# data[].attributes.body
At the time Shakespeare was writing Hamlet there were many factors that contributed to the motif of flowers/gardens. One of them being women's societal role during the time period. During the early 1600s, women were expected to uphold the role of being subservient to men, remain quiet, and remain homebound. Their point in life was to get married, reproduce, and keep their home tidy. Also during this time, Queen Elizabeth I was in rule.  She supported many works from Shakespeare, and she was a very powerful woman. Unlike many woman of the time, she stood as a head-figure to the people as a dominant woman which could make men feel uncomfortable since they are used to holding the power. This contrast of women's role in society versus how Queen Elizabeth I opposed that, reflects in Shakespeare's writing in the motif of flowers/gardens. In the play Ophelia is a gentle flower who represents Chastity and purity and is dominated by man, Hamlet in the case of the literature. Gertrude, on the other hand, is a women of power. She has rule over the kingdom, but since Shakespeare is a man, he still may feel uncomfortable by the idea of women in power. Therefore, he still infringes on this idea of a woman as a flower (aka. powerless dominance by man). He characterizes Gertrude as a woman who is dominated by the men in her life; King Hamlet, Claudius, and Hamlet.

# data[].attributes.body
This article examines the characterization of one's garden and how it reflects the traits/personality of the person who owns it in literature and television. It goes into detail how the flowers of a garden can represent neglect and care. If a person doesn't care for their garden it can be assumed they are careless or forgetful. The article also talks about the romantic aspect of flowers. Bouquets are a standard romantic gift to show one's love, and each type and color of flower hold a different meaning. The type of flowers a women likes reflects on her personality or motifs pertaining the character. As stated in the text, many other writers for literature and television have written about this device because it is one of the most popular motifs. It can be most commonly seen in many forms of anime.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Flowers are one of the most popular motifs in literature and television alike. Whether given as a gift or mentioned as a character's favorite plant, they're probably worth taking note of; they may well be saying something about the story's theme ...

# data[].attributes.body
Violets- "A violet in the youth of primy nature"(Shakespeare, 1.3.7.) Violets represent faithfulness. Laertes is metaphorically speaking, comparing Hamlets love for Ophelia to a violet "that is quick to bloom, but quick to die". He is saying that Hamlets love is not real or very faithful.

# data[].attributes.body
Pansies: "there is pansies, thats for thoughts" (Shakespeare, IV.5. 174-175)
In French pansy means "pensées", meaning "thoughts". That is why in the Elizabethan era the pansy was symbolized with sadness, love, and other  tender feelings. Ophelia also hands pansies to Laertes in this act.

# data[].attributes.headline
4. Scenes in Hamlet that relate to Flowers 

# data[].attributes.subject
4. Scenes in Hamlet that relate to Flowers 

# data[].attributes.body
Columbines stands "for faithfulness in wedlock". Ophelia directs this particular flower is to the king. The dramatic irony behind Ophelia giving this flower to Claudius is the fact that he was not faithful in wedlock because he "stole the love of his brothers wife"(Shakespeare). Ophelia uses this flower to takes a jab at the King, an example of how the language of flowers were used to avoid the strict rules of behaviour.

# data[].attributes.headline
5. Connecting the motif Flowers/Gardens to a symbol.

# data[].attributes.subject
5. Connecting the motif Flowers/Gardens to a symbol.

# data[].attributes.body
In itself, flowers are also a symbol and a motif. Each flower used has meaning, and they're  used most symbolically in Ophelia's speech where she offers flowers to certain characters: Rosemary for remembrance and pansies for thoughts are given to Laertes. Fennel, possibly to Gertrude or Claudius, as a symbol of frailty and flattery. Weeds are mentioned (by Hamlet especially) in reference to disgust, and violets for brevity and frailty. The flowers in Ophelia adorns herself in when she dies are Ophelia states that she has no violets left—they all withered when her father died. Ophelia’s “bouquet” is contradictory: there are flowers associated with sorrow and mourning, but also happy remembrances. Ophelia’s flowers, then, symbolize her personality and desires, which have been stripped, squashed, and corrupted by society’s expectations. Ophelia’s imaginary flowers tie in with the thematic representation of women’s issues throughout the play: Ophelia has had to change so much to survive in the world of men that she’s literally driven herself mad.

# data[].attributes.body
Rosemary - "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray you, love, remember;" (Shakespeare, IV.5.173)
Ophelia hands to her brother, Laertes, rosemary. The leaves of a rosemary plant, even when picked, hold the plants "scent for an impressively long time, it was an emblem of memory and was sometimes given as a silent way of saying Remember me . Ophelia makes it clear in this case that the rosemary she is handing to her brother is for the very purpose that it is significant for.

# data[].attributes.body
This device is supposed to represent feelings of happiness and emotional attachment to innocence.

Gardens and flowers are represented in the text through through the actions and characteristics of the major female characters in the play, Ophelia and Gertrude. There are several references throughout the play that talk about Ophelia's sexual innocence, meanwhile Gertrude represents the opposite of sexual experience.

Another Shakespearean text that can connect to this motif is A Midsummer Night's Dream. The love potion in the play, which if consumed makes a character fall in love with the next creature they see, consists of purple, yellow, and white wild flowers. Purple flowers symbolize feelings of admiration through success and royalty. Yellow flowers represent the spread of happiness and joy. White flowers represent innocence and purity. All of these ingredients contain symbols which are major motifs reflecting on the lives of women in Hamlet.

# data[].attributes.body
Dictionary Definition:
Garden- a area of land allotted for growing flowers, vegetables, herbs, or fruit
Flower- the part of the plant that bears seeds, contains the reproductive organs, and is surrounded by colorful petals which attract insects

Connotations:
Garden- represents feminine fertility and symbolizes purity and salvation
Flower- purity, chastity, and sometimes virginity of a female's sexuality and reproduction