Hamlet The Showgirl

The Life of a Showgirl Explored Through Hamlet Retellings

I wish I could explain how it felt the moment I realized Taylor Swift was not only writing a song about Hamlet, but that it was going to be the lead single in her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. As a major Swiftie and self-proclaimed Hamlet Stan, it felt like Taylor had given me, specifically, a gift with this album. And, luckily, it's an amazing song. Don't just take my word for it, either; if Taylor had any records left to break, she's seemingly done it with this album and its lead single, "The Fate of Ophelia."

But as much as I like having one song based on Hamlet, that's not enough for me. I want a million songs based on Hamlet. I want 12, at least. So, what if "The Fate of Ophelia" wasn't the only song about my favorite play? What if all of them were?

As of writing this, I've read 12 retellings of Hamlet, plus one that isn't a retelling but heavily features the character. That brings us to a total of 13 Hamlet retellings. And if that isn't Taylor Swift levels of numerology, I don't know what is. So, here is my official guide to Hamlet retellings, based off of The Life of a Showgirl.

Disclaimer: I'm being silly here. Not all of these are great connections. Also, I don't recommend all of these books unless you're like me and are going for completion.

Track 1: The Fate of Ophelia

Book: Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray

This is a really bad start, because I actually hate this book and think it's a really bad interpretation of the story. But, Ophelia does get to live. She's saved by her modern girlboss author instead of a man, but a win is a win. Her characterization was really messy, but in her best moments, she really was one of the stronger versions of Ophelia that you may find. Of all retellings where Ophelia gets to live, though, this is the only one where I think she truly is saved from her fate. But seriously: instead of reading this book, just listen to the song. It's quicker and a much better time (more accurate to the play, too, believe it or not).

Track 2: Elizabeth Taylor

Book: The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu

Hamlet is frequently defined by his concerns about mortality; it's the whole focus of his famous soliloquy. But for this Hamlet, named Hayden, it was his biggest concern. He wants to live forever. In this song, Taylor is expressing a lot of anxiety about the sustainability of her relationship, questioning if it will last forever and saying she won't know what to do if it's not. Her and Hayden share many concerns, especially with how we leave Hayden at the end of the book.

Track 3: Opalite

Book: To Be or Not To Be by Ryan North

I'm kind of cheating with this one. This book is a choose-your-own adventure book based off of Hamlet, which means there are a variety of different endings you can get for every character. You can play through canon, or you can make your own story. And "Opalite" is about Taylor and Travis Kelce being able to make their own happiness together after years of rocky relationships.

Track 4: Father Figure

Book: The Dead Fathers Club by Matt Haig

Hamlet famously has a difficult relationship with his paternal figures. The most obvious example is Claudius, who is a little more than kin and less than kind. But there are a lot of concerns to be had with King Hamlet, too — Hamlet adores his father, which is why he agrees to take revenge on Claudius without a second thought. The complexities of these relationships are examined more in-depth in this book, and it comes to some interesting conclusions. In this song, Taylor is playing with the idea of a father figure and what it means to have that kind of power and control, which can be seen in the way both of Hamlet's father figures act.

Track 5: Eldest Daughter

Book: A Wounded Name by Dot Hutchison

Among Taylor Swift fans, Track 5 is known to be the most vulnerable song on the album, and this one is no exception. In this song, Taylor describes how she has taught herself to be cautious after a lifetime of heartbreak, leading to her current self that can't be someone cool and unfeeling and who just wants to fall in love. This book isn't a perfect fit. In fact, I'd say that the tone of "Eldest Daughter" and A Wounded Name could not be farther apart. But compared to all the retellings, I think this version of Ophelia has such a deep desire to belong and be loved that drives her actions throughout the story.

Track 6: Ruin the Friendship

Book: The King of Infinite Space by Lyndsay Faye

This is my favorite book of all time, and if I was given the chance, I could connect it to every song ever. But I decided to show self-restraint and play along with my own rules, and I think it fits the most with "Ruin the Friendship." Regret and lost time is a big theme in this book. The characters who have died have a big impact on those they left behind, Benjamin (Hamlet) especially. Despite knowing how the story would end, this book also left me with the same gut-punch feeling that the song gave me hearing it for the first time.

Track 7: Actually Romantic

Book: Laertes by Carly Stevens

Laertes is a tragically ignored character in Hamlet retellings. If he's there, he's usually so far in the background that he might as well not be. Which is a shame, since Laertes has a major role in the original play. He's the one to actually kill Hamlet after the two have spent the whole play as foils. This book, while primarily focused on what Laertes is off doing during the story, is one of the only ones to really explore that relationship. This song is about the flattery that comes with people obsessively hating you, which is not perfectly paralleled in this book, but I do this it's a song that suits these two characters. Hamlet and Laertes kill each other out of their obsession for one another, and if you consider the standard for romance in the story, you could certainly consider it romantic.

Track 8: Wi$h Li$t

Book: Ophelia by Lisa Klein

I will be the first person to push back on the idea that Taylor is pushing conservative ideology in this song by promoting getting married and having lots of kids. After all, at the end of the day, she's still the mega-successful pop star out-earning her will-be husband (which is not very trad wife of her, even if she did live in the suburbs). But this song does really celebrate the idea of that lifestyle, and I don't think I've ever read a version of Ophelia who buys into it as much as this girl does. All she wants to do is get married to Hamlet, to a concerning degree (which is saying something). And, without spoiling it, this book does have a very conservative ending for her, so I guess I'm not doing my part to fight against the perceptions of this song.

Track 9: Wood

Book: Nutshell by Ian McEwan

I struggled with where to put this book, since I love all these songs and this is one of the worst books I've ever read. But since it has to fit with one of the songs, this one works the best. This song is about, in Taylor's words, superstitions and not feeling the need to rely on them anymore. And that's it! Which makes lovely verses. If you listen to the rest of the song, though, let's say we learn more about Travis than perhaps we needed to. Similarly, this book talks about Claudius a lot more than I think anyone ever needed. The difference is that when Taylor does it it's funny and witty, and when Ian McEwan does it, it's gross and obnoxious.

Track 10: CANCELLED!

Book: Smile and Be a Villain by Yves Donlon (Goodnight Sweet Prince duology)

This song gets a lot of flack and, in many ways, is reminiscent of Taylor's sixth album, Reputation. However, if you set aside the flashier parts of the song, it's really about sticking by your friends and loved ones when the rest of the world is turning on them, as well as not letting your hard times break you. This duology is ultimately very loyal to the events of the play, meaning the characters all face their inevitable fates. But in the buildup to get there (and particularly in the first book), it really is a much of young people finding their alliances and growing through the trials they have to face. Once again, the tone of this song and book could not be farther apart, but the themes align more than they seem to at first glance.

Track 11: Honey

Book: Antique Roman by Syd Neben

While I do genuinely love Hamlet the character, I will also be the first to admit that he's a real jerk in the play. He treats people poorly (most obviously Ophelia, of course, but everyone else too) the entire time. I think this book does some serious reworking to make him more likable in order to support his relationship with Horatio. While I find this to be ultimately unnecessary, I also think this is the softest these two ever appear, which really matches "Honey." Much like in the song, they're finding a solace in one another that they're unable to find otherwise.

Track 12: The Life of a Showgirl

Book: Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde

I'm cheating again: this is not a retelling of Hamlet. It's an otherwise unrelated book that just has Hamlet, the guy, in it. But I really liked this book's version of him, so I think it counts. When the track list for this album was first announced, I proclaimed that it was interesting to have a song named after Ophelia when the real showgirl of Hamlet was, well, Hamlet. The version of Hamlet that we meet in Something Rotten is meant to be the real, actual character that has escaped the play and come to life. He wants a better story (and literally who can blame him), but ultimately — after a lot of dramatics — he comes around and decides to commit to his role. The protagonists of The Life of a Showgirl have a similar arc. Despite the warnings, they embrace the showgirl lifestyle, problems and all, and decide in the end that they're committed to this life for better or for worse. It's an unexpected place to see Hamlet, for sure, but that's show business, baby.

If you've gotten here, thank you for indulging this thought that has been rattling around my head for a week.

From yours truly,

Kendall

Hamlet Stan