Ophelia By Artist Paul Albert Steck

 Ophelia is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. She is a young noblewoman, daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and lover of Hamlet.

 Ophelia first appears in the play when she says goodbye to her brother Laertes, who is leaving for France. Laertes instructs her about Hamlet's courtship. He warns that Hamlet, being the likely heir to the crown, is not free to marry Ophelia and therefore his advances must be rejected. After Laertes' departure, Polonius also warns Ophelia against Hamlet, as he does not believe in the sincerity of the prince's feelings and intentions. At the end of the lecture, Polonius forbids her to meet with Hamlet.

 Ophelia, having learned about the murder of Polonius (Hamlet accidentally pierces her father through the curtain, thinking that he is Claudius), goes crazy. She speaks in riddles and hums outwardly meaningless songs, not wanting to listen to the queen's objections. In act 4, scene 7, Gertrude enters and announces the death of Ophelia to the king and Laertes.

 Since it is impossible to understand from the text of the tragedy whether Ophelia's death was the result of an accident or suicide, her death has been the subject of endless disputes for four centuries.

 A possible historical prototype of Ophelia is called Katharina Hamlet, a girl who fell into the Avon River and died in December 1579. Although it was determined that she lost her balance and fell while carrying heavy buckets, there were rumors that the cause of death was an unhappy love that led her to suicide. Perhaps Shakespeare, who was 16 at the time of her death, recalled this incident when creating the image of Ophelia.

 The image of Ophelia has always attracted artists. The author of the painting presented today, the French artist Paul Albert Steck, was a student of Jean-Leon Gerome.

Ophelia, Paul Albert Steck, 1894, Oil on canvas. Petit Palais (Small Palace), Paris