Page 7 - Ophelia's Flowers

Fennel & Columbine

Flattery, Adultery, ingratitude, Faithlessness

Fennel is symbolic of flattery and foolishness because of the nature

of the plant; it may be pretty at first, but once a fennel is picked it wilts
very quickly. At the same time as she hands the King a fennel, Ophelia

also gives him a columbine. This is a significant insult to the King as
Columbine is symbolic of adultery, ingratitude, and faithlessness. In

essence, by giving both a fennel and a columbine to Claudius, she is
exploiting the king of his fake, praiseworthy face, and revealing what
truly lies within. Claudius has many attributes which make him

vulnerable to the symbolism of the columbine. He has committed to

adultery by marrying Gertrude, faithlessness for killing Old Hamlet, and
ingratitude for his hunger of the throne. These flowers complement
Claudius very well, along with his moral corruptions.

Regina George

As the top dog in her high school, Regina George from Mean Girls
portrays many of the same attributes as Claudius. She is cruel and

faithless to her own friends, she has affairs with Cady’s—the main
character’s—crush, and she loves to be flattered by others in her school.

The most notable similarity between Claudius and Regina is the outside
face that they continue to keep throughout each of their stories, revealing

their cunning nature. In contrary to Regina’s dark personality, she is well
respected and is popular within her school, as a result. I would have

given this fennel and columbine duo in the scene where Cady quietly
gets revenge on Regina by fooling her into eating calorie bars; Regina
did not know of this fact until the damage was made. Flattering Regina

in the peak of her anger, and exposing her hidden face at the same time,

would definitely be as strong as a jab as Claudius got from Ophelia.