History

Tragic Women of Shakespeare and How They Die

Murder, suicide, accidental death, and execution

“Ophelia” by Sir John Everett Millais, 1852 (public domain)

Shakespeare’s plays are full of compelling female characters, and many of them have happy endings. Let’s look at eight for whom he deemed fate had other things in store.

1. Cleopatra: Antony and Cleopatra, Act V, Scene II