The Lady of Shalott

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Brittany Myers BENG 102 April 11, 2013 “The Lady of Shalott” is a poem set in England in the Dark Ages during the reign of the legendary King Arthur. The action takes place not far from the town of Camelot, Arthur’s seat of government and the abode of his famous Knights of the Round Table. This poem has two main characters, the Lady of Shalott, a young woman confined to a building on the Island of Shalott in a river flowing toward Camelot, and Sir Lancelot, a Knight of the Round Table. The theme of the poem depends on how one interprets it. For example, if the reader assumes that the lady seeks the attentions of Sir Lancelot, unrequited love and its tragic result become the theme. On the other hand, if the reader interprets the poem as a commentary on the role of women during Tennyson’s time, where the main role of a woman was to take care of all household duties, the confining roles of women becomes the theme. This poem uses two major figures of speech: alliteration and metaphor/personification. For example, “Long fields of barley and of rye, that clothe the wold” (Tennyson), in this particular exert, Tennyson is alliteratively comparing grain fields to clothing. Also, “The broad stream in his banks complaining” (Tennyson), in this exert Tennyson is metaphorically comparing the stream to a speaking human. Tennyson used a lot of imagery in this poem. In line one, the river is the first image and so, in a way, everything is put in relation to the river. Camelot is down the river, the island is in the middle of the river, and the fields are on either side of the river. Beginning, middle, and end, we keep coming back to the river. In lines twelve and thirteen, the speaker tells us about the "wave that runs forever" down the river. The river is mostly peaceful and pretty, but there is something almost scary about this eternal wave. Finally, this river is going
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