Mariana 1870

Dante Gabriel Rossetti painted Mariana with oil on canvas. Rossetti, associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, often turned to literature for inspiration. Here, he depicts Mariana from Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Abandoned by Angelo, to whom she was betrothed, Mariana embodies the isolation and enforced idleness of a woman scorned in the Victorian era. Her melancholic gaze confronts us, inviting reflection on her plight, while the interior suggests her gilded cage. Mariana’s state also echoes the limited social roles available to women at the time, whose identities were often defined by their relationships to men. Rossetti's choice of representing women in moments of emotional intensity reveals a desire to explore the inner lives of women, reflecting a broader cultural interest in psychology and the complexities of human emotion. It encourages us to consider the emotional and psychological toll of societal expectations and gender inequality.