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.
Who will love it
For readers who love Shakespeare's strange romances, tragedy mixed with comedy, and stories of jealousy and forgiveness. For anyone drawn to young lovers, fearless truth-telling, and the hope of repairing a broken family.
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.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 3 h 1 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. Love it or get your money back: ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Le Conte d’hiver in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Le Conte d’hiver
by William Shakespeare · 1623
At the court of Sicilia, a king's unfounded jealousy threatens his wife, his family, and his oldest friendship.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
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.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Le Conte d’hiver
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. And if you have paid, the 60-day money-back guarantee applies: ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
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.
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.
More by William Shakespeare
All 17 books
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
FreeMore like this
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in poetry and plays
See all
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
