Ophelia

Lizzie’s experience posing as Ophelia for Millais was a trying one. Her experience has been chronicled so much elsewhere that I’d like to begin with the words of the artist’s own son in order to give closer knowledge of the incident:

“Miss Siddal had a trying experience whilst acting as a model for Ophelia. In order that the artist might get the proper set of the garments in water and the right atmosphere and aqueous effects, she had to lie in a large bath filled with water, which was kept at an even temperature by lamps placed beneath. One day, just as the picture was nearly finished, the lamps went out unnoticed by the artist, who was so intensely absorbed in his work that he thought of nothing else, and the poor lady was kept floating in the cold water till she was quite benumbed. She herself never complained of this, but the result was that she contracted a severe cold, and her father wrote to Millais, threatening with an action of 50 lbs. for his carelessness. Eventually the matter was satisfactorily compromised. Millais paid the doctor’s bill, and Miss Siddal, quickly recovering, was none the worse for her cold bath.” — The son of the artist, John Guille Millais, describing the incident.

Millais was not the only artist to paint Lizzie as Ophelia. Dante Gabriel Rossetti chose to portray Ophelia in a different way, drawing inspiration from the passages I’ve transcribed below:

The First Madness of Ophelia, Dante Gabriel Rossetti

HAMLET: I did love thee once.

OPHELIA: Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.

HAMLET: You should not have believed me; for virtue cannot so inoculate our old shock but we shall relish of it: I loved you not.

OPHELIA: I was the more deceived.

HAMLET: Get thee to a nunnery, why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things…

Hamlet says he loves her, only to turn around and say he loves her not? Can we read similarities between this and his relationship with Elizabeth Siddal? Isn’t is interesting that he chooses this passage of Hamlet and uses Siddal as his model for Ophelia, given the ups and downs of their relationship?

 

 

 

Discussion: Lizzie as Ophelia post a comment and share your thoughts on Lizzie as Ophelia

Ophelia by Sir John Everett Millais and an account of Lizzie’s experience posing as Ophelia, written by John Guille Millais (the artist’s son)

Large image of Rossetti’s painting, The First Madness of Ophelia ,in which we can see Lizzie’s features

Large image of Rossetti’s drawing, Hamlet and Ophelia, in which we can again see Lizzie’s features (and Rossetti’s as well)

External Links:

Ophelia and the Pre-Raphaelites

Ophelia Links

6 Responses to “Ophelia”

• Sierra says:

  July 24, 2011 at 8:58 pm

  The second painting by Rossetti is an interesting one but may I suggest that the quote is off.

  The character holding Ophelia is not Hamlet but rather her brother Laertes. (Hamlet is not present during Ophelia’s decline but only arrives after she has drown)[though it is interesting that the model for Laetres looks like Rossetti.]

  My assumption is this painting is inspired by the lines in Act VI, scene V, when Laertes returns to Denmark from France to avenge his father’s death but is horrified to find his sister has gone mad.

  Claudius and Gertrude are present in Act VI, scene v, whereas they are not in the “get thee to a nunnery” scene in Act III, scene i (although Polonius and Claudius are hiding somewhere in the room). The change to Act VI then explains why a distressed Gertrude and Claudius are closely within the painting’s frame.

  The Lines from Act VI, scene i are as follows:

  LAERTES: How now! what noise is that?

  [Re-enter OPHELIA]

  O heat, dry up my brains! tears seven times salt,
  Burn out the sense and virtue of mine eye!
  By heaven, thy madness shall be paid by weight,
  Till our scale turn the beam. O rose of May!
  Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia!
  O heavens! is’t possible, a young maid’s wits
  Should be as moral as an old man’s life?
  Nature is fine in love, and where ’tis fine,
  It sends some precious instance of itself
  After the thing it loves.

  OPHELIA: [Sings]

  They bore him barefaced on the bier;
  Hey non nonny, nonny, hey nonny;
  And in his grave rain’d many a tear:–
  Fare you well, my dove!

  LAERTES: Hadst thou thy wits, and didst persuade revenge,
  It could not move thus.

  OPHELIA: [Sings]

  You must sing a-down a-down,
  An you call him a-down-a.
  O, how the wheel becomes it! It is the false
  steward, that stole his master’s daughter.

  LAERTES: This nothing’s more than matter.

  OPHELIA: There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray,
  love, remember: and there is pansies. that’s for thoughts.

  LAERTES: A document in madness, thoughts and remembrance fitted.

  OPHELIA: There’s fennel for you, and columbines: there’s rue
  for you; and here’s some for me: we may call it
  herb-grace o’ Sundays: O you must wear your rue with
  a difference. There’s a daisy: I would give you
  some violets, but they withered all when my father
  died: they say he made a good end,–

  [Sings]

  For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy.

  LAERTES: Thought and affliction, passion, hell itself,
  She turns to favour and to prettiness.

  OPHELIA: [Sings]

  And will he not come again?
  And will he not come again?
  No, no, he is dead:
  Go to thy death-bed:
  He never will come again.

  His beard was as white as snow,
  All flaxen was his poll:
  He is gone, he is gone,
  And we cast away moan:
  God ha’ mercy on his soul!

  And of all Christian souls, I pray God. God be wi’ ye.

  [Exit]

  *I do agree with you that Rossetti’s and Siddal’s relationship did closely mirror the ups and downs of Hamlet’s and Ophelia’s– meeting very similar ends as well)
• Stephanie Pina says:

  September 29, 2011 at 9:36 am

  Of course! As soon as you pointed out that Gertrude is present, I see my error. Thank you.
  My source for the text Rossetti chose to illustrate was Jan Marsh’s Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood; no image was included. Now that I think of it, the image she was referring to might be this one: http://www.lizziesiddal.com/html/hamlet_and_ophelia__dante_gabr.html
• sushobhan chakraborty says:

  March 5, 2012 at 8:35 am

  oh! how beautiful and significant the pictures are.
• Cristina Babino says:

  March 12, 2012 at 3:38 pm

  Dear Stephanie, this website is great and an important source for my studies on Lizzie…. I am translating these days from Italian into English my long poem “Ophelia” inspired to this famous painting and its charming story..Hopefully I’ll be able to publish it in UK soon (fingers crossed)! Take care, Cristina
• Artful Fridays: The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood « Library Mom says:

  May 5, 2012 at 10:43 am

  [...] for her portrayal of the dying Ophelia from Hamlet in Sir John Edward Millias’ painting Ophelia. She mostly posed for Dante Gabriel Rossetti though, and later married him. For more information [...]
• Stephanie Pina says:

  May 5, 2012 at 11:44 am

  Thank you! Good luck with your poem, I hope it will be published soon. I’d love to read it.