"Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pull'd the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death."
Pull'd the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death."
— Queen Gertrude, Hamlet
Ophelia is an oil painting by Sir John Everett Millais, made from 1851-1852 and done in the Pre-Raphaelite style. The subject of the painting is Ophelia, a character from Hamlet, who was driven insane after the death of her father.
Ophelia herself was a popular subject for the Victorian set, who adored the visage of a beautiful and slightly unstable woman so much it became an archetype.
The painting follows Queen Gertrude's description of Ophelia's death: here, she is singing as she drowns in a river. Ophelia is depicted as holding her arms out, accepting her death, while surrounded by various summer plants and flowers rendered in great detail.
It is hosted at the Tate Britain.
Tropes in this painting:
- Artistic License – Biology: The flowers in the painting don't all bloom at the same time. The reason for this is that Millais painted them all from nature over a few months.
- Crucified Hero Shot: Ophelia is depicted floating on her back with her arms slightly outstretched, accepting of her fate. The pose is also one traditionally used in depictions of saints and/or martyrs; Ophelia herself is something of a Love Martyr for Hamlet, whose mistreatment of her is a major cause of her despair.
- Fan Art: Of the theatre play Hamlet. It captures the scene of Ophelia's resigned drowning. Much like how Queen Gertrude's line describe it, she's surrounded by flowers.
- Flower Motifs: Ophelia is surrounded by numerous types of flowers which all have symbolic meaning.
- The violets around Ophelia's neck symbolize faithfulness and chastity, but also death.
- The willow above her head and the pansies in the water symbolize unrequited love and love in vain respectively, referring to her complex relationship with Hamlet.
- The nettles represent pain.
- The daisies by her hand represent innocence.
- Flowers of Femininity: The meaningful flowers surrounding Ophelia also serve to make her look lovelier, more girlish, and more romantic as she dies.
- Life/Death Juxtaposition: Ophelia is drowning in a pond surrounded by lush greenery.
- One-Word Title
- The Ophelia: A depiction of the Trope Namer. Here, Ophelia is a lovely young woman whose insanity means she drowns herself while singing merry songs.
- Pimped-Out Dress: Ophelia is wearing a fine-looking dress with intricate gold detailing, that almost makes her blend in with her surroundings.
- Protagonist Title: The painting is named Ophelia for its subject.
- Scenery Dissonance: Ophelia's death is depicted with bright colors on a lush, flower-filled riverbank.
- Symbolic Serene Submersion: Depicts the beautiful yet unstable Ophelia giving in to her drowning in a river.
- The Tragic Rose: There are roses drifting by Ophelia's face and dress, alluding to her brother calling her "the rose of May", and to her fleeting happiness and tragic drowning.
