The Lady of the Lake
Lady of the Lake, The,a poem in six cantos by Sir W. Scott , published 1810 .
The action takes place chiefly on and around Loch Katrine in Perthshire, and involves the wooing of Ellen Douglas, the lady of the title and daughter of the outlawed Lord James of Douglas: she is courted by various suitors, including a mysterious wandering huntsman-knight whom she ferries to the island in the lake, and who after various adventures and skirmishes is revealed at court, as she seeks her father's pardon, to be King James V himself. The lively narrative evokes highland scenery and manners, and contains various poetic interludes, including the coronach (Canto III) ‘He is gone on the mountain’ and the ballad (Canto IV) ‘Alice Brand’, which tells the story of Alice's lost brother, transformed by the Elf King into a hideous dwarf, and redeemed by his sister's courage. The poem was immensely popular, and inspired several composers,...
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