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The Lady of Shalott-- a Constrained Woman in an Unrequited Romance Presenters: Cara Huang Michelle Chiu Jane Chen Jessie Wang Joyce Chia

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The Lady of Shalott-- a Constrained Woman in an Unrequited Romance Presenters: Cara Huang Michelle Chiu Jane Chen Jessie Wang Joyce Chia The Lady of Shalott-- a constrained woman in an unrequited romance Presenters: Cara Huang Michelle Chiu Jane Chen Jessie Wang Joyce Chia Outline I. Alfred Tennyson Biography II. Background/ Culture Introduction III. Role Play IV. Analysis V. Video Sharing VI. Discussion VII. Quiz VIII. Conclusion Alfred Tennyson • Born in 1809 • Lifelong fear of mental or physical illness • 1833: the death of Arthur Hallam • 1842: Lost most of his fortune • Died in 1892 Background Introduction Background (1) • The second phase of Romanticism(1805- 1830s) • John Keats, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron Interests in national history and folklore • Sir Walter Scott—historical novels • John Keats—the Robin Hood legends • Tennyson— the tales of the Knights of the Round Table Background (2) • One of the Arthurian legends—Sir Lancelot • Lady of Shalott Elaine of Astolat • "Lancelot and Elaine" from The Idylls of the King (1859) by Alfred Tennyson “Lancelot “The Lady of and Elaine” Shalott” Name Elaine Unknown Abode Astolat The archaic “Shalott” Ending of Dies of unrequited love for Sir Story Lancelot and floats down the river in a barge to Camelot Background (3)— Women in the Victorian Age • Unmarried: virginal, embowered, passive, awaiting the overtures of suitors • Married: household management, the rearing of children • Good women Fallen women Background (4)— Lady of Shalott: a constrained woman • She strives for love, but she doesn’t succeed, and she is only remembered for being beautiful. • “She has a lovely face” the orthodox perception of women as the object of the "masculine" gaze Role Play: “The Lady of Shalott” Analysis PART I Iambic Assonance On either side the river lie A Long fields of barley and of rye, A That clothe the wold and meet the sky; A And through the field the road runs by A To many-tower'd Camelot; B And up and down the people go, C Gazing where the lilies blow C Imagery Round an island there below, C Symbolism The island of Shalott. B Long vowels The river flowing calmly Trochaic Short vowels Willows whiten, aspens quiver, Little breezes dusk and shiver Through the wave that runs for ever By the island in the river Flowing down to Camelot. Four grey walls, and four grey towers, Overlook a space of flowers, And the silent isle embowers The Lady of Shalott. By the margin, willow-veil'd, Short Slide the heavy barges trail'd vowels By slow horses; and unhailed Trochaic The shallop flitteth, silken-sail'd Skimming down to Camelot Yet who hath seen her wave her hand? Or at the casement seen her stand? Or is she know in all the land, Iambic The Lady of Shalott? Long vowels Only reapers, reaping early, In among the bearded barley Hear a song that echoes cheerly 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 (1): The magic web • The magic web There she weaves by night and day A magic web with colours gay. a constrained woman while she seems to be in control, she's obviously caught in someone else's web. Part II (2): The magic web Lines 37-41 • There she weaves by • 1. a boring and endless night and day chore, a symbol of A magic web with colours slavery and gay. imprisonment. • She has heard a whisper say, A curse is on her if she stay To look down to Camelot. Part II (3): The magic web Lines 64-70 • But in her web she still 2. It could be a symbol of delights To weave the mirror's magic creative freedom and sights, possibility 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; Part II (4): The magic web Lines 64-70 Lines 71-72 But in her web she still • "I am half sick of shadows," delights said The Lady of Shalott. To weave the mirror's magic sights…. • Irony She should be the web- weaving predator, but instead she turns out to be the prey of some unseen, mysterious force. Part II (5): The mirror Lines 46-50 • And moving through a 1. She had to look outside mirror clear through the mirror. That hangs before her all 2. She couldn’t see the real the year, things but images. Shadows of the world 3. Paradox appear. There she sees the highway near Winding down to Camelot: Part II (6): The mirror • The Lady's talent is that she can turn the sights of the mirror into an image in her web. It's because of this that we might think of the mirror and web as metaphors for the life of the artist. PART III She left the web, she left the loom, She made three paces thro' the room, She saw the water-lily bloom, She saw the helmet and the plume, Arthurian She looked down to Camelot. legends: Sir Out flew the web and floated wide; Lancelot The mirror cracked from side to side; versus The Lady of "The curse is come upon me," cried Shalott as a The Lady of Shalott. constrained woman Part IV (1) Autumn scene In the stormy east-wind straining, A The pale yellow woods were waning, A The broad stream in his banks complaining, A Heavily the low sky raining A Over tower’d Camelot; B Down she came and found a boat C Beneath a willow left afloat, C And round about the prow she wrote C The Lady of Shalott. B Part IV (2) And down the river’s dim expanse A Like some bold seër in a trance, A Seeing all his own mischance— A Dull; lifeless With a glassy countenance A Did she look to Camelot. B And at the closing of the day C She loosed the chain, and down she lay; C The broad stream bore her far away, C The Lady of Shalott. B Part IV (3) Purity Lying, robed in snowy white A That loosely flew to left and right— A The leaves upon her falling light— A Thro’ the noises of the night A She floated down to Camelot: B And as the boat-head wound along C The willowy hills and fields among, C They heard her singing her last song, C The Lady of Shalott. B Part IV (4) Death images Heard a carol, mournful, holy, A Chanted loudly, chanted lowly, A Till her blood was frozen slowly, A And her eyes were darken’d wholly, A Turn’d to tower’d Camelot. B For ere she reach’d upon the tide C The first house by the water-side, C Singing in her song she died, C The Lady of Shalott. B transitional stanza, connecting the dying woman's departure with the dead woman's arrival at Camelot. Part IV (5) Under tower and balcony, A By garden-wall and gallery, A A gleaming shape she floated by, D Dead-pale between the houses high, D Silent into Camelot. B Out upon the wharfs they came, C Knight and burgher, lord and dame, C And round the prow they read her name, C The Lady of Shalott. B Part IV (6) Who is this? and what is here? A And in the lighted palace near A Died the sound of royal cheer; A And they cross’d themselves for fear, A All the knights at Camelot: B But Lancelot mused a little space; C He said, “She has a lovely face; C God in his mercy lend her grace, C The Lady of Shalott.” B A Comparison: the 1833 and 1842 version The 1833 Version They crossed themselves, their stars they blest, Knight, minstrel, abbot, squire and guest. There lay a parchment on her breast, That puzzled more than all the rest, The wellfed wits at Camelot. "The web was woven curiously The charm is broken utterly, (1) The local people Draw near and fear not--this is I, (2) A quote from the The Lady of Shalott." Lady of Shalott The 1842 Version Who is this? and what is here? And in the lighted palace near Died the sound of royal cheer; And they cross'd themselves for fear, All the knights at Camelot: But Lancelot mused a little space; He said, "She has a lovely face; (1) Sir Lancelot God in his mercy lend her grace, The Lady of Shalott." 1833 versus 1842 “The revision brings the story around to the person who unwittingly caused her death” (Kelly). Performance “The Lady of Shalott” Performance • Songs: (1)“The Lady of Shalott” (Loreena McKennit) (2) “Shalott” (Emilie Autumn) (3) “If I Died Young” (The Band Perry) (4) “Lily Maid” (Heather Dale) Performance • Films: (1)TV series Anne of Green Gables (2) Short film of “The Lady of Shalott” Relevance Relevance (1) • Korean drama “49 days” • The main actress didn’t know he loved her until she came back to the world as a ghost. The Little Mermaid Do not Die for get love love Discussion (1) Q1: What kind of effect does the repetition of “Camelot” and “Shalott” in each stanza bring about? Discussion (2) Q2: Do you have any examples of unrequited love like The Lady of Shalott in contemporary society? * Definition: Unrequited love is a term that is used when one person has strong feelings towards another that are not reciprocated and even do not know s/he is loved by that person. Answers • It’s hard to find such an example like The Lady of Shalott.
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