I thought “The Lady of Shalott” was an interesting poem and it really seemed to fit with what was going on the Victorian period. Since, she was trapped in a high tower in order to lock up her innocence and to retain the important aspects of how a woman should have behaved during that time. It seemed as though the tower symbolized a trap and how women at that time were trapped into being how society wanted them to act unless they wanted to be looked down upon by others. Which makes since that Lady Shalott’s curse forbid her to look outside and experience what others experienced but was considered impure.
In a way I felt bad for the Lady of Shalott, since she spent her days in a tower all by herself, and she could only experience the vivid world she longed for by looking in a mirror. It makes me wonder if many of the women in that time ever felt like they were missing something or if they were content with the way that they lived in order to be accepted in society. I liked how the poem had a theme that it was trying to get across to the readers about what was happening in the Victorian period at that time. I also really enjoyed the imagery described in the poem, since the poem painted a very vivid picture of how beautiful the world could be.
I also thought that it was pretty ironic that Sir Lancelot said that the Lady of Shalott had a pretty face, after she died in the boat after looking out of the window just to see him. I honestly think that looking out of the window was worth it since all of her options were not happy ones, but at least she got to die in the vivid world she longed to be a part of. The beginning of the curse could also signify that some women in the Victorian times thought it was worth it to not fit into the role they are supposed to play, in order to experience life their own way, no matter what the consequences are.
Dicussion Questions:
Do you think the Lady of Shalott would have described the world so vividly if she had not been stuck in the tower in the first place?
Was the lady of Shalott foolish to look outside her window when she knew that the curse would start or was she better dying outside of her tower in the outside world she longed to be a part of?
I felt bad for Lady Shalott as well! I would hate to be in her position. And, I do not think the Lady of Shalott was foolish to look out her window. Even though she was about to die, I am sure she died a little more happier since she died in the outside world instead of in the castle that she was forced to be in.
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