3 h 1 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a king's darkest suspicion becomes more powerful than the truth?
In Sicilia, King Leontes turns on the people closest to him. His jealousy has no foundation, yet he suspects his wife, Hermione, and his oldest friend, Polixenes. In William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, a palace becomes a place of accusation, and an innocent queen must defend her honor.
Then the play opens onto another world: Bohemia, sixteen years later, alive with songs, shepherds, and a sheep-shearing feast. Perdita grows up far from the court, while Prince Florizel is ready to give up his place for love. Tragedy meets comedy as Shakespeare explores what rage destroys and what time might mend.
What you’ll discover
- A mind against itself Watch Leontes turn suspicion into proof, unable to see beyond his own jealousy.
- Courage before a king Meet Paulina, whose loyalty to Hermione makes her speak when others dare not.
- Dignity under accusation Encounter Hermione's intelligence and strength as she faces a charge she cannot understand.
- Songs among the shepherds Enter Bohemia's country feasts, where young love shares the scene with Autolycus's tricks.
- Time and the heart Explore the distance between harm and forgiveness in a play of startling changes.
Is it for you?
This is for readers who like Shakespeare's late, strange plays, and for anyone curious about how jealousy works and how people are forgiven. If you want a tight, realistic plot, the sudden shifts of tone and time may feel less suited to you.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A king's jealousy comes from nowhere
- The innocent queen is put on trial
- A baby is left on a stormy coast
- Perdita grows up among the shepherds
- What the play says about jealousy, time, and mercy
- A play in two halves, with a bear and a ghost of song
Who’s who
- LeontesThe King of Sicilia, who falls into a sudden, unfounded jealousy about his wife and his oldest friend.
- HermioneLeontes' queen, a warm, intelligent woman who must defend her honor against a charge she cannot understand.
- PolixenesThe King of Bohemia and Leontes' boyhood friend, who longs to return home to his own kingdom.
- PaulinaHermione's loyal lady, a fearless woman who tells the king the truth no one else dares to speak.
- PerditaThe lost daughter of Leontes and Hermione, raised by shepherds in Bohemia, who grows up graceful and clear-eyed.
- FlorizelPrince of Bohemia, who loves Perdita and is ready to give up his place for her.
- CamilloA lord of Sicilia, honest and wise, who refuses to obey an unjust command and then serves Bohemia.
- AutolycusA merry rogue and peddler who sings, steals, and cheats his way across Bohemia.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print hardcover
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Le Conte d’hiver
by William Shakespeare· 1623
A king's jealousy divides a family across sixteen years.
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Language: Français
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A king's jealousy comes from nowhere
The play opens in Sicilia. King Leontes has been host for nine months to his boyhood friend Polixenes, the King of Bohemia. Polixenes now wants to go home to his own kingdom and his own son. Leontes cannot persuade him to stay, so he asks his wife, Hermione, who is heavily pregnant, to try.
Hermione is warm and witty, and she wins the argument at once. Polixenes agrees to remain a little longer. Something snaps in Leontes as he watches them. He sees friendliness and reads it as betrayal, and within a few lines he is certain that his wife and his friend are lovers.
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The author
William Shakespeare
1564–1616 · English playwright and poet
William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet, born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. He worked in London as an actor and playwright. He wrote plays, including Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth, and published sonnets in 1609. He died in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1616.
“A sad tale's best for winter.”
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What is The Winter's Tale about?
It is about a king who wrongly believes his wife has betrayed him with his friend. His jealousy destroys his family, and the second half of the play follows his lost daughter and the hope of forgiveness.
Is The Winter's Tale a comedy or a tragedy?
It is usually called a romance. The first half is tragic, with jealousy and loss, while the second half is pastoral and comic, moving toward reconciliation. Some editors place it among the comedies.
What does exit, pursued by a bear mean?
It is a stage direction in Act 3, Scene 3, where the lord Antigonus leaves the stage as a bear chases him. It marks the play's sharp turn from tragedy to comedy.
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