Lay her i’ the earth;
And from her fair and unpolluted flesh
May violets spring!
– William Shakespeare
Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 1. Laertes says this in anger to the priest, who does not want to give Ophelia the full Christian burial rites. It is clear how dearly Laertes loved his sister Ophelia. He believes she deserves a holy burial, with songs and flowers. Violets here is a metaphor for faithfulness and modesty.