Illustration for Hamlet: The Death of Ophelia (IV, 7)
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Accession Number
1896-31-108
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Eugène Delacroix, towering figure of French Romanticism (1798–1863), created this poignant print in 1843 as an illustration for Shakespeare's *Hamlet*, capturing the tragic death of Ophelia in Act, Scene 7. In the play, Ophelia, driven mad by grief over her father Polonius's death and Hamlet's rejection, drowns a profusion of flowers. Delacroix's interpretation reflects his lifelong passion for Shakespeare, whose works he admired for their emotional depth and intensity, often turning to literature for inspiration in his dynamic compositions. As a lithograph—a printmaking technique Delacroix m...