Lady of Shalott (c1839). The Lady of Shalott is a lyrical ballad by the English poet Alfred Tennyson. Based on the medieval Donna di Scalotta, it tells the story of Elaine of Astolat, a young noblewoman imprisoned in a tower on an island near Camelot. One of the poet's best-known works, its vivid medieval romanticism and enigmatic symbolism inspired many painters, especially the Pre-Raphaelites and their followers. Like his other early poems- Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere, and Galahad-the poem recasts Arthurian subject matter loosely based on medieval sources. Tennyson wrote two versions of the poem, one published in 1833, of 20 stanzas, the other in 1842, of 19 stanzas. The revised version has a significantly different ending. This revision was designed to match Victorian morals regarding gender norms and the act of suicide. The poem is loosely based on the Arthurian legend of Elaine of Astolat, as recounted in a 13th-century Italian novel titled Donna di Scalotta; the earlier version is closer to the source material than the latter. Tennyson focused on the Lady's isolation in the tower and her decision to participate in the living world, two subjects not even mentioned in the Donna di Scalotta. The first four stanzas of the 1842 poem describe a pastoral setting. The Lady of Shalott lives in an island castle in a river which flows to Camelot, but the local farmers know little about her. And by the moon the reaper weary, Piling sheaves in uplands airy, Listening, whispers, 'Tis the fairy Lady of Shalott. Stanzas five to eight describe the lady's life. She suffers from a mysterious curse and must continually weave images on her loom without ever looking directly out at the world. Instead, she looks into a mirror, which reflects the busy road and the people of Camelot who pass by her island. She knows not what the curse may be, And so she weaveth steadily, And little other care hath she, The Lady of Shalott. The reflected images are described as shadows of the world, a metaphor that makes it clear they are a poor substitute for seeing directly. Stanzas nine to twelve describe bold Sir Lancelot as he rides by and is seen by the lady. All in the blue unclouded weather Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather, The helmet and the helmet-feather Burn'd like one burning flame together, As he rode down to Camelot. The remaining seven stanzas describe the effect on the lady of seeing Lancelot; she stops weaving and looks out of her window toward Camelot, bringing about the curse. Out flew the web and floated wide, The mirror crack'd from side to side;The curse is come upon me, cried The Lady of Shalott. She leaves her tower, finds a boat upon which she writes her name, and floats down the river to Camelot. She dies before arriving at the palace. Among the knights and ladies who see her is Lancelot, who thinks she is lovely. Who is this? And what is here? And in the lighted palace near Died the sound of royal cheer; And they crossed themselves for fear, All the Knights at Camelot; But Lancelot mused a little space He said, She has a lovely face; God in his mercy lend her grace, The Lady of Shalott. According to scholar Anne Zanzucchi, in a more general sense, it is fair to say that the pre-Raphaelite fascination with Arthuriana is traceable to Tennyson's work. Tennyson's biographer Leonee Ormonde finds the Arthurian material is Introduced as a valid setting for the study of the artist and the dangers of personal isolation. Feminist critics see the poem as concerned with issues of women's sexuality and their place in the Victorian world. Critics argue that The Lady of Shalott centres on the temptation of sexuality and her innocence preserved by death. Christine Poulson discusses a feminist viewpoint and suggests: the Lady of Shalott's escape from her tower as an act of defiance, a symbol of female empowerment. Based on Poulson's view, escaping from the tower allows for the Lady of Shalott to emotionally break free and come into terms with female sexuality. The depiction of death has also been interpreted as sleep. Poulson says that sleep has a connotation of physical abandonment and vulnerability, which can either suggest sexual fulfillment or be a metaphor for virginity. Fairytales, such as Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, have traditionally depended upon this association. So, as related to the Lady of Shalott, Poulson says: for in death has become a Sleeping Beauty who can never be wakened, symbols of perfect feminine passivity.