Hamlet and Ophelia, plate 5 from Hamlet

Shakespeare’s Hamlet, with its iconic tortured hero and its supernatural themes, has long captivated artists. Eugène Delacroix’s series highlights 16 scenes from the play. Here the artist captured the famous moment in which Hamlet, recoiling from Ophelia, scornfully commands his former love to “Get thee to a nunnery!” She sits despondently in a chair as she receives this abuse. Delacroix skillfully employed dramatic contrasts of light and dark to highlight the tension of the scene.