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Essay on A Winter's Tale
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Exam of 3 pages for the course A2 Unit 4 - Shakespeare at WJEC (ESSAY)
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[Extract from The Winter's Tale, I. ii. 264-318]'Paradoxically, texts often present jealousy as springing from the very deepest kind of love.'
In the light of this view, discuss how Shakespeare presents Leontes' feelings for Hermione in this extract
and elsewhere in the play.
It could be said to some extent that the depth of Leontes' jealousy is matched only by the depth of his
love for Hermione, however irrational that may seem. In his conversation with Camillo, the depth and
intensity of his jealousy towards the relationship between Hermione and Polixenes is clearly
demonstrated through both Shakespeare's use of language and contextual factors. Shakespeare has
created, in the character of Leontes, a man who does not hesitate to belittle his wife, accusing her of
being a woman of a promiscuous nature, describing her as a 'hobby-horse', which has connotations of
being ridden and here has a sexual meaning. He also describes Polixenes as 'he that wears her like her
medal', which objectifies her into something merely to be worn. The jealous nature of Leontes causes him
to insult his wife, and Polixenes who he has loved until now as a life-long friend ('there rooted betwixt
them such an affection which cannot chose but branch now').
A particular phrase used in this passage is the 'cuckold's horn', which was a common expression in the
Jacobean era and refers to a man's fixation on being made a cuckold through his wife's having sex with
another man, which Leontes later calls being 'a bed-swerver'. A large proportion of Shakespeare's
audience would recognise that reference as a shameful thing to admit to. The idea that the woman in the
relationship would have the upper hand and be more powerful than her husband would have been
controversial and frowned upon in the patriarchal society in which The Winter's Tale is set, as well as in
17th century England. Leontes is afraid his reputation as King of Sicily will be damaged in this way, which
increases his rage.
A technique that Shakespeare employs to demonstrate to the audience the depth of Leontes' feelings in
this extract is the use of caesural pauses, with phrases such as 'man that does not think – My wife is
slippery?' and 'If thou wilt confess – Or else be imprudently negative.' Such pauses reflect the speaker's
aggression; he is so full of jealousy and anger that he cannot form complete or coherent sentences and
must often add alternatives into phrases such as 'mute – or thought –' in order for them to make sense.
Moreover, from a dramatic perspective this can easily be enhanced by the actor cast in the role of
Leontes since much of the tone of this passage depends upon the way the actor speaks his lines and
uses gestures and other movement, like pacing up and down or seizing Camillo's clothing and thrusting
his face into his.
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