Book Description

The Myth and Madness of Ophelia explores the visual representation of one of Shakespeare's most intriguing and popular heroines, from her earliest appearance in 18th-century illustrated editions of Hamlet to the present. It includes paintings, prints, drawings, book illustrations, film, photography, and dance. Among the diverse range of artists are Benjamin West, Eugène Delacroix, Julia Margaret Cameron, Edward Steichen, Gwen John, Alfred Hitchcock, and Louise Bourgeois.

Carol Solomon Kiefer provides an historical and analytical overview of the representation of Ophelia along with discussions of her identification with female madness, changing concepts of femininity, and her appropriation in contemporary art and popular culture. Georgianna Ziegler (Folger Shakespeare Library) considers the spiritualization of Ophelia in the Victorian era. H. R. Coursen (University of Maine) focuses on major stage and film Ophelias in the 20th century.