Jaques and the Wounded Stag by William Hodges, Sawrey Gilpin and George Romney: (Re)Painting Shakespeare’s Melancholic Figure
Jaques and the Wounded Stag by William Hodges, Sawrey Gilpin and George Romney: (Re)Painting Shakespeare’s Melancholic Figure

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the representation of Jaques, Shakespeare’s melancholic fi gure from As You Like It, in the painting entitled Jaques and the Wounded Stag in the Forest of Arden by William Hodges, Sawrey Gilpin and George Romney (1788–1789). The painting is analysed both within the context of the original play as well as in the context of the 18th-century discussions on the signifi cance of nature. The presentation of the scene is understood to constitute a critical statement on the play, foregrounding the truly melancholy nature of Jaques. The painting is analysed within the framework of the psychological approach to images introduced by Rudolf Arnheim, the iconographical analysis proposed by Erwin Panofsky and the theory of intermediality.

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