The Winter's Tale

A Romance Play

What does romance mean?

The Winter’s Tale is one of the later plays by Shakespeare, and is sometimes therefore classified by critics as one of the Last Plays. However, it is also known (since the C19th) as a Romance Play:
This does not mean ‘romance’ in the sense of ‘a love story’, though all four plays usually classified as Shakespearean Romances – Cymbeline, Pericles, The Tempest, and The Winter’s Tale - certainly involve love between men and women.

It is much closer to the idea of the ‘romances’ of medieval times. Romances, like the story of Pandosto by Robert Greene which is the main source of Shakespeare’s play, were tales written in the so-called Romance languages of French, Spanish and Portuguese in which fantasy and the supernatural played a large part. The genre had a wide vogue from Classical times (e.g. Apuleius’ Golden Ass) into the medieval period (e.g. stories of King Arthur and his knights) and later.

Typical romance elements

Shakespeare’s Romance Plays involve stories of loss and reconciliation, and are therefore sometimes also defined as tragi-comedies. They sometimes include a magical element and a masque:

• This is especially true of The Tempest, but the sheep-shearing scene in The Winter’s Tale also has masque-like elements
• The restoration of Hermione at the end seems almost like magic; indeed, Paulina warns Leontes not to think that unnatural or ‘wicked powers’ have assisted her (Act V scene iii.)
• The appearance of the character ‘Time’, also adds a touch of magic or fantasy.

There is often, too, a mixture of scenes of both court and country:

• For example, in Cymbeline the audience sees both the king’s court and the countryside of Wales
• In The Winter’s Tale the play moves from the court of Sicilia to the shores and fields of Bohemia, and from the world of princes to the life of shepherds.

The significance of the title, The Winter's Tale

The play draws its title from almost the last words spoken by the character Prince Mamillius, just before his mother Hermione is taken away to prison (in Act II scene i). The mood of the scene until that point has been one of gentle good humour, with the heavily pregnant Hermione surrounded by her ladies who are teasing the young prince. His mother asks him to tell her a tale, and he replies that ‘A sad tale’s best for winter’, implying that it is the winter season as he speaks. Certainly, from that moment all the light and laughter goes out of the Sicilian court, as Leontes enters and seizes his son. The king’s terrible jealousy destroys his family; Mamillius is never seen again, and his death from grief is soon announced.

The play shows that, as is the way of nature, spring follows winter. The second half of the drama introduces elements of comedy, and even the harshness of Polixenes is allowed to result in reconciliation. Leontes does – after a long, cold winter of the soul- have his wife and daughter restored to him. But not everything that dies away in winter is re-born; Mamillius remains dead. Leontes repents, but cannot undo the evil he has done.

The main issues in The Winter’s Tale

The play shows what happens when self-centred obsession – in this case, Leontes’ irrational jealousy – sets out on a path of destruction. However, it also shows that faith, hope and unselfish love can overcome such evil. It also shows the power of divine grace (see Themes and significant ideas) which can lead to repentance and redemption.

The Winter’s Tale also examines such important issues as:

• The relationship between parents and children, and between master and servants
• The question of what we mean by nature, and what is natural or unnatural
• The nature and significance of time
• The effects of suffering
• The place of humankind in the universe
• The extent and limitations of human power
• The nature and the significance of love in its various manifestations.
• These issues are addressed in scenes which bring created characters to life through the use of powerful language and extraordinary poetry.

Aims of this guide

As should be already be evident from this Introduction, the play deals with issues which are still very relevant today. This guide will help you to appreciate these ideas in detail, and, by enabling you to follow a wide range of references, including those to Classical and Biblical sources, will help you to think further about the implications of the text. By going through everything covered here, you will be prepared for whatever your A Level study asks of you!