Ophelia: From Shakespeare to Swift
Taylor Swift’s next Era has officially begun and over the last few weeks, fans from across the globe have been listening to and talking about her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. The global megastar is known for telling stories through her music, as well as dropping some clues, cryptic messages and what fans have come to know as Easter eggs along the way.
But lead single, The Fate of Ophelia, makes a lot of references to one play by William Shakespeare that has been famous for centuries, both through its lyrics and music video.
But who is Ophelia? From Shakespeare to Swift, BBC Bitesize looks at the famous character and how her story is becoming known to new generations.
What does Ophelia mean?
Ophelia is best known for being associated with William Shakespeare’s Hamlet - arguably the playwright’s most famous tragedy. In the play, the character Ophelia is Hamlet’s love interest - however, the origins of the name do go back further.
The name Ophelia has Greek origins, carrying the meaning to help or to aid. Through time, the name has featured in numerous other works of literature and music.
Who is Shakespeare’s character Ophelia?
In Shakespeare’s drama, Hamlet, who is the Prince of Denmark, is distraught by the death of his father and later visited by the late King’s ghost, who reveals to Hamlet that he was murdered.
Prince Hamlet of Denmark is told by his father that he was murdered by Claudius - the King’s brother and Hamlet’s uncle - who takes the throne and marries Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Once he learns that his uncle is guilty, Hamlet plans to get revenge.
During the tragedy, we are introduced to the character of Ophelia, a young noblewoman who is the daughter of Claudius’s minister, Polonius, sister to Laertes and Hamlet’s love interest.
What happens to Ophelia in Hamlet?
Ophelia’s storyline is its own tragedy. In the play, Ophelia becomes a tragic figure used as a pawn by the men in her life – her father, brother and lover.
After her father Polonius’s death by Hamlet, Ophelia is driven mad and her relationship with Hamlet is over. She ultimately dies by drowning and through time, the character and her tragic death has been depicted in many famous artworks.
What is the meaning behind Taylor Swift’s Fate of Ophelia?
Taylor Swift's latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, was officially released in October and secured the UK's biggest opening week of 2025, after selling 304,000 copies in the first seven days.
The first song released from the album, The Fate of Ophelia, is based on Shakespeare’s famous literary character - but offers a fresh twist in the tale. Instead of telling the story of a noblewoman who drowns after being driven mad by grief, the star appears to sing about being saved from this fate by fiancé Travis Kelce, with the song and music video being packed with references to their relationship.
Following the release of The Life of a Showgirl on 3 October, BBC Bitesize recently spoke to English Literature and Swift expert Dr Clio Doyle about some of the classic literature tricks that run through Taylor’s albums and latest work.
Now listening to the song, we know that Taylor may be thanking her now fiancé for helping her avoid parts of a life like Ophelia, with lines like "I might’ve drowned in the melancholy."
Dr Clio also points out that in this song Swift quotes almost exactly from the play Hamlet in her lines: "'Tis locked inside my memory / And only you possess the key.”
In Act I Scene 3 of Shakespeare's play, Clio says "Ophelia tells her brother Laertes "’Tis in my memory locked, / And you yourself shall keep the key of it." This is an almost exact quotation from the play."
Since its release, Taylor Swift fans, known as Swifties, have driven a surge in popularity of a German museum exhibiting a portrait of the Shakespeare character Ophelia, recently reimagined through her song and music video. The lead single has topped charts in the UK and beyond and has also featured on this series of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
This article was written in November 2025
