As long as Shakespeare´s Hamlet exists, people are fascinated by the young woman Ophelia and her fate. She is a woman who leads a life which is dominated by men and their influence on her. Especially the network of intrigues, but also her helplessness and the being at someone’s mercy reduce Ophelia to despair. Her struggle ends with a mysterious death by drowning, which is to be analyzed in this assignment. This will be done by comparing the original passage from the Queen´s description of Ophelia´s death with the painting Ophelia by John Everett Millais.
During her description the Queen mythologises Ophelia´s death by using special words or pictures. So the question arises in how far Millais translated these words and pictures into his painting and whether his painting exaggerates or decreases the mythology and symbolic Shakespeare used. To be able to answer this question, similarities and differences between the description of Ophelia´s death and the painting Ophelia by Millais are analysed. To lead to these two scenes of Ophelia´s death and to get deeper into the comparison, it is reasonable to start with an analysis of Ophelia´s position in the play, as well as an analysis of the background of Millais´s Ophelia.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The role of Ophelia in Shakespeare´s Hamlet
3. The background of Millais´s painting Ophelia
3.1. The Pre-Raffaelite Brotherhood
3.2. The development of the painting
4. The description of Ophelia´s death:
The Queen in Hamlet and Millais´s painting Ophelia – a comparison
4.1. Analysis of Millais´s painting Ophelia
4.1.1. Composition
4.1.2. Colour
4.1.3. Way of painting
4.1.4. Spatiality
4.2. Similarities between the Queen´s description and Millais´s Ophelia
4.2.1. The way the Queen describes
4.2.2. The words used by the Queen
4.3. Differences between the Queen´s description and Millas´s Ophelia
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Thematic Focus
This paper examines the tragic figure of Ophelia by comparing the textual description of her death in Shakespeare's Hamlet with the visual representation in John Everett Millais's 1852 painting "Ophelia," exploring how artistic interpretation shapes mythological narratives.
- The characterization of Ophelia in Shakespeare’s play.
- The historical and aesthetic context of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
- Detailed formal analysis of Millais's painting (composition, color, and technique).
- Comparative analysis of textual versus visual symbolism regarding nature and death.
- The shift from passive victimhood to active decision-making in artistic interpretation.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1.1. Composition
Millais´s Ophelia is a rectangular painting. At the bottom and on the left and right hand side it is open. At the top and in the left and right corner it is framed by a brown curve which looks like a bridge. This leads to the impression that we look at a scene on a stage. The frame brings us back to mind that it is just a painting, a construction, which someone has built, but not reality itself. The stream leads from the right bottom to the middle of the left side or otherwise round. In which direction it actually flows one cannot tell for sure, because there is no dynamic in this painting. It seems as if everything holds its breath. It is the situation of one short moment, but it seems to last forever. This can result from the fact that Millais portrayed his Ophelia from a model lying in a bath tub, as described in 3.2. of this assignment. Consequently there could have been no tide. The whole situation in the picture seems as if time stands still. It is very fixed and inflexible, like a well thought-out plan.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the fascination with Ophelia's fate and sets the goal of comparing Shakespeare's text with Millais's painting.
2. The role of Ophelia in Shakespeare´s Hamlet: Analyzes Ophelia as a fragile, dominated character within a patriarchal structure.
3. The background of Millais´s painting Ophelia: Contextualizes the painting within the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's principles and development.
4. The description of Ophelia´s death: The Queen in Hamlet and Millais´s painting Ophelia – a comparison: Compares the Queen's narrative with the painting's visual elements, identifying similarities and differences.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, noting that while both are constructed interpretations, Millais imbues Ophelia with more agency than the play.
Keywords
Ophelia, Hamlet, John Everett Millais, Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Literary Comparison, Art History, Symbolism, Shakespeare, Femininity, Nature, Death, Representation, Interpretation, Victorian Art, Visual Culture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores the relationship between literature and visual art by comparing the literary description of Ophelia's death in Shakespeare's Hamlet with the famous painting by John Everett Millais.
What are the primary thematic fields addressed?
The study covers literary analysis, art history, the role of gender in the 19th and 17th centuries, and the evolution of symbolic representation.
What is the central research question?
The paper asks to what extent Millais translates Shakespeare's words into visual imagery and whether the painting increases or decreases the mythological and symbolic depth present in the original play.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The author uses a comparative analysis method, integrating formal art criticism with literary text analysis to bridge the gap between two different media.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It provides a detailed analysis of Ophelia’s role in the play, the background of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, and a comparative study of the painting's composition, color, and specific symbolism against the Queen's speech.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Ophelia, Hamlet, Millais, Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, artistic interpretation, symbolism, and literary comparison.
How does Millais's depiction differ from the play regarding Ophelia's agency?
The author argues that while Shakespeare depicts Ophelia as passive, Millais's visual interpretation—specifically the positioning of her arms—suggests an active acceptance and decision-making process.
What role do flowers play in the comparison?
Flowers serve as a crucial symbolic layer; the author examines how both the Queen's narrative and Millais's brushwork use specific botanical elements to convey themes of virginity, madness, and impending death.
- Quote paper
- Sarah Wenzel (Author), 2010, Ophelia´s death in Shakespeare´s Hamlet and in Millais´s Ophelia, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/471460
