Who’s Ophelia, anyway? The history behind our name

You may have heard the name Ophelia quite a bit recently. Although Shakespeare’s character is over 400 years old now, she remains an inspiration for art, as seen in Taylor Swift’s upcoming song, “The Fate of Ophelia,” and John Everett Millais’ famous painting from the early 1850s.

When Zack Gray founded a startup dedicated to addressing the opioid crisis, he also drew inspiration from Ophelia’s story and named the company after her: Ophelia Health. But what does a character from a Shakespeare play—also referenced in a pop song—have to do with treating opioid use disorder (OUD)? 

What is Ophelia’s story?

Ophelia is a character in Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet.” She’s in love with the Danish prince Hamlet, but after he kills her father, she descends into madness before ultimately dying by drowning.

Ophelia’s tragic death has been interpreted in many ways in the centuries since Shakespeare wrote his play, but the most enduring interpretations view her as a symbol of lost innocence and vulnerability.

Her story is one of avoidable loss and tragedy.

Ophelia in art

The tragedy of Ophelia’s life and death has frequently inspired artists. John Everett Millais created perhaps the most iconic interpretation of Ophelia outside of Shakespeare’s work, with his Pre-Raphaelite painting titled simply, “Ophelia.”

In the painting, Millais depicts Ophelia just moments before she drowns in a stream. She’s floating in the water, looking calm, with the vibrant flowers she was picking floating alongside her. Each flower has a symbolic meaning, such as poppies for death and violets for faithfulness¹.

Other artistic depictions focus on Ophelia’s madness, like Madeleine Lemaire’s “Ophelia,” or themes of grief and loss, like Odilon Redon’s “Ophelia Among the Flowers.” The basic facts of the story remain the same—Ophelia’s mental state deteriorates as Hamlet treats her cruelly and eventually kills her father, before she drowns in a stream while picking flowers².

While we won’t know what Swift’s reference to Ophelia means until her next album is released, we can make guesses based on other songs she’s written about the complexities of fame and being a female public figure people often have strong opinions about³.

The main takeaway is that the meaning of Ophelia’s story can shift based on an individual’s perspective and personal experiences. 

The founding of Ophelia Health

Part of what makes Ophelia’s loss so tragic is that it could have been avoided. If Hamlet had not treated her so cruelly and her father had not placed harsh demands on her, perhaps she would not have fallen into the madness that contributed to her death.

That’s the connection between Ophelia and the founding of Ophelia Health, a company dedicated to making treatment for opioid use disorder more affordable and accessible to anyone who needs it. Every year, tens of thousands of Americans die from opioid overdoses. The total number of overdose deaths involving opioids was 79,358 in 2023, and that’s in the United States alone⁴.

Some of these terrible losses could be prevented if help were more accessible. Around 80% of the people struggling with opioid dependency or OUD don’t get any help. For even those who are willing to seek help, there are still many barriers in place: finances, stigma, a lack of local care providers, and treatment options that don’t fit into their lives. The result is that people are often left struggling to manage their OUD on their own, which puts them at high risk for opioid overdoses and death.

There has to be a better way. That’s what Ophelia stands for.

Ophelia’s founder, Zack, lost a loved one to the opioid crisis. That tragedy drove him to do something to help the millions of other Americans dealing with opioid misuse⁵. Specifically, he founded a startup that makes a proven, impactful treatment for opioid addiction—medication-assisted treatment—easier to access. He named that startup Ophelia, both because Ophelia’s story embodies grief and tragic loss and because the name also starts with the “op” letter pairing, just like opioids.

But unlike Shakespeare’s Ophelia, our story is more about hope than tragedy. 

Breaking down barriers to opioid use disorder treatment

It’s unacceptable that so many people who need treatment for OUD are unable to access it. At Ophelia, we have made it our mission to help stop opioid overdose deaths by making evidence-based OUD treatment more accessible.

Ophelia offers telehealth medications for addiction treatment (MAT). With telehealth OUD care, patients no longer have to worry about finding a care provider in their area (if one is even available), arranging travel, or dealing with the stigma of seeking treatment in person. The telehealth treatment fits right into your life, with online visits and a Suboxone prescription sent to your local pharmacy. The key piece of the puzzle is that MAT is the most effective treatment for OUD—it’s the gold standard of care. Patients using MAT are 76% less likely to overdose⁶.

This treatment doesn’t require you to break the bank, either. Ophelia accepts insurance, and most patients pay less than $10 per month. Explore your OUD treatment options through Ophelia today.