Taekook were such cute babies back then; so happy to get to sing & perform. The closest we have ever come to a subunit and it was in the very early days before they started being separated. Maybe we need to change tactics and ask for a encore of this song
Inspired by Taehyung’s unique style & love for art, I poured my heart into this custom beaded portrait. 💜 Hours of craftsmanship & dedication. An absolute dream if it could reach his eyes!
@thv Hope it makes you smile! Please retweet to help him see this ARMY! ✨
#BTSV#V
Shakespeare Failed Ophelia—BTS Saved Her.
BTS's #SWIM : Shakespear's Hamlet (Ophelia’s Ghost in the Deep) : A direct comparison reveals how both the track from ARIRANG and Shakespeare's tragedy approach the concept of existence.
“To Be or Not to Be” Meets the Deep:
In Hamlet's famous soliloquy, he debates whether it is nobler to suffer quietly or to ‘take arms against a sea of troubles.’ BTS explores this identical existential weight in SWIM. Yoongi’s verse explicitly highlights this choice, noting that the water is deep but he refuses to get ‘cold feet.’ Both works acknowledge that life can feel like drowning, but where Hamlet stalls in hesitation, “SWIM” urges an active, immediate response to keep moving forward.
The Drowning of Ophelia vs. Moving Forward:
In Hamlet, Ophelia is overwhelmed by grief and literally drowns because she cannot stay afloat amidst the madness of the Danish court. The official music video for “SWIM” offers a redemptive subversion of Ophelia's tragedy. Starring Lili Reinhart as a woman wrestling with intense emotional pain, the MV features BTS acting as a grounding presence. Instead of letting her sink like Ophelia, they guide her to shatter her constraints (symbolized by a tight necklace) and find the strength to survive the rough currents. This is just a modern reinterpretation in a MV, featuring Lili Reinhart, depicts her actively fighting against this fate with support, choosing to breathe and survive.
Support Systems and Personal Agency:
In Hamlet, the prince is isolated, surrounded by betrayal, and left with only Horatio as a true confidant. In contrast, SWIM highlights a powerful collective dynamic. While the members of BTS steady the ship and offer a safe haven, the lyrics remind the listener that the choice to dive in belongs to the individual. It rewrites the tragic isolation of Shakespeare's characters into a shared journey of healing.
Instead of succumbing to the currents, the song’s overarching philosophy #Keepswimming acts as a direct answer to Hamlet's indecisive hesitation. By providing solidarity and a safe haven, the track reframes the deep ocean from a symbol of inevitable doom into a space where an individual can choose agency, break their internal chains, and actively choose to survive
thank you @BTS_twt for giving an album that demands to be dissected on every literary level & understood deeper than just sound.
my time with arirang was well spent ♡