Ophelia

The painting “Ophelia” by artist Sarah Richter depicts the ghost of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Amongst the sunken ruins, she sits on a swing hanging from the remains of a gothic window. She gazes toward the full moon and behind her, the first light of dawn is beginning to break, painting the sky in a dramatic transition of golden yellow and warm orange to violet and deep blue, illuminating her spectral figure. Partially submerged in the water nearby, Ophelia’s lifeless body floats among the ancient ruins, almost hidden from view. Whether she drowned accidentally or deliberately took her own life after being driven into madness by the death of her father and Hamlet’s rejection is unclear. The scene creates a melancholic and otherworldly vision of Ophelia caught between life and death.