The Lady of Shallot, wrote in 1833 (-1842) by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is a 180-lines narrative poem, subdivided in four parts, which is based on an Arthurian legend. It is set in medieval time, in the Kingdom of Camelot.

The story deals with a “fairy” lady, who lives in a tower on a silent island in the river that flows down to Camelot and who is under a mysterious curse. She is confined in a tower and, because of the curse, she must continuously weave a web and she cannot see directly the external world. She sees it only reflected on a mirror.

This situation gives the idea of the secluded Victorian woman who looks out upon a male world of action.

This is not the only interpretation of the poem: it might dramatize the dangers of creative imagination. Tennyson had a dramatic view of artist’s position in a world which celebrates only science.

The Lady Of Shallot can also be considered the representation of the dilemma that faces artists: to create a work to celebrate the world or enjoy the world just living in it.

The main themes are so the danger of personal isolation and the study of artists.