tirra lirra by the river lady of shalott

In this moment, she is trapped not only within the walls, and by the curse, but also within the domestic act of weaving. It feels voyeuristic, as if we should not be intruding. We are reminded by her stare that we too are outside beyond her physical confinement – we are peering in at the canvas through to her. Whilst her eyes seem glued to the outside world – and Lancelot, as if fixed in a trance – her golden web, the product of her weaving, has become wrapped around her dress, binding her legs together and preventing her from moving. ‘The Lady of Shalott looking at Lancelot’ – John William Waterhouse 1894Īlthough depicting her in a few different ways, John William Waterhouse’s portrayal above seems most thoughtful regarding the Lady of Shalott’s incessant weaving.

So then why does she only make use of her time by weaving? The irony is that, as the reader, we suppose that she has nothing but time if she is confined to her tower for the entirety of her existence. But Part 2 of the poem opens suggesting that she, in fact, only has time for weaving.

She is presented as having no life at all – no cares or worries – and so weaves steadily to pass the time. The Lady of Shalott really is in a bit of a pickle. How, then, is she depicted and what might her confinement signify?Ī charmed web she weaves alway. She dies as she floats down the river to Camelot in a small boat – a cold mark of her ill-fate. The reader does not know why she is subject to the curse, nor who cursed her – but when she catches a glimpse of Sir Lancelot flashing into her mirror’s eye, she turns and subjects herself to the curse. If she turns to look at Camelot herself, she dies. The Lady of Shalott: confined to her tower – a spell upon her head – forever to be looking out at Camelot’s reflection in a mirror. For the full poem of Tennyson’s ‘The Lady of Shalott’ click here

Tirra lirra by the river lady of shalott