Taylor Swift's 'Fate of Ophelia': A Hidden Dig at Joe Alwyn?
Taylor Swift's New Album Sparks Frenzy Over Alleged Swipes at Ex-Boyfriend Joe Alwyn
The highly anticipated release of Taylor Swift's new album, The Life of a Showgirl, has sent her devoted fanbase into a whirlwind frenzy, with many convinced that the singer is dishing out subtle digs at her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn.
For those who may have been living under a rock, let's recap: Swift and Alwyn were together for approximately seven years before their highly publicized split in 2023. The pop star then embarked on a whirlwind romance with bad boy rocker Matty Healy, but ultimately settled down with her NFL fiancé Travis Kelce.
Now, fans are going wild over the lead single from Swift's new album, "The Fate of Ophelia." The song's lyrics have left many convinced that Swift is singing about how Kelce rescued her from a dark period in her life after the breakup from Alwyn. But what really has Swifties abuzz is the perceived connection to Shakespeare's Hamlet.
In the iconic play, Ophelia meets a tragic end, drowning in her own grief after being heartlessly discarded by Hamlet. The title character even tells her to "get thee to a nunnery," implying that she's no longer worthy of his love. Swift fans are convinced that their idol is drawing parallels between Alwyn's alleged treatment of her and the cruel rejection of Ophelia.
But here's where things get juicy: Joe Alwyn, 34, just so happens to be starring in a new movie adaptation of Hamlet as Laertes, Ophelia's brother. Coincidence? We think not! Fans are speculating that Swift wrote "The Fate of Ophelia" specifically to take aim at her ex-boyfriend.
One enthusiastic fan took to X (formerly Twitter) to say: "Mind you, Joe Alwyn is starring in Hamlet this year and Taylor wrote The Fate of Ophelia. Oh Taygamon... it's all so obvious!" Another Swiftie theorized: "I know Taylor chose the fate of ophelia as a single because Joe is on Hamnet and Hamlet, but I just can't prove it #TaylorSwift."
But what really has fans convinced that Swift is taking aim at Alwyn is the song's lyrics. One particularly telling line reads: "All that time, I sat alone in my tower / You were just honing your powers." Fans are interpreting this as a jab at Alwyn's alleged emotional unavailability during their relationship.
Of course, this isn't the first time Swift has taken aim at her ex-boyfriend on social media. Her previous album, The Tortured Poets Department, was widely regarded as a swipe at Alwyn, who revealed in 2022 that he was part of a WhatsApp group called The Tortured Man Club with his close friends and fellow actors Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott.
Meanwhile, Alwyn has remained relatively tight-lipped about Swift, only breaking his silence on the breakup a year after the fact. In an interview with the Sunday Times in 2024, he reflected on the difficulties of navigating a highly publicized split: "I would hope that anyone and everyone can empathize and understand the difficulties that come with the end of a long, loving, fully committed relationship of over six and a half years."
But it seems Swift is still reeling from their breakup. In an interview earlier this year with the Guardian, Alwyn reflected on how he drowned out the "noise" of the public frenzy surrounding his relationship to Swift: "If you don't [set boundaries], and if you let all of that other stuff in, and if it starts to affect you and your behavior, you're living from the outside in. And then you're pretty f*ed."
The scholarlynote.com has reached out to Swift and Alwyn's representatives for comment, but so far, neither camp has responded.
It seems we can't get enough of the drama between these two former lovers. Will Swift continue to dish out subtle digs at Alwyn on her new album? Only time will tell!
