From early modern tragedy to Victorian visual culture, Ophelia's representation has reflected shifting paradigms of gender, aesthetics, and emotion. During the Victorian era, Pre-Raphaelite reinterpretations of this Shakespearean heroine made her into an emblem of tragic femininity. These images not only aestheticized death and idealized feminine fragility but also operated within a broader visual representation that conflated the female body with aesthetic and moral transcendence. 

Rocío Moyano-Rejano is a PhD candidate in the doctoral program in Linguistics, Literature, and Translation at the University of Málaga, and is an Assistant Professor at Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio (Madrid). Her PhD dissertation explores the survival and continued relevance of the character Ophelia in Pre-Raphaelite painting and contemporary English literature. Her main research interests include critical theory, Pre-Raphaelite studies, interart studies, adaptation studies, comparative literature, and Shakespearean heroines. She is also a regular contributor to the Pre-Raphaelite Podcast.

This event is free for all BMI members and £5 for any non-member. For non-members tickets please follow the Eventbrite link - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ophelia-as-an-archetype-of-youthful-beauty-tickets-1985137231899?aff=oddtdtcreator