Hamlet's Demise

Jenni Appleby, "Hamlet's Demise," November 2022, Digital, 11" x 14"

Inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet, this still life features symbols of death from the play. The skull represents Ophelia, as the famous scene in which Hamlet holds a skull happens at her grave. The knife represents Hamlet, and is mainly yellow, the color for madness. The flask represents Laertes, as it would have been used to hold the poison which killed him. The violets represent Polonius, as Ophelia mentioned that they all withered when he died. The pearl and goblet represent the queen and king, respectively, as they both died after drinking the wine which had been exposed to the poisoned pearl. The ring represents Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, who were killed after Hamlet sealed their fate in a letter with his signet ring.