Episode 68 - The Winter‘s Tale

What do you get when you combine three acts of a tragedy, two acts of a pastoral romantic comedy, and a sprinkle of the supernatural on top for good measure? A problem play for the ages: The Winter's Tale.

If it feels like we've been down this road before, it's because this late Romance borrows many of its themes from some of the great tragedies of Shakespeare's career, like Othello. Jealous husbands, chaste wives, and accusations of infidelity abound in the first half of the play. Then -- as we've seen very recently in Pericles -- we jump sixteen years into the future, following the fallout of Leontes' disastrous accusation of Hermione, the death of son Mamillius, and the banishment of the infant Perdita to discover that all may not be lost after all. This smash-cut tonal shift that leads us from wintry Sicilia to summer-time Bohemia and the introduction of a long-lost daughter and a marriage crisis that brings the destroyed family back together again, possibly with a little help from the gods, perhaps (shades of Macbeth, anyone?)

But unlike Othello, Leontes is given this second chance to prove himself to his family and friends after the damage has been done because, unlike hero Pericles, Leontes has a lot of prove. And despite the magical overtones of the final climactic reunion, there is no shade thrown on witches here, unlike the Weird Sisters that haunt Macbeth. So what is Shakespeare playing at, mixing these old tropes to new effect? That's the focus of today's episode -- we hope you'll enjoy!

Ancient Bickerings

Who is the worst husband in all of Shakespeare?

Notes:

• Reddit AITA post (which -- shockingly -- has been marked "No A-holes Here", which only goes to show that a) men are not okay and b) Reddit is the asshole of the internet.)
• Shout out to Shmoop for, once again, helping us with some background info and thematic points to hit