Final answer:
The Lady of Shalott is affected by a curse that confines her to a tower, weaving a web while only observing the outside world through a mirror. When she looks directly at Camelot, the curse is fulfilled, and she dies, drifting down the river to the city where the people turn away, recognizing her only by her name on the boat.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Lady of Shalott is a character in the eponymous poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson which describes the plight of a young woman bound by a mysterious curse to weave a never-ending web in her secluded tower. The poem's excerpts portray her life as one of solitude, filled with reflections of the bustling life outside her window where she longs to participate in the world she observes only as shadows cast upon her mirror. However, the moment the Lady of Shalott decides to leave her loom and embrace life directly, by looking down to Camelot, her fate seals as the curse comes upon her, leading to her death.
Upon her attempt to integrate with society, as she floats down the river to Camelot, the people she had longed to be among do not embrace her but instead turn away. When she approaches Camelot, her body is discovered in a boat, and those who see her recognize her only through her name inscribed on the prow. The tragic end of the Lady of Shalott epitomizes the theme of isolation and the consequences of defying an inescapable fate.