"The Lady of Shalott" is a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson that tells the story of a woman living in a tower near Camelot. She is cursed to weave a tapestry and can only see the outside world through a mirror. This isolation leads her to long for the life she observes but cannot partake in. When she sees the handsome knight Lancelot in the mirror, she is compelled to leave her tower. This act breaks the curse, but it ultimately leads to her tragic fate as she floats down the river to Camelot, lifeless, symbolizing the consequences of longing for freedom.