The Lady of Shalott

The Lady of Shalott: Summary and Characters

Alfred Lord Tennyson

"The Lady of Shalott" is a famous narrative poem written by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It was first published in 1832 and revised several times over the years. The poem is based on the Arthurian legend of Elaine of Astolat, a young woman who is often associated with the character of "The Lady of Shalott."

👉 The Lady of Shallot: About the poem

The poem tells the story of an isolated and mysterious lady who lives in a tower on the island of Shalott, which is located near Camelot, the legendary seat of King Arthur's court. The lady is under a mysterious curse, and she spends her days weaving a web and gazing at the outside world only through a mirror, which reflects scenes from the real world.

She is not allowed to directly look out of her window towards the real world, for fear of the curse's consequences. She weaves the images she sees in her mirror into her tapestries, which are her only connection to the outside world. The outside world is described as a beautiful and vibrant place, filled with knights, lovers, and various events.

One day, she becomes entranced by the image of the handsome knight Sir Lancelot, who is passing by in his shining armor. Unable to resist the temptation any longer, she looks out of her window directly at Lancelot, and the curse immediately takes hold. She leaves her tower, takes a boat, and starts drifting down the river towards Camelot. She dies before reaching Camelot, and her lifeless body is discovered by the people of Camelot.

The poem is known for its vivid and evocative descriptions, and it explores themes of isolation, longing, and the conflict between the idealized world of art and the messy, complex world of reality. "The Lady of Shalott" is one of Tennyson's most famous works and is considered a classic of Victorian poetry.

👉 The Lady of Shallot: Characters

The Lady of Shallot

The Lady of Shallot, from the poem of a similar name, is embowered in a tower along the river to Camelot. She is under a curse that stipulates that she will neither leave the tower nor look out the window. For most of the poem she is happy to weave the shadows she sees in her mirror into her magic web, but once she sees Sir Lancelot, she breaks the curse by looking out the window. She leaves her tower and floats down the river in a little boat, singing until she dies.

Sir Lancelot:

Sir Lancelot was the bold and handsome knight with whom the lady of Shallot falls in love. In Arthurian legend Lancelot is known for being the father of the pure knight Sir Galahad, whose mother is Elaine, daughter of King Pelleas, the keeper of the Holy Grail. Lancelot is also the lover of King Arthur's queen, Guinevere

👉 The Lady of Shallot: Summary

As stated in The Lady of Shallot, on either side of the river, are fields of barley and rye, and through them a road winds to Camelot. The people gaze at the way lilies blow around the island of Shallot. The willows “whiten,” and little breezes blow forever around the island. On the island are four grey walls and four grey towers, and within is the Lady of Shallot. Heavy barges followed by slow horses pass by the island, but no one has ever seen the Lady wave or stand at the window. Only early morning reapers hear her cheerful song that reaches down to the river that winds to Camelot. The reapers pile up their sheaves and whisper that it is the fairy Lady singing.

In the tower she weaves day and night her “magic web with colors gay.” She knows there's a curse upon her if she looks down at Camelot, although she does not know what the curse is. She weaves steadily and thinks of little else. Through her mirror she sees the shadows of the world, the highway and the river eddy and the young men and women passing onward from Shallot. Sometimes she will see an abbot, or a group of damsels, or a page clad in crimson, or knights riding in twos. She herself has no “loyal knight.”

Regardless, she weaves and delights in her creations of the mirrors’ “magic sights.” Sometimes there is a general procession or two young lover’s newlywed. Then the Lady of Shallot says to herself, “I am half sick of shadows.”

Sir Lancelot rides through the barley sheaves; on his breast is the emblem of a knight forever kneeling to a lady. The bells on his bridle ring out merrily, and the silver bugle he carried shines brightly. He rides by Shalott in “blue unclouded weather,” and his helmet, helmet feather, and saddle-leather burn like “one burning flame together.” he is like a meteor shooting through the starry night sky. Sunlight glimmers on his brow, and his black curly hair flows from under his helmet. His image flashes into the mirror as he sings “Tirra lirra” by the river.

The Lady of Shallot leaves her loom and crosses the room in three paces. She looks down and sees the water lilies blooming and Lancelot’s helmet and plume. She looks down to Camelot, and as she does so, her web flies out the window and her mirror cracks from side to side. She cries out, “The curse is come upon me.”

Nature becomes stormy over Camelot. She leaves her tower and finds a boat. On its prow she writes, “The Lady of Shallot.” She looks out over the river as a seer with glossy eyes would be used to do, seeing his own “mischance.” When the sun sets, she loosens her chain and lies down in the boat. The broad stream takes her far-off down the river.

She is robed in snowy white, and her garments flutter from left to right. Leaves fall upon her softly. Through the “noises of the night” she travels in her boat down to Camelot. She sings her last song. Those who hear her hear a “carol, mournful, holy, / Chanted loudly, chanted lowly” until her blood freezes and her eyes darken. By the time she reaches the first house by the water side singing her song, she dies.

Under the tower, balcony, and garden wall she floats by as a “gleaming shape” silently into Camelot. Everyone—knight, burgher, lord dame—comes out to see her name written on the prow of the boat. In the palace nearby the noise has died down and people wonder and cross them for fear. Lancelot, though, muses a bit and says that she had a beautiful face and asks for God to lend her grace.

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👉 The Lady of Shalott | Summary and Characters

👉 The Lady of Shalott | Critical Appreciation