Lady of Shalott

The Lady of Shalott is a poem by Alfred Tennyson (c. 1830), inspired by some elements of Arthurian legends.

This poem tells us of a Lady, living in a tower, on the island of Shalott. Her life is under the threat of a curse, preventing her to look directly at Camelot. She looks then at the world through the reflection of a mirror, and she weaves what she sees on a tapestry.
One day, she sees Lancelot in her mirror, and it makes her realize more fully the despair of seeing only the shadows of life. She decides to look at him when he goes under her tower, and her gaze follows him until she sees Camelot.
She then leaves her tower, embarks on a boat where she writes her name, and goes drifting towards Camelot. She sings a mournful song as she dies of cold. On the banks of Camelot, she is finally noticed by Lancelot.

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 loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.

The Lady of Shalott can be seen as a symbol for the creator, the artist, caught between his expression of the reality and the simple joy of living in it.

This poem inspired many painters, and we owe it some of John William Waterhouse’s most exquisite paintings.