The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli

The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli

1. The fact that she is wearing white, which is a colour purity and innocence, whilst there are red curtains behind, which is colour of passion and lust creates a contrast.

   • The contrast may symbolise the evil surrounding her.
   • It also intesifies the woman's purity

2. The Goblin

   • The Gobling is also perched on the woman's chest, which may represent the sexulisation of women at the time
     • It may represent society and the lengths woman went to live by its standards
   • The Goblin is sitting on her dreams-referring back to title.
   • It may be some sort of inner evil she is trying to let out
   • It may be some sort of alter ego she si trying to express, as the Romatic Era was all about expressing oneself.

3. The horse/donkey

   • It may represent how people used to look at the bad things, but never intervene.
   • Donkeys are often associated with stupidity and this may represent how stupid people were to follow society
   • The word for a female horse is mare-nightmare.
     • The goblin could've used this mare to travel to the lady
   • Horses also represent freedom and this may show how close the woman is freedom, but is weighed down by one thing-her demon (goblin)
   • The horse has bulging eye, as if its trying to take in all the action and then gossip about it to friends.

4. Her position

   • She is in a position of vunrerabillity and is open to attack
   • Her position looks as if she's in a state of horror
     • Having a nightmare

5. Colour Scheme

   • Everything around the woman is dark apart from her
     • Showing that she's the only purity in the painting
   • The cutains
     • The curtains are blood red just like the ones in theatres, which may imply that this woman's 'nightmare' is all just a show for society

6. The Artist

   • Some people say it has something to do with Fuseli's love life
     • He was rejected by a woman he loved over another man
       • The painting represents his desire to have her-the goblin may be him, the woman is his love and the horse is his means of travel to get to the woman
   • Another interpretation is that the painting may represent the sexual desire he has for the woman an that the woman is in a state of pleasure not horror.

7. The table

   • Upon the table are some mysterious objects possibly medicine or alcohol
     • She could be realesing her demons using the medicine or alcohol or comited suicide and released her demons