Lady Of Shallot

The Arthurian legend has enraptured audiences and writers alike for centuries. Every adaption brings something different and new to the table. Alfred, Lord Tennyson made his mark on the Arthurian legend with “The Lady of Shallot” an 1832 retelling of a story which also appears in book 18 of Morte Darthur. Tennyson’s poem “The Lady of Shallot” is an interesting and multifaceted piece; yet, perhaps the most interesting aspect of this work is its commentary on the life of an artist and the parallels to Tennyson’s own life.

The titular character, The Lady of Shallot, is an isolated artist. She lives in a tower, on an island, alone. Furthermore, The Lady of Shallot is cursed. She is unable to look at the world outside her window directly; she must view the world in reverse through a mirror. The Lady of Shallot weaves a tapestry, as stated “There she

In the biographical section Greenblatt writes, “He was as popular as Byron had been and the earnings from his poetry (sometimes exceeding £10,000 a year) enabled him to purchase a house in the country and to enjoy the kind of seclusion he liked” (614). Additionally, many of his works are reflective of the past rather than reaching out to the future like the Lady of Shallot’s tapestry. She is weaving images of a past she was not involved in and when she joins the world she is unable to shape the future because she has died. “The Lady of Shallot” is a prime example of Tennyson reaching to the past in his work. At the time Tennyson insisted he was not aware of Sir Thomas Mallory’s version and his retelling was based on the 14th century Italian tale about “la Damigella di Scalot”. Either way, Tennyson choose to reach into the past for his work and to isolate himself throughout his life. Many of his contemporaries thought him odd; he is even described as being considered somewhat of a funny little wizard churning out work from his secluded