A video analyzing John William Waterhouse's 1888 painting, The Lady of Shalott, giving historical background of the painting and how its influenced by Tennyson's poem. Video

Camelot is mythical city in Great Britain. Its a central symbol in many Tennyson poem's especially The Lady of Shalott. The following link gives information about Camelot and its context in literature. Camelot

The tone of the poem begins to shift in this stanza, getting increasingly dark from here on out. During the time Tennyson spent writing this collection (1932), he was depressed and dealing with immense loss. The following article details this in the "introduction" portion (page 4).

Article

Biography of Author

The rhyme scheme in each stanza is AAAABCCCB.

Each stanza is 9 lines long.

Tennyson's poem talks a lot about how this mysterious lady is cursed. The article below talks about the origins of this "cursed" character. Article

Tennyson's poetry touches on several themes including, death, grief, and nature. The following article explains these themes and the characteristics of Tennyson's poetry. Article

Images of setting and the Lady of Shalott:

In this stanza, the lady of Shallot sits in a tower, weaving a tapestry. A curse of some sorts looms on her, but because she is unaware of what the curse is, she doesn't worry and continues weaving. This poem was published in 1832, a year after the death of Tennyson's father, and a year before the sudden death of his close friend. Although Tennyson cant see into the future at the time of writing this, the "looming curse" certainly sounds like it relates to one of the losses he experienced when the poem was published.

Tennyson uses end rhyme throughout the poem as a way of connecting the lines and establishing a flow/melody to the poem.

Each stanza ends by mentioning the Lady of Shalott.

In part 1 of The Lady of Shalott, Tennyson takes time to establish the setting of the poem. He describes a castle tower on an island called Shalott, located in a river. Along the river there are beautiful willow trees and small sail boats which travel down the river towards the city of Camelot. In the tower, there is a mysterious lady that no one has ever seen, The Lady of Shalott.

"We can die by it, if no live by love" is Donne professing to the reader that life without his lover is not worth it, similarly to Shakespeare's tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet." After this, Donne predicts the success of his poem saying he will be remembered for his "verse" or poems like this one. What does Donne's "prediction" say about him as a writer?

If John Donne knows that his love hasn't harmed anyone, why does he continue to question the reader about it? If he is being truthful, why ask?

John Donne writes a similar extended metaphor in his poem "The Flea," to highlight the union he has with his love interests. Instead of a Phoenix representing their unity, Donne uses a far less appealing comparison, a Flea. Despite this clear difference, both poems focus on the idea of becoming "one" through physical and emotional connection, followed by a shared "death" (orgasm).

Donne speaks directly to the reader, pleading them to let him love. Why is Donne so frustrated with the reader after only one line of the poem?