The Winter’s

Tale- P2
By
William
Shakespeare
 A message from the goddess

• Leontes ordered Paulina’s husband, Antigonus, to kill the baby. But

Antigonus refused to do so
• Then Leontes ordered him to sail away and leave the baby in a deserted
place where it may die or leave
• Leontes sent Hermione to the royal court for trial. Hermione declared that
she didn’t care if she was put to death. Life was miserable for her. Just
then the officers came back from the oracle at Delphi.
• Leontes asked the officers to read the decision from the goddess.
• “Hermione is innocent; Polixenes blameless; Camillo a loyal subject ;
Leontes a jealous tyrant; and the King will be without an heir to rule after
him if that which is lost is not found.”
 Leontes is sorry
• Everyone was happy that the Queen was declared innocent.
• But Leontes, mad with rage and jealousy, said that this decision was made up
by the Queen and asked the Judges to punish the Queen for cheating
• Just then a subject arrived with the news that Mamillius had died out of grief.
• Hermione, as a mother could not bear this news and fell to the ground.
• Just then Leontes began realizing that maybe he was wrong. He asked his
subjects to take Hermione and look after her.
• But just after sometime Paulina came with the news that Hermione was dead.
• Paulina was furious and she yelled at Leontes.
“Look at what you stupid jealousy has done now!”
• Read page 91 to find out what Paulina said to the King
• At this moment, when Leontes lost his son and wife as well as he had sent his
daughter away, he became sorry. He grieved about his foolishness and loss for
many years to come.
 Perdita
• Meanwhile, far away from the Kingdom of Sicilia, Antigonus and the captain of
the boat were going to an island in Bohemia. It was a stormy night and the ship
was swaying on the waves.
• Just as they reached the island, Antigonus got off with the baby girl and
placed her near in the forest with some jewels and a name ‘Perdita’.
• Antigonus quickly turned around to go back, but a wild bear attacked and killed
him.
• After some time, the storm became so severe that the boat was destroyed and
the captain was killed. No one ever returned to the Kingdom
• At the same time, in the forest there was a shepherd who was searching for
two lost sheep. His son who was with him saw the destruction of the boat and
the bear killing Antingonus.
• He told his father what he saw. As the old shepard wandered in the forest, he
saw the baby wrapped in royal cloth and surrounded with jewels
• The shepherd realised that the baby had been left here by those who came in
the boat.
• “This is a great piece of luck. There is enough gold and silver to make me a
rich man.”
• So he took the baby home.
• Perdita grew up to be the daughter of the shepherd. She found a loving family
 The Shepherd’ s Daughter
• 16 years passed and Perdita grew up to be a beautiful girl.
Back in Sicilia Leontes was lonely and depressed and
wished to see his daughter
• Camillo was Polixenes trusted advisor but wished to go to
Sicilia, his homeland.
• Polixenes son, Florizel, grew up to be a charming young
man.
• One day when Florizel went hunting, he passed the
shepherd’s house and saw Perdita. Her beauty and grace
won his heart.
• He started to visit the shepherd’s house daily to meet
Perdita.
• Polixenes began to suspect something as Florizel stopped
doing work at court. So he sent servants to follow his son.
• The servants told that Florizel has been visiting the
shepherd’s house in the forest, pretending to be a gentleman
• Polixenes, together with Camillo, went to the shepherd’s
house. It was a festival day
• Polixenes and Camillo disguised themselves.
In the village there was a grand festival and
preparations were in swing
• Polixenes and Camillo saw the Prince talking
to Perdita. Florizel did not recognize them.
• The old shepherd welcomed the guests and
asked Perdita to serve them as his wife was
no more.
• When Perdita talked to them, they sensed that
her mannerism and way of talking wasn’t that
of a shepherd’s daughter. She behaved royally.
• When the festival began, Perdita and Florizel
danced. During this, Polixenes asked the
shepherd about the young gentleman.
“They call him Doricles. He says he is a rich man,
and I think he is. He is in love with my daughter.
That too, is easy to see. But if she marries him,
she’ll bring him more than he dreams of”
 The King’s Anger
• Seeing Florizel and Perdita standing nearby, Polixenes
(disguised as an old man) asked him why he had no
gifts for his love on the festival day
• Then, he proposed Perdita for marriage and made the
old man (Polixenes) witness
• Just then Polixenes revealed himself and was angered
that his son offered marriage to a common shepherd’s
girl.
• He ordered Florizel to never see her again or else he
will no longer be Prince and Perdita and her father will
be killed.
• Camillo remained silent as his heart had softened for
Perdita.
• Polixenes left the village.
• Florizel decided not to give up on Perdita and he turned
to Camillo for advice
• Camillo began to plan how they could escape. Florizel had a ship
nearby
• Perdita readily agreed to run away with him and go to another country.
• Camillo knew that his old master, King Leontes had been sorry for his
past doings for many years. Camillo knew that Leontes would welcome
him back. He had a chance to go back home. So he told Florizel…
 The Princess
• When the group reached Sicilia, Leontes welcomed Florizel kindly.
• Florizel pretended that he was on his way home from Libya. He said that
was where Perdita came from, and he had married her. He said that his
father had asked him to greet his friend, King Leontes, on the way back.
The rest of the ships had gone ahead with the news of his marriage. That
was the reason, he explained, why he had no followers.
• Just at that moment, a messenger came with a shocking news that King
Polixenes had arrived in Sicilia himself looking for his son who had run
away
• The messenger also told that Camillo was with the king. This made
Florizel think that Camillo had betrayed him.
• Florizel then confessed and told the truth to Leontes.
• Leontes decided to go and meet Polixenes
What actually happened?
• When Polixenes arrived in Sicilia, Camillo and the
shepherd were waiting for him. At first Polixenes was
very angry as they had disobeyed him.
• But his anger turned to joy at the good news Camillo
gave him
• The shepherd had told Camillo how Perdita, long ago,
had been found near the shore. Seeing the jewels,
Camillo suspected that Perdita belonged to a noble
family. The shepherd had found her not long after
Antigonus had sailed with Leontes’ baby girl from Sicilia.
• Moreover, Perdita looked like Queen Hermione!
• Suddenly, Camillo realized that she was no but Queen
Hermione’s daughter!
• Polixenes got to know that Perdita was not a shepherd’s
girl but a princess.
• There was proof that she was Leontes and Hermione’s
daughter. The shepherd had brought the cloak on which
it was written ‘Perdita’. The handwriting was that of
Antigonus. Polixenes had recognized the royal jewels
the shepherd showed him.
• When Leontes saw Perdita, he was surprised to see the resemblance
between the girl and her dead wife.
• When he was told who she really was, he was overjoyed and remembered
the words of the oracle at Delphi “The King shall live without an heir to rule
after him, if that which is lost is not found”
• He happily welcomed Perdita and Florizel as his son-in-law.
 A very lifelike statue
• When Perdita was brought home, Paulina told Leontes that she had just
made a statue of Queen Hermione.
• The artist who had made the statue was so skillful that the statue looked
exactly like Hermione.
• When Leontes got to know this, he wanted to see the statue and show
Perdita what her mother looked liked.
• When Paulina drew the curtains to reveal it, Leontes was speechless.
• Leontes knelt to his knees and apologized and felt sorry for how he
behaved.
• He was amazed how the statue showed her old as if she would have been
if she were alive today
• Perdita knelt down to kiss the hand of the statue,
but Paulina stopped her saying the paint had not dried.
• When Leontes continued to cry and mourn.
• Paulina said, “I can make the statue move, and walk
about and take you by the hand. But perhaps you’ll
think I do this by some kind of witchcraft”
• Music was played and at Paulina’s order, the statue
began to move slowly and walk towards Leontes.
• It opened its arms and smiled.
• The statue took Leontes in its arms and just then
he realised that it was Hermione herself and not a
statue
• Leontes then learned the truth that 16 years ago
Hermione faked her death because she was
infuriated at Leontes for her child’s death.
• According to the oracle, the queen could only meet Leontes
once that which is lost is found.
• So when Perdita came back, Paulina decided to pretend that
Hermione is a statue to bring back Leontes and Hermione