Ophelia is a favorite subject here at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. I’ve noticed a larger number of visitors finding this site due to searches for Ophelia. For for those of you on an Ophelia quest, I’ll share a few posts from this site and a few of my favorite Ophelia links:
Ophelia and the Pre-Raphaelites
Video: Jean Simmons as Ophelia
Video: Death of Ophelia
Videos: Two Videos Inspired by Ophelia
Article from the Telegraph: Ten Things You Never Knew About Ophelia
Methods in Madness: Thinking With Ophelia (Wonderful page. Here’s a brief snippet to tantalize you: “Shakespeare creates a special language of madness for Ophelia that is quite distinct from Hamlet’s. She uses flowers to express her interpretations of the different characters. She also uses fragments from romantic ballads (folk songs). Although her intentions are not as rational as Hamlet’s, and she does not speak philosophical truths, she nonetheless speaks emotional truths that move her audience. “)
A favorite page of mine: Tate: Work in Focus: Symbolism and meaning of the flowers in Ophelia by John Everett Millais.
From the Victorian Web: Detail in Millais’s Ophelia
And this beautiful page has a wealth of information and links: The Ophelia Page
From LizzieSiddal.com: Let’s Discuss Lizzie as Ophelia (Lizzie was the model for Ophelia in the Millais painting)
This poem, by Carla Martin-Wood, speculates what Lizzie Siddal might have been thinking of as she posed as Ophelia. (Video of the author reading the poem along with paintings featuring Elizabeth Siddal.)
Have an Ophelia link you’d like to share? Post a comment! I’d love to link to some blog posts if you have one!
