The Lady of Shalott
by Alfred Tennyson
On either side the river lies
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothed the world and met the sky;
Through the field the road runs by
To many‑towered 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 forever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four gray walls, and four gray towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.By the margin, willow veiled,
Slide the heavy barges trailed
By slow horses; and unaired
The shallop flitted silksail’d
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady of Shalott?Only reapers, reaping early
In among the bearded barley,
Hear a song that echoes cheerfully
From the river winding clearly,
Down to towered Camelot:
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers “Tis the fairy
Lady of Shalott.”Part II
There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.And moving through a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot:
There the river eddy whirls,
And there the surly village‑churls,
And the red cloaks of market girls,
Pass onward from Shalott.Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,
An abbot on an ambling pad,
Sometimes a curly shepherd‑lad,
Or long‑hair’d page in crimson clad,
Goes by to tower‑d Camelot;
And sometimes through the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror’s magic sights,
For often through the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot:
Or when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed:
“I am half sick of shadows,” said
The Lady of Shalott.Part III
A bow‑shot from her bower‑eaves,
He rode between the barley‑sheaves,
The sun came dazzling through the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red‑cross knight for ever kneel’d
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.The gemmy bridle glitter’d free
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden Galaxy.
The bridle bells rang merrily
As he rode down to Camelot:
And from his blazon’d baldric slung
A mighty silver bugle hung,
And as he rode his armour rung,
Beside remote Shalott.All in the blue unclouded weather
Thick‑jewelled shone the saddle‑leather,
The helmet and the feather‑helmet
Burn’d like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Camelot.
As often through the purple night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over still Shalott.His broad clear brow in sunlight glowed;
On burnished hooves his war‑horse trod;
From underneath his helmet flowed
His coal‑black curls as he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flashed into the crystal mirror,
“Tirra lirra,” by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces through the room,
She saw the water‑lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She looked down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror cracked from side to side;
“The curse is come upon me,” cried
The Lady of Shalott.Part IV
In the stormy east‑wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in its banks complaining,
Heavily the low sky raining
Over tower‑d Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And round about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott.And down the river’s dim expanse—
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance—
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosened the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.Lying, robed in snowy white
That loosely flew to left and right—
The leaves upon her falling light—
Through the noises of the night
She floated down to Camelot:
And as the boat‑head wound along
The willowy hills and fields among,
They heard her singing her last song,
The Lady of Shalott.Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
Turned to tower‑d Camelot.
For ere she reached upon the tide
The first house by the water‑side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.Under tower and balcony,
By garden‑wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead‑pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and burgher, lord and dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.Who is this? and what is here?
And what is she that lingers? The Lady of Shalott.
Summary
Tennyson’s ballad recounts the story of a beautiful woman who lives in seclusion on an island near the legendary city of Camelot. She is cursed to weave a magical web, perceiving the world only through a mirror. Looking directly at Camelot would bring about her doom. One day, Sir Lancelot rides past, and the Lady, captivated by his beauty, breaks the rule and gazes upon him in the mirror. The mirror cracks, the curse is fulfilled, and she escapes her tower in a boat, dying as she drifts toward Camelot.
Thematic Exploration
In this guide we analyze key themes: isolation, artistic creation, and fate. The poem illustrates how the Lady’s confinement and her art serve both as a refuge and a prison, emphasizing the tension between personal freedom and societal expectations.
Imagery
The poem’s vivid imagery evokes the lush riverbank and the isolated island. The Lady’s world is framed by long fields of barley and rye, whitish willows, and the quiet of a mirror‑viewed landscape. The magical web she weaves glitters, a gem‑bride glinting free over a broad stream, which carries her far from the island. This visual richness emphasizes the poem’s underlying mystery and its romanticized isolation.
Symbolism
Key symbols in the poem include the island itself, a mirror that reflects the outside world, and a cursed web. The island and the mirror together represent the boundary between the Lady’s inner world and the external reality she can only observe indirectly. The web she weaves embodies her creative process and the constraints placed upon it. The mirror’s crack symbolizes the breaking of the Lady’s isolation and the inevitable release of her destiny.
Sound Devices
- Alliteration: Notice the repetition of consonant sounds such as “th” in “that clothed” and “m” in “mirror.”
- Assonance: Listen to the vowel harmony in “loom” and “moon” and how it enhances the musicality of the poem.
- Repetition: The repeated phrase “The Lady of Shalott” reinforces her identity and the theme of isolation.
- Onomatopoeia: Words like “flitted” and “sang” mimic the sounds of movement and song.
Structure and Meter
The poem is structured in nine stanzas of three lines each, employing a rhythmic flow that echoes the continuous weaving of the web. Its meter, a gentle trochaic rhythm, reflects the lyrical quality of the story and the rhythmic motion of the river that surrounds the island.
Analysis of Key Quotation
“I am half sick of shadows,” said The Lady of Shalott. This line illustrates her longing for direct experience and her discontent with the illusion presented by the mirror. It highlights her emotional state and foreshadows her eventual act of defiance.
Conclusion
The Lady of Shalott remains a timeless study of the constraints that separate us from our true selves. Through its depiction of isolation, creativity, and destiny, Tennyson’s poem invites readers to question how we might be confined by our own circumstances and how the act of creating art can either reinforce that confinement or offer a pathway to freedom. By engaging with this poem, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between individual agency, artistic expression, and societal expectations in the Victorian era.