Read "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Exercise 1:
Paraphrase each of the four sections of this poem.
Exercise 2:
This poem is considered a "ballad". Explain what is a ballad and why this poem is a ballad.
Exercise 3:
A refrain is a repetition of words, phrases or lines at regular intervals. When refrains follow a stanza they are called terminal refrains. When refrains are within stanzas they are called internal refrains. When a refrain changes a little with each repetition it is called an incremental refrain.
What is the refrain in the poem "The Lady of Shalott"? Where is it and what type(s) is it?
Exercise 4:
Listen to Loreena McKennitt's musical adaptation of "The Lady of Shalott". Which stanzas did McKennitt leave out and which stanzas did she use? Do you think that McKennit chose most appropriate stanzas or would you have included or excluded other stanzas?
Exercise 5:
Consider the "curse" of the Lady. What do you think was this curse? What triggered it to come into effect?
Exercise 6:
Identify the "liminal spaces" in this poem, and explain why you think they are liminal.
Exercise 7:
Discuss the similarities between the Lady's Castle and Plato's Cave.
Exercise 8:
It is possible that the Lady of Shallot is an allegorical figure. What do you think the Lady symbolizes? Keeping your answer in mind, what do you think the poem is about?
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
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