Many people contend that a rotting skull is evident in the picture. Click here to get a closer look and see if you can spot it.
Visit the following links on Ophelia to see how she has been represented by a variety of artists over time:
Symbolism of the Flowers
In addition, there are HUNDREDS of videos on Youtube of Ophelia in art and in film. If you were not in class for the videos, you can also find them here:
In addition, there are HUNDREDS of videos on Youtube of Ophelia in art and in film. If you were not in class for the videos, you can also find them here:
- Kate Winslet as Ophelia Pt 1
- Kate Winslet as Ophelia Pt 2
- Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia
- Julia Stiles as Ophelia (There is no direct clip of her crazy scene, but I did find this, and it's an interesting presentation of Ophelia)
Your Task:
We are examining the many different representations of Hamlet in film. The play leaves many events and people open to debate and interpretation, as is evidenced by the myriad versions throughout history. Similarly, his characterization of Ophelia does not offer the audience a full picture of who she is and what her motivation is. As Elaine Showalter writes, there can be Hamlet without Ophelia, but there is no Ophelia without Hamlet. Her character’s existence is entirely dependant on that of Hamlet’s.
Ophelia has been a source of inspiration for countless artists over the years and each artist chooses to represent Ophelia in a different way. What do you notice about the way that Ophelia is portrayed in the John Everett Millais painting? What characteristics does the artist imbue in his version of Ophelia?
Use the links to examine the different versions of Ophelia (the index on the last page of “Frailty Thy Name is Woman” may prove to be most useful). How do you believe Shakespeare intended Ophelia to be portrayed? What were here final moments like? Did she intentionally drown herself? Did she give in after the branch underneath her broke? Did Gertrude sit idly by and watch her struggle?
What do you believe is the reason for Ophelia’s madness? What contributed to her demise, in your opinion? Do you feel sorry for her? Indifferent? If you were to direct the play, how might you represent Ophelia? Make sure that you use examples from the play to show your reasoning.
Here are a few links that might be useful resources as well:
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