Overview

• Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, on Oct. 3, opening with a song titled "The Fate of Ophelia."
• The lyrics frame the narrator as avoiding Ophelia’s tragic end with help from fiancé Travis Kelce, positioning the relationship as a lifeline.
• In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia’s drowning is recounted by Queen Gertrude rather than depicted onstage, a touchstone the song explicitly invokes.
• Swift said on the New Heights podcast that Hamlet informed this era, discussing the play with Travis Kelce during their August appearance.
• She recorded the 12 tracks with longtime collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, and Kelce praised the set as "banger after banger," with titles including "Elizabeth Taylor" and "Cancelled!"