Nina stabbed herself due to a severe hallucination, believing she was attacking Lily when, in reality, she was harming herself. This pivotal moment occurred during the climax of her performance, blurring the lines between her mental state and the reality of the ballet's narrative.
The Psychological Twist Behind Nina's Self-Inflicted Wound
In the climactic sequence, Nina Sayers, portrayed by Natalie Portman, experiences a profound psychological break. Her mental state, already fragile from the immense pressure of embodying both the White Swan and the Black Swan roles, deteriorates into a vivid hallucination.
- Hallucinated Confrontation: Nina perceived a direct confrontation with Lily, her rival and understudy, during which she believed she fatally stabbed Lily with a shard of glass. This intense visual and emotional experience was a manifestation of her internal struggle and obsession with perfection and the role.
- Reality of Self-Harm: The devastating truth, however, was that Nina had not stabbed Lily. Instead, in her hallucinatory state, she had inflicted the wound upon herself in the abdomen. This self-stabbing was a tragic culmination of her psychological torment, reflecting her deep-seated anxieties and the immense pressure she felt to achieve artistic perfection.
Despite the grave injury, Nina, fully embodying her character as a dying Odette, continued to perform the final act of the ballet. Her dedication to her art led her to complete the performance, landing on a mattress to thunderous applause, before succumbing to her wounds. This act underscores the extreme lengths to which she pushed herself, both physically and psychologically, in her pursuit of the perfect performance.
