Key moments in the Winter’s Tale
Hermonie’s resurrection (Act 5 scene 3)
AO2 Poetry:
● Leontes: ‘I am ashamed’ - Final admittance of guilt and responsibility for his actions, acknowledgement - penance
and coming to terms with his actions, King member of high authority is admitting wrong heavily power
● Paulina: ‘it is required you do awaken your faith then all stand still [...] those that think it is unlawful business I am
about, let them depart’ usage of ‘faith’ amongst the usage of witchcraft harmful, incredibly dangerous in front of
King James, asking those who deem it ‘unlawful’ to leave placing them as the outcasts and the ones who are
wrong
● Hermoine: ‘Tell me mine own, where hast thou preserved? Where lived?’ when awakened it is the true reunion of
Perdita and Hermoine coming together, Hermoine is now only acting as a mother concerned for her daughter and
not as anything else
AO2 Drama:
● Hermoine was portrayed as a statuesque figure on stage - slightly angelic, would glow from the makeup and
normally dressed in some white gown under candlelight, heavily Catholic and idolised. Her descent heavily
magical and causes outcry on stage, different productions allow Hermoine and Leontes to embrace however most
focus on the reunion between Perdita and Hermoine
AO3 Relevant Context:
● King James was heavily afraid of witchcraft after he felt they were responsible for the storms when collection his
wife at sea was incredibly obsessed with it and wrote a book called ‘Daemonologie’ - heavily prominent to have
Shakespeare put them on stage as an act of protest
● Witch Trials within England during 1610 and the burning and hanging of witches being a regular even in London
causing the brutal murder of many women
AO3 Theatrical context (original performance):
● Blackfriars - Candlelight using pig fat made the theatre incredibly smokey and suffocating therefore Hermoine
would have been surrounded thick black smoke and candlelight making her act of resurrection more uncertain and
mystical as the audiences view was slightly compromised as well as the smoke perhaps making them
hallucinogenic making the magic appear more stranger and mystifying / placement of King James watching the
queen come back to life as well as his fear of witchcraft allow audience to view him and his paranoia
● Globe - Young boy actors played within the globe (lovers of the older male cast) therefore Hermoine would look
young and draped in heavy make up which would reflect in the moon light and sun in the open air theatre making
her statuesque appearance only more life like
● Whitehall - placement of witchcraft right in front of king James on his daughter's engagement party act of protest
and riot in front of all his noble friends
AO5 Productions:
● Cheek by Chow - under yellow hues of light and candlelight, hermione embraces Perdita and Leontes joins within
that hug arguably creating some kind of reunion
● Gregorey Doran national theatre - under candlelight and on a raised platform with a cage like monument around
her, only Hermoine and Perdita embrace
Leonte’s aside (Act 1 scene 2)
AO2 Poetry:
● Leontes: ‘Too hot too hot!’ Spitting quit staccato phases, with an explanation point adding depth to his anger
● Leontes: ‘paddling palms and pinching fingers and now they are making practised smiles’ plosive phrases convey
the words are spitting out of him in anger and rage, practised smiles conveys he feels he is being manipulated and
tricked and cannot see the true nature
● Leontes: ‘Inch thick knee deep [...] go play boy play: thye mother plays and I play too’ perverting the relationship
with his son, slow and wordy hitting ch’ and kicking k’ hard and slow creating a physically loathsome image while
his son is still around
AO2 Drama:
, ● Leontes turned away from everyone else normally watching Hermoine and Polixenes interact or walking around
them appearing unhinged and frantic within his words talking outwards towards the audience see the first time he
learn what he is and the main problem within the play - meant to appear crazy and frantic
AO3 Relevant context:
● Aimed to appear as a reflection of the stubborn and paranoid King James who believed himself to be second unto
God and never arranged countless arguments to any of those who questioned his authority eg having many fights
with government and making it impossible to pass laws and legislations, nicknamed - ‘The Wisest Fool in
Christendom'
AO3 Theatrical context:
● Blackfriars - allows for the audience to see both Kings side by side, a reflection of his own and King James to
come face to face with how the public view him
● Globe - Put on in protest allows the audience (lower class members of society) to see and joke about their King
who they believe was useless paranoid tyrant which they see within Leontes
● Whitehall - Noble lords and ladies see a physical reflection of their king, while at King James daughter’s
engagement
AO5 Critics:
● Adam Anderson - Leonte’s aside are merely a reveal of his paranoid schizophrenia mind with the frantic changes
and alterations within his speech and how ‘out of character’ his friend and family around him deem it ‘you never
spoke what did become you less’ / ‘your actions are my dreams’
AO5 Productions:
● Cheek by chow production - director has Leontes reaching out to the sides and walking along the stage frantic and
sweating - moves Polixenes and Hermoine into movements he feels are happening - conveying most of his
paranoia is happening within his head and he is the causation of it and not them - forcing them to smile and
holding their hands out to ome another is all enforced by him
● Gregory Doran National theatre production - Places him under deep blue like (icy cold and isolating) has him
walking around the stage frantically and sweating always redirecting himself, sees Hermoine and Polixenes
together - the audience see him helping her with contractions while Leontes appears to see them together
conveying his frantic mind and him only being able to see it - not truly there
Floreizel’s Speech (Act 4 scene 4)
A02 Poetry:
● Florizel: ‘When you speak, sweet, I’d have you do it ever’ rhyme like a harmonious walz along the stage with the
soft sibilance of s’ making it soft and delicate, having her ‘speak’ something a 1610s lady in service or surrounded
by royalty should never do - do not speak unless spoken too however he loves and embraces her mind and
throughout unreflected of 1610 ideals
● Perdita: ‘a bank for love to lie and play on [...] come take your flowers’ Bringing of Sicilia and spring the coming
of re birth and youth and recreation of life, taking flowers come take the virginity and plant the seeds of life -
embracement of sex and re creation
● Florizel: ‘crowns what you are doing in present deeds, that all your acts are queens’ it is what she does and how
she is that makes her a queen not a title or a status that there is equality in the superiority throughout actions - you
have to earn your title of royalty
AO2 Drama:
● Incredibly brightly lit, surrounded by flowers and hay bales and farmland appears busy and over crowded full of
young men and women dancing and laughing and drinking happiness throughout, Perdita and Florizel at the centre
of it
AO3 Relevant context:
● Perdita being seen as a queen arguably through her doings is a protest to King James not being seen as a true king
to his people due to his wrong doings, paranoia and tyrannic attitude
● Perdita appearing similar to the being of Persephone in Greek mythology - bring of spring and fertility when she
return back to earth after Winter and brings forth the spring
Hermonie’s resurrection (Act 5 scene 3)
AO2 Poetry:
● Leontes: ‘I am ashamed’ - Final admittance of guilt and responsibility for his actions, acknowledgement - penance
and coming to terms with his actions, King member of high authority is admitting wrong heavily power
● Paulina: ‘it is required you do awaken your faith then all stand still [...] those that think it is unlawful business I am
about, let them depart’ usage of ‘faith’ amongst the usage of witchcraft harmful, incredibly dangerous in front of
King James, asking those who deem it ‘unlawful’ to leave placing them as the outcasts and the ones who are
wrong
● Hermoine: ‘Tell me mine own, where hast thou preserved? Where lived?’ when awakened it is the true reunion of
Perdita and Hermoine coming together, Hermoine is now only acting as a mother concerned for her daughter and
not as anything else
AO2 Drama:
● Hermoine was portrayed as a statuesque figure on stage - slightly angelic, would glow from the makeup and
normally dressed in some white gown under candlelight, heavily Catholic and idolised. Her descent heavily
magical and causes outcry on stage, different productions allow Hermoine and Leontes to embrace however most
focus on the reunion between Perdita and Hermoine
AO3 Relevant Context:
● King James was heavily afraid of witchcraft after he felt they were responsible for the storms when collection his
wife at sea was incredibly obsessed with it and wrote a book called ‘Daemonologie’ - heavily prominent to have
Shakespeare put them on stage as an act of protest
● Witch Trials within England during 1610 and the burning and hanging of witches being a regular even in London
causing the brutal murder of many women
AO3 Theatrical context (original performance):
● Blackfriars - Candlelight using pig fat made the theatre incredibly smokey and suffocating therefore Hermoine
would have been surrounded thick black smoke and candlelight making her act of resurrection more uncertain and
mystical as the audiences view was slightly compromised as well as the smoke perhaps making them
hallucinogenic making the magic appear more stranger and mystifying / placement of King James watching the
queen come back to life as well as his fear of witchcraft allow audience to view him and his paranoia
● Globe - Young boy actors played within the globe (lovers of the older male cast) therefore Hermoine would look
young and draped in heavy make up which would reflect in the moon light and sun in the open air theatre making
her statuesque appearance only more life like
● Whitehall - placement of witchcraft right in front of king James on his daughter's engagement party act of protest
and riot in front of all his noble friends
AO5 Productions:
● Cheek by Chow - under yellow hues of light and candlelight, hermione embraces Perdita and Leontes joins within
that hug arguably creating some kind of reunion
● Gregorey Doran national theatre - under candlelight and on a raised platform with a cage like monument around
her, only Hermoine and Perdita embrace
Leonte’s aside (Act 1 scene 2)
AO2 Poetry:
● Leontes: ‘Too hot too hot!’ Spitting quit staccato phases, with an explanation point adding depth to his anger
● Leontes: ‘paddling palms and pinching fingers and now they are making practised smiles’ plosive phrases convey
the words are spitting out of him in anger and rage, practised smiles conveys he feels he is being manipulated and
tricked and cannot see the true nature
● Leontes: ‘Inch thick knee deep [...] go play boy play: thye mother plays and I play too’ perverting the relationship
with his son, slow and wordy hitting ch’ and kicking k’ hard and slow creating a physically loathsome image while
his son is still around
AO2 Drama:
, ● Leontes turned away from everyone else normally watching Hermoine and Polixenes interact or walking around
them appearing unhinged and frantic within his words talking outwards towards the audience see the first time he
learn what he is and the main problem within the play - meant to appear crazy and frantic
AO3 Relevant context:
● Aimed to appear as a reflection of the stubborn and paranoid King James who believed himself to be second unto
God and never arranged countless arguments to any of those who questioned his authority eg having many fights
with government and making it impossible to pass laws and legislations, nicknamed - ‘The Wisest Fool in
Christendom'
AO3 Theatrical context:
● Blackfriars - allows for the audience to see both Kings side by side, a reflection of his own and King James to
come face to face with how the public view him
● Globe - Put on in protest allows the audience (lower class members of society) to see and joke about their King
who they believe was useless paranoid tyrant which they see within Leontes
● Whitehall - Noble lords and ladies see a physical reflection of their king, while at King James daughter’s
engagement
AO5 Critics:
● Adam Anderson - Leonte’s aside are merely a reveal of his paranoid schizophrenia mind with the frantic changes
and alterations within his speech and how ‘out of character’ his friend and family around him deem it ‘you never
spoke what did become you less’ / ‘your actions are my dreams’
AO5 Productions:
● Cheek by chow production - director has Leontes reaching out to the sides and walking along the stage frantic and
sweating - moves Polixenes and Hermoine into movements he feels are happening - conveying most of his
paranoia is happening within his head and he is the causation of it and not them - forcing them to smile and
holding their hands out to ome another is all enforced by him
● Gregory Doran National theatre production - Places him under deep blue like (icy cold and isolating) has him
walking around the stage frantically and sweating always redirecting himself, sees Hermoine and Polixenes
together - the audience see him helping her with contractions while Leontes appears to see them together
conveying his frantic mind and him only being able to see it - not truly there
Floreizel’s Speech (Act 4 scene 4)
A02 Poetry:
● Florizel: ‘When you speak, sweet, I’d have you do it ever’ rhyme like a harmonious walz along the stage with the
soft sibilance of s’ making it soft and delicate, having her ‘speak’ something a 1610s lady in service or surrounded
by royalty should never do - do not speak unless spoken too however he loves and embraces her mind and
throughout unreflected of 1610 ideals
● Perdita: ‘a bank for love to lie and play on [...] come take your flowers’ Bringing of Sicilia and spring the coming
of re birth and youth and recreation of life, taking flowers come take the virginity and plant the seeds of life -
embracement of sex and re creation
● Florizel: ‘crowns what you are doing in present deeds, that all your acts are queens’ it is what she does and how
she is that makes her a queen not a title or a status that there is equality in the superiority throughout actions - you
have to earn your title of royalty
AO2 Drama:
● Incredibly brightly lit, surrounded by flowers and hay bales and farmland appears busy and over crowded full of
young men and women dancing and laughing and drinking happiness throughout, Perdita and Florizel at the centre
of it
AO3 Relevant context:
● Perdita being seen as a queen arguably through her doings is a protest to King James not being seen as a true king
to his people due to his wrong doings, paranoia and tyrannic attitude
● Perdita appearing similar to the being of Persephone in Greek mythology - bring of spring and fertility when she
return back to earth after Winter and brings forth the spring
