Question

In what way is the theme in this excerpt from "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson similar to the theme of the poem "Ulysses"?

Down she came and found a boat

Beneath a willow left afloat,

And round about the prow she wrote

The Lady of Shalott.


And down the river's dim expanse

Like some bold seër in a trance,

Seeing all his own mischance--

With a glassy countenance

Did she look to Camelot.

And at the closing of the day

She loosed the chain, and down she lay;

The broad stream bore her far away,

The Lady of Shalott.




Both poems explore the idea of pursuing new experiences.

Both poems reflect on issues of isolation from society.

Both poems use images of water and boats to represent the unknown.

Both poems warn against the dangers of embarking on a new journey.

Answer 1

The best answer for this question would be:

Both poems reflect on issues of isolation from society.

The poems had a central and similar theme of isolation of society in their own depiction of it which is shared by the melancholy characters.