The Lady of the Lake (poem)

The Lady of the Lake
by Sir Walter Scott
Title page of 1811 edition with engraving by John Pye based on Richard Westall's design
Written1809–1810
CountryScotland
FormNarrative
MeterIambic tetrameter
PublisherJohn Ballantyne and Co., Edinburgh
Longman, Hurst, Rees,
Orme, Brown, and W. Miller, London
Publication date8 May 1810
Preceded byMarmion
Followed byThe Vision of Don Roderick
Full text
The Lady of the Lake at Wikisource

The Lady of the Lake is a narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1810. Set in the Trossachs region of Scotland, it is composed of six cantos, each of which concerns the action of a single day.[1] There are voluminous antiquarian notes. The poem has three main plots: the contest among three men, Roderick Dhu, James Fitz-James, and Malcolm Graeme, to win the love of Ellen Douglas; the feud and reconciliation of King James V of Scotland and James Douglas; and a war between the Lowland Scots (led by James V) and the Highland clans (led by Roderick Dhu of Clan Alpine). The poem was tremendously influential in the nineteenth century, and inspired the Highland Revival.

  1. ^ Oliver, Susan (29 August 2005). "The Lady of the Lake". The Literary Dictionary Company. Retrieved 30 September 2007.