Ophelia (Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 7)
Not on view
Here, Hamlet’s rejected lover, her mind unhinged, has fallen into a brook while picking wildflowers. Inspired by an evocative description of Ophelia’s death in Shakespeare’s Hamlet (act 4, scene 7), Millais painted the subject for a London Royal Academy exhibition in 1852; this masterful print reproduces that composition. As a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Millais challenged artistic convention and spent months outdoors painting the lush setting, and then posed a model in a bathtub in his studio to complete the composition. The painting’s hyperrealistic detail and collapsed space initially unsettled viewers, but this later print encouraged admiration for the groundbreaking conception. Stephenson combined mezzotint, etching, and stipple to evoke the rich silverwork adorning Ophelia’s gown and describe the range of plants and flowers embellishing her watery grave.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
