How we cite our quotes: (verse)
Quote #1
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott. (line 62-63)
This is pretty much the closest we're going to get to talking about love in this poem. Love is one of the big things missing in the Lady of Shalott's life. Maybe we aren't even really talking about romantic love here. Maybe she's missing something more like a companion. Maybe the "loyal knight and true" would be a boyfriend, or maybe he'd be more like a protector and partner.
Quote #2
A red-cross knight for ever kneeled
To a lady in his shield, (lines 78-79)
This is another version of the love or companionship that the lady can't have. This is a pretty old-fashioned idea of love, and it has everything to do with chivalry, and the way knights should behave toward ladies. It probably isn't much like our idea of boyfriend and girlfriend. Still, it's put in here to remind us of how little love the Lady has in her life. She and Lancelot cannot become the perfect knight and lady we see on Lancelot's shield.
Quote #3
From underneath his helmet flowed
His coal-black curls as on he rode, (lines 103-104)
If all the stuff about knights and ladies isn't necessarily about romantic love, this definitely is. Come on, "coal-black curls?" These are like lines from a romance novel. Tennyson is letting us know that Lancelot is hot, and that's all we need to know about these lines.
Quote #4
She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces through the room, (lines 109-110)
This is the sacrifice she makes for Lancelot and love. At least we think so. Is there any way to be sure that's why she defies the curse? Not as far as we can tell. She sees Lancelot and then she goes to the window. The events are really close, but neither she nor the speaker says a word about her falling in love. This is a pretty dramatic poem, but it also knows how to slow down when it need to, to keep things subtle instead of hitting you over the head with them. The love plot is here, but it simmers under the surface.
Quote #5
He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace, (lines 169-70)
Is Lancelot falling in love here too? It doesn't quite seem like that. It would be nice if he'd fall for her completely, but we just don't see it here. He acknowledges that she's pretty, but was that worth dying for? Still, there's a hint here, a little possibility that he understands what she's done for him. Not enough to take away the tragedy of the ending, but still, it's something.