Ophelia is a character from Shakespeare's Hamlet, she is a young, impressionable courtier who is in love with Hamlet. When he pretends to be mad he rejects Ophelia's love and she goes properly mad and drowns herself...hopeless romantic as I am I just can't resist a character like that! Anyway, paintings...
In this Ophelia is drowning herself in a river full of flowers which are each symbolic in themselves; Ivy is wound around the riverbank and can be interpreted as either "Independence" or "marriage", two words totally different implications.Ophelia's gown is made of heavy gold brocade in the traditional Victorian style with an exaggerated bust, hips and behind. There seem to be gold beads embroidered all over the gown and the sleeves short. The colours are vivid and bright, contrasting with the grim reality of her death.
In this Ophelia’s gown is a mixture of Medieval, the pattern brocade over gown which slits from the hips, Elizabethan, the tight sleeves laced to the body of the gown using eyelets and Victorian, fitted bust, natural waist.I love the three contrasting layers of her costume; the white chemise, the blue (possibly silk)dress and the gergeous tabard with gold binding. The colours are dull but the dress she wears seems to glow.
In this Ophelia lies in a flower meadow, her gown is a loose white cotton and is the Victorian take on the Medieval era; the low neckline, low belted waist and floor length with a train. Around her hips she wear a leather belt with a small bag attached. Unlike the others this Ophelia lies away from the river and is not yet drowing herslef. The colours in this painting are dull and lifeless but the white gown seems to shine and catch the eye.
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| Opheila prepares to drown herself in only a white shift |
Many of the painters of the Victorian era have similar interpretations of what Ophelia should look like; long, waist length, auburn hair, pale skin, a heart shaped face and tall and willowy in body shape. This is very typical of the romantic Victorian painters. Ophelia is generally dressed in a loose gown with large floaty sleeves, a loose sash around her waist and her gown looks to be unpractical as she hold it up as she walks. The colours for the background of the painting are very dull such as charcoal blacks, wood browns and mossy greens. The colours used on the dresses, however, are vivid and seem to shine and glow out of the painting. The gowns are mainly in blues and whites and the fabrics look to be cotton and silk. Ophelia is always holding flowers.
Flowers theme; carnations "Sweet, lovely" and poppies “Pleasure, extravagance and sleep”. The poppies are strange, does the painter believe Ophelia was finding happiness in suicide? Or that killing herself was an indulgence? The women playing Ophelia would not be descried as beautiful but rather handsome as her features; sharp nose, full lips and ungainly height are typical of the pre Raphalite’s ideal woman.
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| Look who it it!!! David Tennant as Hamlet 2009 |
Which leads on to Ophelia's costumes
A lovely green silk evening gown, belted at the natural waist with a small flower corsage. The neckline is very low and the dress came to just below knee length.
Well...thats all for today!
