Versions of Death
“Of the Drowned Girl” by Bertolt Brecht and “Ophelia” by Arthur Rimbaud are both powerful and unique in describing the different perspectives of Ophelia’s death from Hamlet. Brecht’s short poem speaks about the fragility of life; Rimbaud’s longer poem that focuses on the everlasting nature beauty. In a sense, Brecht’s poem is written in response to Rimbaud’s “Ophelia”, a fact that accounts for both the similarities and differences between the two works.
Despite the obvious differences the two poems, both poems also use some elements similar to each other; however, in different effects. They both use nature. Brecht focuses on the scene of Ophelia’s death and her physical state. “Of the Drowned Girl”, the poet focuses on the …show more content…
The poet focuses on romanticizing Ophelia’s death by using nature to paint the image of her ghost floating on water and the nature accompanies her. For example, “It was the winds descending from the great mountains of Norway / That spoke to you in low voices of better freedom” (19-20). In Hamlet, Ophelia’s death takes place in Demark; with the mention of Norway in Rimbaud’s poem, it is almost if the world is too large for her. At the same time, the wind seems to comforting Ophelia in a way that makes death will allow her to be free from her moral …show more content…
“Of the Drowned Girl” seems to attack on the idea of “immortalization” of Ophelia in contrast to Rimbaud’s poem. Towards the end of Brecht’s poem, the author clearly wants to show Ophelia as something worldly:
When her pale body has decayed in the water
It happened (very slowly) that God gradually forgot her
First her face, then her hands and right in the end of her hair.
Then she became carrion in rivers with much carrion. (13-16)
The poet shows Ophelia, born from a noble family in Denmark, shares a common type of death to someone that might be from the lower class by speaking how Ophelia become carrion among carrion in river. It completely disregards the social status, Ophelia and other people will eventually be forgotten by God one day. The mentioning of being forgotten, the poet de-immortalized Ophelia and gives her a proper closure.
Rimbaud’s poem, on the other hand, has wanted Ophelia to become an everlasting figure. Ophelia seems to become a part of the nature and thus granting her immortality. The poet makes a comparison between Ophelia and lily. He uses nature to capture and retell the tale of Ophelia:
The ruffled water-lilies are sighting around her;
At times she rouses, in a slumbering alder,
Some nest form which escapes a small rustle of
“Of the Drowned Girl” by Bertolt Brecht and “Ophelia” by Arthur Rimbaud are both powerful and unique in describing the different perspectives of Ophelia’s death from Hamlet. Brecht’s short poem speaks about the fragility of life; Rimbaud’s longer poem that focuses on the everlasting nature beauty. In a sense, Brecht’s poem is written in response to Rimbaud’s “Ophelia”, a fact that accounts for both the similarities and differences between the two works.
Despite the obvious differences the two poems, both poems also use some elements similar to each other; however, in different effects. They both use nature. Brecht focuses on the scene of Ophelia’s death and her physical state. “Of the Drowned Girl”, the poet focuses on the …show more content…
The poet focuses on romanticizing Ophelia’s death by using nature to paint the image of her ghost floating on water and the nature accompanies her. For example, “It was the winds descending from the great mountains of Norway / That spoke to you in low voices of better freedom” (19-20). In Hamlet, Ophelia’s death takes place in Demark; with the mention of Norway in Rimbaud’s poem, it is almost if the world is too large for her. At the same time, the wind seems to comforting Ophelia in a way that makes death will allow her to be free from her moral …show more content…
“Of the Drowned Girl” seems to attack on the idea of “immortalization” of Ophelia in contrast to Rimbaud’s poem. Towards the end of Brecht’s poem, the author clearly wants to show Ophelia as something worldly:
When her pale body has decayed in the water
It happened (very slowly) that God gradually forgot her
First her face, then her hands and right in the end of her hair.
Then she became carrion in rivers with much carrion. (13-16)
The poet shows Ophelia, born from a noble family in Denmark, shares a common type of death to someone that might be from the lower class by speaking how Ophelia become carrion among carrion in river. It completely disregards the social status, Ophelia and other people will eventually be forgotten by God one day. The mentioning of being forgotten, the poet de-immortalized Ophelia and gives her a proper closure.
Rimbaud’s poem, on the other hand, has wanted Ophelia to become an everlasting figure. Ophelia seems to become a part of the nature and thus granting her immortality. The poet makes a comparison between Ophelia and lily. He uses nature to capture and retell the tale of Ophelia:
The ruffled water-lilies are sighting around her;
At times she rouses, in a slumbering alder,
Some nest form which escapes a small rustle of