This song is about the character Ophelia from Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
Ophelia was a noble woman who was in love with prince Hamlet. However her father commanded her to spurn her love and any advances from Hamlet.
After Hamlet rebuffs her during a fit of despair (in large caused by her instructed rejection of Hamlet as a love interest), and her father's murder, Ophelia descends into madness and is eventually found drowned in a nearby pond. Whether or not it was an accident or a suicide has long been a literary debate.
The lyrics in this song refer specifically to the scene (Act 4, Scene 5) where we see that Ophelia has gone off the deep end (pun intended). During the scene, Ophelia sings in riddles and gives other characters flowers, while describing the meaning of each.
I don't think all of the flower sin the song actually appear int he play, nor are the meanings matched up.
Here are Ophelia's lines:
"There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray,
love, remember: and there is pansies. that's for thoughts."
"There's fennel for you, and columbines: there's rue
for you; and here's some for me: we may call it
herb-grace o' Sundays: O you must wear your rue with
a difference. There's a daisy: I would give you
some violets, but they withered all when my father
died: they say he made a good end,--"
This song is about the character Ophelia from Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
Ophelia was a noble woman who was in love with prince Hamlet. However her father commanded her to spurn her love and any advances from Hamlet.
After Hamlet rebuffs her during a fit of despair (in large caused by her instructed rejection of Hamlet as a love interest), and her father's murder, Ophelia descends into madness and is eventually found drowned in a nearby pond. Whether or not it was an accident or a suicide has long been a literary debate.
The lyrics in this song refer specifically to the scene (Act 4, Scene 5) where we see that Ophelia has gone off the deep end (pun intended). During the scene, Ophelia sings in riddles and gives other characters flowers, while describing the meaning of each.
I don't think all of the flower sin the song actually appear int he play, nor are the meanings matched up.
Here are Ophelia's lines:
"There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies. that's for thoughts."
"There's fennel for you, and columbines: there's rue for you; and here's some for me: we may call it herb-grace o' Sundays: O you must wear your rue with a difference. There's a daisy: I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died: they say he made a good end,--"