"I'm half-sick of shadows," said the Lady of Shallot

The story of "The Lady of Shallot" is said to come from an ancient Italian story, and Tennyson made connections with the Arthurian legends through Sir Lancelot and Camelot.

The first few verses of the poem set the scene-

"On either side the river lie

Long fields of barley and of rye,

That clothe the wold and meet the sky;

And through the field the road run by

To many-tower'd Camelot;

And up and down the people go,

Gazing where the lilies blow

Round an island there below,

The island of Shalott.

Willows whiten, aspens quiver,

Little breezes dusk and shiver

Through the wave that runs for ever

By the island in the river

Flowing down to Camelot.

Four grey walls, and four grey towers,

Overlook a space of flowers,

And the silent isle imbowers

The Lady of Shalott. "

We learn that there is a mysterious lady imprisoned in a tower on a lonely island in the middle of the river that flows to King Arthur's castle, Camelot. Nobody has seen her, only the workers in the fields have heard her singing.

It turn out that she has some kind of curse upon her, the origins of which are very unclear nd even she does not know for sure -"She has heard a whisper say....". She is forbidden to look out of the window directly, and has to view the world via a mirror. She weaves a tapestry of the things she sees in the mirror to keep herself occupied.

While she doesn't seem to be too bothered by her fate - "And little other care hath she", she does feel depressed when she sees young people living their lives - "I'm half sick of shadows".

One day she sees the reflection of the gallant, handsome knight Sir Lancelot returning from a quest and she is caused to look out of the window toward Camelot. Then the curse begins...

The tapestry flies out of the window, the "mirror crack'd from side to side". She leaves the tower and finds a boat in which she lays herself down. The boat carries her down the river to Camelot, and she slowly dies while it takes her there. She dies singing her own death song. The boat finds its way to King Arthur's hall, where all wonder at what or who she is. Poignantly, considering he doesn't realise that he is the cause of her death:

"But Lancelot mused a little space

He said, "She has a lovely face;

God in his mercy lend her grace,

The Lady of Shalott."

There are several interpretations of this poem:

1. Women are expected to behave in certain ways and should suffer the consequences if they are disobedient.

2. The idealisation of women as untouchable "angels" or "saints" and their consequent isolation from society is used by men to oppress them and to keep them in their place.

3. All humans have emotional needs, but artists and scholars must make sacrifices if they want to make their achievements. What happens to such people if they suffer a moment of weakness? Are they destined to suffer a fall as a result?

Remember that Lord Tennyson was Poet Laureate, and a reluctant one. He had to write poems to please and praise the Queen and State rather than those which expressed his own inspirations.

I love this poem, especially with the visual representations by Waterhouse (which are, incidently, exhibited in Manchester City Art Gallery....) and the musical adaptation by Loreena McKennitt. I hope you enjoyed it too.