The Winter's Tale
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 1610-1611
- Form
- Drama
- Language
- English
- Length
- Medium · 280 pp120 to 300 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Winter's TaleFolger Shakespeare Library (Simon and Schuster), 2005Good notes on the compressed late verse and the sheep-shearing scene.
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Leontes, king of Sicilia, suddenly convinces himself that his pregnant wife Hermione has been unfaithful with his friend Polixenes, king of Bohemia. He imprisons her, has the newborn daughter abandoned on the Bohemian coast, and learns from the oracle that he was wrong just as his son and, apparently, his wife die. Sixteen years pass. The daughter, Perdita, raised by shepherds, falls in love with Polixenes' son and flees with him to Sicilia, where Leontes is still doing penance, and a statue of Hermione comes to life.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Winter's Tale are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
