Ophelia (John William Waterhouse)

Ophelia is a 1894 oil on canvas painting by the English painter John William Waterhouse,^[1] depicting a character in William Shakespeare's drama Hamlet. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, a potential wife for Prince Hamlet. In the 1894 version by Waterhouse, Ophelia is depicted, in the last moments before her death, sitting on a willow branch extending out over a pond of lilies. Her royal dress strongly contrasts with her natural surroundings. Waterhouse has placed flowers on her lap and in her hair, tying her into her natural surroundings.^[2]

Ophelia
Artist	John William Waterhouse
Year	1894
Medium	Oil on canvas
Dimensions	73.6 cm × 124.4 cm (29.0 in × 49.0 in)
Location	Private collection

See also

• List of paintings by John William Waterhouse
• Ophelia, 1851–52 John Everett Millais painting