“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• The Lady—the withdrawn, misunderstood artist– Images of creativity and imagination– Images of imprisonment and stagnation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?