“The Death of Ophelia,” created by Eugene Delacroix in 1843, is an artwork emblematic of the Romanticism art movement and is classified as a literary painting. Portraying a scene from William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet,” this piece reflects the Romantic interest in complex emotions and nature’s power.
The artwork depicts the tragic figure of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” at the moment of her demise. In a somber and elegiac composition, Delacroix has captured the lifeless body of Ophelia as she lies in the water where she has drowned. The fluid and loosely drawn lines give the impression of gentle movement of water around her figure, implying the act of sinking or floating, consistent with the play’s narrative that Ophelia has fallen into the stream and, in her madness, has not attempted to save herself.
Her attire appears soaked, adhering to her form, and her arms are limply spread, suggesting a surrender to her fate. The natural surroundings are rendered with an expressive quality characteristic of Delacroix’s style; the trees and foliage appear dark and almost foreboding, enhancing the scene’s melancholic and tragic atmosphere. Delacroix’s effective use of light and shadow adds to the depth of the composition, immersing the viewer in the poignant moment that embodies the essence of Romanticism with its focus on emotion, nature, and the macabre.