Elaine of Astolat is the most famous Elaine in the Arthurian legends. She has been immortalized as the Lady of Shalott by such figures as Alfred, Lord Tennyson and by the Pre-Raphaelites. But who is Elaine of Astolat really? This article will explore her and her story.
Elaine's Origins
The story of Elaine of Astolat originated in the thirteenth century in Italy, in the tale ""La Damigella di Scalot, tale 82 of Il Novellino, a thirteenth-century collection of Italian tales" (Castleberry, para. 2).
This first tale of Elaine of Astolat shows her falling in love with Sir Lancelot, him rejecting her love, and her dying and floating on a barge to Camelot, as in the later versions of the story.
However, there are some differences between the first…show more content… This was due to the Pre-Raphaelites and their interest in medievalism, which led to them depicting medieval subjects in their art, including the Arthurian legends.
Also, the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson depicted Elaine and her story in his works, including Idylls of the King. They both gave her the name "The Lady of Shalott," which has stuck with her to this day, and brings up images of romance and tragedy, as does the story of Elaine of Astolat itself.
She was even popular in children's literature of the time, with a book on her being written by children's writer Howard Pyle, and remained popular into the early twentieth century.
All throughout, Elaine's tragedy of rejection in love and death was highlighted as the major elements of her story. She was also made into a more passive figure, "a sweet and submissive Victorian ideal" (Castleberry, para. 23), who was not strong or even active, as in some earlier versions of the tale.
This has led to criticism from feminists of Elaine of Astolat as a passive figure, and attempts to reclaim Elaine as a more active figure in more recent depictions of…show more content… Regardless of what angle one approaches the story from, the story of Elaine of Astolat is memorable as a great classic of the Arthurian legends, and of literature in general.
Conclusion
Elaine of Astolat is memorable as a figure who loved, and who died of unrequited love. Her story is therefore memorable for being a tragedy, and a depiction of the effects of unrequited love.
She started out as a minor but more active figure in the medieval era, then became a major but more passive figure in the Victorian era, which ironically was her apotheosis due to her depiction by the Pre-Raphaelites and by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
More recent depictions of Elaine of Astolat and her story have attempted to reclaim her as a more active figure, whether or not she is depicted as getting Sir Lancelot.
Elaine of Astolat captivates the attention of the reader through her devotion and her preparation for the inevitable, making her a memorable figure.
On the whole, Elaine of Astolat and her story stays with the reader for the rest of his or her life, and hence it is not hard to guess the reason for her enduring
