FILTER RESULTS × Close
by Artist (743)
by Century (8)
by Country (12)
by Object Type (12)
by Period (3)
Skip to Content
☰ Open Filter >>

Object Results

Showing 3492 of 3652

Print this page
Image of Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 7

John Boydell
 English, 1719–1804
Josiah Boydell (aka Joshua Boydell)
 English, 1752–1817
James Parker
 English, 1750–1805
after Richard Westall
 English, 1765–1836

Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 7

about 1804
From Boydell's Graphic Illustrations of the Dramatic Works of Shakespeare

Object Type: Print
Dimensions:
10 7/16 x 6 7/16 in. (27 x 16 cm)
Medium and Support: Engraving on paper
Accession Number: 2016.0009.0003

Credit Line: Gift of Thomas L. Phillips in memory of his grandfather, Alabama State Senator J. T. Phillips


In 1786, a successful London publisher, alderman John Boydell, conceived of a gallery of art devoted to scenes from Shakespeare’s plays. Named for its founder, the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery was one of the first large-scale commercial endeavors intended to promote British literature and artists both in Great Britain as well as throughout the European continent. He commissioned over 167 paintings of scenes from Shakespeare’s plays and produced engravings based on these paintings. In creating the engravings, John Boydell partnered with his son, Josiah, whose name appears after his father’s in the list above. The third name is that of the engraver, and the fourth is that of the painter who created the original composition in oils. The role of the engraver was to transfer the painter’s composition onto plates for printing.

About this scene:
Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, the sister of Laertes, and up until the beginning of the play’s events, she has also been romantically involved with the main character, Hamlet. The engraving shows a scene not literally performed in the play itself, that is it describes the moments leading up to her death by drowning in a stream. She is depicted clinging to a branch, which is breaking from the tree and, upon breaking, will allow her to fall into the stream and her eventual death by drowning.

Keywords Click a term to view the records with the same keyword
Water
Tree
Literary Characters

Related Objects Click a record to view
Image of Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2
Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2
2016.0008.0001
Image of Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 5, Scene 5
Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 5, Scene 5
2016.0008.0002
Image of Much Ado About Nothing, Act 4, Scene 2
Much Ado About Nothing, Act 4, Scene 2
2016.0008.0003
Image of Midsummer-Night’s Dream, Act 2, Scene 1
Midsummer-Night’s Dream, Act 2, Scene 1
2016.0008.0004
Image of Merchant of Venice, Act 3, Scene 2
Merchant of Venice, Act 3, Scene 2
2016.0008.0005
Image of Taming of the Shrew, Act 4, Scene 5
Taming of the Shrew, Act 4, Scene 5
2016.0008.0006
Image of Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 3
Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 3
2016.0008.0007
Image of Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 3
Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 3
2016.0008.0008
Image of Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 1
Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 1
2016.0008.0009
Image of King Richard II, Act 3, Scene 2
King Richard II, Act 3, Scene 2
2016.0008.0010
Image of King Henry IV, Part 1, Act 2, Scene 1
King Henry IV, Part 1, Act 2, Scene 1
2016.0008.0011
Image of King Henry V, Act 3, Scene 3
King Henry V, Act 3, Scene 3
2016.0008.0012
Image of King Henry VI, Part 1, Act 5, Scene 4
King Henry VI, Part 1, Act 5, Scene 4
2016.0008.0013
Image of King Richard III, Act 3, Scene 1
King Richard III, Act 3, Scene 1
2016.0008.0014
Image of Antony and Cleopatra, Act 4, Scene 4
Antony and Cleopatra, Act 4, Scene 4
2016.0008.0015
Image of Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 5
Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 5
2016.0009.0001
Image of Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4
Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4
2016.0009.0002

Portfolio List Click a portfolio name to view all the objects in that portfolio
This object is a member of the following portfolios:
Thumbnail image of Classification: Print
Classification: Print

Your current search criteria is: All Object records.