- character of melancholia and herbal symbolism - Lars von Trier film 'Melancholia' begins with a sunny day in spring, when everything seems to start all over again in lush green. »If everything has to go to hell, it needs to start off well.« (Lars von Trier) A famous allegorical engraving by Albrecht Dürer, entitled Melencolia I. portrays melancholia as the state of waiting for inspiration to strike, and not necessarily as a depressive affliction. Reproduction of this engraving usually makes the image seem darker than it is in an original impression (copy) of the engraving, and in particular affe cts the facial expression of the female figure, which is rather more cheerful than in most reproductions. »My analyst told me that melancholiacs will usually be more level-headed than ordinary people in a disastrous situation, partly because they can say: 'What did I tell you? But also because they have nothing to lose.« (Lars von Trier) herbal symbolism Weber identifies the flowers in the garland encircling the head of ‘Melancolia’ as a type of nightshade, which, according to the conception of the Late Middle Ages, symbolized a propensity to solitude. Instead of the plants, traditionally attributed to melancholy on classical paintings, a monk's rhubarb, a thistle, a columbine and a willow, most of them related to theme of St. Jerome in wilderness, Lars von Trier's heroine Justine is holding Lily of the Valley. This poisonous plant has negative connotations in the Christian tradition—it’s also known as Mary’s Tears (since it sprung from where the Virgin Mary’s tears fell) or Eve’s Tears (coming from her tears after the expulsion from the Garden of Eden). Despite its negative, or, at least ambivalent connotation, Lilly of the Valley is more and more used in luxurious wedding ceremonies in Europe and U.S. In arts, plants are often interposed to evoke the qualities of austerity and learning associated with melancholia. These are not the carefully cultivated tulips and roses, prized by gardeners and connoisseurs, which claim pride of place in the Dutch still-life tradition. They are rugged, wild, weeds which, despite the hardships of drought and frost, flourish untended in the countryside.