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Tennysons The Lady of Shalott examines the opposition between the human experience and the creation of art. The Lady is indicative of all artists: someone who is a member of society but lives in an unconnected fantasy. In more ways than one, a great deal of The Lady of Shalotts appeal arises from her sense of elusiveness and enchantment. The Lady is a mystical person who is confined in a remote castle near King Arthur’s Camelot. Her realm is secluded from Camelot and the division is distinguished by a river. Tennyson includes, Four gray walls, and four gray towers, overlook a space of flowers, and the silent isle embowers The Lady of Shalott (8). Tennyson describes her predicament in a way that portrays her as divided from reality by both the water of the river and the expansiveness of the tower. The reader is inclined to infer that the Ladys isolation is amicable and beneficial to her artistic expression. As such, the island is depicted alongside many fascinating descriptions of the lands natural beauty, resembling a visually pleasing scene adorned with flowers. It is not just Lancelot that the Lady wants to be connected with, but also the flowers and the river. In her current state, she is a prisoner who is shielded from all ele

ments of the natural world.
As the poem commences, it becomes apparent that the Lady is trapped in a womans work curse and that only a man has the power to change this. The Lady of Shalott is engaged in lonesome weaving, a conventional type of women’s labor. Hence, the depiction of Shalott shifts dramatically and the speaker begins to refer to the island as remote Shalott (Tennyson 83). As a result of this change, the reader becomes familiar with the Ladys inconsolable affliction and the feeling of loneliness she harbors. However, even the presence of Lancelot is unable to shield her from her ill-fated doom. Ellen Stockstill conveys, The poem is a narrative of artistic struggle, as the weaver/artist/poet is separated from reality, producing a copy of the real worlds reections or shadows&Thus, when the Lady turns away from the loom to Camelot, both artist and art diet (3). The idea that there is a greater destiny out there for the Lady is what drives the plot of this poem. She yearns to interact with others, to love and be loved, and to be a part of something greater than the life she is confined to. Nevertheless, the fact that she is unable to truly overcome her despondency is what makes The Lady of Shalott a heart-rendering read.