The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare

Tragedy and romance, healed by time and love.

William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale explained with scene summaries in just a few minutes! Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe explains William Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale. In The Winter's Tale, a jealous king brings tragedy to his family when he suspects that his wife has bore a son to his friend, king of a neighboring country. Though his suspicions are unwarranted, King Leontes unfairly puts his wife, Hermione, on trial for adultery and sends his baby daughter to her death. He orders the child to be left in the wilderness, but a shepherd finds her and raises her as his own. Meanwhile, his elder son dies and the combined trauma results in the death of his wife. Years later, Leontes regrets his actions. When the rescued daughter comes of age, she falls in love with the son of her real father's former friend. The play draws together the distinctly Shakespearean threads of tragedy and romance, ultimately ending on a hopeful note in which all are reconciled. Famous English playwright William Shakespeare’s play The Winter’s Tale was written c. 1609-11. After decades of success in the theater, Shakespeare was near the end of his career when he wrote The Winter’s Tale. In it, he explores the many sides of marriage, parenthood, kingship, innocence, guilt, and forgiveness—but most of all, the miracle of time’s triumph and the healing powers of love. The drama The Winter’s Tale contains many powerful themes, including art and nature, as art sometimes reveals the true nature of people or things; time’s passage, as time allows people to change, so Leontes recognizes his mistake; and death and rebirth, as Leontes’s jealousy kills, but when he repents he sees rebirth. Course Hero helps empower students and educators to succeed! We’re fueled by a passionate community of students and educators who share their course-specific knowledge and resources to help others learn. Learn more at Master Your Classes(TM) with Course Hero!

Language
English
Studio
Course Hero
Genres
Historical
Tropes
Framed
Episodes
16
Views
113K

Episodes on YouTube

  1. Clip 1 · Brief Plot Summary
  2. Clip 2 · Act 1, Scene 1
  3. Clip 3 · Act 1, Scene 2
  4. Clip 4 · Act 2, Scene 1
  5. Clip 5 · Act 2, Scene 2
  6. Clip 6 · Act 2, Scene 3
  7. Clip 7 · Act 3, Scene 1
  8. Clip 8 · Act 3, Scene 2
  9. Clip 9 · Act 3, Scene 3
  10. Clip 10 · Act 4, Scene 1
  11. Clip 11 · Act 4, Scene 2
  12. Clip 12 · Act 4, Scene 3
  13. Clip 13 · Act 4, Scene 4
  14. Clip 14 · Act 5, Scene 1
  15. Clip 15 · Act 5, Scene 2
  16. Clip 16 · Act 5, Scene 3