Shakespeare Professor Plays Divisive Taylor Swift Song—Has Unexpected Take
Summary
A Shakespeare professor named Mary Bly has shared a popular online analysis of Taylor Swift's new song, "The Fate of Ophelia." Bly, who also writes romance novels, explains how the song uses the tragic tale of Shakespeare's Ophelia as a metaphor for being consumed and then saved by love.Key Facts
- Mary Bly is a Shakespeare professor at Fordham University and also writes under the pen name Eloisa James.
- Bly's Instagram video analyzing Taylor Swift's song "The Fate of Ophelia" has gained 854,000 views.
- The song parallels the story of Ophelia from Shakespeare's play "Hamlet," where the character experiences a tragic love story.
- Swift's song presents Ophelia's story as a metaphor for being consumed by love and then saved, reflecting a common theme in romance storytelling.
- Bly describes the transformation in the song from despair to redemption as challenging and effective.
- The song's "hero" figure is what romance writers call a "protective alpha," a character who is dedicated and saves the heroine.
- Bly compares Swift's reception with her own experiences as a writer, noting differing audience reactions.
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