The Lady of Shalott free essay sample

The story itself is very straight forward, but the interpretation of the author’s true meaning are entirely up to the reader. When first read I immediately thought of Plato’s, â€Å"Allegory of The Cave†. It seemed fitting at first, as both the Lady of Shalott and the Prisoners within the cave view the world without full comprehension, they see a world outside of their control. They are both restricted to they place in life, one chained the other cursed. The â€Å"Allegory of The Cave† ends with the fear of change, human natures inability to accept the truth because of the comfort ability of living the lie. The Lady of Shalott ends with the vengeance of a â€Å"curse†. Her inability to control the forces of her own emotions and love drive her to die of a broken heart, drifting down the river towards Camelot. Upon second reading is when the true nature of the poem appeared. We will write a custom essay sample on The Lady of Shalott or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The artist and his or her inability to relate to society drive many to madness and suicide. That idea fits the story quite well. As the lady of Shalott is â€Å"forced† to look at the world from a far, and not only just from a great distance but not even directly, she is forced to view the world through the reflection of a mirror. Like the Lady of Shalott, many artists feel a strong disconnection from the real world, the world in which many of them write about and for. This is a depressing concept, that the inspiration for your own art causes you the most pain. The feeling of isolation is the focal point of the Lady of Shalott and is the inspiration of many artists throughout history. In a time of vast sexual suppression, this poem is perhaps a â€Å"mirror† which reflects the life and internal struggle that the author, Tennyson may have felt at the time of writing this. Being what we would consider nerdy or a book worm today it is possible that the poem reflects his own feelings of love and sexuality in a time of very minimal sexual expression. His curse was an inability to choose, his choices where to explore his own sexual conscious and perhaps grow as an artist or to work to attain the means to be what was expected of a married aged gentlemen in his time. The lifestyles he had before him clashed before his eyes, and it shows within his writing. This apparent indifference to the social standards for sexual morality during the author’s time makes the poem what the struggle we read today. The curse is obviously the social norms which confine the Lady of Chalott within her walls of isolation; the mirror is the way society wants you to view the world, happy, straight forward, without sexual perversion. Yet her weaving artwork is her own, the scenes she creates are how she feels within, without notion of social standards. Both the poet and the Lady of Shalott are prisoners of society, yet through their chosen artistic medium, breathe deep breaths of isolated freedom.