"A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal."

Perhaps if Ophelia had somehow pondered this thought before she went and drowned herself a whole chain of events that led to the climatic ending that is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark might have been avoided (and in consequence, a bunch of people might still have been alive by the end of the play.)

At any rate, Shakespeare, another notorious author like our very own Oscar, is infamous in the arts and literature settings alike. His works are perhaps the most popular subjects to be dismembered and pulverized; thus exposing their soft underbellies in the name of “metaphor” and “symbolism” by most modern day students in the high school and college settings alike.

(If anyone is not familiar with Ophelia and the play “Hamlet” I encourage you to utilize Google and find out more about it. And for Pete’s sake don’t ‘utilize’ Sparknotes because that takes the magic out of the whole thing.)

“Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia,”



This is John Everett Millais’ portrayal of the tragic martyr, painted in 1852 (click picture for more detail).

John Everett Millais from this point onward is fair game for the next several posts, I’ll state right now I know nothing about the guy except that he painted one of my favorite Shakespearean characters (although, many people have done this).

http://www.english.emory.edu/classes/Shakespeare_Illustrated/Millais.Ophelia.html

According to this site, “Ophelia” is one of Millais’ best known paintings, although, it received none such appreciation when it was first created. Critics then referred to the expression on her face as “totally inappropriate” for various reasons. In fact many disregarded the subject of the painting entirely, only giving Millais credit for his technical skill.

(Whoops, apparently John Everett Millais is a SIR John Everett Millais. He shall be referred to by his proper title from here on.)

Ciao!