I was struck by the painting of “The lady of Shallot” Michael showed in the previous lecture (sorry I’m not sure who the artist was) that I had to go back a re-read the poem of Alfred Tennyson it was connected to.

 

There is no doubt that Tennyson saw the need for resistance and a change to what was general perceived to be acceptable. I must admit after reading this poem I googled a biography on this man and looked at the context for the women and children in this time (sorry I was reminded of our last discussion question).  For some reason his poem appealed to me more than that of Elizabeth Browning (and I’m not sure why). It seems his concern is natural as he effectively depicts such emotive yet tragic tale of the disempowered women. It seems his “lady” becomes a metaphor of what he perceives to be the way women were treated in the 19^th centaury. By using Thomas Malory’s Arthurian characters, Tennyson has allowed his audience to understand the oppressed nature of women, brought upon by even the most refined and admired characters of nobility who rather than see her for what she is, only look “her lovely face"
 

Through his colorful and poetic flow Tennyson has drawn his audience into a subconscious recognition of what he deems to be the injustices brought about by mainstream society. Tennyson takes great care to describe The lady’s surroundings but delves little into her physical appearance, thus challenging his society to look past her physical appearances and personal attributes at the “curse” such a lady is forced into contained not only in her physical isolation, but in the isolation faced by many women. At times Serious and condescending tones, demands to be heard as “willows Whitens” contrast significantly with the “blood was frozen slowly” place the bleakness brought about by society, who have consequently robbed a lady of her identity, emphasized in “who is this?” bringing to question the identity of all women who live in such a society.

 

Tennyson stays true to his 19^th centaury society as he attempts to delimit his lady to traditional choirs of the time of “waving day and night,” a conventional time passer held suggest through his character that such a challenge to mainstream ideals emphasized in the lady’s refusal to look through the symbolically significant mirror could result in death. Death if not physically but socially and emotional, indicating Tennyson’s bleak belief that women are cursed in existence of customs and by those around her.




Tennyson's poem inspired many works including this one by John La Farge avalible from http://www.victorianweb.org/victorian/painting/american/lafarge1.jpg