Beautiful, Melancholy Ophelia

Rory, The Scottish Scribbler, posted five of his all time favourite works of art (paintings) and asked those following him to do the same.  I haven't been blogging for a while, more of a reader than a writer, but he got me thinking on what I would choose. So, here is the first.





'Ophelia' by Sir John Everett Millais is a painting depicting the tragic death of the character from  Shakespeare's play 'Hamlet'.  It's such a beautiful interpretation of the demise of this most romantic of heroines.  As the episode was never actually seen on stage, there has been much debate as to whether her death was the result of an accident or suicide.  Although I studied Hamlet at school (many moons ago!) I never really took much of it in, much preferring the War Poets to boring old Shakespeare!  However, the description of her death, given by queen Gertrude, must have touched me as I've always remembered it.  Below is an extract, given by Gertrude, and praised as one of the most poetically written death scenes in literature:

There is a willow grows askant the brook,
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream
Therewith fantastic garlands did she make
Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,
But our cold maids do dead-men's-fingers call them.
There on the pendent boughs her crownet weeds
Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke,
When down her weedy trophies and herself
Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide,
And mermaid-like awhile they bore her up;
Which time she chanted snatches of old tunes,
As one incapable of her own distress,
Or like a creature native and indued
Unto that element. But long it could not be
Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death.

Millais used the flowers from the description of Ophelia's garland in his painting, adding the prominant red poppy to depict sleep and death.  The accrurate depiction of these flowers, even in the printed copies, gives me a sensation as if I'm almost smelling them.  It is currently held in the Tate Britain in London and I plan to make a visit there soon.

As an aside, whilst I'm not a fan of either Nick Cave or sweet little Kylie Minogue, the video below always reminded me of the Millais painting.  A bit creepy but beautifully done.