Swift (as a Shadow)

Taylor Swift may not write in iambic pentameter, but her songs often carry the same emotional precision, layered personas, and timeless themes that define Shakespeare’s work. From the wistful, shape-shifting narratives of Folklore and Evermore to the defiant reinvention and razor-edged wit of Speak Now and Reputation, Swift crafts lyrics that echo the Bard’s explorations of love, disguise, ambition, and reputation. In these posts, I explore how her songwriting mirrors Shakespeare’s characters and plots, proving that the art of telling a story in unforgettable words transcends centuries.

Swift (as a Shadow): Performing

One of the juiciest parallels between Swift’s career and Shakespeare’s lies in the concept of performing a part, especially performing the villain. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth coaches her husband to hide his deadly intent behind a welcoming facade: “look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t”. That potent image, a serpent coiled beneath a pretty bloom, has become idiomatic for deceptive appearances. It also became a reality for Taylor Swift in 2017. Branded a “sna

Zander Pivnick

Jul 44 min read

Swift (as a Shadow): Women's Experiences

One thing Shakespeare and Taylor Swift have in common is they have never shied away from the darker emotional terrain of women’s experiences. Ophelia’s mental breakdown in Hamlet , during which she sings folk songs about betrayal and death after losing both her lover and her father, remains one of the most haunting depictions of female despair ever shown on the stage. In Macbeth , Lady Macbeth’s resolve slowly turns into guilt-ridden madness, leading her to sleepwalk and hall

Zander Pivnick

May 313 min read

Swift (as a Shadow): Love

Unrequited love is a timeless theme in Shakespeare’s works that surfaces both in comedies and in tragedies. In Twelfth Night , Viola’s disguise locks her in a love triangle: she silently loves Orsino, even as she sends “Cesario” (herself disguised) to woo Olivia on his behalf. Unable to confess her feelings, Viola poignantly describes a fictional sister who “never told her love” and kept her agony hidden, smiling at the grief while her heart broke quietly. That image, of a wo

Zander Pivnick

May 33 min read