The Winter's Tale Essay

The Winter’s Tale is one of William Shakespeare's later tragedies written in 1611. The drama depicts a story of loss and redemption. Leontes, the king of Sicilia, falsely accuses his wife of adultery. Leontes convinces himself that his wife is pregnant with the child of his best friend, Polixenes. During a fit of rage, Leontes orders that the Perdita, the child, be abandoned in a desolate place to die. In these acts, the wintery setting conveys a tone of death and loss. This melancholy setting contrasts with the redemptive theme expressed throughout the remainder of the drama. The second half of the play takes place during the summer in Bohemia. This shift in place and time foreshadows a somewhat restorative ending, common in Shakespearian …show more content…
Perdita’s reappearance in Sicilia symbolizes hope for the kingdom. The drama’s rural setting, bucolic themes, and floral imagery classify the play as a form of pastoral literature. Pastoral drama idealizes nature and the rural life, portraying shepherds as free from the complexity and corruption of city life. The plot of The Winter’s Tale focuses on this theme of country versus court. One character who displays these elements is Florizel, Polixenes’s only son and heir. Believing her to be a simple shepherdess, Florizel falls in love with Perdita. Through his action, language, and appearance, Florizel develops the pastoral motifs of romance, rebirth, and Providence. These pastoral themes impact the play in such a way that both the idealistic and realistic are portrayed, causing the play to take on a tragi-comedic …show more content…
This theme emphasizes Florizel and Perdita’s union as a resolution to conflict, rather than a coincidence. Paulina's scheming, the Shepherd's kindness, and Florizel and Perdita's courage and devotion to each other, cure Leontes’s madness and depression. Without even one of these interventions, the resolution of the play would have been less glorious; for example, had Florizel not returned Perdita back to Sicilia, the oracle's prophecy may never have been fulfilled. References to the ideology of felix culpa expand on this notion of providence or fate. Felix culpa is the belief that good things come out of bad situations. Shakespeare uses this idea to argue how the tragedy at the beginning of the play was an act of Providence that allowed for renewal of the Sicilian court. Shakespeare portrays Florizel as an essential part of Sicilia’s redemption. Through Florizel, Perdita’s identity is finally revealed, and she returns to the court. Religious diction further expands upon this theme of providence or