It's act
4, scene 7 of and the bad news just keeps on coming for poor old . Not
only has he just found out fromthat it waswho killed his father, , but nowhas brought the tragic
news that his sister, , has drowned. Gertrude's description of Ophelia's death is
extraordinarily thorough; she holds nothing back, giving us a detailed account of everything
that happened.
Ophelia, apparently, was making wild wreaths from the flowers
of a willow tree that leans over a brook. She climbed the tree to hang the wreath upon the
branches but then suddenly fell into the water. Initially, Ophelia appeared in no immediate
danger due to her dress keeping her afloat. She remained blithely unconcerned at her
predicament, singing snatches of old hymns without a care in the world:
Her clothes spread wide, And mermaid-like a while they bore her up,
Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds As one incapable of her own distress, Or like a
creature native and indued...
No comments:
Post a Comment