The Lady of Shalott Symbolism, Imagery & Wordplay

This is the first big image in the poem, and it comes up again and again after the first line. It's almost like the backbone of the poem, running through it and holding it up. Do you feel how the r...

Just the name of Camelot calls up images of amazing castles, kings and knights, and people living in peace and justice. Even in the fantasy world of this poem, it seems far away, untouchable until...

The island in the river, cut off from the land and the outside world, is a major symbol of the Lady's isolation and loneliness.Line 9: When we first hear about the island, in the middle of all that...

Obviously she's the main character and a huge part of this poem, but is the Lady of Shalott a major image? Lancelot is almost buried in description, but we hear almost nothing about the Lady hersel...

We think this is one of the most memorable and fascinating images in the poem. That's partly because of the use of the word "web." It must literally mean something like a tapestry, but when you hea...

This is the web's twin, the other half of the Lady's pair of magical props. Although the mirror brings the world to the Lady, it's nothing like the real thing. She sees images, shadows, a sort of h...

We've said it before, but Lancelot is definitely the rockstar of this poem. Even in the Arthur legends, he has a reputation as an irresistible ladies' man. This poem spends a bunch of time letting...