CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e
ISSN 1481-4374
Pu due Uni e si y P ess ©Pu due Uni e si y
Volume 13 (2011) Issue 5 A icle 12
The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s
Ma ía do Ceb ei o Rábade Villa
Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela
Follow his and addi ional wo ks a : h ps://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb
Pa o he Compa a i e Li e a u e Commons, and he C i ical and Cul u al S udies Commons
Dedica ed o he dissemina ion o schola ly and p o essional in o ma ion, Pu due Uni e si y P ess selec s, de elops, and dis ibu es
quali y esou ces in se e al key subjec a eas o which i s pa en uni e si y is amous, including business, echnology, heal h,
e e ina y medicine, and o he selec ed disciplines in he humani ies and sciences.
CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e
, he pee - e iewed, ull- ex , and open-access lea ned jou nal in he humani ies and
social sciences, publishes new schola ship ollowing ene s o he discipline o compa a i e li e a u e and he ield o cul u al
s udies designa ed as "compa a i e cul u al s udies." Publica ions in he jou nal a e indexed in he Annual Bibliog aphy o English
Language and Li e a u e (Chadwyck-Healey), he A s and Humani ies Ci a ion Index (Thomson Reu e s ISI), he Humani ies Index
(Wilson), Humani ies In e na ional Comple e (EBSCO), he In e na ional Bibliog aphy o he Mode n Language Associa ion o
Ame ica, and Scopus (Else ie ). The jou nal is a ilia ed wi h he Pu due Uni e si y P ess monog aph se ies o Books in Compa a i e
Cul u al S udies. Con ac : <[email p o ec ed]>
Recommended Ci a ion Recommended Ci a ion
Rábade Villa , Ma ía do Ceb ei o. "The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s."
CLCWeb: Compa a i e
Li e a u e and Cul u e
13.5 (2011): <h ps://doi.o g/10.7771/1481-4374.1910>
This ex has been double-blind pee e iewed by 2+1 expe s in he ield.
The abo e ex , published by Pu due Uni e si y P ess ©Pu due Uni e si y, has been downloaded 929 imes as o 11/
07/19.
This documen has been made a ailable h ough Pu due e-Pubs, a se ice o he Pu due Uni e si y Lib a ies. Please con ac
[email p o ec ed] o addi ional in o ma ion.
This is an Open Access jou nal. This means ha i uses a unding model ha does no cha ge eade s o hei ins i u ions o
access. Reade s may eely ead, download, copy, dis ibu e, p in , sea ch, o link o he ull ex s o a icles. This jou nal is co e ed
unde he CC BY-NC-ND license.
UNIVERSITY PRESS !"##$%&&'''(#")$*)++($,*-,)()-,.
CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e
ISSN 1481-4374 <h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb>
Pu due Uni e si y P ess ©Pu due Uni e si y
CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e, he pee - e iewed, ull- ex , and open-access lea ned jou nal in he
humani ies and social sciences, publishes new schola ship ollowing ene s o he discipline o compa a i e
li e a u e and he ield o cul u al s udies designa ed as "compa a i e cul u al s udies." In addi ion o he
publica ion o a icles, he jou nal publishes e iew a icles o schola ly books and publishes esea ch ma e ial in i s
Lib a y Se ies. Publica ions in he jou nal a e indexed in he Annual Bibliog aphy o English Language and
Li e a u e (Chadwyck-Healey), he A s and Humani ies Ci a ion Index (Thomson Reu e s ISI), he Humani ies
Index (Wilson), Humani ies In e na ional Comple e (EBSCO), he In e na ional Bibliog aphy o he Mode n Langua-
ge Associa ion o Ame ica, and Scopus (Else ie ). The jou nal is a ilia ed wi h he Pu due Uni e si y P ess monog-
aph se ies o Books in Compa a i e Cul u al S udies. Con ac : <[email p o ec ed]>
Volume 13 Issue 5 (Decembe 2011) A icle 12
Ma ía do Ceb ei o Rábade Villa ,
"The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s"
<h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb/ ol13/iss5/12>
Con en s o CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e 13.5 (2011)
Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e.
Ed. Ma ía Te esa Vila iño Picos and Anxo Abuín González
<h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb/ ol13/iss5/>
Abs ac : In he a icle "The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s" Ma ía do Ceb ei o
Rábade Villa a emp s o a i e a an idea o cha ac e h ough a compa a i e analysis o a ious
a is ic e sions o William Shakespea e's Ophelia. Rábade Villa employs Gilles Deleuze and Félix
Gua a i's no ions o ans e sali y and de ices o analy ical enuncia ion in o de o unde s and he
eminine li e a y cha ac e . Rábade Villa 's co pus o he Ophelia mo i include Ibe ian Galician
au ho s's wo k such as by Ál a o Cunquei o, Xohana To es, Chus Pa o, and Ma a Dacos a.
Ma ía do Ceb ei o Rábade Villa , "The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s" page 2 o 9
CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e 13.5 (2011): <h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb/ ol13/iss5/12>
Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e. Ed. M.T. Vila iño Picos and A. Abuín González
Ma ía do Ceb ei o RÁBADE VILLAR
The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s
T ansla ed om he Galician by Manus O'Dwye
Félix Gua a i and Gilles Deleuze de eloped he concep o " ans e sali y" in hei Rhizome (1976).
Based on psychoanaly ical p axis, ans e sali y can be subs i u ed o ans e ence as he ope a ing
no ion in analysis as i anscends e ical app oaches (whe e he p inciple o hie a chy ules) o
ho izon al app oaches (whe e he possibili y o subs i u ion p esen s i sel ). Gua a i and Deleuze
ecognized he analy ical po en ial o li e a y wo ks wi h ega d o Ka ka, P ous , Joyce, A aud, and
Becke as being mo e decisi e o a ca og aphy o subjec i i y han he wo ks o F eud, Jung, o
Lacan. In Deleuze and Gua a i's Mille pla eaux. Capi alisme e schizoph onie, ans e sali y is
concei ed o unco e he mechanism o analy ic enuncia ions. I pos ula e ha his p esen s i sel as
an ideal concep o a compa a i e s udy o cha ac e , in pa icula o he analysis o he eminine
cha ac e , in his case ha o Shakespea e's Ophelia.
I employ he no ion o an e sali y in a leas wo senses o he concep : in he on ological sense
wi h he goal o ques ioning he one-dimensionali y o cha ac e , pa icula ly he eminine cha ac e
and in he me hodological sense wi h he goal o me hod in compa a i e li e a u e. We mus wonde
o wha deg ee he ca ego y o cha ac e esis s he concep ion o w i en gen es as a ee o
knowledge exp essed in a linea and hie a chical manne . I is in his con ex ha Deleuze's and
Gua a i's hough a e applied o he subjec 's hizoma ic ca og aphy: he cha ac e anscends
gen e, i appea s in plays, no els, and in poe y (e en i he poe ic cha ac e iza ion has no ecei ed
as much c i ical a en ion as he d ama ic o na a i e one), and i appea s in ilm, sculp u e, pain ing,
and ideo a . Cha ac e can be used as a c i ical ca ego y e ealing he mechanisms o sexual
di e en ia ion which es ablishes a sys em o p i ileges. In his con ex , we migh hen ask, "wha is a
eminine cha ac e ?" o , as a igu a i e speci ica ion o his gene al enuncia ion, "who is Ophelia?" The
choice o Shakespea e's cha ac e as a s a ing poin o his e lec ion is owing o he ambi alence
and ambigui y. These cha ac e is ics pe haps explain why Ophelia is bo h he s a ing poin and model
o such an ample co pus o wo ks no limi ed o li e a u e only.
In his e sion o Shakespea e's Hamle , o iginally published in 1959 and e-published wi h
modi ica ions in 1974, Ál a o Cunquei o p esen s Ophelia as he objec o song, as he ecipien o he
poems Hamle composes. This is how he cho us explains: "E e since hey d essed he up as a
woman, she became his belo ed. She is ex emely pampe ed. She sleeps on emb oide ed pillows. He
b ings he ings back om his a els and wa y hai pins o he hai . He used o sing e ses o he "
(unless indica ed o he wise, all ansla ions a e by Rábade Villa and O'Dwye ) ("Desque a es i on de
mulle , xa se puxo po súa namo ada. Es á moi he dada. Do me en almo adas bo dadas. T aíalle
anelos das iaxes e o quiñas izadas pa a o pelo. Can áballe e sos" [32-33]) and o which Ophelia
esponds singing: "He sang e ses o me! / Da ling, my hea ha desi es oses / desi es o anges and
is an lonely nigh ingale / Da ling, he is you mas e !" ("Can ábame e sos! / Amiga, meu co azón que
pide osas, / la anxas pide e é isolado eiseño , / amiga, en e el po seño !" [33]). In his way,
Ophelia's singing o e ses changes he in o a singing subjec , in o a subjec ha bea s wi ness, wi h
he own oice, o he p eceding song by he cho us. In addi ion o aking e uge in song, Ophelia
akes e uge in insani y, a codeless language. The dis inc ion made by Gua a i and Deleuze be ween
insani y and illness is use ul o my applica ion o analyse he Ophelia mo i . Ophelia is he madwoman
who e uses o subjec wo ds o hings. As in he able o he empe o 's new clo hes, he insane
woman, in he esis ance, shows he wo ld ha he powe ul one is naked and ha eason is he name
o he sui he is no wea ing. Compa ed o Ophelia, Hamle is he neu o ic one, he igu e o Oedipus,
whose wis ed easoning gene a es he ambigui y be ween "con en " and "b o hel" and whose use o
wo ds e eals an oppo unis ic linguis ic economy. Ophelia, on he o he hand, chooses he ocal
language o song, no he consonan al language o eason. She chooses he lullaby, he means
h ough which he mo he ongue was ansmi ed.
To die, he cha ac e chooses a connec ion wi h wa e and i he e is one hing ha cha ac e izes
Ophelia as a cha ac e , i is he dea h. This is wha he p e-Raphaeli e pain e John E e e Millais
obse ed in his o en ep oduced pain ing (1851-52). The wo k inspi ed a la ge genealogy o ex s —
Ma ía do Ceb ei o Rábade Villa , "The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s" page 3 o 9
CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e 13.5 (2011): <h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb/ ol13/iss5/12>
Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e. Ed. M.T. Vila iño Picos and A. Abuín González
many o hese poe ic ex s c ea ing a physical model o a cha ac e ha would ind i s clea es
mani es a ion, o example in Ka e Winsle as Kenne h B anagh's Ophelia (1997). Fo a po ai o
dea h, he a is pain s he dead. Ophelia is he e, immobile, in a liquid co in, mou h hal -open, wi h
he las b ea h linge ing on he lips: she is he e, d owned, bu wi h he hands ou o he i e . The
hands, which he classic canon conside ed he mos spi i ual pa o eminine beau y, su i e wa e y
dea h. The i e ha claimed Ophelia as she sea ched o lowe s, o he song's objec , is he i e o
ime, he i e o he end o ime, a symbol o he desi e o in e up he cou se o he ages o
imme se he sel once again in i s amnio ic beginnings. Bu since i is impossible o loa wice in he
same wa e , each o a ion o he eal wheel e eals i sel , in ime, as a e olu ion. Ophelia's end could
be acciden al o olun a y. Li e a y wo ks which d aw inspi a ion in he cha ac e o Ophelia ha e a
endency o see he as a ic im o an acciden , in e p e ing suicide as he culmina ion o an imagina y
leeing ha causes he o enounce logos in a o o poe y. Among he many cha ac e is ics o he
subjec i e epe o y designed by Shakespea e, w i e s end o choose innocence — ep esen ing he
as a gi l a he han a woman — while assigning ce ain physical quali ies such as whi eness, a symbol
o pu i y, and ha de ines Ophelia. In Cunquei o's Don Hamle , when he p ince e eals his jealousy in
on o he , Lae es exclaims: "Don' speak like ha in on o he ! She has such a iny hea !" This
Ophelia o he iny hea would also seem o be he mo o o As aman es de Hamle (2003), a
collec ion o poems by Ma a Dacos a, in which he cha ac e is con e ed in o a collec i e subjec
because o he capaci y o ep esen he emale condi ion. This g ound ze o, whi ewashed w i ing,
b eaks he silence bu also pe se e es in silence. Con e sely, i we app oach he Shakespea ian mo i
om he pe spec i e o schizoanalysis, we ind ano he eading: Ophelia is no a ic im in he way ha
he dea h ep esen s a choice and he e o e is o he o de o e e ed empo ali y. Ma ie-F ance
Cas a ède explo ed he implica ions o musical ime unde s ood as a olun a y e e sion o he eal.
Time in ou li es, she main ains, is i e e sible. On he con a y, music would cons uc a space o
e e sibili y associa ed wi h he econques o ime.
Ha old Bloom no es up o wha poin i is F eud who w i es he seminal psychological no el o ou
ime. Designed as a h ille , so as o keep ou a en ion, i is in la ge pa in luenced by Shakespea e's
wo k: "Hamle , F eud's men o , goes abou inducing e e yone he encoun e s in o e ealing
hemsel es, while he p ince (like F eud) e ades his biog aphe s. Wha Hamle exe s upon his ellow
cha ac e s is an epi ome o he e ec o Shakespea e's plays upon hei c i ics. I ha e s uggled, o
he limi o my abili ies, o alk abou Shakespea e and no abou mysel , bu I am ce ain ha he
plays ha e looded my conciousness, and ha he plays ead me be e han I ead hem" (xix-xx).
Jus as he e is a agic i ony, he e is also heo e ical i ony. In his suppo o a ex capable o
in e p e ing us, Bloom seems o in oke Jacques De ida, who wished o be psychoanalyzed by a ex .
I is necessa y, in any case, ha one does no o e look he ac ha he p ince celeb a ed by Bloom
exis s as he does in la ge pa because o he en ance o Ophelia, who, almos li e ally pulls him
ou side o himsel . In his ansposi ion o Shakespea e's o iginal, Cunquei o akes ad an age o he
enuncia i e dis ibu ion encou aged by he d ama ic o m, which makes Ophelia an echo o he oice
o Hamle . While she hinks o he sel as a "li le iny wind" ("pequeno en iño"), Hamle sees he as
"a cup" ("un xe o") om which he can d ink. And a e he p ince ells he : "don' mix wi h me: I'm a
e mena ion o low quali y," Ophelia esponds: "I lo e being you shadow," meaning ha she lo es his
nega i i y, a igu e o a di ided conscience. Ophelia is no he cup desi ed by he p ince; she is i s
emp iness. This p oblema ic unde s anding o he subjec is especially ib an in he poem "Ophelia"
by Xohana To es, whe e pe sonal iden i y acqui es he isage o a sha e ed mi o and no e en a
es i u ion le ied by he poe ic wo d is enough o epai he ini ial b eakage: "The mi o des oyed
wi h one hund ed aces o he o he , / how di icul o keep wi hin my ches / he p omises no aken
by he wind / smoke om i es, ba le emains / Lo e, in his way, almos kills us" ("Ro o o espello cos
cen os os do ou o, / qué di ícil man e den o do pei o / as p omesas que non le ou o en o, / ume
de incendios, es os da ba alla. / Dese modo, o amo , case nos ma a" [316]). Thus, we see how he
cha ac e o Ophelia, subjec and objec o a , can be in e p e ed, h ough he lens o Deleuze and
Gua a i's ideas, as a means o analy ic enuncia ion, e i iable in mul iple discou ses including hea e,
cinema, poe y, pain ing, and he essay. The compa ison is, a he same ime, con e ed in o a
demand wi hin he ex ual makeup ac i a ed by he "Ophelia" ec o and no so much a pos e io i o
Ma ía do Ceb ei o Rábade Villa , "The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s" page 4 o 9
CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e 13.5 (2011): <h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb/ ol13/iss5/12>
Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e. Ed. M.T. Vila iño Picos and A. Abuín González
he in es iga ion. T an e sali y applied o cha ac e analysis can be unde s ood as a mic opoli ical
in e en ion ha b ings o ligh ce ain pa icula i ies o he social cons ella ion.
F om he poin o iew o a compa a i e his o y o li e a u e, cha ac e can be employed as a
ans e sal ca ego y which pe mi s he decen aliza ion o a adi ional analysis o aes he ic
mo emen s unde s ood as a chain o e en s. Owing o he s ong p esence in he Wes e n li e a y
imagina y, O elia embodies a p ime example. On he one hand he s ylis ic con on a ion in he way
she has been concei ed by au ho s ollowing Shakespea e ein o ces e en mo e Jo ge Luis Bo ges's
hypo hesis in he s o y "Pie e Mena d, au o del Quijo e": li e a y ime lows in a leas wo di ec ions,
and Home 's Odyssey in luenced James Joyce as much as his Ulysses has since in luenced
con empo a y eadings o he Odyssey. In his sense, one ecognizes ha app oaches by schools such
as poe ic o pic o al symbolism do no necessa ily co espond in hei ea men o he cha ac e o
ha designed by Shakespea e. She/he who w i es, eads wice, and she/he ha eads mo e han
once, also w i es. Reade s will supe impose he image o he o he Ophelias imagined by li e a u e,
ilm, plas ic a s, o music on o Shakespea e's Ophelia, al hough a p esen less so in music han in
o he o ms o exp ession; he cha ac e is silen in he musical imagina y, om he Ballad o he
Dea h o Ophelia (1848) by Hec o Be lioz up o Amb oise Thomas's ope a Hamle (1868), which gi e
he he sop ano pa — he whi es oice. And ye , i is in poe y whe e he cha ac e claims he mos
p o agonism, especially om he beginning in he nine een h cen u y. Ophelia dons symbolism's whi e
habi s in he Poésies o A hu Rimbaud and e u ns o he sp ing ime mee ing wi h Hamle , whom he
doesn' name. She is also mad, bu he insani y has much o he poe ic u y desc ibed by Pla o.
Rimbaud imagines he cha ac e a he hea o he in ini e, which, in oman ic poe ics, is concei ed as
he mo o o c ea ion. F om he hi d sec ion o he poem an a ec i e iden i ica ion be ween he poe
and Ophelia is p oduced. Reason d i es Hamle mad, holding him cap i e. Ophelia's madness, on he
o he hand, anscends all eason, all di iding lines be ween li e and dea h, be ween na u e and
ci iliza ion. Wi h Rimbaud, Ophelia is lulled by he embling willows weeping upon he shoulde s. The
willows illumina e he obus o ehead. The wind kisses he b eas s and i is she who ansla es
Na u e's oice in o a song.
When he exp essionis Geo ge Heym con e s Ophelia in o he p o agonis o his poem, he
subs i u es he locus amoenus o a "no-place" in keeping wi h he sign o an indus ial ime o blood,
swea , and machines. Ophelia is al eady wi hou a soul and only he mind emains. The poem
abandons he admi ed symbolis condi ion, which ended owa d exclama ion ("O pale Ophelia!
Beau i ul as snow!" as he adolescen Rimbaud would espec ully, and he e o e wi h some dis ance,
say o Ophelia) and en e s in o he ealm o ques ioning e e y hing because i knows no hing. And
wha i knows is, mos likely, disliked by he eade . The poems app oach he body mo e and mo e,
almos becoming obscene. Scenes a e desc ibed in close up, cada e s a e dissec ed. Shakespea e's
i e gi es way o Rimbaud's calm sea, p ac ically a lagoon, and opens up in o he da k o eboding
ocean. Synes hesias ill he poem: " ed midday swea ," "yellow winds," "blue eyelids." These igu es
a e no o namen s, bu , a he , ways o show ha he wo ld was b oken, and ha in o de o
ep esen i language mus wo k like an index inge , poin ing o he ex e io o language, and no
owa ds he moon. Language's ex e io is he c uel y o his indus ial socie y ha is hea d om he
ield whe e Ophelia (who now has no spi i , and is no longe a pe son, only lesh) was ound by he
poe . Heym desc ibes he end o i ginal na u e, he end o an unin e up ed landscape by he
exploi a ion o men by and o o he men. And woman, o he cada e o woman, is a zone o ansi ,
a doo way be ween wo wo lds, ha is also he p e-indus ial and he u ban p esen , gi en in he
poem, as needed, wi h i s mos sinis e soul and i s leas welcoming isage.
The p oduc i i y o Ophelia inso a as he cen al cha ac e o mode n poe y along wi h he
especially ansi ional cha ac e allows he o ashion poe ics and de elop hem o such an ex en ha
hey open up o he o ms ha ques ion hem. A he same ime, as I unde line he li le a en ion ha
has been dedica ed o he ca ego y o cha ac e in poe y, undoub edly a esul o he adi ional
unde s anding o poe y as a modali y hea ily a ec ed by he exp ession o au ho ial subjec i i y, and,
co ela i ely, he adical di e ence be ween he e ms "pe son" and "cha ac e " owing o he
es ic i e placemen o he cha ac e in he ealm o li e a y ic ion, and in pa icula , na a i e and
hea e . Many au ho s ha e ques ioned, om a poe ic s andpoin , he speci ic es ic i e concep ions
o poe y aking ad an age once again o he ambi alen Ophelia. The Po uguese su ealis An ónio

Ma ía do Ceb ei o Rábade Villa , "The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s" page 5 o 9
CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e 13.5 (2011): <h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb/ ol13/iss5/12>
Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e. Ed. M.T. Vila iño Picos and A. Abuín González
Ma ia Lisboa, o example, begins wi h such p ocesses as quo a ion and ansla ion as mo o s o he
ollowing ex :
"The Lo e o A hu Rimbaud o he Mas e o Silence"
In he moun ain whe e he s a s die
o es s ha exis ed one housand yea s ago wi h
black hai like he moon and he a e noon b eeze
when he so ness en e s like lowe pe als
ha s and o e he sleeping dead
and epea mys e iously:
"On he calm black wa e whe e he s a s a e sleeping
Whi e Ophelia loa s like a g ea lily"
hal -ou o he ea h like an in ini ely opened eye
dead a yea ago since he moon was bo n
dead a day ago since he ose was bo n
dead a d eam ago, dead a ges u e ago
agains he blowing o he nigh ees
i ouched he in an b eas o he sp ing
and mys e iously epea ed
"O pale Ophelia! beau i ul as snow!
Hea en ! Lo e ! F eedom ! Wha a d eam, oh poo c azed Gi l!"
anspa en on he bland ea h o s a la a
on hai iden ical o he he desola e dead
dead one housand yea s ago epea s:
"Whi e Ophelia loa s like a g ea lily"
he dead mys e iously says:
"The e is a wa ch ha makes no sound."
"O de A hu Rimbaud o Mes e do Siléncio"
Na mon anha onde mo am as es elas
bosques que exis em há mil anos
de cabelos neg os como o lua e a b isa da a de
quando en a b anda en e as pé alas das lo es
que se inclinam sob e o mo e que do me
e mis e iosamen e epe e:
"Su l'onde calme e noi e où do men les é oiles
Un chan mys é ieux ombe des as es d'o "
semi-saído da e a com um olho in ini o abe o
mo o há um ano ao nasce da lua
mo o há um dia ao nasce da osa
mo o há um sonho, mo o há um ges o
en e ao sop o das á o es da noi e
ocou o seio in an e numa p ima e a
e mis e iosamen e epe e:
"O pâle Ophélia! belle comme la neige!
Ciel! Amou ! Libe é! Quel ê e, ô pau e Folle!"
anspa en e sob e a e a mole de la a de es ela
sob e cabelos idên icos aos dos mo os desolados
mo o há mil anos epe e:
"La blanche Ophélia lo e comme un g and lys"
o mo o mis e iosamen e diz:
"Il y a un ho loge qui ne sonne pas." (1541)
Many o he mo i es o he desc ip ion o he cha ac e o Ophelia, unde s ood as an in e ex ual
con inuum, once again ind hei poin o connec ion he e: you h, sp ing, lo e, dea h, in ini y. The
poem does no seek o be an a i ma i e song, bu a he he nega i e o he p eceding poem, in he
way ha , om Kea s, we imagine language o be he nega i e o li e.
In he case o An ónio Ma ia Lisboa i is in e es ing o ponde he implica ions o he use o
linguis ic al e nance, o polyphony, and o collage om he poin o iew o an enuncia i e
unde s anding o poe y as a ex ual gen e a ec ed by he possibili y o encasing oices, cha ac e s,
and subjec s. Lisboa akes he iden i ica ion o he poe wi h Rimbaud's dead woman o he ex eme
by con e ing he same poe in o a cada e and placing hose wo ds he dedica ed o Ophelia on he
i e wa e as an epi aph. The ela ion be ween enuncia ion and cha ac e is, simul aneously, one o
hemes o he ollowing passages o m-Talá, which, as is o en he case wi h he poe y o Chus Pa o,
Ma ía do Ceb ei o Rábade Villa , "The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s" page 6 o 9
CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e 13.5 (2011): <h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb/ ol13/iss5/12>
Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e. Ed. M.T. Vila iño Picos and A. Abuín González
ca ies ou an ac i e dialogue wi h he philosophy o Deleuze and Gua a i, and in which, no
acciden ally, he p ocesses owa ds eno a ing poe y in e ac s wi h i s use in ma kedly di e en
se ings, o en bo de ing on he hea ical:
"On he Ly ical Subjec o Poe ic Enuncia ion"
no al eady 'iden i ied' like one o any o he subjec s o e baliza ion,
bu a he a limi o language, emp y — in any case un ep esen a i e o
igu a i e and ou o which un olds a u h p ocess wi hin he language,
o ic ionali y, o an opening owa ds he sensible. To deny his cons uc i e capaci y is o deny he language he
u h p ocess ha unlocks
wo ds. I is because o his limi ing quali y ha ly icim
can adop all o mulas and no jus ha o he o ic bu also o
o he li e a y gen es. In pa icula , he poem abso bs he wo ld
wi hin i sel — we announce no hing new. Thus, i s ic ionali y,
i s ip owa ds, o example, he coun y o he o acles wi hou e e being o acula , no
p ophe ic (in oday's wo ld o acles a e impossible); owa ds he Epopee coun y wi hou
a happy e u n o na i e soil; owa ds he coun y o concep s wi hou any emp a ion occu ing o hem. Ho o o
ho o s!
o a sys em; owa ds he coun y o he na a i es wi hou na u ally being able o ell any s o ies, scien i ic
discou ses o no ; owa ds he d ama and au onomy o di e en oices ha compose i , and o cou se, owa ds he
coun y o mass cul u e, which means o he li e a y subgen es
We asse ha his subjec is a ype o eigh h passenge
o language
o eigne o all o ms o coun y, bu ne e ou side he poli ically
"human"
Thus he need o he i le o his disse a ion "Ophelia, alien:
a elle o he s a s,"
ce ain as I am abou he es ha he simila i y o his a-signi ican has no escaped any o my lis ene s wi h
ce ain concep ual aspec s o he " eminine" in ou cu en ci iliza ion and li e a y sys em.
"sob e o suxei o lí ico da enunciación poé ica"
non xa iden i icado como unha ou calque a das pe soas da e balización
senón un lími e da linguaxe, balei o, en odo caso a ep esen a i o ou
a igu a i o e que desde aquí desp ega un p oceso de e dade na lingua,
de iccionalidade, de abe u a ca a ao sen ible. Nega lle es a capacidade de
cons ucción é nega lle á lingua o p oceso de e dade que desblinda
as palab as. É po es a calidade de lími e polo que es e Eu do li ismo
pode adop a odas as ó mulas non só da Re ó ica senón amén de odos os
demais xéne os li e a ios. En de ini i a, o Poema subsume den o de si o
mundo — nada no o enunciamos — De aí a súa iccionalidade, a súa iaxe
seguida ca a, po exemplo, ao país dos o áculos sen chega a se o acula , nin
p o é ico (hoxe en día son imposibles os o áculos); ca a ao país da Epopea sen
e o no eliz ca a a ningún solo na al; ca a ao país dos
concep os sen que se lle oco a a en ación ¡ho o dos ho o es!
dun sis ema; ca a ao país das na a i as sen na u almen e chega
a ela a ningunha his o ia, dos discu sos cien í icos ou non; ca a ao d ama e
a au onomía das di e en es oces que o compoñen, e como non, ca a ao país
da cul u a de masas, é dici dos subxéne os li e a ios
Subsc ibimos que es e suxei o é unha especie de oi a o pasaxei o
da lingua
es anxei o a oda clase de pa ias, pe o nunca alleo ao poli icamen e
"humano"
De aí a necesidade do í ulo des a dise ación "O elia, alien:
iaxei a das es elas" segu a como es ou polo demais de que a ningún dos
meus oín es se lle escapou a semellanza des e a-signi ica i o da lingua con
ce os aspec os da concep ualización do " eminino" na nosa ci ilización
ac ual e sis ema li e a io. (66)
The cha ac e o Ophelia, which will be cen al h oughou he en i e book, appea s he e subjec ed o
a p oduc i e mîse-en-abyme. As he ex abo e allows one o see, Ophelia is simul aneously
p o agonis , i le, and heme. This deals wi h he heo y o enuncia ion, and o which only a agmen
eaches us in cu si e. I is impo an o no e ha he discou se is p esen ed o he sel as o al o
which he poem, o a leas his pa o he poem, is p esen ed o be a ansc ip ion o a p e ious
in e en ion. In his way Pa o plays a b eaking he pac no mally asc ibed o poe y, as i is seen as a
space o immedia eness and enuncia i e p esences. In he same way as in As aman es de Hamle ,
Ma ía do Ceb ei o Rábade Villa , "The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s" page 7 o 9
CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e 13.5 (2011): <h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb/ ol13/iss5/12>
Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e. Ed. M.T. Vila iño Picos and A. Abuín González
al hough om di e en p esupposi ions, Ophelia also ep esen s a collec i e iden i y, he his o ical
eminine subjec . The e is a s ic ela ion be ween cha ac e and pe son, a p oblema ic ela ionship o
which language (poe ics, in his case, bu no only poe ics) has con ibu ed. Once again, i is
su p ising ha , o en, he heo e ical discou se on cha ac e does no ma ch he le el o i s a is ic
demand. While a s uc u al s udy o cha ac e a emp s o educe he complexi y o he subjec i e
ic ional plo o a limi ed se ies o unc ions and inpu s, a p agma ic ocus unde lines he eminen ly
linguis ic unc ion o cha ac e , and ends o ca ego ically di e en ia e he no ions o pe son and
cha ac e , an ope a ion e i iable bo h in hea e s udies and s udies in na a ology. I is necessa y o
poin ou ha his s i ing o abs ac ion is no concluded wi hou plo ensions, up un il he poin
ha , in o de o sus ain i , many "in e media e" ca ego ies a e o en needed be ween he no ions o
cha ac e and pe son (see Ma ínez Bona i).
S udies o p agma ic o ien a ion a e mo e use ul he less hey oblige one o a es ic i e
comp ehension o a cha ac e 's ac i e dimension de e mined by ca ego ies such as a "pe son who
speaks" o "pe son who easons in speech" (see Ga cía Ba ien os). I migh be help ul o conside , o
example, he impo ance ha silence as d ama ic e ec has in wen ie h-cen u y hea e .
Fu he mo e, he in e wining mul iplici y be ween he ca ego ies o subjec , oice, pe son, and
cha ac e a e wo h conside ing. And i is impo an o conside ha oice is no an exclusi ely
linguis ic ca ego y, a leas acco ding o he s uc u alis adi ion, which ended o ocus on language
as a mac o sign suscep ible o decomposi ion and o in e nal analysis. The hea e o Samuel Becke ,
o en ci ed by heo e icians conce ned wi h he c isis o he cha ac e ca ego y in con empo a y s age
p ac ice, makes e y p oduc i e use o he oice as an almos spec al ep esen a ion, o he pe son
(see Fuchs). In mode n li e a u e, cha ac e s a e o en spec al, a condi ion which is sha pened by he
ep esen a ional consciousness ha he ecep o assigns hem and which o en hema izes by he
au ho s as he sel -consciousness o he cha ac e ha a emp s o escape, wi hou success, om
his/he ic i e condi ion. In o he cases, li e a u e demons a es he e ec s o he in ini e chain o he
signi ie on subjec i e ep esen a ion. In he ollowing poem by Leopoldo Ma ía Pane o no hing is wha
i appea s, he eby signi ying no hing, and he poem e uses o name i s objec , Ma ilyn Mon oe:
Blond hai in which no hing is ex ended
li e only in he ca es
(p ide he e o e dies, in he ca es
he mons e s i s in he emp iness
"Wha is, he e o e, he cause o you sadness
The blacks in he iscous da kness, dea h by wa e .
On he oad e e yone inds nobody"
On he oad e e yone inds nobody
he king hidden by lesh
shadow in which ligh is no seen
Ma ilyn (blue wa e ) his poem
does no name you.
Cabelle a ubia que en la nada se ex iende
i a an sólo en las ca e nas
(el o gullo así mue e, en las ca e nas)
agi ábase el mons uo en el acío
"Cuál es pues, la causa de su is eza
Los neg os en la oscu idad iscosa, la mue e po agua.
"Todos po el camino encuen an a nadie"
Todos po el camino encuen an a nadie
El ey ocul o po la ca ne
somb a que en la luz no se e
Ma ilyn (agua zul) es e poema
no e nomb a. (96-97)
The e e en o he ex is one o he colo ed pho og ams om he Andy Wa hol se ies based on a
pho og aphic nega i e o Mon oe. Dea h by wa e , which poin s o Phlebas he Phoenician om Elio 's
The Was e Land and he king mo e he poem owa ds e ili y i uals, which in his case a e us a ed.
The igu e o a mode n Aph odi e, embodying he a ibu es o a celes ial and ea hly goddess, Mon oe
is in ce ain ways linked o he ambi alence o Ophelia. To bo h cons uc and ake apa his own ex ,
Ma ía do Ceb ei o Rábade Villa , "The Ophelia Mo i in he Wo k o Ibe ian Galician W i e s" page 8 o 9
CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e 13.5 (2011): <h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb/ ol13/iss5/12>
Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e. Ed. M.T. Vila iño Picos and A. Abuín González
Pane o p obably begins wi h scenes om he ilm Some hing's Go o Gi e, ilmed jus be o e
Mon oe's dea h whe e she swims naked in a pool ha , o he , ac s as a i e .
By i ue o his ékph ase, cons uc ed simul aneously o e a ixed image and o e a ious images
in mo emen , Pane o manages o dis up he same dynamic o he ep esen a i e p ocess. The objec
o he poem is no a cha ac e ; a he , i a ep esen a ion o a pe son whose pa icipa ion in he
indus ial cinema ic s a sys em con e ed he , al eady in li e, in o cha ac e . An exclusi ely linguis ic
unde s anding o he cha ac e impedes a ision, o example, o up o wha poin Mon oe unc ions in
he imagina y, in mo e han one sense, as a mode n Ophelia, a ec ed by he duali y be ween cando
and sensuali y, always on he inges o eason, emp ed by he ghos o suicide, by he u gid i e o
dea h. I is ne e heless cu ious ha Mon oe he sel el p o oundly a ac ed by he cha ac e o
Ophelia and ha she would ha e he chance o explo e i wi h he goal o ep esen ing i on s age.
T uman Capo e makes e e ence o a con e sa ion wi h Cons ance Collie , an ac o o English
o igins specializing in Shakespea ian hea e and p o esso o d ama ic a in New Yo k. Collie
becomes men o o Mon oe, calling he ondly (acco ding o Capo e, who in oduced hem), "my
special p oblem." Capo e ep oduces he wo ds o Collie , who, a e assigning he he epi he
"beau i ul child" emphasizes he inhe en ly cinema og aphic quali y o he ac ess. In e oca i e
exp ession, Capo e, speaking as Mon oe's men o , a ibu es he delica eness o ha o a
hummingbi d, impossible o be cap u ed by any hing o he han a came a. F om Shakespea e's
Ophelia o Capo e's Mon oe, he ca ego y o cha ac e can open mul iple pa hways. To speak o he
eminine cha ac e demands ocusing a en ion, he e o e, in he way in which he he e ocen ic
di ec ion o Wes e n hough (and Wes e n hough on li e a u e and o li e a u e i sel as cul u al
p axis) has condi ioned he o ma ion o eminine cha ac e s in li e a y wo ks and, mo e decisi ely,
he imagina y (sel )-pe cep ion o women in socie y.
S uc u alism made cha ac e s in o uni s o a sys em accen ua ing hei dependency wi h espec
o na a i e unc ions. The e u n o he cha ac e o he spec um o heo e ical li e a y p io i ies,
s a ing in he 1990s, supposed, in many cases, i s being unde s ood as "e ec s" (see Jou é) o
"p oduc s" o he ic ional aumas iden i ied in na a ology. Ophelia, on he o he hand, always
esis ed being na a ed. She ound a be e i in hea e o poe y pe haps o he endency o hese
gen es — a leas in he mode n mani es a ions — o ques ioning speake and a endency owa d
di ided subjec i i y. Cha ac e s a e no only wo ds and when hey a emp o be only his hey sicken,
like Hamle . The madness o Ophelia, on he o he hand, is p oduc i e. Ophelia is embodied in dis inc
aes he ics om symbolism o exp essionism, passing h ough su ealism. A schizo-c i icism o he
cha ac e , along he lines o Delueze and Gua a i, allows one o anscend he eli is igidi y o he
cul /popula di e ence and explain he lexible ambigui y, capable o inhabi ing mo e han wo gen es
and o con ibu ing o all he a s.
Jus like o he dea hs announced by pos -s uc u alism, he "dea h o he cha ac e " (Fuchs) is
no hing mo e han heo e ical e lec ion o a mo e ample c isis which no so much demands
o e looking he ca ego y o cha ac e , bu , a he , a p ecise conside ing o which condi ions de e mine
i s con e sion in o objec ; i s pos e io weakening and i s ehabili a ion a e an analy ical ool in e ms
o a compa a i e uni e sal ans e sal li e a u e. The p oclaimed "dea h o he cha ac e " should no
be aken, he e o e, as a sign o he eal disappea ance o an objec , bu , a he , as a symp om ha
an a wo k's pe sonal s uc u e can s ill gene a e new o ms o subjec i i y, su ging as a speci ic
esponse o he c isis o subjec i i y which has a ec ed li e and cul u e since he las cen u y.
No e: The abo e a icle is a e ised and ansla ed e sion o Ma ía do Ceb ei o Rábade Villa , "O pe sonaxe como
ca ego ía ans e sal do compa a ismo. De O elia a Ma ilyn Mon oe," Bole ín Galego de Li e a u a 33 (2006): 135-
57. Copy igh elease o he au ho .
Wo ks Ci ed
Bloom, Ha old. Shakespea e: The In en ion o he Human. New Yo k: Ri e head T ade, 1999.
Capo e, T uman. "A Beau i ul Child." A Capo e Reade . By T uman Capo e. New Yo k: Penguin, 2002. 578-89.
Cas a ède, Ma ie-F ance. La Voix e ses so ilèges. Pa is: Les Belles Le es, 1987.
Cunquei o, Ál a o. Don Hamle e es pezas máis. Vigo: Galaxia, 1974.
Dacos a, Ma a. As aman es de Hamle . A Co uña: Espi al Maio , 2003.
Deleuze, Gilles, and Félix Gua a i. Mille pla eaux. Capi alisme e schizoph énie. Pa is: Minui , 1980.