Canvas Art: Ophelia Stretched Canvas Print

Ophelia Stretched Canvas Print
Millais, J.e.
54 in. x 36 in.

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About Ophelia

Ophelia is a character from Shakespeare's play "Hamlet," and is perhaps one of the most tragically beautiful female characters ever created in English literature. She will forever live on as a symbol of the ill-fated girl who passed away before she had the chance to blossom.

Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet" was written sometime between 1599 and 1601, and takes place in Denmark. Within the tale, Ophelia was a noblewoman who was Hamlet's love interest, the daughter of Polonius and the sister of Laertes. Some people believe that the inspiration for Ophelia's character came from a girl named Katherine Hamlet who drowned in a river in 1579, making it a plausible time for Shakespeare to have caught wind of the story.

At the beginning of the tale, Ophelia is a sweet, good-tempered girl who wants very much to please her father and her brother. While she cares deeply about Hamlet, it becomes clear that her loyalty lies more in her family. As Hamlet grows more deranged in his behavior, it is evident that she is distressed by it. However, when her father is murdered she loses her grasp on her own mind and falls into madness that quickly leads to her death.

Ophelia is a victim of court intrigue. Her brother Laertes initially attempts to draw her attention away from Hamlet by convincing her that royalty often do not marry their sweethearts. Polonius, her father, also expresses his discontent by stating that he does not believe Hamlet to be serious about her. She is convinced by her father to allow him and the king to spy on her and Hamlet. This meddling leads to Hamlet's mistaken murder of her father. Ophelia was a beautiful and unfortunate pawn.

The nature of Ophelia and Hamlet's relationship is unclear in many aspects. It is difficult to tell just how close they were at the beginning of the play because we automatically see Ophelia's loyalty to her family take precedence. Hamlet also grows to be cruel toward her as he descends into his madness, presumably because of his mixed emotions concerning his mother and women in general. However, he makes wild and violent proclamations of his love for her at her funeral.

It is still a topic of open debate as to whether or not Ophelia committed suicide or whether her madness led to an accident. Upon hearing the news, the queen (Hamlet's mother) announces that Ophelia slipped off a broken branch over a river and then drowned. However, a sexton at the graveyard is certain that she willingly killed herself. There was also uncertainty as to whether she should be buried off of holy ground due to the nature of her death. The fact remains that no one knows for certain the nature of her death, other than the severity of its tragedy.