Examples Of Power In The Winter's Tale

Power plays a key role in many of the stories that we have read, yet one of the pieces that uses power to drive the story is The Winter’s Tale. In the story King Leontes uses his power to get his way. Ordering people to accept what he says because he is king. Power seems to corrupt the people and makes them unreachable because of their power. When people have the power to do what they want and command others to do their bidding they don’t want to listen to others. Power has corrupted other world leaders in history as well. Power in the right hands can do good things, but power can corrupt even the best of men.
In the play King Leontes seems to be in a great position in his life. He has an heir, his childhood best friend is visiting, and he has a beautiful wife with a baby on the way. Nothing looks like it could go wrong for …show more content…
He tries to say he only wants what is best for Florizel. However Polixenies states, “Not hold thee of our blood,” saying this only because he wants his lineage to carry on, and will not accept what his son wants (Shakespeare). This leaves him to chase after Florizel and his soon to be wife, who ran away to be together. Polixenies’s, in much the same way of Leontes, has his problems caused by his own power getting to his head.
The lack of power in the play can be seen as more calm and steady minded people. Both the Clown and the Shepard are among some of the lowest members of society, yet they seem to be so sensible. When they find the baby abandoned on the beach they do not abandon it, although it is not theirs nor will it give anything to them if they decide to raise it (Shakespeare). Later during the fourth act both of the characters do not give a second thought who Perdita is marrying. They accept her for who she is. Even though she does not act like them, forbidding any song that uses Vulgarity and curses