Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Ophelia's Flowers

Totally off topic, but here are the meanings of the flowers Ophelia mentions in Hamlet:

Rosemary - remembrance, often worn by Greek students, used in both weddings and funerals
Pansies - thoughts, often placed on gravestones, where people think on the dead
Rue - Repentance
Fennel - False Flattery
Daisy - Innocence and Purity
Violet - Modesty, Virtue, Faithfulness, Love, and associated with Death
Columbine - Ingratitude

Rosemary and Pansies reflect Ophelia's troubling memories and her insecurity.  The fact that she would have brought violets, but they all died with her father, is symbolic of her loss of love and faithfulness.  She has, after all, lost her father, who was killed by the hand of the man she loved and has also lost.  The other flowers are also fairly symbolic of Ophelia's state of mind and reflect the characteristics of those in the room with her.

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