Shakespeare’s Tragic Women
All illustrations on this page are from The Works of Shakespeare, edited by William Henley, published in Edinburgh, 1901-1904.
Shakespeare’s tragedies are not kind to characters. As we read a tragedy, we develop certain expectations for the behavior and fate of the characters, but our responses may change as those characters develop. Artists’ representations of characters can also affect how we understand them.
On this page are artists’ interpretations of some of Shakespeare’s tragic women.
Ophelia in Hamlet
Though she simply looks lovely, here Ophelia is at her lowest point, driven mad with anguish following her father’s death at Hamlet’s hand.
Lavinia in Titus Andronicus
Lavinia’s story is brutally violent and quintessentially tragic. Because of her father’s choices, she is made the target of vengeful cruelty. Lavinia is raped and mutilated, with her hands and tongue cut off by her rapists. In this image, Lavinia smiles sweetly. She hides her injuries behind a pure white dress and a closed mouth. Her demeanor and her dress hide a disturbing reality, and emphasize her blamelessness by making her look serene and angelic. More than that, Lavinia’s demure depiction may also represent her shame at what happened and her determination to persevere despite the terrors she has suffered.
Cordelia in King Lear
Cordelia sets the tone for Lear when she refuses to give her father the lengthy, disingenuous praise offered by her sisters. She is pictured here objecting to her father's indiscretion as he marries her off to get rid of her for her disobedience. Cordelia is one of many victims of Lear's inability to make sound judgments. But in a moment of mercy, Lear and Cordelia are at last reconciled with one another before their tragic deaths.
Juliet in Romeo and Juliet
In the famous balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, height is an important visual and narrative device. In Act II, scene ii, Romeo proclaims that “Juliet is the sun,” and he tries to climb to meet her. Juliet seems forced to reach down and help Romeo up; if she doesn’t, he might fall. She is light, white, embodying the sun, drawing the darker Romeo in and up to her level. In putting his weight on her, he surrenders much of his self-determinacy and pulls her off balance, which is a fitting metaphor for the play’s action. In this artist’s interpretation, Juliet seems to have a lot more power over those she lets into her life, as opposed to being relentlessly pursued by an older boy.