Poems: The Lady of Shalott

Description

In medieval Camelot's mystical realm, Tennyson weaves a haunting tale of enchantment, forbidden desire, and fatal choice. Isolated in her tower on the island of Shalott, a mysterious lady weaves magical tapestries of the world she can only witness through a mirror's reflection. When the radiant Sir Lancelot passes below her window, his image shatters both mirror and curse, compelling her to choose between eternal confinement and doomed freedom. Through rich medieval imagery and mesmerizing rhythms, Tennyson crafts an unforgettable exploration of the artist's dilemma—whether to observe life from a safe distance or risk everything to experience it directly. The lady's death-journey down the river to Camelot, singing her last song while floating in a boat, creates one of poetry's most memorable images of the price paid for breaking free of convention.