Song inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Ophelia’s tragic story reimagined in Swift’s album The Life of a Showgirl.
Ophelia in Hamlet: a nobleman’s daughter, lost to madness and tragedy. Swift transforms this into hope and resilience.
Album cover art: Swift floating in water — a visual echo of John Everett Millais’s iconic “Ophelia” painting (1851–52).
Connection to Travis Kelce 💍 Lyrics symbolize how love “saved” her from the same fate.
Swift contrasts past heartbreaks (Joe Alwyn, Matty Healy) with her current joy and security.
Like in her earlier hit Love Story, she flips a tragic Shakespearean tale into a happy ending.
“The Fate of Ophelia” shows Taylor’s journey: From heartbreak & melancholy → to rebirth & true love.
Images via Instagram • taylorswift