Shakespeare's Use Of Flowers In Hamlet

Throughout history flowers have been used as a form of cryptic communication to convey messages of love and interest which could not be spoken aloud. Today, flowers are often given as gifts because of their meaning which was established hundreds of years ago. Floriography, or the use of flowers to spread a message, died years ago. However, flowers still hold symbolic meaning in literature, art, and daily life. Shakespeare’s use of the language of flowers offers insight into the culture of the Victorian era by providing examples of the flower’s symbolic meaning in his plays, in which characterization, foreshadowing, growing interest within the plot, and how the audience comprehended his use of these allusions take part in the meaning of the work as a whole.
The study of floriography and botany has been taking place for centuries. Early doctors and the people of Native American tribes studied flowers and created pain relieving creams. Cultures across the globe created incense which were used to worship and celebration. Flowers continued to collect meaning all around the world as different cultures recognized their beauty and took to using them in religious ceremonies.
Shakespeare was able to assume his entire audience understood these allusions because of their cultural significance. At the time, many people grew their own flowers and studied flower dictionaries in order to communicate with floriography. Flowers have been representative as symbols for hundreds of years. A majority of flowers have a universal meaning across the globe, even though there is some variation between eastern and western cultures. In the modern world floriography is no longer practiced, therefore a majority of the current audience is unable to benefit from Shakespeare’s elaborate allusions, foreshadowing, and