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Yaretzi Mancillas

Ms. Castro

English 1301

11 October 2023

The Demise of Ophelia

The painting Ophelia was created in the

years 1851-1852 by the painter John Everett

Millais. John Millais was inspired by the play

“The Tragedy of Hamlet,” specifically a scene

that was not depicted in the play as clearly as it

was written in “The Tragedy of Hamlet.” Millais

was fascinated with the description of the scenery. There was a certain way Shakespeare worded

the scene that caught the attention of Millais, especially since the scene in the play did not have

as many details as it did in script. Millais represented the acceptance of death through the use of

flowers, white daises, the woman’s white dress, and physiognomy.

The painting of Ophelia has remarkable details and more specifically in the flowers. The

flowers hold a meaning that is deeper than just looking aesthetically pleasing. Ophelia is

depicted in this painting floating in the water and appeared to let go of the flowers she was

holding. Upon further inspection the flowers floating in the water are rosemary, pansy, fennel,

columbine, herb of grace o’ Sunday, daisy, and violet. Although the flowers appear exceptionally

beautiful, each flower has a certain meaning which connects to Ophelia and how she might have

felt when she was collecting these flowers. Rosemary signifies remembrance, in theory Ophelia

felt like she needed to remember someone or wanted someone to remember her. The flower
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pansy signifies lover’s thoughts; merriment, now it is known that Ophelia is thinking about her

lover and his thoughts. The next flower is a fennel, the meaning of a fennel is strength. Ophelia

is more than likely trying to be strong because of a certain event that has happened. The next

flower is a columbine, a columbine flower indicates ingratitude, faithlessness, courage, love,

desertion. Ophelia is feeling like the confusion of being in love but also fearing not being

appreciated or of infidelity on her lover’s part. The next type of is an herb of grace o’ Sunday,

meaning regret, sorrow, repentance; grace, clear vision; disdain. The representation of this flower

to Ophelia signifies that she is feeling a sense of regret and despair in her life. The following

flower is a daisy, a daisy is an indication of innocence, hope, loyal love, purity, faith, cheer,

simplicity. The meaning of a daisy is very important to Ophelia because it is her last hope or a

form of innocence that is perhaps unattainable to Ophelia or something that she looks up to. The

last flower that is depicted in the painting is a violet, a violet’s meaning is faithfulness, loyalty,

devotion; daydreaming; virtue, modesty. Ophelia is feeling as if she either has lack of or too

sufficient loyalty and devotion. Altogether the flowers meant a great amount to Ophelia and the

symbolism of the flowers floating aimlessly in the water signifies her letting all the reasons she

chose the flowers go.

The painting shows what looks like a bush of daisies on the side of the creek Ophelia is

in. The daisy bush is placed in a way as if it is reaching out to Ophelia and offering its’ help.

Especially since the meaning of a daisy is innocence, maybe the daisy representing innocence is

trying to save Ophelia from drowning. There also seems to be a fallen tree trunk right next to

Ophelia’s floating body. Ophelia was possibly climbing on the tree, and the tree broke, and she

fell into the creek where she dropped her flowers. The way Millais made Ophelia’s eyes look, it

seems as if she is very tired and almost like she is finally relaxing. The way Ophelia’s hands are
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positioned in the image is like the way old painters used to paint angels or saints. Millais could

have done this on purpose in order to make Ophelia seem very pure like a saint or an angel. This

also ties into the daisies that are right next to both the tree and the body of Ophelia. Ophelia also

has her mouth slightly open like she is gasping for air. Almost like she knows she is going to

drown and is trying to get a last breath in before she goes beneath the water.

The dress Ophelia is wearing in this painting is the color white and the color white

symbolizes purity and simplicity. The white dress signifies Ophelia is at her purest form with the

simplest intentions of collecting the flowers then unfortunately falling to her demise where she

has found herself helpless and with no hope. Once Ophelia fell from the tree, she then let go of

the flowers she had collected signifying that she has let go of all the meaning of all the flowers

and accepted her fate as she was slowly sinking and eventually going to drown to death.

In conclusion, Millais’ painting represents Ophelias acceptance of death and her emotions

toward her life while she was collecting flowers. These flowers were holding the meaning to

Ophelia’s emotions that she could not express. She then wandered off and found a tree that she

chose to climb. While climbing this tree the tree breaks causing Ophelia to fall into the nearby

creek. Accepting her fate, Ophelia let’s go of the flowers she collected in correlation to her

emotions. Ophelia lets her dress keep her afloat for a brief period of time. Relaxing, she takes her

last breath and holds her hands up ever so graciously. Ophelia then drowns silently and comes to

her peaceful demise which Millais arguably tried to depict.

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Works Cited:

Millais, John Everett. “Ophelia.” Herald Sun, 7th September 2018,

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/john-everett-millais-and-the-preraphaelites-were-

sticklers-for-the-purity-of-their-art/news-story/4ea666cdafeb542409927abb9f421475