Taylor Swift Twists Shakespearean Symbolism on "The Fate of Ophelia" Joel CalfeeOctober 3, 2025 at 1:40 AM 0 "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.
- - Taylor Swift Twists Shakespearean Symbolism on "The Fate of Ophelia"
Joel CalfeeOctober 3, 2025 at 1:40 AM
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"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia is the prospective wife of our titular prince, who meets a tragic end when she goes mad and ultimately drowns. Often, it's presumed that her spiral is due to the death of her father, Polonius, but some theorize that it's actually caused by the capricious and cruel behavior of Hamlet.
Ask Taylor Swift, and she might likely go with the latter theory. "The eldest daughter of a nobleman / Ophelia lived in fantasy / But love was a cold bed full of scorpions / The venom stole her sanity," she sings on the opening track and first single off her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl.
Ophelia's is a tragic tale that functions as a symbol throughout Swift's latest release. Just take a look at the cover, where the pop juggernaut floats in a tub with her head barely above water, and you'll see a strong resemblance to John Everett Millais's famous painting, "Ophelia" (1851-52).
But while it serves as a tragic source material, Swift ends up spinning the story into something happier.
"All that time, I sat alone in my tower / You were just honing your powers / Now I can see it all," Swift sings on the single, seemingly addressing her fiancé, Travis Kelce. "Late one night, you dug me out of my grave and saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia."
Here, Swift furthers the sports metaphors that she's sprinkled into past songs about her beau, like "The Alchemy" and "So High School." "Keep it one hundrеd on the land, the sea, thе sky / Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes," she says. "Don't care where the hell you been, 'cause now you're mine / It's 'bout to be the sleepless night you've been dreaming of / The fate of Ophelia."
Swift also seems to make an allusion to past relationships, and the heartbreak she felt after splitting from partners like Joe Alwyn and Matty Healy. "And if you'd never come for me / I might've drowned in the melancholy," she declares. Thankfully, Kelce was there to flip her Shakespearean fate around. "I swore my loyalty to me, myself, and I / Right before you lit my sky up."
Famously, Miss Americana has been using Shakespearean references in her songs for decades now. One of her earliest hits—"Love Story"—found her waiting to meet her Romeo. But there too, she took a tragic ending and spun it into fairytale gold. In Swift's story, Romeo doesn't die, but rather, he gets down on one knee and pops the question.
Now, Swift has actually lived that moment, and she's getting the romantic ending she's always dreamed of. On these songs, and on "The Fate of Ophelia" specifically, her jubilance is unmistakeable. "No longer drowning and deceived / All because you came for me," she declares. "Locked inside my memory / And only you possess the key."
Check out the full lyrics for "The Fate of Ophelia" below.
"The Fate of Ophelia"
I heard you calling on the megaphoneYou wanna see me all aloneAs legend has it you are quite the pyroYou light the match to watch it blowAnd if you'd never come for meI might've drowned in the melancholyI swore my loyalty to me, myself, and IRight before you lit my sky upAll that time, I sat alone in my towerYou were just honing your powersNow I can see it all (See it all)Late one night, you dug me out of my grave andSaved my heart from the fate of Ophelia (Ophelia)Keep it one hundrеd on the land, the sea, thе skyPledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibesDon't care where the hell you been, 'cause now you're mineIt's 'bout to be the sleepless night you've been dreaming ofThe fate of OpheliaThe eldest daughter of a noblemanOphelia lived in fantasyBut love was a cold bed full of scorpionsThe venom stole her sanityAnd if you'd never come for me (Come for me)I might've lingered in purgatoryYou wrap around me like a chain (Chain), a crown (A crown), a vine (A vine)Pulling me into the fireAll that time, I sat alone in my towerYou were just honing your powersNow I can see it all (See it all)Late one night, you dug me out of my grave andSaved my heart from the fate of Ophelia (Ophelia)Keep it one hundred on the land, the sea, the skyPledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibesDon't care where the hell you been, 'cause now you're mineIt's 'bout to be the sleepless night you've been dreaming ofThe fate of Ophelia'Tis locked inside my memoryAnd only you possess the keyNo longer drowning and deceivedAll because you came for meLocked inside my memoryAnd only you possess the keyNo longer drowning and deceivedAll because you came for meAll that time, I sat alone in my towerYou were just honing your powersNow I can see it all (I can see it all)Late one night, you dug me out of my grave andSaved my heart from the fate of Ophelia (Ophelia)Keep it one hundred on the land, the sea, the skyPledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibesDon't care where the hell you been, 'cause now you're mineIt's 'bout to be the sleepless night you've been dreaming ofThe fate of OpheliaYou saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia
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