The object of this Bachelor Thesis is the study of the motif of The Lady of Shalott in the oeuvre of the english painter John William Waterhouse. The victorian artist depicted the story of The Lady of Shalott three times in the span of twenty-seven years and created three unique works of art, that differ from each other in terms of their motifs, style and iconography. In the first part, the origin of the legend is presented, with a special emphasis on Alfred Lord Tennyson's lyrical ballad, which served as a literary source for Waterhouse's depictions. The second part deals with the analysis of the depictions of the motif throughout history, analyses Waterhouse's three works and presents the possibility of interpreting the figure of The Lady of Shalott as an allegory of the role and fate of the artist in the Victorian society.
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