Annotations
- Camelot:
Camelot was the fabled Court of King Arthur. It was the heart of
the realm as well as being the center for learning and art.
- The Lady of
Shalott: The Lady of Shalott is more commonly known in
Arthurian
legend as Elaine, The Lily-Maid of Astolat. Lancelot saved her
from a wretched witch's curse and she fell madly in love with
him. However, this love was unrequited as Lancelot was in love
with Queen Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur. However,
determined to marry him, Elaine drugged Lancelot's wine and tricked him
into sleeping with her by pretending she was the Queen, thinking that
this would force Lancelot into marrying her. However, the only
thing that resulted from this union was a son, Sir Galahad.
Elaine spent her entire life pining over Lancelot and eventually died
of heartbreak. She was floated down the river on a funeral barge,
as was common practice for the bodies of royalty.
- She hath no
loyal knight and
true: This line shows that the Lady of
Shalott
is lonely. She has neither friend nor love. It also sets
the scene for Lancelot to arrive, and for the Lady to fall in love with
him.
- Sir Lancelot:
Sir
Lancelot was the greatest knight at King Arthur's Court. In fact,
the only knight who ever defeated him was Sir Galahad, his son and a
perfect knight who eventually retrieved the Holy Grail. Lancelot
was in love with Queen Guinevere, and they carried on an affair which
eventually led to the downfall of Camelot. He was also King
Arthur's best friend and right-hand man.
- "A red-cross
knight forever kneeled/
To a lady in his shield": In the Arthurian legend, Sir
Lancelot's shield showed a knight paying homage to a crowned
woman. These figures were of course Lancelot and Guinevere.
This caused great controversy in the court and much snickering by those
who knew of Lancelot and Guievere's affair. In addition,
this was a great cause of heartache to Lady Elaine of Astolat, the
basis for the Lady of Shalott.
- "She left the
web, ...Shalott":
This is the shift in the poem. It is when the Lady of Shalott
forsakes her dreamworld and looks out onto reality, thus falling in
love with Lancelot. See symbolism
- "In the stormy
east-wind
straining": The change in weather is symbolic of the
change within the Lady of Shalott and her loss of control over her
life. Before, all weather imagery was happy, yet now it is stormy
and dark. The Lady of Shalott at this time is preparing to commit
suicide.
- Knights of
Camelot: The
knights of the Round Table followed King Arthur. They were the
best knights of the land, and there are hundreds of tales about the
various knights. Besides Sir Lancelot, some other famous knights
were: Sir Galahad, Sir Gawain, Sir Balin, Sir Tristam, Sir Percival, as
well as many others.
- "But Lanced
mused...lend her grace":
This is ironic because Lancelot unintentionally caused the Lady of
Shalott's death, yet he is wishing God's blessing and forgiveness for
her suicide on her. THis also shows that he never even had met
her, thus emphasizing the unrequitedness of the Lady of Shalott's love.