The Winter's Tale

The Winter’s Tale’s climax occurs offstage, with the reveal of Perdita as a princess, the blessing of her marriage to Florizel, and the reconciliation of the two kings being relayed by three noblemen to Autolycus. The downplaying of the climax shifts the play’s focus to the next major point in the play: Hermione’s resurrection. This shift also focuses on Leontes’s growth over 16 years. The resolution of the Oracle’s prophecy by Perdita’s reappearance, though a surprise to most characters, was told to the audience several acts earlier. Shakespeare’s comedies often feature a final-act reveal in which characters or the audience learn of secret identities, yet Perdita’s reappearance characterizes The Winter’s Tale as less of a comedy and more of a problem play. Whereas comedies typically focus on happy endings, Shakespeare’s problem plays, not unlike his tragedies, place more focus on the development of the protagonist. The downplaying of the climax prioritizes Leontes’s growth over the rewards of his growth.

The theme of Rebirth and Resurrection is most prominent in Act V, as it culminates in Hermione’s mysterious resurrection. Hermione’s return is framed as a reward for Leontes’s years of penance—itself a form of rebirth—and the symbolic rebirth of their daughter. There is also the rebirth of the two kings’ friendship that had been lost at the beginning of the play. In Florizel, Leontes sees a young Polixenes; in both Florizel and Perdita, he sees his own children and experiences a resurgence of grief. With these resurrections, Shakespeare focuses on the human capacity for change and growth.

Another theme explored in this act is Providence and Prophecy and their effects on the characters’ endings. Paulina adheres to the Oracle’s prophecy and holds Leontes to it. When noblemen suggest Leontes remarry and produce another heir, Paulina forbids it unless she is able to choose his new queen, which she tells him will be “when your first queen’s again in breath” (5.1.2924). She refuses to reward his penance until it is complete and only reveals Hermione once Perdita has returned, reinforcing Hermione’s innocence. Providence is restored with the completion of the prophecy, and all characters, even Autolycus, receive relatively happy endings. This goes beyond most of Shakespeare’s comedies, where antagonists are typically punished for their crimes. Marriage is often seen as a reward, a restoration of the natural order in these comedies, with Leontes’s promising of Camillo to Paulina being framed as rewarding their virtues—despite the exclusion of both characters’ opinions and the line itself by real-life productions of the play. Overall, the restoration of providence further connects the Oracle’s prophecy to the divine, and with its completion, fate ensures the happy endings of all characters involved.