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Literary Analysis

The separate spheres of gendered activity mainly assert that God ensured the creation of

women and men differently hence, the necessity for ensuring that each remains in their position.

The Victorian period is mainly regarded as a male dominated society or a society that that

gradually witnessed the emergence of the women’s opposition to their exclusion from the male

public sphere. The strict segregation of gender permeated the different aspects of the Victorian

life hence contributing to the creation of the separate spheres of the gendered activity. The

separate spheres were mainly institutionalized as both the cultural and social hegemonic form of

gender relations (Danahay, 261). However, there is the necessity for noting that by the end of the

period the separate spheres and gender ideologies that upheld them started to break down. The

paper thus intends to examine the female characters in Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poems, Mariana

and Lady of Shalott.

The Victorian period saw the men exhibit dominance over the public sphere and thus

exerted significant control over finances, the household, and family as well. The women, on the

other hand, bore the responsibility of caring for the children and the domestic aspects of the

family. There were fewer expectations concerning the women’s knowledge on the routine

domestic management. Even in the private spheres, the women exhibited adherence to the

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authority of their brothers, husbands, and fathers. The Victorian period saw the emergence of the

popularization of the literary stereotypes of women. The women characters in most of this

literary work were depicted as of seemingly the weaker sex both intellectually and physically.

On the other hand, some of the authors ensured their idealization of the masculinity in terms of

endeavor, strength, and courage. The power of man is active, defensive, and progressive. The

binary conceptions of the gender relations are drawn and directly influenced by both the religious

and social frameworks of the time.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem, “The Lady of Shallott” is rather a version of the ballad in

the hybrid form with both the lyric and narrative integrated throughout. The poem mainly

narrates the story of a woman with a curse placed upon her and is thus trapped in a tower having

a window which she cannot look directly out of, with her only view of the world comprising of

the image reflected by the mirror that she eventually weaves onto a tapestry. One day during her

usual observation of the outside world she spots a handsome man singing and instantly falls in

love with him.

“The Lady of Shalott” replicates the issues concerning the identity of the women in the

present-day Victorian society as both the gendered and social expectations placed upon the

women that their rightful place is the domestic interior while the men belong to the active

interior. The Lady in the poem is rather symbolic of the ideal women as she is embowered,

virginal, mysterious, and spiritual and depicts dedication to her womanly tasks. There is the

necessity for noting that the author ensures that the identity of the woman remains scanty, as

there is a little description of her character. However, the author provides a detailed description

of the male character, Lancelot. The Lady in the poem later threatens the system of female and

male realms. The Victorian period saw the notion of separate spheres being rather based on

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gender of the involved persons (Jump, 302). She threatens the system of the male and female

realm through her act of turning towards the window and looking out at Lancelot while hoping

she could connect with him in the male exterior. She later claims her individuality and identity as

she writes her name on the boat. However, her rebellion against the social norms and

expectations cost her life.

Tennyson ensures presentation of the central female characters in his poems “The Lady

of Shalott” and “Mariana” in the way that he tends to view the women and their responsibilities

in the public. There exist numerous similarities and variances in both poems concerning the lives

of the females and their behavior. In “The Lady of Shalott” the Lady resides in a tower, cursed

and trapped until she spots Lancelot approaching. The woman mainly focuses on spinning

tapestry and does not look outside through the window (Kincaid, 211). However, later in the

poem, she loses focus and feels the need for seeing Lancelot for herself. The tapestry is thus an

essential symbol in the poem as it shows the only world that the woman is able to interact with

and such represents the lives of other people via the mirror. The poem is a reflection of the

political chaos that the women underwent in the year that the poem was authored. The Lady is

portrayed as helpless and trapped. She is introduced as rather having been in this tower all along

and her life seems lonely and desperate as she waits for the knight to rescue her while she is

separated from the other aspects of the world.

On the other hand, the poem “Mariana” as well depicts the separated spheres. The poem

mainly depicts the author telling of a woman waiting for the return of her lover. The poet

reiterates these feelings of loneliness and the lack of sexual fulfillment. The consciousness of

Marian is mainly introduced to the readers through the third person narrator. The poet as well

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gives the readers a portal her melancholy state and the deteriorating world around her from the

third person narrator.

The common theme of isolation is evident in “Mariana”. The poem depicts the unnamed

woman, assumed Mariana as longing to for the return of her lover. However, there is the

necessity for noting that the narration of the longing is from the perspective of the observer. The

poet thus ensures complete alienation of Mariana from the narration, as she does not participate

in the narration of her story and the poet as well fails to mention her name in the poem. As such,

her exclusion from the poem takes away her individuality. Moreover, the narrator of the story

watches Mariana go through a seemingly emotional journey. Mariana fails to connect to both the

man she is waiting for and the society as well.

The darkness and silence that characterize the setting of the poem play a significant role

in depicting isolation of Mariana from the rest of the world. Moreover, the isolation causes

Mariana to wish for the company of other people. The poem depicts Mariana as living in a

moated grange. The building that she lives in is totally in ruins and thick black moss covers the

flowerbeds. From the narration, it is evident that nothing seems to be at a good stage that makes

Mariana complain concerning her anxiety and loneliness. Mariana spends most of her time

weeping. She seems tired of living without love.

Mariana mainly wishes for her lover’s return whose delay contributes significantly to her

despair and sadness. The fact that her lover is unable to return causing her sadness shows the

overdependence of the women on the male figures in the society. Mariana believes that her life is

rather dreary in the absence of her lover. Despite the presence of something good to look at,

Mariana is prevented from seeing it as she only opens her curtains at night. Mariana feels worse

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when she looks outside due to the lack of interesting things to look at. Her focus lies on finding

her lover.

The primary reason for choosing the women in the different situations as evident in the

poems entail the focus on showing that it is always a problem for the women from all

occupations as money does not equal happiness. Just as Mariana waits for the return of her lover,

the Victorian women often hope for the return of their husbands from the seemingly dangerous

jobs such as mining or in factories. Mariana still hopes for the return of her lover hence depicting

her loyalty to him ‘my life is dreary, He cometh not’.

The society had high expectations concerning marriage for both the men and women and

particularly the women during the Victorian period. The separate spheres made a significant

influence on the married life of the women. After marriage, the men regarded women as their

property. Such is evident in the fact that Mariana is unable to move on with her life effectively as

she awaits her lover. The complete isolation of Mariana in the absence of her husband depict the

superiority of the men in the society whereby the women tend to depend on them in ensuring

effectiveness in the completion of some of the domestic tasks.

In conclusion, the poet depicts the female characters as rather inferior individuals

dominated by men in the public sphere. The men thus tend to control the different aspects of

these characters. as evident in “The Lady of Shalott,” the Lady’s attempt to acquire her identity

is thwarted as she dies before she meets Lancelot. On the other hand, Mariana is depicted to be

responsible for the private sphere that mainly entails taking care of the domestic aspects of the

household. However, she is unable to move on with her life as she desperately waits for the

return of her lover.

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Works Cited

Danahay, Martin A. Gender at Work in Victorian Culture: Literature, Art and Masculinity.

Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate, 2005. Print.

Jump, John D., ed. Lord Alfred Tennyson: the critical heritage. Routledge, 2013.

Kincaid, James R. “The Lady of Shalott.” The Victorian Web. Victorianweb.org, 28 March.

2001. Web. 2 October 2017.

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