mirror mirror on the wall...

To me, the most interesting aspect of the poem The Lady of Shallot is the mirror itself, rather than the reflections the Lady saw in said mirror. After reading through the poem a couple times, I looked further into what types symbolism mirrors hold, and the general consensus is that mirrors represent awareness, truth, and wisdom. To me, in the context of this poem, this symbolism is extremely interesting. For the Lady's mirror to have shown her Lancelot is to make her aware of the apparent goings on of the world outside her little bubble, but there is no way for her to know the truth behind those events happening around her. So the mirror is showing her things that are certainly happening outside her reality, yet at the same time, the Lady is unable to verify if those things are actually true. And also, for the mirror to be the reason she made a decision that could be seen as "unwise" is ironic as well.

I don't know if this really makes much sense, but it doesn't make much sense to me either. I'm interested to see what others are thinking.

Lancelot Does not Care

When we first started reading stories about Lancelot I thought they were pretty cool and that Lancelot was going to be an awesome addition to the Round Table, I was wrong. This guy is awful. In Le Morte d'Arthur he was total jerk to Elaine. Lancelot bombarded this family and totally ruined their lives. They did so much for him only to leave them and have Elaine die of a broken heart. Elaine was a maiden that would have done anything for Lancelot, instead Lancelot is focused on the one woman he absolutely cannot be with. That is just messed up, Guinevere is just leading him on for no reason and we just constantly read about their toxic actions. It does not take much to look past one's self, but with Lancelot that seems impossible. However, the most disturbing part of this story is the end after they find out Elaine had died. Everything went back to normal and no one seemed to care that this woman had died. It was even said in the story that "she is not the first young noblewoman to break her heart over" Lancelot (467). This simple quote alluded to the fact that there had been other deaths due to Lancelot's reckless behavior. To give Lancelot some credit he never lied to her, he told her the truth that he did not want to marry her. Regardless, Lancelot obviously knows his effect on people and always uses it to his advantage by destroying their lives in the process. 

 

I'm over this s***

                 I swear to GOD, I am so over Lancelot and Guinevere. Reading this a second time made me even more frustrated. First of all, why the hell would fighting against Arthur help Lancelot and Guinevere in their pursuit to hang out together unnoticed?? So many decisions in these stories seem so so arbitrary that it is actually infuriating. Second of all, I am sick of hearing about how great, handsome, competent, and valiant Lancelot is. He is a shitty person and the fact that I am constantly having to read these long descriptions of his great qualities is so maddening. Like, this whole story was just about how Lancelot is "the one who got away", and he literally caused the DEATH of Elaine, and what was the point of all of this? So Guinevere could feel more confident in his love for her???? And Guinevere sucks too! Aside from the fact that she cheats on her husband, she is also impulsively emotional, unstable, and bitterly jealous. Lancelot even calls her out: "Madame, this is not the first time your anger has been ill-founded" (Le Morte D'Arthur 472)

        Why did people at the time like reading stories about this? Honestly, these two characters are obviously the focal point of attention for readers at the time, but they are immoral. Their actions do not align with their extensively beautiful descriptions. Why were people attracted to stories about them then? I don't know, but I like to think that people nowadays would not find themselves as engrossed with the stories of these two. Cuz I'm #overit

Who really is Launcelot?

Why is it so important for Launcelot to keep his identity hidden?

Sir Lancelot Holmes

"My fair lady, I have never worn a token at a tournament! You ask me to do what I have not done for anyone before.  But as he spoke, it occurred to Sir Launcelot that because he had never been known to wear a token, this would be the best possible means of insuring his disguise" (Cannon, 459).

I understand that the only reason Lancelot accepted the token was so that the other knights would not recognize him, but I am confused as to why he wants to be disguised in the first place.  He is a well known and respected knight, so he does not need to gain more respect from others by beating them without them knowing who he is.  I also found it interesting how the author spelled his name differently than I am used to seeing it.

Launcelot Has An Idea

"My fair lady, I have never worn a token at a tournament! You ask me to do what I have not done for anyone before!" Sir Launcelot (Cannon, 458)

When the Fair Maid of Astalot asks Launcelot to wear her token, Launcelot realizes she has given him the perfect way to hide his identity in the middle of denying her request.

(note: I spent way too long making this dumb meme)

A wedding and a Funeral

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?