Men and women are constantly accused of being vehicles and victims of seduction. Alfred Tennyson's “Lotos Eaters” and “The Lady of Shalott” embody this premise. Together, the characters are simultaneously victims of the seduction of an external force: retreat. The theme of gender uses retreat as a tool to create balance and expose the contrast between the sexes. Specifically, both sets of characters leave their ordinary lives behind, retreat to another retreat, describe suicidal tendencies, and finally give up the hassles of their former lives. Through withdrawal, the representation of gender in the poems challenges traditional stereotypes of men and women. The “Lady of Shalott” uses the theme of retreat and allows her to escape the conventions of Camelot. He escapes from the outside world in the plot of his poetry. She continually withdraws into herself, exhibiting an assertive male identity. The lady takes control of her life by retreating from Camelot into the tower, further knitting, flees the curse with fear, and ultimately retreats from her life with death. This assertive behavior is not typical of the glittering, extravagant women of Camelot. He describes Camelot and the traditional roles when he says: "a troop of happy damsels, /...and sometimes through the blue glass, / the knight comes riding two by two: / Hath no knight loyal and faithful" (lines 55, 60 - 62). Women are bright and associated with the image of the sun, yet she is in darkness and alone. Men even travel two by two and court women. She has no rider, she is alone; in this case it does not represent either sex in the right way. The lady has turned into an enigma in the community by limiting her femini...... middle of paper ...... differentiating from each other and from those of her same sex. The retreat action equals them in both respects. Men are forced to realize that their differences in character are not as extreme as stereotypes might seem. Retreats require characters to examine their nature and decide which roles to take on. Instead of making a decision, the external force takes over and they allow themselves to be seduced into escape. They have the opportunity to escape the retreat, but they do not take productive steps to do so. This comparison is a moral victory for women who cannot always be considered the weaker sex. Men have the ability to be submissive. Although they are equated and reversed, it took the loss of life to achieve the freedom of character sought from the beginning. The seduction of retreat triumphs over conventional gender roles.