Ophelia | |
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Artist | John William Waterhouse |
Year | 1894 |
Medium | Oil on canvas |
Dimensions | 73.6 cm × 124.4 cm (29.0 in × 49.0 in) |
Location | Private collection |
Ophelia is a 1894 oil on canvas painting by the English painter John William Waterhouse,[1] depicting a character in William Shakespeare's drama Hamlet. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, a potential wife for Prince Hamlet. In the 1894 version by Waterhouse, Ophelia is depicted, in the last moments before her death, sitting on a willow branch extending out over a pond of lilies. Her royal dress strongly contrasts with her natural surroundings. Waterhouse has placed flowers on her lap and in her hair, tying her into her natural surroundings.[2]