Ophelia's Death

Ophelia’s death in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” has been a favorite among visual artist for years. Many artists interpret her description of her death with visual art that demonstrate the beauty and innocent of Ophelia’s death. Many of the images in “The Death of Ophelia” by SophieAmazing on YouTube show a young woman who ended her life in a beautiful way. At the end of Act 4, Scene 7 of Hamlet, Gertrude describes Ophelia’s tragic death. Gertrude says, “There with fantastic garlands did she come of crowflowers, nettles, daises, and long purples, that liberal shepherds give a grosser name, but our cold maids do “dead men’s fingers” call them.” (Shakespeare 4.7.167-170) Here Gertrude describes how Ophelia decides to kill herself with “dead men’s fingers”

Many would claim Ophelia was mad, but as she began to sink she sang a song which proves her innocents. Ophelia was young and a little naïve, she thought the only way out was to end her life. When she was drowning, there is a possibility she was unaware of what was happening and began to sing. Although Ophelia’s singing cannot be portrayed in paintings, the part of Ophelia’s dress is well represented. Many paintings show Ophelia’s dress spread almost like a mermaid which can also symbolize the beauty of Ophelia’s death. In one painting Ophelia’s dress was white, which can also link to the color of white representing innocence. In conclusion, Ophelia’s death was a tragic yet beautiful visual. Ophelia’s death is something that has many meanings and are portrayed different ways. There isn’t one simple explanation of Ophelia’s death which it is to believed Shakespeare somehow planned to have many different interpretations of Ophelia’s