The Lady of the Lake

Walter Scott (1771–1832) was a Scottish historical novelist, poet, and playwright. Although he was an advocate and legal administrator by profession, Scott is most famous for his great literary works and activities in the Royal Highland Society. “The Lady of the Lake” is one of the most famous narrative poems of the nineteenth century. It consists of six cantos, describing three exciting plotlines: the contest among Roderick Dhu, James Fitz-James, and Malcolm Graeme for the love of Ellen Douglas; uneasy relations between King James V and James Douglas; and the war between the Lowland and the Highland clans of Scotland.