The Lady of Shalott lives in an island castle in a river which flows to Camelot, but the local farmers know little about her. … The Lady of Shalott. The reflected images are described as
“shadows of the world”
, a metaphor that makes it clear they are a poor substitute for seeing directly (“I am half-sick of shadows”).
What imagery does Tennyson use?
The vehicle Tennyson uses to explore the thematic ambiguities of love/indifference; faith/doubt; hope/despair; and life/death is
domestic imagery
, specifically images which involve the home or house and those images of personal relationships which move the poet from despair to a tentative faith.
What are the images reflected in the mirror of Lady of Shalott?
The Lady of Shalott lives in an island castle in a river which flows to Camelot, but the local farmers know little about her. … The Lady of Shalott. The reflected images are described as
“shadows of the world”
, a metaphor that makes it clear they are a poor substitute for seeing directly (“I am half-sick of shadows”).
What contrasting images do you find in the first stanza?
The first stanza of the poem creates a visual imagery in the mind of the reader. It
shows what the bird is missing out on as it is caged
.
What does the mirror symbolize in The Lady of Shalott?
The mirror
allows her to create reflections of the world without having to taint the purity of her artistic vision with outside influences
. When the curse is activated and her weaving flies off the loom and her mirror breaks, the implication is that her artistry was linked with her isolation.
Why is The Lady of Shalott cursed?
One day she catches sight of the handsome knight Lancelot and cannot resist looking at him directly
, thus bringing the curse upon herself. Her punishment is to drift in a boat down to Camelot ‘singing her last song'; she dies before reaching her destination.
What does The Lady of Shalott do all day?
The Lady who lives in the castle on the Island of Shalott spends most of her time
weaving “a magic web with colors gay
.” She weaves steadily because she knows a curse will come upon her if she pauses to look toward the town of Camelot. … The lady spends her time weaving a tapestry.
What is the main theme of the Lady of Shalott?
Major Themes in “The Lady of Shalott”:
Isolation, detachment, and the supernatural elements
are the major themes of this poem. The text revolves around the mystery of the Lady of Shalott, who is trapped. She accepts it as her fate and is emotionally and physically detached from the real world.
Is Valley of Death a metaphor?
A metaphor is an
implicit
comparison to something that helps create a visual image. … In the given sentence, The “valley of death” and the “jaws of death” are examples of metaphors. They imply the place that is full of death and the cruel mouth of death.
What imagery is relevant to Valley of Death?
The strong central image of the “valley of Death” refers to a poem in the Bible –
Psalm 23
– about the “valley of the shadow of death”. By using this biblical allusion – which would have been very familiar to his audience – Tennyson elevates the event to great importance.
Why is The Lady of Shalott never given a name?
She has no name to sign
, just a title (“Lady”) and a location (“Shalott”). “Mischance” means misfortune or bad luck–the Lady understands that she is doomed as she looks toward Camelot, which had been so attractive to her that it (in the person of Sir Lancelot) forced her to look, sealing her fate.
What is ironic about Lancelot's observation of the Lady?
One instance of irony in Tennyson's “The Lady of Shalott” occurs in the resolution and is situational irony. The Lady of Shalott has seen
the “shadow,” the reflection, of Sir Lancelot, which compelled her, regardless of her curse, to run to window to see him for herself instead of as a shadow in her mirror
.
What does the ladys death represent in The Lady of Shalott?
The Lady is an artist, weaving the shadows she sees in her mirror into her tapestry. … The Lady's death, in this case, would represent
the failure of the artist to perform to the full level of his or her artistic genius–
it would be the loss of the artwork, music, or poetry that he or she would otherwise have produced.
What happens at the end of The Lady of Shalott?
After looking at Camelot for a while she lies down in the boat and lets it slip downstream.
She drifts down the river, singing her final song, and dies before she gets to Camelot
. The people of Camelot come out to see the body of the Lady and her boat, and are afraid.
What does the boat represent in The Lady of Shalott?
The chain symbolises her oppression and incarceration – as The Lady of Shallot loosens it, she seals her fate. Draped over the boat is a tapestry, representing
the tapestry woven by The Lady during her imprisonment
, depicting scenes relevant to Tennyson's text.
What did Sir Lancelot say when he saw The Lady of Shalott?
But Lancelot mused a little space; He said, “
She has a lovely face; God in his mercy lend her grace, The Lady of Shalott.
“
