Discuss and analyse Leontes's jealousy
The innocence of Hermione is never in doubt
Every character in the play testifies to it, and the Oracle confirms it
Leontes's suspicions of his wife and best friend are clearly irrational.
As the victim of misplaced jealousy, he resembles one of the most famous Shakespearean heroes, Othello, who murders his wife Desdemona because he believes her to be unfaithful. But Othello is led into error by his villainous aide, Iago, whereas Leontes is his own Iago
The entire dream of adultery is concocted within his own mind. The play offers us hints:
- in the childhood friendship of the two kings, and the suggestion that Leontes may have been too close to Polixenes
- in the king's insecurity over the legitimacy of Mamillius, and the threat that bastards posed to any kingdom
- in Leontes's misogyny and fear of women, which comes out when Paulina tries to reason with him
But none of these is sufficient to solve the problem, and Shakespeare seems to intend it thus. "Your actions are my dreams," (III.ii.81) Leontes tells Hermione, and while he means it sarcastically, the play does not
He has allowed his nightmares to infect his view of the waking world
Discuss the resurrection scene. Is the apparent miracle real?
There is evidence on both sides of this question.
Paulina, who orchestrates the entire scene, and who ostensibly commissioned the statue, seems remarkably unsurprised by the "miracle," and she is, after all, our only witness to the fact that Hermione actually died.
Her behavior in the years since suggests a foreknowledge of her queen's return, as she steadfastly kept the king fixated on his own guilt, and on the impossibility of ever marrying again.
On the other hand, if the entire business is only a trick, it seems rather an over-the-top stunt for two level-headed women like Hermione and Paulina to orchestrate.
No one who witnesses the miracle raises even a scrap of doubt as to whether the statue was ever an actual statue.
Clearly, Shakespeare wants to have it both ways. A genuine miracle to cap off his "Tale," and a hint of a naturalistic explanation for the careful reader.
In either case, the miracle is an appropriate conclusion to the play, since it provides for a truly happy ending that Hermione's death seemed to place out of reach.
Discuss the changes in mood, plot and imagery that occur between Act I-III and Act IV-V
In Mamillius's words, "a sad tale's best for winter," (II.i.25) and the first three acts are set in a Sicilian winter, and are determinedly sad.
Indeed, these acts offer a kind of miniature tragedy, as Leontes's errors, like Lear's or Othello's, bring death and destruction down upon his family and kingdom.
What makes The Winter's Tale a romance, rather than a tragedy, is the abrupt shift in mood after Time announces the passage of sixteen years, and the action shifts to Bohemia.
Winter comes to an end, and spring enters, bringing with it the promise of rebirth
As the seasons change, so the story shifts away from tragedy and into the realm of fairy tale and romantic comedy.
The imagery of Act IV is dominated by the flowers that Perdita wears and dispenses as hostess of the sheepshearing, and the mood of the act is found in the cheerful songs of Autolycus.
This spirit is eventually brought back to Sicilia, where Act V undoes much of what seemed so tragic in Act III
Perdita is restored to her rightful home, Hermione is restored to life, and even Paulina is given a new husband.
The Winter's Tale, then, ends the way all winters end - by giving its characters the promise of forgiveness and a fresh start.
Other Past Exam Questions
Below are a number of key themes and areas on the play that have been tested in the past. Try to plan for these areas.
1. ‘The play takes absolute power and its abuse seriously.' Do you agree??
2. Autolycus is full of comic potential; recently parallels to the evil he portrays in both Leontes and Polixenes.
Do you think Shakespeare's presentation of Autolycus fits into the design of the play as a whole?
3. The play movingly presents the healing power of art.
4. How do you respond to the links between different social groups in The Winter's Tale?
5. The play dramatically explores the abuse of power.
6. Paulina and Hermione are the intellectual and moral equal of the men in the play, with a clear vision of justice and fairness.
7. A world in which it is crucial to accept responsibility for suffering.
8. Inter-relationship of court and society, showing that each has qualities to give to the other.
9. Older generation, not the younger, as the more significant in establishing the mood of the play.
10. Shakespeare presents the male views of women based on fear and suspicion.
11. Faced with moral dilemmas , moral choices.
12. Concept of great, often destructive power of time.
13.Political necessity of a king having an heir.
14. Difficult for a modern audience to understand and sympathise with Hermione's reactions in the play.
15.Discuss the role of setting in the play.
16. Analyse the character of Autolycus, and discuss his role in the play.
17. Analyse the character of Perdita, and her relationship to nature.
18. Discuss the role of divine intervention in the play, especially the miracle scene and the Delphic Oracle.
19. Discuss the role of women in the play, and their relationships with their husbands/lovers.
20. Analyse the character of Camillo. What is his function in the play?
21. Would you categorize The Winter's Tale with Shakespeare's comedies, or his tragedies? Some scholars have grouped it with The Tempest, Pericles, and Cymbeline as a "romance." Would you ree with this grouping? Why or why not?
