"The Lady of Shalott" (poem)
E185161
"The Lady of Shalott" is an 1832–1842 narrative poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson that reimagines the Arthurian legend of Elaine of Astolat, focusing on a cursed woman isolated in a tower who can only view the world through a mirror.
All labels observed (6)
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
narrative poem
ⓘ
poem ⓘ |
| author | Alfred, Lord Tennyson ⓘ |
| basedOn |
Arthurian legend
ⓘ
Elaine of Astolat ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| criticalReception | widely anthologized and frequently studied in English literature courses ⓘ |
| featuresCharacter |
Sir Lancelot
ⓘ
"The Lady of Shalott" (poem) self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form:
the Lady of Shalott
|
| firstPublishedIn | a volume of poems by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in 1832 ⓘ |
| form | lyric ballad ⓘ |
| genre |
Arthurian poetry
ⓘ
romantic poetry ⓘ |
| hasVersion |
1832 version
ⓘ
1842 revised version ⓘ |
| influenced |
Pre-Raphaelite art
ⓘ
surface form:
Pre-Raphaelite visual art
later Victorian interpretations of Arthurian legend ⓘ paintings by John William Waterhouse ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| literaryPeriod | Victorian literature ⓘ |
| meter | primarily iambic tetrameter with variations ⓘ |
| motif |
mirror imagery
ⓘ
river journey ⓘ weaving and tapestry ⓘ |
| notableLine |
"Out flew the web and floated wide; The mirror crack'd from side to side"
ⓘ
"The curse is come upon me," cried The Lady of Shalott. ⓘ |
| originalPublicationYear | 1832 ⓘ |
| plotEvent |
After the curse is triggered, the Lady leaves her tower, finds a boat, and writes her name on it.
ⓘ
"The Lady of Shalott" (poem) self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form:
The Lady of Shalott dies while drifting down the river to Camelot in the boat.
The Lady of Shalott sees Sir Lancelot reflected in her mirror and turns to look directly toward Camelot, breaking the curse. ⓘ The people of Camelot and Sir Lancelot see her body in the boat and react with awe and pity. ⓘ |
| plotSummary | A cursed woman lives isolated in a tower near Camelot and can only view the world through a mirror as she weaves a magic web. ⓘ |
| refrain |
"The Lady of Shalott" (poem)
self-linksurface differs
ⓘ
surface form:
"The Lady of Shalott"
|
| revisedFor | Tennyson's 1842 Poems collection ⓘ |
| revisedVersionYear | 1842 ⓘ |
| rhymeScheme | regular stanzaic rhyme scheme with refrain ⓘ |
| setting |
King Arthur's court
ⓘ
surface form:
Camelot
an island in a river near Camelot ⓘ |
| structure | four parts ⓘ |
| symbol |
the boat symbolizes the passage from life to death
ⓘ
the mirror symbolizes mediated reality and artistic distance ⓘ the web symbolizes artistic creation ⓘ |
| theme |
art versus life
ⓘ
curse and fate ⓘ female confinement ⓘ isolation ⓘ the power of visual perception ⓘ unrequited love ⓘ |
Referenced by (7)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
The Lady of Shalott (painting)
subject surface form:
The Lady of Shalott (painting)
this entity surface form:
The Lady of Shalott (character)
subject surface form:
The Lady of Shalott (painting)
this entity surface form:
The Lady of Shalott
"The Lady of Shalott" (poem)
→
featuresCharacter
→
"The Lady of Shalott" (poem)
self-linksurface differs
ⓘ
subject surface form:
The Lady of Shalott
this entity surface form:
the Lady of Shalott
subject surface form:
The Lady of Shalott
this entity surface form:
"The Lady of Shalott"
subject surface form:
The Lady of Shalott
this entity surface form:
The Lady of Shalott dies while drifting down the river to Camelot in the boat.