Mono Monday - Connections

Mono Monday – Connections

Here is my contribution for this week’s challenge.

These are some rowing boats that are for hire on the River Avon at Stratford (on Avon). Incidentally, this little stretch of the river used to be the sheep dip up until about 80 years ago. My Great-Grandad pushed a cannon in here about 100 years ago, but that's another story!

My question to you is this:-

What is the connection between all of the names of these rowing boats (apart from the fact that they (nearly) all end with the letter “a”) ?

If you can't read the names (or see large) they are as follows:-
Viola, Ophelia, Helena, Volumnia, Rosalind, Virgilia, Ursula.


Have a little think then see below:-

Major Clues
Viola – Twelfth Night
Ophelia – Hamlet
Helena – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Volumnia – Coriolanus
Rosalind – As You Like It
Virgilia – Coriolanus
Ursula – Much Ado About Nothing

Answer
They are all female characters in Shakespeare plays.

Thanks to wetcoastbob, who is heroically hosting this week’s Mono Monday Challenge