Objects of Substance - Ophelia

Susan Bleakley, Ophelia , 1999, bronze, Brisbane Girls Grammar School Collection.

Bleakley’s sculpture rests on a wooden plinth, upon which a plaque includes the Hamlet quotation: ‘The fair Ophelia. Nymph, in thy orisons/Be all my sins remember’d.’ [ Hamlet , Act III, Scene i]

Susan Bleakley, Ophelia Plaque, 1999.

So, the artist has set a specific scene of the play to her artwork. In this scene, after an exchange of pleasantries, Ophelia announces that she has ‘love-tokens’ of Hamlet’s that she wishes to return to him. He flatly denies he gave her anything. Ophelia maintains her composure and stands firm.