Ophelia

November 2004
Acrylic on canvas 51x75cm (Sold)

"Her clothes spread wide, and mermaid-like a while they bore her up" "Her garments, heavy with their drink, pulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay, to muddy death." These are the two Hamlet quotes that feature in this painting.

The circumstances of Ophelia's death have always fascinated me, she climbed out on a branch over a river to pick some flowers, the branch broke and she fell in the water and drowned. Ophelia's death is referred to as a suicide by a grave digger who comments about the fact that she is being buried in consecrated ground just because she is a "gentlewoman."

Murder trails sometimes focus on 'intent', and while no one can guess what goes through a persons head before they die, I don't think Ophelia went to the river with the intention of drowning herself. She went to pick some flowers. She also neglected to try and save herself however, she just lay there singing until she drowned, "as one incapable of her own distress." I don't think Ophelia took her own life, I think she just let life take her. She just let go.

I suppose you could also take into consideration that she had recently gone a bit crazy over a lost love and the murder of her father. There is also the problem that the only account we have of her death is an eye witness statement from the queen, eye witness - meaning she was there, watching! So why didn't she try and save her? Why did she just stand there taking notes? 'um yes, climbing out on tree, oh right, falling in water, floating dress, willow tree, singing old songs, flowers floating in the water.' Maybe she even killed her? hmmm...