Shiny!

Hey, all! Sorry I haven't been blogging lately...registration has been looming over me like a sinister Sword Bridge (yay, references!) but I'd never miss a blog post! What I wanted to talk about today was the parallels between The Lady of Shalott and the Passing of Arthur from The Idylls of the King. 
                First of all, Tennyson's writing is beautiful...so melancholy. There was one line that especially caught me eye from The Idylls of the King (around line 125):

"Thou wouldst betray me for the precious hilt;
Either from lust of gold, or like a girl
Valuing the giddy pleasure of the eyes"

In other words, Arthur is displeased with Sir Bedivere, so he's calling names. (I'm not sure if I'd be much better if my head was split.)

 Here is another section describing the appearance of Arthur's beloved sword (around line 51):


"There drew he forth the brand Excalibur,
And o'er him, drawing it, the winter moon,
Brightening the skirts of a long cloud, ran forth
And sparkled keen with frost against the hilt:
For all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks,
Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth-work
Of subtlest jewellery. He gazed so long
That both his eyes were dazzled as he stood..."


As you can see, Excalibur is described as being bright like a star, leaving Bedivere in awe as a girl would be from seeing something pleasurable. (You know how us silly girls are...) 
 
Let's look at a girl he may have parallelism with in The Lady of Shalott:

"The gemmy bridle glitter'd free, 

Like to some branch of stars we see 

Hung in the golden Galaxy. 

The bridle bells rang merrily  85           

As he rode down to Camelot: 

And from his blazon'd baldric slung 

A mighty silver bugle hung, 

And as he rode his armour rung,            

Beside remote Shalott.  90  

All in the blue unclouded weather 

Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather, 

The helmet and the helmet-feather 

Burn'd like one burning flame together,            

As he rode down to Camelot.  95

As often thro' the purple night, 

Below the starry clusters bright, 

Some bearded meteor, trailing light,            

Moves over still Shalott.   

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd; 100

On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode; 

From underneath his helmet flow'd" 

 This is how The Lady of Shalott sees Lancelot. She is as much as in awe of Lancelot as Bedivere is in seeing Excalibur. But is it Excalibur himself (yes...I wrote like Tennyson!) that has Bedivere in awe, or is it what the sword is symbolizing:  King Arthur, The Round Table, and Camelot? Most importantly, King Arthur and his rein. In seeing Escalibur shine bright like a diamond (lol), Bedivere is filled with nostalgia of once was as The Lady of Shalott is filled with a similar emotion upon seeing Lancelot. This, of course, introduces the question on whether one can feel nostalgia for something he or she has never experienced?

Unless you just have a really bad memory like this character.

In seeing the beautiful, curly haired Lancelot, The Lady is filled with the sorrow of what could have been: a life of love, passion, and glory, possibly with him. When Bedivere feels sorrow at the idea of the end of the Round Table, it is because these knights have experienced love, passion, and glory together. While Bedivere may realize that throwing Excalibur in the lake will bring on the death of Arthur, The Lady of Shalott realizes that Lancelot may bring upon the death of herself.

"She has a lovely face."

Well that was philosophical. I feel like Cicero. Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!