Taylor Swift's Ophelia

Taylor Swift's latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, is more than just a pop release. It is a deliberate dialogue with art history. More specifically, with Ophelia—one of the most tragic characters William Shakespeare ever created. It is no coincidence that the opening track is called "The Fate of Ophelia." And that is by no means the only connection.

Who was Ophelia?

Ophelia is a character from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet (circa 1600). She is the daughter of Polonius and the lover of Hamlet. After Hamlet kills her father and emotionally rejects her, Ophelia loses her footing. In the end, she drowns in a river—whether by accident or suicide remains deliberately open.

In literature, Ophelia represents innocence, vulnerability, and female oppression. She is associated with themes such as madness, grief, and the inner conflict between one's own feelings and social expectations. She is a character who is not allowed to be loud—and that is precisely what breaks her.

Ophelia as an art icon

Ophelia is one of the most frequently depicted female figures in art history, especially in the 19th century. Artists such as John Everett Millais and Friedrich Wilhelm Theodor Heyser immortalized her in paintings—often floating in water, surrounded by flowers, somewhere between life and death.

This imagery has become deeply ingrained in the collective memory. And this is precisely where Taylor Swift comes in.

The album cover speaks volumes

By now, Swifties should be able to see the parallels. The cover of The Life of a Showgirl shows Taylor Swift partially submerged in water—visually reminiscent of classic depictions of Ophelia. Swift also deliberately draws the connection in her lyrics.

In the song "The Fate of Ophelia," she sings lines such as "no longer drowning and deceived," "I might've drowned in the melancholy," and "saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia."

These lyrics can be clearly traced back to Shakespeare's character – and at the same time tell a new story.

From victim to protagonist

In the music video for "The Fate of Ophelia," Taylor Swift plays Ophelia herself and, in doing so, turns the Museum Wiesbaden into Germany's unofficial Swiftie meeting place. That's where the painting she brings to life in the video hangs.

The crucial difference to the literary original: Swift does not succumb to her fate. She does not remain in the water. She does not go under.

Ophelia becomes a showgirl

Where Shakespeare's Ophelia falls silent, Taylor Swift takes control. The tragic figure becomes a self-determined artist. No oppression, no silence, no drowning—just transformation.

Swift uses the symbolism of art history to continue writing her own narrative. The Life of a Showgirl thus becomes a story about self-empowerment, pop culture, and the conscious break with old role models in the music industry.

Taylor Swift uses Ophelia not as a tragedy, but as a starting point. She tells a story of not going under. Of a new beginning. Of a showgirl who doesn't need to be saved—but decides for herself.