Untangling the Lady of Shalott
The story of Rapunzel in the Disney movie Tangled is unlike any story ever told, except, that is, for the story of “The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Although, both of these stories were published years apart, there exist many references and allusions to “The Lady of Shalott.” All throughout the Tangled movie, there are parallel scene and imagery that links “The Lady of Shalott” and Tangled together. In addition, both of the female main characters share the same states of agency, and the same point where that state of agency changes form passive to active. Lastly, “The Lady of Shalott” and Tangled share the same reflected mirror images allusions to “The Allegory of the Cave.”
The Lady of Shalott is entangled
In both “The Lady of Shalott,” and in Tangled, the scenery is similar. In Tennyson’s poem, the tower the Lady of Shalott lives in a tower on the side of a river that flows along a road and some brown and golden fields. In Tangled, the image is parallel to the Lady of Shalott’s tower. In the background, there is a waterfall running over a cliff. The waterfall becomes a river that flows through the lush green field alongside a dirt road. In the Lady of Shalott’s room, she weaves all day and looks through her mirror toward Camelot. In one painting by William Hunt, he painted the Lady of Shalott entangled in her weaving, while in the background there is a mirror looking out onto Camelot. In Tangled, there is a similar scene where Rapunzel tell the audience that in her free time in the tower, she likes to paint and knit, among the many other numerous things she does to keep busy. In the next scene, the audience sees her wrapped up in her hair painting on the ceiling images of what appears to be the forest and herself sitting on a tree underneath the lanterns floating in the sky coming from the kingdom.
Rapunzel’s Tower
In another scene in “The Lady of Shalott,” the Lady escapes her confinement and goes onto a small boat going to Camelot. The parallel scene in Tangled comes after Rapunzel arrives at the kingdom. During the lantern festival, she and Eugene borrow a boat and row onto the middle of a lake. While this scene is not completely similar to “The Lady of Shalott,” the images are still connected. In the last scene image that both “The Lady of Shalott,” and Tangled share is when they arrive at their respective kingdoms. For “The Lady of Shalott,” she arrives dead and all the people gather around her dead body in the boat. Unlike “The Lady of Shalott,” Rapunzel arrives at her kingdom on foot and alive. Also instead of the villager just gawking at her, they begin to sing and dance with her. If you’ve noticed yet, the main characters become active characters toward the end of both of the stories.
The Lady of Shalott on her Boat
Both characters, in the beginning of their story, share the same state of agency. Both are confined in a tower and spend their day painting and weaving until a man walks past their windows. In this case, it is Sir Lancelot and Flynn Rider. Until both female characters leave the tower, they are considered to be passive protagonist. The Lady of Shalott and Rapunzel are passive protagonists because they only react to events happening to them, like being thrown into a tower. Once Rapunzel and the Lady of Shalott see their male love interest, then their character changes to a state of active agency, and become active protagonists. They both leave the tower, hop in a boat, and head towards the distant kingdom. (although not necessarily in that order.) They seek adventure, and events happen because of their action, particularly when they leave the tower.
Rapunzel hides in her tower
For both characters, escaping from the tower can be seen as an act of defiance. Christine Poulson argues in Death and the Maiden: The Lady of Shalott and the Pre-Raphaelites that “the Lady of Shalott’s escape from her tower as an act of defiance, a symbol of female empowerment.” Poulson also argues that this escape from the tower allows to the main character to come discover their sexuality, and to break their emotional shackles. I think Poulson would agree that Rapunzel experiences the same act of defiance, and emotional and sexual freedom. However, this is not the only way to look at the escape from the tower scene.
The Lady of Shalott leaves her tower
After escaping the tower, both characters feel as if they could never remain in the tower after tasting freedom. In the Lady of Shalott says, “’The curse is come upon me,’ cried/ The Lady of Shalott,” it is never know what the curse is, however, one speculation is that the curse is that the Lady of Shalott can never return to the tower and her former way of life. Rapunzel feels the same way. When she leaves the tower for the first time, she is split between feeling excitement and joy over the new world before her, but on the other hand, she feels like she should return to the tower. In the end, she declares she will never return to the tower. This similar concept can be traced back to “The Allegory of the Cave.” In all three stories, the main character are held captive and sees the world through images of images. When they are freed, they leave the cave and see how light fills the world, and their perspective on the world changes. All three feel as if they can never return to the cave, or tower. This idea becomes even more relevant when Rapunzel sings the song “I See the Light.” After only seeing images of the lanterns, she sees the real thing and sings about how the world and her perspective of it have changed. I realize that this might be a forced perspective of see Tangled and “The Lady of Shalott,” and that there may be other views on how related these stories are to each other.
“I See the Light”
Therefore, I will admit that between both stories, there are some differences; the largest being that Rapunzel still is alive at the end of her story unlike the Lady of Shalott. Some people could argue that since Tangled is a Disney movie, it has to have a good ending. Other could also say that these two stories are complete unrelated. However, I would like to present one last piece of evidence that Tangled and “The Lady of Shalott” are related. After the villain, mother Gothel, returns Rapunzel to the tower mother Gothel says, “I really did try, Rapunzel. I tried to warn you what was out there. The world is dark, selfish, and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it!” Here the innocence of Rapunzel dies a little. In “the Lady of Shalott,” it doesn’t say how she died, but maybe the creators of Tangled are giving us a clue. Perhaps, the Lady of Shalott died because she lost her innocence, because “The world is dark and selfish and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it!”
The Lady of Shalott is dead
Works Cited:
Damrosch, David, and Kevin J. H. Dettmar. “The Lady of Shalott.” The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Fourth ed. Vol. 2b. New York: Longman, 2010. 1181-185. Print.
Poulson, C. Death and the Maiden:the Lady of Shalott and the Pre-raphaelites. N.p.: Miles R, 1996. 173-80. Print.
Tangled. Walt Disney, 2010. DVD.
Images from top to bottom:
Hunt, William. The Lady of Shalott. Digital image. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.<https://dettoldisney.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/tangledtower.jpg>.
Rapunzel Paints. Digital image. Web. 7 Dec. 2015. <https://manymanymoonsarts.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/img_7988.jpg>.
Hunt, William. The Lady of Shalott. Digital image. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.<https://dettoldisney.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/tangledtower.jpg>.
Rapunzel’s Tower. Digital image. Web. 7 Dec. 2015. <https://dettoldisney.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/tangledtower.jpg>.
Mattandrews. Lady of Shalott. Digital image. Deviant Art. Web. 7 Dec. 2015. <http://orig08.deviantart.net/bf52/f/2010/051/c/a/lady_of_shalott_by_mattandrews.jpg>.
Rapunzel Hides. Digital image. Imagur. Web. 7 Dec. 2015. <http://i.imgur.com/xKqnr.gif>.
Waterhouse, John William. The Lady of Shalott. Digital image. Web. 7 Dec. 2015. <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/John_William_Waterhouse_-_The_Lady_of_Shalott_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg>.
I See The Light. Digital image. Web. 7 Dec. 2015. <http://49.media.tumblr.com/ebda61fe4a6bfe408035d356fd1a4a6d/tumblr_mrwaefwXvK1rf73xqo1_r2_500.gif>.
Hughes, Arthur. The Lady of Shalott. Digital image. Web. 7 Dec. 2015. <http://uploads8.wikiart.org/images/arthur-hughes/the-lady-of-shalott-1873.jpg>.
I thought that this was a very interesting comparison between “The Lady of Shalott” and the movie Tangled. I never would have thought to pick these two pieces to put together, but reading your post I very much can see how these could be related. I thought that your analysis was good and I did not realize the similarities in places like the boat and the image portrayed from the castle. I especially liked your final statement about that maybe the reason for keeping Rapunzel alive (not only because its a Disney movie) is to show an alternative option to the reason the Lady of Shalott died in the poem. The idea that the world is dark, selfish, and cruel is a very good point of interest for both stories. The Lady of Shalott very well could have died because she knew that the world was cruel and she would be taken back to the tower once discovered or that the world is dark and you do not know what awaits your fate. Any way you use that quote to think about the death of Lady of Shalott and the death inside of Rapunzel, you arrive at an interesting and thought provoking conclusion.
As a classics major, I enjoyed the tie-in to The Allegory of the Cave. Also, this blog’s strength for me was highlighting of the similarity between TLOS and Rapunzel. There is opportunity for further direction in asking why TLOS might be a continuing motif even in the 21st century, and this blog implies that question.
You make some really interesting points! I especially love the parallel you draw between “I See the Light” and the allegory of the cave, it really makes sense in the context of Rapunzel’s individual journey, and the way her perceptions of the world affect her decisions later in the film. I think if I were you, I would further explore the differences in the reasons for the Lady and Rapunzel leaving their towers; even though this is a comparison I think it would be interesting to talk about how their personal motivations drive their respective stories. Eugene is the agent of Rapunzel deciding to take action as Sir Lancelot is for the Lady, but at the beginning that’s all he is to her, a guide. She doesn’t leave her tower for him, she leaves because of her desire to fulfill her lifelong dream of seeing the lanterns and getting a taste of what it’s like outside her tower, and Eugene provides an open window of opportunity. I think the Lady’s motivations were much more romance driven, as seen when she mentions watching the romantic couple, and then falling in love with Sir Lancelot. However, you do point a fundamental similarity, which is their longing to have an experience within society. I also like the way you mention the boats, and though I think you hint at this, it could be taken further by talking about Rapunzel’s despair when she believes Eugene has abandoned her, it can be compared I think to the Lady’s death; even though it’s temporary society seems to have destroyed her spirit just as it destroys the Lady. Finally, I love the way you draw on Mother Gothel’s role in Tangled to sort of embody society’s role in Tennyson’s poem. That quote in particular does a good job of showing Tennyson’s message about society, the difference being that Rapunzel overcomes society’s hardships, but the Lady is overcome by them. Overall, great job, I really enjoyed reading this!
While reading “The Lady of Shallot” in class I admit I was drawn to similarities referencing Rapunzel. So after reading this post I was even more intrigued as to how many similarities there are, especially regarding their freedom. Both women were contained to a life of solitude that eventually made them explode into a thirst for freedom. For awhile they are content with their lives because they are ignorant to the outside world, but once they get a taste of what they are missing they urge to leave their comfort zone and venture out into society. Ultimately they seek for companionship and connection, which is only natural for humankind, unfortunately the Lady of Shallot meets a morbid demise, but at least Rapunzel gets a happy ending.
Hey Baron. (It’s Aaron.) I love your comparison of these works to the allegory of the cave. I didn’t think of that at all while reading TLOS (and definitely wouldn’t have if I’d seen Tangled). But it works really well. Both of these characters are cursed with their inexperience of the world like the citizens of the cave are, and naturally the blunt end of the curse is what always happens with experience. Just like with Blake’s songs, these women must transform themselves after seeing what life is like outside of the towers. Like I implied, I haven’t seen Tangled, so I’m wondering what Rapunzel’s reaction to Gothel is… Does she experience pain from the statement, or is it portrayed as the mother extending her control as far as she can, since Rapunzel is free from the tower?
bjkready, thank you for explaining a thorough comparison! I like that you not only compare specific moments between the movie and the poem, but that you also compare the two from beginning to end. In other words, you do not just compare the beginning or the end but both. Furthermore, you describe their differences as well. Also, I like that you incorporated specific quotes from the movie to prove your points.
I also like the analogy of Repunzel dying a little at the end when Gothel tells her about the world in comparison to Lady Shalott dying. I believe this analogy is valid. Disney incorporates mature elements between the lines of their films, and Repunzel’s figurative death could be an instance where Disney is incorporating an adult theme.
What a great comparison! Being a huge fan of Tangled, the first time I read The Lady of Shallot, I thought that there was a little bit of a comparison, but I didn’t know just how much! You explained everything thoroughly, from the beginning and the lack of agency in the heroines to their first moment of change (when they were “introduced” to their love interests) to finally the end in the boat. I liked your explanation for the ending. When Mother Gothel recaptures Rapunzel and traps her once again in the castle, you can definitely call that a moment of death for Rapunzel. She had experienced so much life in so little time and to go back to the dull, dark tower was something that seemed like torture. But, luckily (unlike The Lady of Shallot) Rapunzel did not truly die and had her happily ever after. It makes me wonder what The Lady of Shallot would look like if it were a Disney movie. Would it have a happy ending?
You make very interesting comparisons between Tangled and The Lady of Shallot. I never would have thought of this idea which makes reading this all the more better. Both Rapunzel and the Lady are very similar and I thought your analysis was clear about them, such as the isolation between both characters and how they don’t interact with society. Overall, your post was a breath of fresh air.
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