However the beginning of The Lady of Shalott is peaceful and beautiful and describes a lovely view from the tower where The Lady is over looking Camelot. The language at first uses flowers to make us feel how lovely everything is so “gazing where the lilies blow” and “over look a space of flowers”. This is in contrast to the tragedy and death coming later on in the poem. However, although it all seems very beautiful, in and around her tower, right from the beginning of the poem there is a sense of mystery about her. Tennyson writes, “who hath seen her move her hand” and “ is she known in all the land”, which suggests that she leads an abnormally lonely and private life shut away from the world. Also the verses are very upbeat and written like a song. It is a very much happier poem than Morte d’ Arthur. The tone of the poem begins to suggest the tragedy when we learn that “a curse is on here if she stay to look down to Camelot” and “she knows that she is cursed”. This tells us that something bad will happen to her probably she will die if she breaks the rules and looks directly out of her tower down to Camelot. As the mood of the poem changes it makes you wonder what is going to happen to her. Also we learn that she only see things through a mirror “and moving through a mirror clear…shadows of the world appear”. You begin to feel that she will break her curse by looking out of the window and her tragedy will begin to unfold.
In Morte d’ Arthur, Arthur also feels that something will happen to him that is pre-determined by Merlin, the magician, so this is very similar to the Lady's premonition of her tragic fate. His sword, Excalibur, is a piece of magic in its own. It is beautifully described, it has lots of precious stones and jewels on it, and it glistens in the light. Bedivere is reluctant to throw away such a beautiful sword into a lake.
In Lady of Shallot it is Lancelot that is described in this beautiful way “his broad clear brow in sunlight glowed”. Tennyson describes him and his horse in great detail and we see him as a bright and beautiful object. He “flashed” into the mirror, which she used to see the world through. This shows how attractive and stunning he was. He sparkles and dazzles a bit like Arthur’s sword “Excalibur”. The contrast between hoe alive and free he is compared to the Lady's dull and life is very great.
Lady of Shallot would have never left the tower if the sight of Lancelot had not dazzled her after she had heard him singing. The tower was like a safe prison described as a 'web' as if she was an insect caught in a spiders web. She broke away from the “web” as she looked directly down to Camelot. At the same time “the mirror cracked from side to side” meaning that he curse had been broken and had come upon her. So she had been safe in her tower but knew when the mirror cracked that her life to had broken apart and cried, “the curse has come upon me”.
Both Arthur and Lady of Shalott were carried to their deaths on boats; Arthur in a grand barge guarded by “three queens” and Lady of Shalott in a simple boat. She then floated down to Camelot, while Arthur sailed away “like a full breasted swan”. He was taken to Avilion. Before this happened the poem was sad and full of Arthur’s death. When he was taken on such a beautiful barge, the mood of the poem changed and became more magical and peaceful rather like the beginning of The Lady of Shalott.
When the Lady of Shalott floated down to Camelot, no one knew who she was and they had to read her name on the boat. She had died for a mad moment of love and was soon to be forgotten. When Lancelot said, “she has a lovely face”, he had no idea that he had caused her death and that she died because of him. His good looks and appearance had tempted her to look out of her window and caused her tragic death.
Arthur had been a great leader of his Knights and was famous through out of Camelot, he also had a lonely death with only Bedivier there but every one would remember him. He was taken to his after life in a grand way by the magical barge and the queens. The poor Lady of Shalott died a lonely death never having done much with her life never meeting the cause of her death Lancelot. Both people had magic involved with their deaths, The Lady of Shalott with her curse and Arthur with his sword, “Excalibur”. Both ended in tragedy.
