Illustrated Shakespeare

[Janine]

Through the ages, Shakespeare has been visualized by many painters and illustrators, engravers, etc. This thread will be dedicated to showing this visual side of Shakespeare. It is interesting to note how different artists interpreted the various scenes in the Shakespeare's plays and poetry.

I will start with one of my favorites artist/illustrators - first:

Arthur Rackham

He was well-known for his illustrations for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and his beautiful and intricate children‘s illustrations:

You can read a brief biography in the companion to this thread “The Magical World of Children's Illustration” on this forum:

http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=39013 (post #5)

Here is some of his work illustrating "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Fairies Away


Titania-Sleeping


Fairies Sing



Titania Sleeps - second version


I am the very wanderer of the night


Fairies


Puck


Titania - second version


FairHelena


I love this last one particularly.

[Dark Muse]

I love the Tempest, here are some images I really like of the play I found, by Paul Woodroffe










I love this one

[Janine]

Another of my favorites is:

Edmund Dulac
from Wikipedia:
Edmund Dulac (born Edmond Dulac, October 22, 1882 – May 25, 1953[1]) was a French book illustrator prominent during the so called "Golden Age of Illustration" (the first quarter or so of the twentieth century).

to find out more about the illustrator's life please see this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Dulac


Here are some of Dulac's illustrations for "The Tempest"

Ariel in a Tree



Ariel and the Bee



Prospero



Elves and Fairies

[Janine]

Dark Muse, How funny and strange - we were posting the same time and the same play! only different illustrators. I guess 'brilliant minds think alike'. I love the ones you just posted. Those are sooo beautiful. I did see that second one when I was cruising around tonight checking out the site you told me about.

[Dark Muse]

LOL or in the words of an old frined of mine. Great minds think alike, but then again so do ours.

[Janine]

LOL or in the words of an old frined of mine. Great minds think alike, but then again so do ours.

Haha - that is a good one!

I can't seem to leave this stuff alone tonight. I need to call it quits and go to bed. I can't resist posting one more bit.

Some more delightful illustrations by Rackham from "Midsummer Night's Dream"

Monotone Illustration




I will sing that they shall hear I am not afraid...


How now spirit whither wander you?


Enter Pease blossom, Cobweb, Moth,and Mustardseed


Changling

[mayneverhave]

Drowned Ophelia:

[Dark Muse]

Ophelia


John Everett Millais


Waterhouse


Waterhouse


Arthur Huges


Waterhouse


Auguste Ernest Hebert


Pault Steck


O'Neil


Delacroix

[Janine]

Fabulous! - mayneverhave and Dark Muse. I love that first one -the one with the curved top edge; thanks mayneverhave.....and I knew that you, DM,would would come through with many 'Ophelias' which you posted in the social group 'Pre-Raphaelite'. I don't recall seeing this one by Pault Steck or the O'Neil; I will have to further check out his work. They are all really great. I like the underwater one very much. I think I can come up with some more Ophelias tonight.

[Dark Muse]

Yes it is true the O'Neil and the Steck were not included in the Pre-Raphalite group, just a couple of extras I found and liked for this thread.

[Janine]

Yes it is true the O'Neil and the Steck were not included in the Pre-Raphalite group, just a couple of extras I found and liked for this thread.

True, nor the Delacroix, that was much earlier, right?

[Dark Muse]

No, I did not include the Delacroix either, the Delacroix was 1853

[Janine]

Here are some more Ophelias....

'Ophelia' from "Hamlet" by different artists - interesting to see how each imagined her, isnt' it?

Sant - oil on canvas oval


Rihcarde Westall - 1802


Richard Dadd (The Closet Scene) - 1840


Marcus Stone - 1888


Joseph Severn - 1831


Jean Baptiste Bertrand


Henrietta Rae - 1901


Henrietta Rae -1890


Benjamin West -1802


Arthur Hughes - 1852


George Frederic Watts - 1864


Francis Danby 'Disappointed Love' - 1821 (not actually painted to represent Ophelia but often mistaken for her)

[Janine]

Here are some interesting visions of Lord Hamlet

Sir Thomas Lawrence - J.P.Kemble as Hamlet


Philip H.Calder - The Young Lord Hamlet

"
Charles Hunt - "Hamlet" - The Play Scene I


I thought this Hamlet book cover was interesting


Edwin Austin Abbey - Hamlet 1897

[Dark Muse]

Romeo and Juliet

Ford Madox Brown (1821-1893)


Frank Dicksee (1853-1928)


unknown


John Pettie (1839-1893)


Fredrick Lord Leighton (1830-1896)