Central Theme and Details in Tennyson's 'The Lady of Shalott' Essay

This essay delves into the central theme of Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem, "The Lady of Shalott." The analysis identifies the theme as the isolation of an artist and the status of women in the 19th century. The essay examines how the poem's details, including the Lady's weaving, the mirror, and Sir Lancelot, relate to these themes. It explores symbolism, such as the web representing an artist's life and the boat symbolizing a coffin. The essay also discusses the societal constraints placed on women during the Victorian era, highlighting the Lady's imprisonment and the expectations of beauty and domesticity. References to scholarly articles support the analysis, providing different perspectives on the poem's meaning and significance. The essay concludes by summarizing how the characters, events and objects in the poem showcases the state of a woman and the stereotypes attached to her including isolation, being a beautiful object and bounded with domestic responsibilities.

Running head: Central theme in Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott,” and demonstration of how the
details of the story relate to the theme 0
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Central Theme in Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott” and a demonstration of how the details of the
story relate to the theme
STUDENTS NAME:
2/1/2019

Central theme in Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott,” and demonstration of how the details of the
story relate to the theme 1
Central Theme in Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott” and a
demonstration of how the details of the story relate to the theme
Introduction
This essay aims to identify the central theme of the poem “The lady of Shalott” by Alfred
Lord Tennyson. She is a mysterious young maiden, which is restrained by the fear of the
curse. She identifies that she cannot look out the window but she views the subjects of her
artwork through the mirror. In comparison to her passivity, it is seemed that the world outside
is defined as full of passion, competitiveness, and activity. She is conscious that a curse will
come upon her is she looks directly at Camelot as she is sexually frustrated. In the following
an effort has been made to demonstrate that the poem reflects will be written down in the
form of analysis and that will help in the identification of its theme. Additionally, it explains
the demonstration of the theme with all the little details, activities and events that are carried
out as the story progresses in the poem (Joseph 183-203).
A central theme in Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott,” and demonstration of how the
details of the story relate to the theme
Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shallot represents the story of a young woman, which lives in the
Island of Shallot in the river towards Camelot. It depicts the story of the lady who weaves her
magic web and lives in a beautiful dilemma that leaves her isolation to meet the outside
world. She is determined to notice that love is missing in her life and generate their own
imprisonment and isolation. She was incapable to face the outside world. In this poem, it is
described that she sets her belief to observe down the real world in which curse made her life
and after that she meets a tragic death. By including this metaphor, the reader stated that by
comparing an untraveled object to a gleaming object. They defined the fact that she truly
realizes the loneliness executed upon her by a curse that made her life engaged in prison.
This poem determines the experience of Lady of Shallot imprisonment and his alienation
results into a curse. It revolves around the idea of isolation in which the moment she sees
outside the world through a mirror it causes death. She can turn the understanding of the
mirror into a web image, just as a shadow of the entire world, which make her life lonely and
secluded (Hoff 223-239).

Central theme in Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott,” and demonstration of how the details of the
story relate to the theme 2
According to Dr. Nine Kane, the Lady of Shallot stated that when she sings, it leaves her web
and seal her doom in a society in which woman was not given equal importance as it was
given to men. She is aware of the curse that carries upon her life and made her life hell,
which brings sequences of decisive actions. It also states from her original situation is
isolation and she should motivate and confronts the judgment of the world so that they
express their dignity and avoid the gender biases (Shannon, 207-223).
The statement depicts that she was restive before weaving upon the tower and make a
difference among impatience and invoking a fatal curse. Her curse rested this idea upon
dooms to generate an art object that is different from reality. It also asserts that determine the
idea of imagination required to maintain the predominance of the extensive portion of life.
She can escape from trapping herself in that situation in which she suffered from death due to
curse.
Hence, Sharyn Urdall discusses the woman here, which is described to weave the pictures
that she looks at through her mirror. It signifies the fact that the poet's aim was to make
weaving her artistic activity and the pictures she weaves her art. The poem seems to be very
reflective in a way, and many argue that Tennyson wanted to depict the life of an artist
through this poem and how artists, isolate themselves in the process of creating art (Udall,
34-38).
The repetitive mentions of details that explain isolation concludes of the central theme of the
poem which is the isolation of an artist from the world outside while the creation of beautiful
art. Edgar Shannon denotes that Lancelot singing encourages disregarding the curse and
rejected the isolation. An artist is so occupied with his process of creation that the world is
unknown to him and he never has an opportunity to look at the world truly.
David Martin depicts that the poem is very rich in symbolism so there are many symbols that
depict and demonstrate the central theme of the poem. The broad stream from Shannon
depicts that an artist never looks like the world outside directly and only sees a reflection of
it, which does not truly signify the world at all. In terms of poetry, the world is very rigid and
unapologetic of emotions. According to this Lancelot enters into a mirror, which reflects to
escape from trapping herself in another. Due to this an artist always looks in a mirror or looks
at the world indirectly that offers the artist to look at the world but with his own perspective
so as to help him picturise it in a manner that is not as brutal an unapologetic of emotions as

Central theme in Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott,” and demonstration of how the details of the
story relate to the theme 3
the real world actually is. James Kincaid claims that death is the curse cast upon her and the
woman merely exchanges one kind of imprisonment and mentions that presumed freedom is
her death. The curse in the poem symbolizes an artist’s isolation yet again and how he is not
allowed to look outside because of how occupied he is in the creation of art. Tennyson quoted
“The mirror crack'd from side to side "The curse has come upon me," cried The Lady of
Shalott”; the cracking of mirror in these lines symbolizes how an artist loses his capability
that is his art as soon as he looks outside straight in the eyes of the brutal world (Martin, 255).
The web is a symbol for the life of an artist that is beautiful but complicated and destroyed in
the end. Sir Lancelot is a symbol for visuals that an artist cannot resist but look at but is
punished for ultimately because excessive beauty comes with a threat along. The carving of
her name in the end on her boat symbolizes how the woman (artist) created her own coffin.
The interpretation from Joseph Chadwick says, “The Lady of Shallot represents that this
peculiar dilemma fails to make the indefinite distinction and experience the curse of the
discovery of love into the world. It includes the beautiful nature at the beginning of the poem,
the gloominess in the end when the curse was broken, the visuals of love association and
funerals. These events are symbols for the reality of life and the world in general and how the
happy and the sad, the death and the life reside simultaneously alongside each other (Potwin,
237-239).
Carl Plasa also claims that Shallot journey moves towards Camelot through death, which
conveys its own resistance to gender equality. Many analysts and scholars have also stated
that the poem revolves around the central theme of the status of women in the 19th century. In
the 19th century when this poem was, actually written status of women in the world was not
the same as today. This poem is a true description of this, which can be seen from continues
mention of how fairy like the woman was, how beautifully she sang and how she was praised
for her lovely face even after her death.
The poem has numerous amounts of symbols that depict how the status of a woman was in
that century. Zoltan Lovesces asserts that it carries the details that he likes to interpret and
execute. Some of which are the curse that explains how women were isolated in their houses,
the grey walls that explain how women lived in prison, and the knitting explains how women
were bound with responsibilities of domestic works. The web also signified her life is messed
up and in the foundation of responsibilities and stereotypes attached to a woman (Chadwick,
13-30).

Central theme in Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott,” and demonstration of how the details of the
story relate to the theme 4
Her love for Sir Lancelot displayed the emotions of a woman. It displayed how on expressing
these emotions she got into such big trouble. Many other symbols signified this theme in the
poem. Therefore, the poem “The Lady of Shallot” signifies to target social structure of
women marginalization and gender equality in which female are not considered equal as men.
Finally, in the end, the boat was symbolized to be her coffin in which she carved her own
name. The end signifies her miserable life devoid of any love and how only after her death;
she got the appreciation from her love. The mention of her lovely face by Sir Lancelot in the
end yet again displayed how women were seen as beautiful objects and looking beautiful
dead or alive was considered their responsibility (Jeffers, 231-256).
Conclusion
This essay highlights two central themes of the poem that is how artists lead a life of isolation
and dedicate his entire life and soul in the creation of his art without looking at the world
outside. The other theme discussed was the state of women in the 19th century was and how
the character of the Lady of Shallot and the objects and events in the poem as the story
proceeds showcases the state of a woman and the stereotypes attached to her including
isolation, being a beautiful object and bounded with domestic responsibilities. Events and
objects that demonstrate these themes essentially are mentioned and analyzed in depth.

Central theme in Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott,” and demonstration of how the details of the
story relate to the theme 5
References
Chadwick, Joseph. "A Blessing and a Curse: The Poetics of Privacy in Tennyson's" The Lady
of Shalott"." Victorian Poetry (1986): 13-30.
Hoff, James Dennis. "" Ut Pictora Poesis": Teaching" The Lady of Shalott" and Victorian
Visual Culture." CEA Critic 77.2 (2015): 223-239.
Jeffers, Thomas L. "Tennyson's Lady of Shalott and Pre-Raphaelite Renderings: Statement
and Counter-Statement." RELIGION AND THE ARTS-CHESTNUT HILL- 6.3 (2002):
231-256.
Joseph, Abigail. "Impressions of Weird Fate’: Revision and Crisis in ‘The Lady of
Shalott." Journal of Victorian Culture22.2 (2017): 183-203.
Martin, David M. "Romantic Perspectivism In Tennyson's" The Lady of Shalott"." Victorian
Poetry 11.3 (1973): 255.
Potwin, L. S. "The Source of Tennyson's the Lady of Shalott." Modern Language Notes 17.8
(1902): 237-239.
Shannon Jr, Edgar F. "Poetry as Vision: Sight and Insight in" The Lady of
Shalott"." Victorian Poetry (1981): 207-223.
Udall, Sharyn R. "Between Dream and Shadow: William Holman Hunt's" Lady of
Shalott"." Woman's Art Journal 11.1 (1990): 34-38.