This collection of new essays is the first to explore the rich afterlife of one of Shakespeare's most recognizable characters. With contributions from an international group of established and emerging scholars, The Afterlife of Ophelia moves beyond the confines of existing scholarship and forges new lines of inquiry beyond Shakespeare studies.

'This richly varied collection builds on Elaine Showalter's famous 1985 essay, 'Representing Ophelia,' to examine multiple representations of Ophelia in various times and places. The images, both described and captured in illustrations, are fascinating in themselves and the collection as a whole constitutes a revealing contribution to cultural history, demonstrating that Ophelia is indeed a mirror in which successive cultures have seen their own anxieties and values.' Phyllis Rackin, professor of English Emerita, University of Pennsylvania

'This is a simply fabulous collection of essays on 'the blighted girlhood' of Ophelia, whose fate has fascinated readers for centuries. Far from being a static figure, however, this volume shows that Ophelia has changed with the times, and her fate reveals as much about the cultural dynamics of representing femininity as it does about Shakespeare's character in her original rendition.' Dympna C. Callaghan, William Safire Professor of Modern Letters, Syracuse University