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Compare And Contrast ‘Mariana’ and ‘Lady Of Shalott’ Both of the poems feature contrast between light and darkness, in Mariana the poem straight away starts with a dark perspective whereas in lady of shalott the poem starts with a summery seasonal imagery with the ‘lilies’ blowing by the light wind. In Mariana the ‘moated grange’ is engulfed by the dull state of decay in nature, for instance the flower has lost it’s beauty because …

…his handsome look. Overall I think that Mariana is more trapped than the lady of ‘shalott’ because she is surrounded by darkness and decay whereas the lady of shalott does not live through the gloominess but does at the end however her darkness is not as constant as Mariana’s. Tennyson use of vivid imagery is very powerful throughout Mariana and the lady of shalott, his imageries create a painting, which can be imagined successfully.