Descriptive Language and The Lady of Shallot Essay

Descriptive Language and The Lady of Shallot In any piece of lyrical poetry, authors must masterfully use the language of the poem to covey the intended meaning. In order to ensure the meaning is not lost, it is imperative that the author incorporates various aspects of the narrative to escalate the poem past its face value. Alfred Tennyson’s poem â€Å"The Lady of Shallot† is no exception to the rule. From lines like â€Å"blue unclouded weather† and â€Å"the gemmy bridle glitter’d free†, one can draw that descriptive language is Tennyson’s tool to revealing the underlying meaning (Griffith 334). In each of the four parts of â€Å"The Lady of Shallot†, Tennyson uses descriptive language to convey his intended meaning to the audience. Tennyson†¦show more content†¦All of Part I sets up the rest of the poem, and Tennyson’s use of descriptive language makes the reader feel as if they are right there, witnessing the events first hand. The second part of â€Å"The Lady of Shallot† reveals much more of the outside world than the confines on the tower of Shallot. Tennyson uses Part II to show the Lady of Shallot’s need for contact with the brilliant world he has built through vivid description. It begins by speaking of the â€Å"magic web with colors gay† which â€Å"she weaves by night and day† (Griffith 333). This small passage is quite important to the rest of the story. By describing this â€Å"magic web† that the Lady of Shallot painstakingly spends all her time on, Tennyson is conveying a message much bigger. In this stanza, the â€Å"magic web† is the Lady of Shallot’s life. She constantly works on this â€Å"web† and it is all she has ever know. And as she weaves, the Lady of Shallot gazes through a mirror and sees â€Å"shadows of the world† (Griffith 333). And this is exactly what she is witnessing, shadows; since she isn’t involved wit h this outside world, the happenings are never more than images—never reality. The Lady of Shallot contently continues â€Å"to weave the mirrors magic sights† (Griffith 333). She then witnesses â€Å"a funeral, with plumes of light†, and even â€Å"two young lovers lately wed†Show MoreRelated Illustrated in the poems The Lady of Shalott and Ulysses by Alfred Lord1347 Words   |  6 PagesIllustrated in the poems The Lady of Shalott and Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Door by Mir slave Holub and The Girl in Times Square, a novel by Paulina Simmons. Change gives us roots; continuity gives us branches letting us stretch and grow to reach new heights. Living as we know it wouldn’t exist if change didn’t occur. This ability to continue changing is the only true security we have. This is illustrated in the poems ‘The Lady of Shalott† and ‘Ulysses’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson