As explained in Wikipedia:
"The Lady of Shalott" is a lyrical ballad by the English poet Alfred Tennyson. Based on the medieval La Damigella di Scalot, it tells the tragic story of Elaine of Astolat, a young noblewoman imprisoned in a tower up the river from Camelot. One of the poet's best-known works, its vivid medieval romanticism and enigmatic symbolism inspired many painters, especially the Pre-Raphaelites and their followers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_of_Shalott
The entire poem, written in the mid-19th Century, is set out in the links below. I first encountered it in Mr. Liddell's English Literature class at Antioch College around 1955.
Our final exam asked us, among other things, to write a brief essay about this line:
" 'I am half sick of shadows' said the Lady of Shalott."
That line, in the final stanza of Part II of this epic poem, finds this noble lady tiring of being sequestered in a castle where she must remain indefinitely.
It haunts me now as I hover in isolation during the current COVID-19 crisis, communicating with the world, friends and family only via "shadows" on my TV, computer, or cell phone.
Here is that line in context:
From Alfred Lord Tennyson -- Lady of Shalott
But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often thro' the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights,
And music, went to Camelot:
Or when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed;
'I am half sick of shadows,' said
The Lady of Shalott
I too, am "half sick of shadows!"
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