Book nerds and English major Swifties, this one’s for you. Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, is coming out on Oct. 3 with 12 new tracks to grace our headphones — and if your favorite genre of Swift song is those written with a quill pen (IYKYK), then there’s one song from the album you may particularly love: track one, “The Fate of Ophelia.” But what is “The Fate of Ophelia” about? Well, Swifties are already theorizing, and many signs point to some real Shakespearean stuff. So, while the details of the song aren’t confirmed yet, here’s all the tea on the leading theory about Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia.”
Swift gave the first hint about the subject matter of “The Fate of Ophelia” on the New Heights podcast. When revealing the track title, she asked Travis Kelce, “Do you want to talk about Hamlet?” referencing the play by Shakespeare. Later, she joked about how Kelce pretends not to know the words she uses or understand her references. “He may not have read Hamlet, but I explained it to him,” she said, “so he knows what happened.” Kelce joked back, “Don’t tell my middle school English teacher I didn’t read Hamlet.” While Swift didn’t go into detail about how the “The Fate of Ophelia” and Hamlet may or may not be connected on the podcast, the leading Swiftie theory is that “The Fate of Ophelia” will reference the iconic Shakespearean tragedy.
Who is Ophelia in Hamlet?
In Hamlet, Ophelia is romantically involved with Prince Hamlet, who is on a mission to avenge his father’s death. Ophelia’s father, Polonius, insists that Hamlet is madly in love with Ophelia and that the two should get married. However, Hamlet isn’t that into her, so he orders her to join a nunnery and says he wants to ban marriage in the country. (Ouch — biggest rejection of the 17th century.) Ophelia’s life takes an even darker turn when Hamlet accidentally murders Polonius while on his journey. Overcome with grief for her father, Ophelia drowns in a river, possibly by choice.
Ultimately, Ophelia is a powerless and sexualized character in Hamlet, as her role revolves around the men in her life. Ironically, the only moment she may have had true agency was at the end of her life, when she presumably chose to die.
How Might Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” ReferenceHamlet
So, what does Ophelia in Hamlet have to do with Swift and “The Fate of Ophelia?” Swift shared on New Heights that she wrote and recorded The Life of a Showgirl while on the Eras Tour, so Swifties are theorizing that the album is a commentary on her fame and behind-the-scenes life on tour — and as the first song on the album, “The Fate of Ophelia” could serve as the first glimpse of this. It’s possible that Swift will reference Ophelia on the track as a metaphor for her experience with fame, especially as a woman.
Plus, it wouldn’t be the first time Swift referenced Shakespeare in her work. “Love Story,” referencing Romeo and Juliet, was blasting from every girl’s bedroom in 2008. She also mentions the name of another play, All’s Well That Ends Well, in “All Too Well (Ten Minute Version).”
The Life of a Showgirl Album Cover may Be Another Hamlet Reference.
In addition to the possible connection between “The Fate of Ophelia” and Hamlet, Swifties noticed the The Life of a Showgirl‘s album cover could be a further reference to Ophelia. On the cover, Swift is seen lying on her back in a bathtub, with water up to her face. The Swiftian theory here is that she’s referencing the painting Ophelia by John Everett Millais, which depicts Ophelia from Hamlet lying on her back as she drowns in the river.
While this theory isn’t confirmed, Swift spoke about the album cover on New Heights, saying it represents the end of her nights on tour. “When I’m on tour… my day ends with me in a bathtub, not usually in a bedazzled dress,” she said. “The reason I wanted to have an off-stage moment as the main album cover is because the album isn’t really about what happened to me onstage. It’s about what I was going through offstage.”
The Life of a Showgirl releases Oct. 3.