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 of the invasion of the 'blackest moss,' this may indicate that the woman has lost herself like the flower by the brooding of her lover, the obscurity of the surroundings of the moat is consistent throughout the poem. However in the lady of shallot, Tennyson illustrates the change in mood by using the weather to represent the atmosphere of change, the poems beauty of nature dies out when Tennyson uses visual imagery of absurd vocabulary such as 'stormy,' 'pale yellow wood,' it immediately draws the readers attention and creates suspense of how the poem may end.
             In the second last stanza of Mariana Tennyson creates an ominous and chilling atmosphere, although Tennyson had established in beginning that she lives alone 'upon the lonely moated grange,' he gives an implication that there may have been other people living there before as he says, 'old faces glimmer'd thro' the door,' this may be a sign of her past haunting her and that she cannot escape from it. Similarly in lady of shalott Tennyson uses the same technique for creating the ominous chilling atmosphere, he does this by setting the scenario of her sailing alone 'in the stormy east-wind' which creates a sense of danger, her death is described so vividly that the readers are able to feel the chill when her 'blood was frozen slowly,' as they are able to sense the past crashing down onto Mariana like a 'haunting...