Winter's Tale

Winter's Tale

Within The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare creates a very unique play considered “tragicomedy.” Tragicomedy is defined as a play consisting of both tragic and comical events. Leontes, the King of Sicily, sets up his own tragedy through his outrageous jealousy. However, comedy occurs through the recovery of Leontes’ destruction from his suspicion.
Leontes is introduced with a loving wife, Hermione, and his childhood friend, as well as King of Bohemia, Polixenes. Leontes is saddened to see his friend leaving and begs him to stay longer. Hermione sees her husband’s wish for his friend to stay and tries to convince Polixenes herself. By doing so she asks about how great their childhood together was and he replies, “We were, fair queen,/Two lads that thought there was no more behind/But such a day to-morrow as to-day, /And to be boy eternal” (1.2.78-81). Leontes instantly feels resentful of Hermione’s ability to convince Polixenes to stay and begins to create illogical situations regarding his best friend and wife. Leontes allows his imagination to control him and distrust begins to build up. He says in regards to Polixenes and Hermiones, “Is whispering nothing?/Is leaning cheek to cheek?/Is meeting noses?/Kissing with inside lip? stopping the career/Of laughing with a sigh” (1.2.332-335). Despite the love between him and his wife and his eternal friendship with his friend, jealousy gets the best of him and he demands revenge.
Leontes’ allows his suspicion to completely destroys his relationships. He betrays his life-long friend by demanding his advisor, Camillo, to poison him. Because Camillo realizes the King has gone mad, he advises Polixenes to leave Sicily. Leontes is so consumed with the idea that his wife is committed adultery that he puts his pregnant wife in prison and forbids her to see her son, Prince Mamillius. Although an investigation takes place regarding the claimed adultery between Polixenes and Hermione, a decision is made...