Jabez Waterhouse

Many artists create works of art based off of poetry because it provides the audience with a visual image. By having a visual image with the poem, it becomes easier to analyze art and poetry together because the reader can use both works to explore the author’s purpose. In 1842 Tennyson wrote the “Lady of Shalott,” and in 1888 John Waterhouse painted a picture illustrating Tennyson’s character, the Lady of Shalott. Although Tennyson and Waterhouse use different mediums, they both illustrate the position of a nineteenth century woman and Waterhouse uses images from the poem to recreate the mood. The main focus in John Waterhouse’s painting is the woman in the boat. The boat has a lantern hanging off the front and inside the boat are a few candles, a quilt that she wove spread out across the edge of the boat with the edges dragging the surface of the water. She is holding a chain in her hand to keep her from floating away. The woman is very pale, has red hair, and is wearing a medieval style dress with a white headband. She has a confused or lost look on her face. On the left side of the painting up on the river bank is a dark forest. A mountain lies on the horizon on the right side of…

Perseverance instills itself into individuals during stressful times. There are several references in the poem to Penelope’s perseverance both in her faithfulness to Odysseus and her performance of the duties of a traditional housewife over the twenty years her husband was away. The painting is a visually representation of this perseverance by showing Penelope intently concentrating on weaving the shroud while her suitors try and persuade her with music and gifts. The themes of perseverance,…

True love is very strong and can be rare. With the millions of people in the world there is that person that others know is their one true love. While true love appears in life,it can also exist in literature. In the epic “The Odyssey”, Odysseus and Penelope’s love stays true and pure even while he is away for so long. Penelope greatly misses and aches for Odysseus’ return even though she has the chance to marry again to one of the suitors. But, her love is true and avoids the suitors love for…