The poem "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson tells the story of a woman confined to an island who is cursed to weave all day in her web. She looks at the world through a mirror instead of directly. When she sees Sir Lancelot ride by and breaks the curse to look at him directly, the mirror cracks and she floats down the river singing until her death in Camelot. The poem is based on Arthurian legends involving Elaine of Astolat and was inspired by medieval sources that Tennyson adapted.

1. Ballad is a short story in verse,
intended to be sung to an audience
Ballad of all Time Favorite

2. THE TALE OPENS ABRUPTLY,
WITHOUT ANY SYSTEMATIC
INTRODUCTION

3. Same lines are repeated from
stanza to stanza as a refrain

4. Ballads are of two kinds
• Authentic Ballad
• Literary Ballad

7. “The Lady of Shalott" is a Victorian
ballad by the English poet Alfred,
Lord Tennyson (1809–1892).

8. Like his other early poems – "Sir
Lancelot and Queen Guinevere" and
"Galahad" – the poem recasts
Arthurian subject matter loosely
based on medieval sources.

9. Tennyson wrote two versions of the
poem, one published in 1833, of
twenty stanzas, the other in 1842 of
nineteen stanzas.

10. The poem was loosely based on the
Arthurian legend of Elaine of
Astolat, as recounted in a thirteenth-
century Italian novella titled Donna
di Scalotta (No. LXXXII in the
collection Cento Novelle Antiche),
with the earlier version being closer
to the source material than the later

11. Arthur legend inspired many writers
Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte de
Arthur
Alfred Tennyson’s Idylls of the
King

12. Poem

13. On either side the river lie

14. Long fields of barley and of rye,

15. That clothe the wold and meet the sky;

16. And thro' the field the road runs by

17. To many-tower'd Camelot;

18. The yellow-leaved waterlily

19. The green-sheathed daffodilly

20. Tremble in the water chilly

21. Round about Shalott.

22. Willows whiten, aspens shiver.

23. The sunbeam showers break and quiver

24. In the stream that runneth ever

25. By the island in the river

26. Flowing down to Camelot.

27. Four gray walls, and four gray towers

28. Overlook a space of flowers,

29. And the silent isle imbowers

30. The Lady of Shalott.

31. Underneath the bearded barley,

32. The reaper, reaping late and early,

33. Hears her ever chanting cheerly,

34. Like an angel, singing clearly,

35. O'er the stream of Camelot.

36. Piling the sheaves in furrows airy,

37. Beneath the moon, the reaper weary

38. Listening whispers, ' 'Tis the fairy,

39. Lady of Shalott.'

40. The little isle is all inrail'd

41. With a rose-fence, and overtrail'd

42. With roses: by the marge unhail'd

43. The shallop flitteth silken sail'd,

44. Skimming down to Camelot.

45. A pearl garland winds her head:

46. She leaneth on a velvet bed,

47. Full royally apparelled,

48. The Lady of Shalott.

49. Part II

50. No time hath she to sport and play:

51. A charmed web she weaves alway.

52. A curse is on her, if she stay

53. Her weaving, either night or day,

54. To look down to Camelot.

55. She knows not what the curse may be;

56. Therefore she weaveth steadily,

57. Therefore no other care hath she,

58. The Lady of Shalott.

59. She lives with little joy or fear.

60. Over the water, running near,

61. The sheepbell tinkles in her ear.

62. Before her hangs a mirror clear,

63. Reflecting tower'd Camelot.

64. And as the mazy web she whirls,

65. She sees the surly village churls,

66. And the red cloaks of market girls

67. Pass onward from Shalott.

68. Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,

69. An abbot on an ambling pad,

70. Sometimes a curly shepherd-lad,

71. Or long-haired page in crimson clad,

72. Goes by to towered Camelot;

73. And sometimes through the mirror blue

74. The knights come riding two and two:

75. She hath no loyal knight and true,

76. The Lady of Shalott.

77. But in her web she still delights

78. To weave the mirror’s magic sights,

79. For often through the silent nights

80. A funeral, with plumes and lights

81. And music, went to Camelot:

82. Or when the moon was overhead,

83. Came two young lovers lately wed;

84. “I am half sick of shadows," said

85. The Lady of Shalott.

86. Part III

87. A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,

88. He rode between the barley-sheaves,

89. The sun came dazzling through the leaves,

90. And flamed upon the brazen greaves

91. Of bold Sir Lancelot.

92. A red-cross knight for ever kneeled

93. To a lady in his shield,

94. That sparkled on the yellow field,

95. Beside remote Shalott.

96. The gemmy bridle glittered free

97. Like to some branch of stars we see

98. Hung in the golden Galaxy.

99. The bridle bells rang merrily

100. As he rode down to Camelot:

101. And from his blazoned baldric slung

102. A mighty silver bugle hung,

103. And as he rode his armour rung,

104. Beside remote Shalott.

105. All in the blue unclouded weather

106. Thick-jewelled shone the saddle-leather,

107. The helmet and the helmet-feather

108. Burned like one burning flame together,

109. As he rode down to Camelot.

110. As often through the purple night

111. Below the starry clusters bright,

112. Some bearded meteor, trailing light,

113. Moves over still Shalott.

114. His broad clear brow in sunlight glowed;

115. On burnished hooves his war-horse trode;

116. From underneath his helmet flowed

117. His coal-black curls as on he rode,

118. As he rode down to Camelot.

119. From the bank and from the river

120. He flashed into the crystal mirror,

121. “Tirra lirra," by the river

122. Sang Sir Lancelot.

123. She left the web, she left the loom,

124. She made three paces through the room,

125. She saw the water-lily bloom,

126. She saw the helmet and the plume,

127. She looked down to Camelot.

128. Out flew the web and floated wide;

129. The mirror cracked from side to side;

130. “The curse is come upon me," cried

131. The Lady of Shalott.

132. Part IV

133. In the stormy east-wind straining,

134. The pale yellow woods were waning,

135. The broad stream in his banks complaining,

136. Heavily the low sky raining

137. Over towered Camelot;

138. Down she came and found a boat

139. Beneath a willow left afloat,

140. And round about the prow she wrote

141. The Lady of Shalott.

142. And down the river’s dim expanse,

143. Like some bold seër in a trance

144. Seeing all his own mischance--

145. With a glassy countenance

146. Did she look to Camelot.

147. And at the closing of the day

148. She loosed the chain, and down she lay;

149. The broad stream bore her far away,

150. The Lady of Shalott.

151. Lying, robed in snowy white

152. That loosely flew to left and right--

153. The leaves upon her falling light--

154. Through the noises of the night

155. She floated down to Camelot:

156. And as the boat-head wound along

157. The willowy hills and fields among,

158. They heard her singing her last song,

159. The Lady of Shalott.

160. Heard a carol, mournful, holy,

161. Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,

162. Till her blood was frozen slowly,

163. And her eyes were darkened wholly,

164. Turned to towered Camelot.

165. For ere she reached upon the tide

166. The first house by the water-side,

167. Singing in her song she died,

168. The Lady of Shalott.

169. Under tower and balcony,

170. By garden-wall and gallery,

171. A gleaming shape she floated by,

172. Dead-pale between the houses high,

173. Silent into Camelot.

174. Out upon the wharfs they came,

175. Knight and burgher, lord and dame,

176. And round the prow they read her name,

177. The Lady of Shalott.

178. Who is this? and what is here?

179. And in the lighted palace near

180. Died the sound of royal cheer;

181. And they crossed themselves for fear,

182. All the knights at Camelot:

183. But Lancelot mused a little space;

184. He said, “She has a lovely face;

185. God in his mercy lend her grace,

186. The Lady of Shalott.”