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The Winter's Tale book club questions

by William Shakespeare · a kit for five meetings · 15 questions · printable

Fifteen discussion questions for The Winter's Tale, grouped by the play's five acts, with a reading plan, themes to talk about and a sheet you can print. Two good openers: what does a secret murder order suggest about how Leontes uses power when he feels threatened? And what makes hospitality a useful way to judge a friendship?

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The reading plan

Meeting 1

Act 1, scenes 1 to 2

About 20 min to read

Meeting 2

Act 2, scenes 1 to 3

About 19 min to read

Meeting 3

Act 3, scenes 1 to 3

About 16 min to read

Meeting 4

Act 4, scenes 1 to 4

About 40 min to read

Meeting 5

Act 5, scenes 1 to 3

About 23 min to read

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Meeting 1: Act 1

  1. What makes hospitality a useful way to judge a friendship?
  2. Why might Hermione's success in persuading a guest to stay provoke jealousy rather than gratitude?
  3. What does a secret murder order suggest about how Leontes uses power when he feels threatened?

Meeting 2: Act 2

  1. How does turning a family conversation into public accusations change the harm Leontes causes?
  2. How would you judge Paulina's resistance when her defense of Hermione meets an order to abandon the baby?
  3. What would make the coming public trial seem fair to you?

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Meeting 3: Act 3

  1. How does the messengers' hope for justice affect your expectations of the sealed oracle?
  2. What does the oracle's rejection of the accusations suggest about the limits of royal judgment?
  3. How much weight should a confession and a vow of mourning carry after news of death?

Meeting 4: Act 4

  1. What does the sixteen-year leap make you want to know, and what are you willing to leave unexplained?
  2. How should Camillo weigh his wish to return home against Polixenes' concern about his son?
  3. What does Autolycus' use of a plea for help reveal about the risks of kindness?

Meeting 5: Act 5

  1. Is Paulina's demand for an oath against remarriage a fair limit on Leontes' freedom?
  2. How does Leontes' welcome to Florizel affect your judgment of him after his earlier treatment of Hermione?
  3. How does hearing about the royal reunion through gentlemen's reports shape your response to it?

Themes to talk about

Jealousy and evidencePower and resistanceInnocence and justiceHope and reunion

Tips for the host

  1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
  2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.

Free for 3 months

Get the full summary of Le Conte d’hiver, free

  • 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
  • Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Commencez 90 jours gratuitsNothing to pay today. 0,14 USD a day in the first year, then 0,27 USD a day.
200,000+ classics to read, hear and hold

15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.

Try 3 months free

More book club kits: Wuthering Heights · The Odyssey · Hamlet · All kits

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