The Winter’s Tale by Shakespeare

Spring is coming! And it arrives in the play, too. It’s a case of a powerful king with extreme jealousy for his queen. He
accuses her of infidelity, to which she says, “The crown and comfort of my life, your favor,/ I do give lost, for I do feel it gone.” Her exile causes tragedy for all… At least, in the first half of the play. Then, after Shakespeare’s most famous stage direction, “Exit, pursued by a bear,” the play shifts into a more comic mode, as several nearly magical happenings bring things right. It’s about marriage, and the relations of parents and children, and the power of kings. The play passes through many modes and moods—does it hang together? We’ll read and discuss it over six weeks. There’s no homework the first night, and then we’ll do one act per week.