March of Microanalysis Day 16
Microfiction Entry Day 16:
“That branch looks shaky, girl.”
Ophelia smiled. “It’s as strong as I want it to be.”
Oh, that Ophelia. She's so sly. Here's another example of using a famous reference to cheat on details. Without naming a character Ophelia, there's no explanation for what the hell the two characters are talking about. Could be they're hanging up Christmas decorations. Maybe they're pruning stuff in the backyard.
But as soon as I slap the label Ophelia on one, suddenly that branch gains meaning. It's hard (for anyone who suffered through English class) to not conjure the image of cuckcoo Ophelia, sitting on that stupid branch above the river, just tempting fate to snap the wood and send her tumbling down. And... [Spoiler Alert] it does, and she dies.
There's a longstanding discussion among Shakespeare types (or at least there was when I was in school) as to whether Ophelia was actually suicidal, or just unbalanced and therefore heedless of her danger. In this story, I seem to suggest the former.
Through March, I'm posting a breakdown/analysis of the microfiction I posted on the corresponding day in February. This is probably only interesting to you if you care about the mechanics of writing, or if you know me personally.