THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PORTRAYAL OF OPHELIAIN THE SONG “THE FATE OF OPHELIA” BY TAYLOR SWIFT

Abstrak

Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet has long symbolized feminine fragility, silence, and psychic collapse, yet Taylor Swift’s song reframes her as a figure negotiating trauma, desire, and emerging resilience. This study examines how Swift’s song reconstructs Ophelia’s psychological experience through modern psychoanalytic discourse, focusing on three core dimensions: repressed identity, psychic trauma, and female agency. Using qualitative textual analysis, the research applies Freud’s theory of repression, Kristeva’s concept of abjection, and Vickroy’s trauma narrative framework to interpret the song’s lyrics. Symbolic elements such as water, burial, and memory are examined as markers of unconscious conflict and psychic transformation. The analysis reveals a narrative progression from emotional containment toward self-recognition, suggesting a shift from passivity to reflective and empowered subjectivity. Swift’s portrayal transforms Ophelia from a tragic emblem of silenced womanhood into a self-aware figure capable of articulating desire, confronting past wounds, and reclaiming agency. This psychoanalytic reading demonstrates how contemporary musical texts can reanimate classical figures while addressing enduring concerns of trauma, femininity, and selfhood.