Do you think the fact the Lady of Shalott saw a wedding and funeral through her mirror was symbolic of her falling in love with Lancelot and dying because she activated her curse? Why do you think she was cursed in the first place?
I think the fact that she sees a wedding and a funeral are totally significant. I hadn't thought about this 1:1 comparison to her own life, though. I guess I mostly think about it as her seeing all the relationships and community that she is missing out on. I think that's a big part of her being "half sick of shadows" and just saying eff it all, I am breaking out of this tower! She can see that community living and breathing and interacting around her but she can't actually be part of any of it. :-(
I feel like even if she was sick of the shadows and was tired of missing out on life, she didn't really realise it until she saw Lancelot. In the poem it seemed, while she was sick of how she was living, that it was bearable for her. Then once she saw Lancelot and felt that rush of emotions and desire to see things as they truly are, she just HAD to look and activate her "curse".
I agree with Dr. MB on this one. The funeral and wedding are significant because it shows the the Lady of Shalott is missing out on life while she is weaving a magical web. This web that she has been cursed to never stop weaving. I think that the curse shows the struggle between instruction and free will. The Lady of Shalott decides to leave what she had been instructed to do in order to go out and enjoy life even if it did cost her life.
Thats a really interesting description of the curse, I honestly hadn't thought of it that way. I was thinking maybe something along the lines of she realises what she's missed out on in life and that it almost leaves her without the will the live, but I think i agree with your description more.
I also thought about this when I was reading! I think I have to agree with both you and Dr. MB, because I feel there can be more than one answer. I think on the surface, she witnessed a wedding and a funeral as a representation of the events in life that she was missing out on, but on a deeper level it is because her "love" (if you can call it love..) ultimately led to her death.
I think the fact that she sees a wedding and a funeral are totally significant. I hadn't thought about this 1:1 comparison to her own life, though. I guess I mostly think about it as her seeing all the relationships and community that she is missing out on. I think that's a big part of her being "half sick of shadows" and just saying eff it all, I am breaking out of this tower! She can see that community living and breathing and interacting around her but she can't actually be part of any of it. :-(
ReplyDeleteI feel like even if she was sick of the shadows and was tired of missing out on life, she didn't really realise it until she saw Lancelot. In the poem it seemed, while she was sick of how she was living, that it was bearable for her. Then once she saw Lancelot and felt that rush of emotions and desire to see things as they truly are, she just HAD to look and activate her "curse".
DeleteI agree with Dr. MB on this one. The funeral and wedding are significant because it shows the the Lady of Shalott is missing out on life while she is weaving a magical web. This web that she has been cursed to never stop weaving. I think that the curse shows the struggle between instruction and free will. The Lady of Shalott decides to leave what she had been instructed to do in order to go out and enjoy life even if it did cost her life.
ReplyDeleteThats a really interesting description of the curse, I honestly hadn't thought of it that way. I was thinking maybe something along the lines of she realises what she's missed out on in life and that it almost leaves her without the will the live, but I think i agree with your description more.
DeleteI also thought about this when I was reading! I think I have to agree with both you and Dr. MB, because I feel there can be more than one answer. I think on the surface, she witnessed a wedding and a funeral as a representation of the events in life that she was missing out on, but on a deeper level it is because her "love" (if you can call it love..) ultimately led to her death.
ReplyDelete