such as rhyme scheme, and tension through content it will try to show the interconnection between both of them. Additionally, the paper will deal with the possible effect of tension on the reader and how the poem might be perceived by him/her.

2. Growth of Consciousness and Development of Tension

Lord Alfred Tennyson's poem starts out with the total seclusion of the beautiful, young Lady of Shalott surrounded by "...four grey walls, and four grey towers...". (Tennyson, line 15). She is largely unaware of the world outside and of her own existence as a woman, only being able to see shadows of reality, which are reflected by her magic (?) crystal mirror and worked into her web.

At this point of time it is unknown to the reader whether the Lady of Shalott is forced to be in this situation

That is why "I am half sick of shadows, ..." (71) clearly marks the turning point of the poem.

The intensity and tension of the previous part is gone. Stanzas three to five (of part IV) pathetically describe the coming death of the Lady of Shalott. It is almost as if she accepts and anticipates her death just sitting still her boat "...singing her last song,..." (143). She dies before reaching "...The first house by the water-side,..." (151).

Prior to this incident another interesting topic comes up. For the first time in the poem the curse of unknown origin and consequence is mentioned.

When Lancelot sees her lying dead in her boat there is a slight rise of tension again, because one expects something witty or substantial for him to say. Sadly, his only remark is: "She has a lovely face; God in his mercy lend her grace, The Lady of Shalott." (169-171)

The final set off for her escape from isolation comes into play when bold Lancelot appears. He is described with excessive bright colors "gemmy bridle" (82) , "silver bugle" (88) "...The helmet and the helmet-feather Burned like one burning flame together,..." (93-94) which stand in contrast to the shadowy atmosphere and pale colors earlier and later in the poem. His heroic and erotic appearance to the Lady of Shalott ultimately triggers her desire for love and escape from her world of loneliness. Sir Lancelot becomes her idee fixe (Platizky 28) and she sees no other way than to meet him in person, although he probably does not even know about her and she runs the risk of getting hurt. The two worlds, interior and exterior, come clashing together the moment the Lady of Shalott actually leaves the loom and steps to the casement to be able to see Lancelot with her own eyes. "Out flew the web and floated wide; The mirror cracked from side to side; 'The curse is come upon me,'... ." (114-116) The cracked mirror could be interpreted as her irreversible loss of virginity and child-like innocence. She is now largely conscious of the whole action and its consequences but still wants to carry on. The Lady of Shalott has now reached adolescence. She brakes free of all restrictions, rules and vague curses and has made up her mind once and for all- she chooses life and love over art and isolation. It is a rebellious reaction to everything she has experienced so far. The further development is inevitable now.

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Approximate Word count = 1656
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English