Taylor Swift is not here for tragic endings. In her new music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” the iconic singer reimagines Shakespeare’s doomed character with a twist only she could pull off: survival. The story, rooted in sadness, gets reborn with hope, sparkle, and layers of meaning.
In Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Ophelia falls apart. Love, betrayal, and grief are all too much. She drowns. But Taylor Swift says not this time. In her world, Ophelia gets rescued. She climbs out of the water, stronger. She escapes the script. Swift's version is still poetic, still emotional, but way more powerful.
Swift / IG / Shakespeare's Ophelia dies because the world around her collapses. But Taylor Swift rewrites that fate. In her lyrics, she sings of someone who “dug me out of my grave.” Instead of madness and drowning, there is love and a second chance.
"The eldest daughter of a nobleman" directly describes Ophelia's role in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" as the daughter of Polonius.
"Love was a cold bed full of scorpions / The venom stole her sanity." "Scorpions" is a metaphor for a tormented mind, borrowed from Macbeth; "venom" references the poison motif in "Hamlet."
In “Love Story,” the 35-year-old music mogul gave Romeo and Juliet a happy ending. Now, with “The Fate of Ophelia,” she is doing the same for Hamlet’s most tragic figure.
A Visual Trip Through Time and Art
Swift directed the music video herself. Every frame is packed with meaning, not just for fans, but for anyone into art, literature, or film. She opens the video by stepping out of John Everett Millais’ painting of Ophelia, drenched and dreamy. It is iconic!
By the end, she is in a bathtub, nodding to the same painting, but she is not sinking. Instead, she is alive and present.
The entire video moves through eras. You see her as a showgirl from different times, a 1960s go-go dancer, a Marilyn Monroe-style diva, and even in a glittering synchronized swimming scene, complete with life preservers.
Taylor Swift’s Personal Touches in Every Frame
What makes this video stand out is how deeply personal it is. Taylor Swift fills it with her own history and nods to her present. A photo of Travis Kelce shows up in her dressing room mirror. She catches a football and walks into a hotel room with the number 87.
Swift / IG / Taylor Swift’s dancers from the ‘Eras Tour’ make a return, turning the set into a reunion. The cleaning cart in the opening scene is a wink at her ‘Eras Tour’ entrance.
A statue of her cat, Olivia Benson? Yep, it is there. Even a loaf of her famous sourdough makes a cameo. These Easter eggs keep her fans on their toes.
However, Swift brings her lyrics off the page and onto the screen. A tiny dog in a purse references the track “Actually Romantic.” An Oscar statue dropped casually on the floor nods to the song “Wi$h Li$t.” These are not random. They are puzzle pieces, each one telling more of the story.
Then, there is the clapperboard with the name “Kitty Finlay.” That name ties back to her song “The Life of a Showgirl” and her real-life roots. Finlay was her grandmother’s name. Marjorie, an opera singer, was Swift’s first showgirl role model. The video connects the dots between past and present in one sweeping motion.