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“The Lady of Shalott” is a narrative poem that’s divided into four parts of unequal length. Each of these parts advances the poem’s overall narrative, telling the tragic story of the title character’s confinement and the curse that comes down on her when she gives in to her frustrated desire. Part I sets the scene by describing the island of Shalott, which sits within a river that is flowing toward the king’s court at Camelot. Confined within a small castle-like structure on this island, the Lady of Shalott remains withdrawn from view. The only people who see her are the reapers who come to the island to harvest barley and rye, but even they only get partial glimpses. Shifting from this exterior view, Part II moves to the domestic interior. Within her “four gray walls” (line 15), the Lady spends her time weaving on a loom. Unable to look directly out her window due to a mysterious curse she doesn’t fully understand, she uses a crystal mirror to reflect the world. But by the end of Part II, it’s clear that these conditions have left the Lady frustrated and desiring to connect with more than mere “shadows” (line 71).

After affirming the Lady’s state of frustrated loneliness, Part III introduces the inciting incident that will ultimately lead to her death. After watching endless processions heading to Camelot, an entrancing new figure appears in shimmering armor: “bold Sir Lancelot” (line 77). Four of this part’s five stanzas are dedicated to a description of Lancelot and his horse, indicating the strong allure this handsome man has for the isolated Lady. She feels so drawn to him that, in the fifth stanza, she finally succumbs to the temptation of looking out her window toward Camelot. In this moment, which is the climax of the poem, the mysterious curse is activated, causing her weaving to spontaneously unravel and her mirror to crack. With the curse activated, Part IV unfolds the tragic falling action. A storm arrives as the Lady leaves her tower, boards a boat, and begins floating down the river toward Camelot. But by the time she reaches her destination, the Lady has died. And when Lancelot finally lays eyes on her, he can do nothing but reflect pitifully on her beauty. For the reader, who knows the intensity of the Lady’s thwarted desire, the gentleness of Lancelot’s pity amplifies her tragedy.

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