I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died.
– William Shakespeare
Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5. Ophelia is handing out imaginary flowers to the people she meets in Elsinore Castle. The death of her father Polonius has taken a big toll on Ophelia, the withered flowers representing her own fragile mental state as she descends into madness. Their imagery suggests death and decay.