The Life of a Showgirl is here, and it’s full of references. If you’re a book nerd like me, you’re especially going to want to check out track one, “The Fate of Ophelia.” You’ll likely remember Ophelia as a prominent character in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, but what exactly is her fate, and how does it connect back to Taylor Swift?
Ophelia is Hamlet’s love interest and the daughter of the nobleman Polonius. She is portrayed as innocent, pure, and obedient. While she is in love with Hamlet, her brother Laertes and father are more skeptical, warning Ophelia that they judge Hamlet to be insincere. When ordered to end her romance with Hamlet, Ophelia is obedient and cuts things off. Though, after seeing Hamlet looking unwell shortly after, Ophelia and Laertes assume that he has gone insane after her rejection of him.Â
In a subsequent meeting with Hamlet (in an attempt for her family to spy on him), he lashes out at Ophelia. Does “get thee to a nunnery” ring a bell? That’s this scene. Hamlet condemns both his former love for Ophelia and women as a whole. Following this, Hamlet kills Ophelia’s father. After being hurt by Hamlet’s harshness and the murder of her father, Ophelia spirals into insanity. Ultimately, Ophelia dies by drowning, falling into a river while picking flowers and singing as she sank in the water.Â
Ophelia’s downfall is brought about by her loyalty to the men in her life. She is innocent and obedient to their wishes, even if they ultimately destroy her. In her song, Swift describes someone saving her from the same unfortunate fate. “Late one night, you dug me out of my grave and saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia,” she sings. While appearing on the radio show Heart Breakfast, Swift broke down the track herself, saying, “The Hook is someone comes into your life and rescues you from the fate of being driven mad by love.”Â
Naturally, fans are interpreting this someone as being her fiancĂ©, Travis Kelce. In the song, Swift seems to draw a contrast between her current lover and those of her past relationships. “Ophelia lived in fantasy, but love was a cold bed full of scorpions / The venom stole her sanity,” she sings. Swift relates her past to what Ophelia went through, feeling frustrated and drained by loving someone. In the pre-chorus, she sings “And if you’d never come for me, I might’ve lingered in purgatory.” This metaphor perhaps describes how Kelce pulled her out of the frustration she felt prior, saving her from being disillusioned by love altogether. Hence, she was able to avoid the fate of Ophelia.Â
The song leaves a few other hints that have left fans believing Swift is referencing Kelce. The song opens with the lines “I heard you callin’ on the megaphone, you wanna see me all alone.” Fans believe this may reference when Kelce first tried (and failed) to meet Swift during a stop of her Eras Tour (he even made her a beaded friendship bracelet with his number on it).Â
In another line, Swift sings “Keep it one hundred,” a phrase said often by Kelce. During an appearance on BBC 1, Swift confirmed that one hundred refers to the addition of 87 and 13, her and Kelce’s favorite numbers respectively.Â
Needless to say, Swift is so in love, and we love this era for her. And with these Shakespeare references, she really is our “English teacher.”Â
More to come…