The Language of Ophelia's Flowers

Exploring Millais’ Ophelia using the language of flowers of the Victorian and Elizabethan eras

There is a willow grows askant the brook,
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream.
There with fantastic garlands did she make
Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,
But our cold maids do dead-men’s-fingers call them.

Hamlet, Act IV Scene VII

Botanical symbolism permeated the works of Shakespeare and the canvases of the Pre-Raphaelites, reflecting a deep respect for nature in line with Ruskin’s principles: “to reject nothing, select nothing, and scorn nothing”. With their same meticulous attention to detail in nature, the Pre-Raphaelites portrayed many of Shakespeare’s narratives with great detail, none more emblematic than John Everett Millais’ Ophelia, a testament to their fidelity to Shakespearean biodiversity (Barnard 4).

Ophelia by John Everett Millais, 1852. Oil on Canvas. Tate

In 1851, Millais sought the Hogsmill River to set the stage for Ophelia’s tragic end, infusing the scene with Pre-Raphaelite ideology (Riggs). Through his brush and Pre-Raphaelite ideology, he breathed life into the haunting scene of Ophelia’s demise. From the gnarled bole and boughs of the crack willow to the algae flowing like a water nymph’s hair, Millais meticulously captured the structural and textural details of the English riverside while interweaving symbolic botanical elements into the composition, such as the red poppy and forget-me-nots that were not included in Gertrude’s monologue.

Ophelia’s “Coronet Weeds”

In order to understand the complete story Millais has told through the trailing “weedy trophies,” I have analyzed the significance of these flowers during both the Victorian and Elizabethan eras, briefly touching on Queen Elizabeth I’s influence on botanical and gardening literature, deepening our understanding of Millais’ narrative choices (Quealy 12).

Detail Image of Sedge

Along with the confirmed botanical symbolism present in both Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Millais’ Ophelia, I have included my attempts at botanical identification for the various floral arrangements floating on the eddy that have not been explored previously.

Below, you will find a list of 28 botanical references that I have analyzed:

Asphodel

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Victorian Meaning of Asphodel: My regrets follow you to the grave.

My initial attempt at identification began with the white-flowered asphodel (Asphodelus albus), which I believe is depicted in Ophelia’s right hand. Asphodel, also known as “king’s spear,” was brought to England in 1551 and was thought to be the “food of the dead,” leading to its widespread planting in cemeteries (Graves 328; Belanger 278). While the traditional use and Victorian symbolism of asphodel strongly support my interpretation, I am also persuaded that it serves as a literary allusion, a topic I will delve into further in an upcoming blog post.

The white spear-like flower most closely resembles the asphodel.

This perennial’s association with death was first recorded in the oral lore of Ancient Greece (Reece 392), a theme echoed in the asphodel meadows of the underworld as depicted in The Odyssey:

“And Hermes the Healer led them on, down the dank, moldering paths and past the Ocean’s streams they went and past the White Rock and the Sun’s Western Gates and past the Land of Dreams, and soon they reached the fields of asphodel where the dead, the burnt-out wraiths of mortals make their home.”

Homer, The Odyssey

“. . . the ghost of clean-heeled Achilles marched away with long steps over the meadow of asphodel.”

Homer, The Odyssey

Here are just a few more references to further convince you of the powerful
symbology of the asphodel: