TV-Series
Description
Ophelia is a mysterious woman who appears in the anime as the caretaker and guardian of the Great Tree Escalus, the sacred tree on which the floating continent of Neo Verona depends. She has a sad, doll-like face with distinctive marks on her forehead and cheeks, and she speaks in a polite and enigmatic manner. She appears to be ageless, looking exactly the same in the present as she did fourteen years before the events of the story, and she is an ancient being who is intimately connected to the Great Tree itself. Beneath her robes, her limbs and skin have a wood-like quality, indicating that she is a part of the tree rather than an ordinary human.
Her background is tied entirely to the fading of the Great Tree. When Juliet is captured and later escapes, she encounters Ophelia, who reveals that the tree is dying and has chosen Juliet as the vessel for its seed. Ophelia plants within Juliet the means to save Neo Verona, but this comes at the cost of Juliet's life. Late in the series, Ophelia explains the tree's will directly to Juliet, making clear that the sacrifice is intended from the beginning.
In terms of personality, Ophelia is calm, soft-spoken, and outwardly gentle, but her devotion to the Great Tree overrides every other consideration. She is resolute and single-minded in pursuing the tree's revival, showing little regard for interruptions or alternative solutions once she has decided on a course of action. Her politeness masks an unwavering determination that ultimately places her in opposition to the protagonists.
Her role in the story is that of a supporting figure who is gradually revealed as the true antagonist. During the climax, she abducts Juliet and forcibly begins the sacrificial rites intended to revive Escalus. In the ensuing battle over Juliet's safety, she mortally wounds Romeo, and she is vanquished by him in turn, dying as a result of their confrontation.
Her most significant relationship is with Juliet, whom she regards as the chosen vessel for the tree's seed and therefore as a necessary offering for the continent's survival. Her conflict with Romeo defines the story's final confrontation, as his determination to protect Juliet brings him directly into opposition with her. Throughout the series, she develops from an ambiguous and mysterious figure encountered along the way into the final obstacle to the hopes of the main characters, a shift that reveals the full extent of her commitment to the Great Tree.
Her notable abilities include her ageless, tree-linked nature, the power to implant the Great Tree's seed within a person, and enough physical capability to fight and fatally wound a skilled swordsman. Her name is a reference to the Ophelia of Shakespeare's Hamlet, consistent with the series' practice of drawing character names from other works by the playwright.
Her background is tied entirely to the fading of the Great Tree. When Juliet is captured and later escapes, she encounters Ophelia, who reveals that the tree is dying and has chosen Juliet as the vessel for its seed. Ophelia plants within Juliet the means to save Neo Verona, but this comes at the cost of Juliet's life. Late in the series, Ophelia explains the tree's will directly to Juliet, making clear that the sacrifice is intended from the beginning.
In terms of personality, Ophelia is calm, soft-spoken, and outwardly gentle, but her devotion to the Great Tree overrides every other consideration. She is resolute and single-minded in pursuing the tree's revival, showing little regard for interruptions or alternative solutions once she has decided on a course of action. Her politeness masks an unwavering determination that ultimately places her in opposition to the protagonists.
Her role in the story is that of a supporting figure who is gradually revealed as the true antagonist. During the climax, she abducts Juliet and forcibly begins the sacrificial rites intended to revive Escalus. In the ensuing battle over Juliet's safety, she mortally wounds Romeo, and she is vanquished by him in turn, dying as a result of their confrontation.
Her most significant relationship is with Juliet, whom she regards as the chosen vessel for the tree's seed and therefore as a necessary offering for the continent's survival. Her conflict with Romeo defines the story's final confrontation, as his determination to protect Juliet brings him directly into opposition with her. Throughout the series, she develops from an ambiguous and mysterious figure encountered along the way into the final obstacle to the hopes of the main characters, a shift that reveals the full extent of her commitment to the Great Tree.
Her notable abilities include her ageless, tree-linked nature, the power to implant the Great Tree's seed within a person, and enough physical capability to fight and fatally wound a skilled swordsman. Her name is a reference to the Ophelia of Shakespeare's Hamlet, consistent with the series' practice of drawing character names from other works by the playwright.