Theme Of Women In The Lady Of Shalott

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Molly Holcombe
Professor Leslie Haines
ENGL 2240
30 April 2014
The Role of the Victorian Woman Exhibited in “The Lady of Shalott”
The Victorian Era in England is usually associated with a high sense of morality and very specific ideas on the rightful places of genders in society. This is seen quite evidently in the period’s clothing, art, and literature. “The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson is no different. In this poem, a cloistered woman is doomed to labor night and day, absent from the outside world, lest she be cursed. In this way, Lord Tennyson epitomizes the sequestered lifestyle of the typical Victorian woman with his illustration of the Lady of Shalott.
The poem begins with beautiful and descriptive language about Camelot and the area surrounding it, however, when the Lady of Shalott’s abode is described it is clear the two settings are drastically different. Camelot is full of life and movement and is easily accessible. On the other hand, the island of Shalott is unreachable, drab and dark with “Four gray walls, and four gray towers” where the Lady is circumfused. The island of Shalott is, essentially, a prison. The Lady is never seen by those in the outside world, only heard early in the morning by the reapers in the fields who, coincidentally, are also tied to the land. The Lady of Shallot has a very defined place in society, one that she cannot escape or alter. She must work, day and night, on her tapestry and she may not look upon the real world with her eyes; she can only see it through the mirror. She believes that if she does this she will be cursed, but she does not know how. Her life is marked by passivity. As she is introduced, she does no action she only receives it. Even her view on the world is ...

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...e rescued by an outside source. However, the liveliness and vigor is seen in Camelot. This is where the men are located with their loyal steeds and plumed helmets. All of the action that the Lady so desperately wants to be a part of is occurring in the masculine Camelot. This masculine land has the power in this poem. When the Lady dies, she passes “Knight and burgher, lord and dame…” (1165.) Even though the Lady must have some position because of her title; this rank is still usurped by the men of Camelot as men in that time would have had authority over practically any woman, noble or not. Moreover, the focus on gender association is very clear as everyone who is mentioned has some sort of gender identifier such as “damsels glad,” “shepherd lad,” “bold knights,” etc.. Even in her seclusion from society she is not sheltered from the suffocating emphasis on gender.

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