Questions and Answers

? Question / What does the poem mean from a feminist's point of view

Answer / The poem tells the story of a lady who lives in a tower and she
.decides to make her big decision to leave the place and she died after that

This woman is captured and trapped in the tower, she is forced to do her
weaving and this is the only way to stay alive. She cannot join the real
outside world. Women cannot participate in the society at that time
because of the "curse" that came upon her from her patriarchal society or
from her patriarchal men who determined her life. So she decides to leave
and that is fatal and tragic but critical of woman's life in Victorian age
.when women were imprisoned inside her house

Question / How is the entrance of Lancelot in part 3 prepared for in

? part 2

Answer / In part 2, the poet, firstly says that the lady of Shalott has
something missing in her life, she misses love and company, "she hath no
loyal knight and true", and she suffers from being alone dealing and
living with the "shadows of the world" which is a poor substitute for
reality. Then, later in the poem when she sees the image of two young
lovers in her mirror, "came two young lovers lately wed", she becomes
"half sick of shadows", and this indicates her dissatisfaction and
frustration with her life. She longs for something that will change her life,
she yearns for love and reality and all that prepared us to guess her falling
in love with sir Lancelot immediately. Therefore, she makes her decision
to pursue love and real life. In fact, she sacrifices herself in order to live a
.reality and love for just a moment
Question / What is the main subject of each part of "The Lady Shalott" ?

Answer /Although long, Lady of Shalott is a ballad, and in fact there are
various versions of the story and many paintings of her situation. In
Tennyson’s poem, each section is a story in itself with a clear beginning
and end. In section 1 the narrator introduces the setting, and vaguely
introduces the Lady as mysterious, living in a tower. The local people
hear her sing but do not see her. Section 2 tells us about her curse and
what she does with her day—she cannot look outside her window to see
Camelot, but weaves a picture of what is out there by looking at a mirror
image of it. We learn she’s “sick of shadows"-- of not participating in
society. Section 3:  Lancelot enters, traveling down the river looking as
handsome as can be. She sees him in the mirror, looks out the window,
and leaves the tower.She knows shes doomed. In Section 4 she climbs
into a boat and floats down the river to Camelot, and when Lancelot finds
.her there she is dead