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Of all the possible sources of inspiration behind Life of a Showgirl, an unlikely contender has emerged: William Shakespeare.
Following her announcement of her 12th studio album, Taylor Swift released the album’s tracklist and cover, both of which exhibit allusions to some of the Bard’s most notable works.
One of the most literal Shakespeare references in the album is the title of her first track: “The Fate of Ophelia.” Ophelia was the love interest of Prince Hamlet in Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy, and met her end after climbing a willow tree, falling from a broken branch and subsequently drowning in the brook below after Hamlet rejects her.
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Though it’s deemed an accident in the play by Queen Gertrude, Ophelia was considered mad and the possibility of suicide was not ruled out.
Swift’s album cover makes a similar reference to Ophelia, whose fictional death inspired painter John Everett Milliais to create a painting between 1851 and 1852 in her honor. The painting sees Ophelia partially submerged in blue water, not unlike Swift’s album cover, which sees only the singer’s face above the water’s surface.
Of course, Swift’s latest album isn’t her first Shakespeare reference — one of her most famous songs, “Love Story,” follows an idealized version of the Bard’s Romeo and Juliet, where both lovers (and most of their friends and family) died tragically.
In Swift’s 2008 song, Romeo and Juliet embark on a giddy romance and ultimately overcome the strife between their families to get married.
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Life of a Showgirl will debut on Oct. 3, Swift shared in her announcement.
In addition to “The Fate of Ophelia,” additional tracks include “Elizabeth Taylor,” “Ruin the Friendship,” “Honey,” “Actually Romantic,” “CANCELLED!”, “Eldest Daughter”, “Father Figure”, “Opalite” and “Life of a Showgirl,” the last featuring Sabrina Carpenter.
