Shakespeare Garden Flowers and plants played an important role in the imagery throughout Shakespeare’s literary masterpieces. While some of the blooms are recognizable, others are not as familiar. This is because Shakespeare relied on the language of flowers—symbolic meanings attached to different flowers—to create elaborate metaphors. Below are some of the flowers mentioned in his works: Common Name Latin Name Reference in Shakespeare Literature Language of Flowers ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Columbine Aquilegia vulgaris (P) “I am that flower…that columbine.” Resolve to win, anxiety – Love’s Labour’s Lost ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Wormwood Artemisia “Wormwood, wormwood.” – Hamlet Absence absinthium (P) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Daisies Bellis perennis (P) “When daises pied, and violets blue / Innocence And lady-smocks all silver white / And cukoo-buds of yellow hue / Do paint the meadows with delight...” – Love’s Labour’s Lost ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Calendula Calendula “Hark! Hark! the lark at heaven’s gate Joy, health, officinalis (A) sings,/ And Phoebus ‘gins arise… And remembrance winking Mary-buds begin / to open their golden eyes…” – Cymbeline ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Harebell, Campanula “…thou shalt not lack / The flower that’s like Humility, constancy, BlueBell rotundifolia (P) thy face, pale primrose, nor / The azured gratitude harebell, like thy veins…” – Cymbeline ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Carnations Dianthus barbatus, “…the fairest flowers o’ the season / Are Long-lasting, dignity, Dianthus caryophyllus our carnations, and streak’d gillyvors…” taste (A) – The Winter’s Tale ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Fennel Foeniculum “There’s fennel for you and columbine.” Flattery, faithlessness vulgare (A) – Hamlet ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Strawberry Fragaria × “Tell me but this / Have you not sometimes Righteousness, anannassa (P) seen a handkerchief / Spotted with love strawberries in your wife’s hand?” – Othello ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ivy Hedera (A) “If aught possess thee from me, it is dross / Eternal fidelity Usurping ivy, brier or idle moss.” – Comedy of Errors ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Iris Iris (P) “What say’st thou, my fair flower-de-luce?” Heraldic symbol, – Henry V royalty ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sweet Peas Lathyrus odoratus (A) “Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas/ Abundance, promise Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats and of things to come pease…” – The Tempest ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lavender Lavandula “Here’s flowers to you; / Hot lavender, mints, Devotion, luck, angustifolia (P) savory, marjoram…” – The Winter’s Tale ardent attachment ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lily Lilium candidum (P) “To gild refined gold, to paint the lily / To Majesty throw perfume on a violet... Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.” – King John ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Printing courtesy of A = Annual B = Biennial P = Perennial Visit www.GBBG.org for many other valuable resources! Shakespeare Garden Common Name Latin Name Reference in Shakespeare Literature Language of Flowers ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mint Mentha ssp. (P) “Here’s flowers to you; / Hot lavender, mints, Cheerfulness, welcome, savory, marjoram…” – The Winter’s Tale warmth of feeling ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Daffodil Narcissus (P) “…daffodils, / That come before the Self-love swallow dares, and take / the winds of March with beauty…” – The Winter’s Tale ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sweet Majorum Origanum “…she was the sweet majoram of the Blushes majorana (A) salad, or rather the herb of grace.” – All’s Well That End’s Well ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Poppy Papaver somniferum, Not poppy, nor mandragora, / Nor all the Forgetfulness, Papaver rhoeas (A) drowsy syrups of the world, / Shall ever passing pleasure medicine thee that, sweet sleep / Which thou owdest yesterday.” – Othello ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Primrose, Oxlip Primula japonica, “…pale primroses / That die unmarried, ere I can’t live without you Primula elatior (P) they can behold / Bright Phoebus in his strength – a malady / Most incident to maids…” – The Winter’s Tale ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Crowflower, Ranunculus “And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue / Ingratitude Buttercups fascicularis (P) do paint he meadows with delight...” – Love’s Labour’s Lost ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rose Rosa (R) “So sweet a kiss the golden sun gives not / Differs by color. Grace, To those fresh morning drops upon the modesty, love, rose.” – Love’s Labour’s Lost infidelity, enchantment ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sweet Briar Rosa eglanteria “I know a bank where wild thyme blows, / Simplicity Rose (Rosa rubiginosa) (P) Where oxlips and nodding violet grows, / Quite over-canopied with luscious, woodbine / With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rosemary Rosmarinus “There’s rosemary for you, that’s for Remembrance officinalis (A) remembrance; / Pray, love, remember…” – Hamlet ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rue Ruta graveolens (P) “…there’s rue / for you; and here’s some Regret for me: we may call it / herb-grace o’ Sundays: O you must wear your rue / with a difference.” – Hamlet ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Moss Sagina subulata (P) “Under an oak, whose boughs were Maternal love, moss’d with age…” – As You Like It charity ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pansies Viola cornuta (A) “…and there is pansies. That’s for Happy thoughts, thoughts.” – Hamlet sweetness, boldness ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Violets Viola odorata (A) “The purple violets, and marigolds, / Virtue, affections Shall as a carpet hang upon thy grave / modesty While summers days do last.” – Pericles ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Printing courtesy of A = Annual B = Biennial P = Perennial Visit www.GBBG.org for many other valuable resources!.