Ophelia's Flowers

Ophelia by Alexandre Cabanel, 1883

Ophelia's Bouquet

  
"There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. 
 Pray you, love, remember.
 And there is pansies, that’s for thoughts ...
There’s fennel for you, and columbines.

There’s rue for you, and here’s some for me. 
We may call it “herb of grace” o' Sundays.
- Oh, you must wear your rue with a difference.
There’s a daisy. I would give you some violets, 
But they withered all when my father died."

- Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5

Daisies and Pansies

The Daisy and Pansy are two flowers that are associated with Ophelia in Hamlet. Learn more about their meaning and symbolism and other places where Shakespeare used them in his work.

Daisy (Bellis perennis)

 

Source: André Karwath, distributed under a CC-2.0 license

 

“When daisies pied, and violets blue,

And lady-smocks all silver white,

And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue,

Do paint the meadows with delight,”

- Love’s Labour’s Lost, Act V, Scene 2

Rosemary and Rue

Rosemary and Rue, herbs that on two occasions Shakespeare placed near to one another.

“For you there’s rosemary and rue …
Grace and remembrance be to you both,”

- The Winter’s Tale, Act IV, Scene 3

“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray you love, remember ...

  there’s rue for you, and here’s some for me: we may call it herb-grace o’ Sundays: 

O, you must wear your rue with a difference”

- Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5

 

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalus)

Rosemary in bloom

Violets in Shakespeare

Violets are a beautiful, sweet smelling flower. Traditionally violets represented faithfulness but for Shakespeare they were also symbolic of sorrow and death.

Violet (Viola odorata)

 

 

Weeds and Symbolism in Shakespeare Plays

Nettles (Utrica dioica) by Uwe H. Friese, CC BY 3.0

“ … tis an unweeded garden
That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely.”

- Hamlet, Act I, Scene 2

As weeds spring up in a garden that is not being tended to, Shakespeare used weeds to represent neglect, devastation and disorder. The above quote from Hamlet’s first soliloquy describes his view of the world, disordered and polluted due to the marriage of his mother and uncle.

Elizabethan Nosegays

Nonsuch Palace by Joris Hoefnagel

A garden “shall contain the herbs and flowers used to make nosegays and garlands.”

The Country Farme, 1600

Nosegays or Tussie-Mussies are small bouquets of flowers and herbs that were attached to lady's bodices and to gentleman’s doublet or mantle. The term nosegay is derived from the Middle English gay, meaning bright object or ornament or gay in the sense of happiness or joy, literally meaning an ornament that brings joy to the nose. The word Tussie Mussie or tusemose is first mentioned in 1440 and is derived from the word tuse meaning knot of flowers and mose referring to the damp moss that was wrapped around the stems to prevent the flowers from drying out. (Tussie-Mussies: The Language of Flowers, Geraldine Adamich Laufer)

Shakespeare Fragrances and Perfumes

Here are a few ideas on how to create your own Shakespeare inspired fragrance, with the herbal oils and flower essences that are associated with a play or with an individual character. Let's start with the tragic heroine Ophelia.

Ophelia by Ernest Hébert

How To Plant A Shakespeare Garden

Anne Hathaway's Cottage Garden by Richard Peat CC BY-SA 2

In his collected works Shakespeare refers to over two hundred species of plants, with twenty-nine scenes taking place in gardens or in orchards. Shakespeare’s references to flowers and plants not only gave his plays a sense of place, like the Arden forest in As You Like It, the fairy forest of A Midsummer Night’s Dream or the rugged Scottish landscape of Macbeth. They also served as extended metaphors for human emotions and the human condition.

To honour the talents of the Bard why not create a Shakespeare inspired garden. Here are a few ideas on the how to do so.

Shakespeare Roses

Credit: www.flickr.com/photos/summerbl4ck/2690402593

"Of all flowers

Methinks a rose is best." 

- Two Noble Kinsmen, Act II, Scene II