The Lady Of Shalott Analysis

The poem, "The Lady of Shalott" by Lord Alfred Tennyson tells the story of a mysterious young lady who was cursed for a reason that she does not understand to remain in one of four towers on an island called Shallot in the middle of a river near Camelot. She is cursed to continuously weave, however she is able to catch shadows and reflections of the world through a mirror that was positioned for her to see the opposite side of the tapestries that she was held captive to work on. The Lady is forbidden to stand in front of, or look directly out of the window towards Camelot, so she cleverly uses the mirror to catch glimpses of the people in and around the fields between herself and Camelot. There are many facets to this story yet one of the

The poet also evokes sympathy and compassion in us through her powerful descriptions of the girl 's fragile state of mind. Her perceptions of how she looks and what is important have been warped by anorexia. We might conclude that perhaps her husband has left her as she used to wear a 'gold band ' and the final lines tell us that 'it 'll be worth it to see his face. ' This causes us to consider that perhaps she wants the man in her life who has left her to see her now that she has controlled her weight. Her mental condition does not allow her to see that she is not attractive. She strives to have some kind of control over her life and thinks that controlling her eating is doing this, whereas the opposite is true. This idea is further developed by her use of personification in 'going where the wind dictates. ' This image emphasise just how powerless she is- she has no control over where she goes as she is so

After centuries of serving as background noise to her husband Ulysses’ odes of sea storms, sirens, and celebrity, the mythological Penelope finally steps into the light in Miriam Waddington’s poem “Ulysses Embroidered” (1992). Functioning as a revisionary text to both the Alfred, Lord Tennyson work “Ulysses” (1833) and The Odyssey itself, “Ulysses Embroidered” quickly strikes its readers as a fiercely feminist re-envisioning of Penelope and her tale. Waddington’s work permits an age-old legend to be told in a bold new way with a female lead, but to what end does the feminist adjustment remark on Tennyson’s work? By both reading against the grain and “constantly [engaging] in

a song. It is a very much happier poem than Morte d' Arthur. The tone

The themes of loneliness, exile and escape from reality are important aspects that characterize the works of Alfred Lord Tennyson. During the 1800s, these aspects differentiated him from other Victorian poets, distinguishing him as one of the most popular poets of the Victorian era. In Tennyson's poems Mariana, and The Lady of Shalott, the artists express loneliness in their isolation from the rest of the world. The following essay will compare and contrast the displays of temporary and permanent loneliness of these artists through Tennyson's use of imagery, repetition, and word painting.

Despite the achievements of women in many different fields, society still attempts to limit women to certain roles. Furthermore, in the poem, women “… are defined […] by what [they] never will be,” (lines 19 - 21); once again, the author claims that women are defined by what they are unable to do because of gender bias. Instead of being given the chance to be influential, they are continually limited to staying at home or doing jobs “meant for women.” Finally, Boland tells the tutor that women “…were never on the scene of crime,” (lines 27 - 28). This serves as a metaphor for how women are never allowed to do important jobs; instead, they are left at the sidelines due to the repeatedly ignored restrictions placed on women by our gender-biased society.

George Gascoigne’s sonnet, “For That He Looked Not upon Her,” portrays a sullen man, hurt by the woman he loved. Through the uses of form, diction, and imagery, the sonnet evokes a complex attitude in each quatrain elaborating on the stages of torment the speaker receives from his ex-lover. By using these literary devices, the speaker portrays the dangers of desire and the conflicts that arise from within it. Gascoigne conveys a solemn and melancholy complex attitude developed throughout the use of such literary devices. The attitude of the speaker, expressed through the form of the sonnet, explains the dangers of gazing at the woman who burned him.

According to Peter Grevious, the American Revolution was caused by the requirement to obey a supreme authority that sent the colonists into total neglect. As the wife of the Old Nobleman who the settlers were under the arm of, “she was an omnipotent Goddess and ought to be worshipped as such, that it was the height of impudence and disobedience in the new settlers to dispute her authority,” (7). The settlers pledged agreements with the Old Nobleman through The Great Paper, obeying the regulations set. The wife then has an unlimited amount of authority over the settlers, making her utterly supreme. With her power, the wife observed “that the new settlers were very fond of a particular kind of cider… she published another edict obliging them

The lady’s solitude is evident in the multiple actions that she does on her own, being unable to fill her shallow basket, sighing inwardly for her husband and leaving the basket on the road. The image of the basket, a single object in a vast expanse of the big road, can also be seen to reflect her solitude. In spite of the vibrancy and lushness of the natural environment around her, as seen in the line “thick grows the cocklebur”, her loneliness overwhelms

Powerful imagery is used throughout the entire poem to describe the struggles and loneliness of being a female outcast in society. The first stanza characterizes Sexton as a “possessed witch,” that is “twelve-fingered,” and “out of mind.” After all of this is stated, she produces an image of an abnormal woman that is flawed and completely sways away from society’s view on women. An uncomfortable feeling is stirred within the reader that is similar to that of the woman viewed as an outcast. She also describes herself as “braver at night,” and goes on to paint and image of her flying over houses at night. The scene is easily imaginable, but holds more meaning within. Sexton is alluding to the fact that the darkness is the only way for her to escape her reality that consists of daily judgement from society. This judgement originates from individuals within society that live perfect lives. The lives that they are living are assumed to be normal, thus making anyone swaying from that life an outcast. She also states, “A woman like that is not a woman,

In Didier Eribon’ Returning to Reims and Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One's Own, while both authors focus on their own ancestors’ oppression there is an intersectionality between their studied subjects: the discussion of women appears when Eribon talks about the working class, and the discussion of the working class appears when Woolf talks about women. When examines closer on this overlap, it becomes clear that both Eribon and Woolf would agree that there is a greater oppression faced by women of the working class than simply men of the working class or women of the upper class, because these women not only need to bear the destitute physical environment that plagues the working class, but also the crushing power that men exert on women.

Throughout history civilizations have been governed by patriarchal societies dependent on the status and respectability of men. Men held all the power while women were subservient and even sometimes owned by men. This notion is only emphasized the moment we go back in time in the Victorian Era. Women were subject to men’s oppression, held no actual roles besides motherhood and were reliant on their chastity to project an agreeable image of themselves and their spouse. The status of a Victorian woman is depicted in “The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred Lord Tennyson and in a more feminist approach in “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti as being dependent on their chastity, servitude to men, and ability to present themselves.

The Lady of Shallot can be interpreted as a symbol of artists and their commitment to their work, in this poem represented by weaving, but also paralleling Tennyson and his poetry. She sacrificed herself to her passion and ironically Sir Lancelot made her into nothing more than a piece of art, he said, “She has a lovely face; / God in his mercy lend her grace” (line 169) she can no longer weave “A magic web with colors gay,” (line 38) rather, just be objectified into a dead-pale beauty not able to offer anymore creativity.

In the Victorian era, the status of women in society was extremely oppressive and, by modern standards, atrocious. Women had few rights, in or outside of the home. Married women in this period relied on men almost completely as they had few rights or independence. With this mindset in focus,

When we look at Tennyson as content with his seclusion, we see also see a man who also desired his poetry to be heard. . Perhaps it was the voice of disapproval foe materialism to be heard from by the public, torn by the materialism brought with fame. He had been said to have a desire to be famous, and was called "the most instinctive rebel against the society in which he was the most perfect conformist" (p.1911). The need for fame could be the temptation for materialism, or perhaps the recluse giving into materialism gave leverage for his poems to be heard. The conflict can be thought of as Tennyson's curse, causing opposing feelings. The curse is reflected in "The lady of Shallot." At first, the lady is content in seclusion. She becomes mesmerizes by materialism of glittering gold of the Red Crosse Knight. His