Page 11 - Ophelia's Flowers

Daisy

Innocence

According to an old Celtic legend, daisies were sprinkled onto the
earth after the death of an infant, in order to cheer the parents up.

Because of this, daisies are now a symbol of innocence and purity. In the
play, Ophelia picks the daisy from her hand but places it back into the

pile after a brief, sad gaze. By doing so she is telling everybody in the
room that there is no innocence left in the court of Denmark. It is notable

here that Ophelia herself also considers herself sinned, although
truthfully she did not do much to disturb the peace.

Dorothy Gale

Because nobody in the Danish court could receive such a symbol
of innocence, I would give the daisy to Dorothy Gale, from The Wizard

of Oz. Dorothy is a young and curious girl who finds herself lost in the
magical Land of Oz. She does not have any special qualities, but sits

close within our hearts with her perfect depiction of what an innocent
child should be like. She is kind, curious, brave—but not overly

initiative—and most of all she unpolluted by the darkness of society.
Even when she defeats the Wicked Witch of the West, the whole

incident is portrayed as an accident, furthering Dorothy’s image as pure
and harmless child. Unlike the characters in Hamlet, Dorothy has not yet

been contaminated by the harshness that life can hold, and therefore she
is permitted to have this flower.