| 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. |
| 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 | ||
| 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 | |
| Island of Shalott—stillness, remoteness | |
| Lady’s castle/tower—isolation, imprisonment | |
| River—activity, passage of life/time | |
| Road to Camelot—involvement in human life | |
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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| The Lady—the withdrawn, misunderstood artist | ||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? |