What Is The Contradiction Of The Lady Of Shalott

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“The Lady of Shalott,” by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is a poem readers have no choice, but to feel contradicted. The Lady of Shalott is a woman stuck staring at a mirror with a curse hovering above her head. She is not supposed to look out of the window otherwise the curse will come true. There are many contradictions throughout the poem including illusion vs. reality, life vs. death, and art vs. human emotion. Illusion vs. reality is the contradiction the poem focuses on most. Throughout the poem The Lady of Shalott is always questioned. “Listening, whispers “Tis the fairy…””(35). The curse is an illusion until the Lady of Shalott looks out of the window which makes the curse a reality. In real life, readers can see themselves in the