Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 'The Lady of Shalott': understanding the ballad
I can show understanding of 'The Lady of Shalott' through comprehension and annotation.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 'The Lady of Shalott': understanding the ballad
I can show understanding of 'The Lady of Shalott' through comprehension and annotation.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The Lady of Shalott is a cursed woman who is confined to a tower on an island just outside Camelot.
- The Lady of Shalott isn't allowed to look out of the tower's window, but sees the outside through a mirror's reflection.
- The Lady of Shalott must weave these reflections into a cloth; if she stops weaving, something terrible will happen.
- One day she looks out of the window in order to see Sir Lancelot.
- The curse comes upon her and she dies, found in a boat drifting toward Camelot.
Common misconception
The Lady of Shalott chooses to take her own life on the way to Camelot.
The Lady of Shalott realises that, because she got up from her loom, she is now cursed. Knowing she will die from this curse, she gets into the boat to sail to Camelot. She realises she will not make it there alive.
Keywords
Isle - a small island
Curse - a spell put on someone meaning something bad will happen to them
Weave - to form fabric by interlacing different threads together
Web - a network of threads e.g. a spider's web
Camelot - a legendary place (that is, not real) where King Arthur (a legendary King) was said to hold court.
Equipment
Pupils will need a copy of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 'The Lady of Shalott' which can be found on the worksheet or additional materials.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Video
Loading...
Starter quiz
6 Questions
small island
a spell put on someone meaning something bad will happen to them
to form fabric by interlacing different threads together
a network of threads
a legendary place (that is, not real)
a poem that is inspired by a piece of art and describes it
a poem that tells a story
a 14 line poem, often about love
a 3 line poem, its origins are Japanese
a group of lines forming a verse of a poem
when two or more words have the same sound as each other
when a word or phrase is used more than once
when there is no punctuation at the end of a line of poetry