The Winter's Tale

Content Group

Overview
The Winter's Tale: Perdita

This play has proved one of the most appealing of Shakespeare's late plays. It progresses from the rigor of Greek tragedy in the dooming of Hermione by her husband's manic jealousy, through a picturesque phase of pastoral recreation, to a near religious mood of resolution. Despite its remote settings in time and place, it has accommodated surpisingly modern resitings (see, for instance, RSC 1981 and RSC 1986). The appeal of its three principal female roles, Hermione and her daughter Perdita, with her defender Paulina, have offered effective roles to many distinguished actresses (see Hannah Pritchard, Ellen Terry, Ellen Kean, and Mary Anderson as Hermione, and Mary Anderson as Perdita), and Autolycus has proved an endearing rogue to generations of audiences (see John Fawcett in the role).

Images
Winter's Tale, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1981
Winter's Tale, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1986
Ellen Terry as Hermione in The Winter's Tale, V.iii.
The Winter's Tale, Charles Kean Company, 1856
The Winter's Tale, Ellen Terry as Hermione, 19th Century
The Winter's Tale, Mary Anderson as Perdita, 19th Century
The Winter's Tale, Mary Anderson as Hermione, 19th Century
The Winter's Tale, The Old Globe, 2005
The Winter's Tale: Royal Shakespeare Company, 1986
The Winter's Tale, IV.iv: Shakespeare Santa Cruz, 2005.
Slideshows
Play Settings: Classical Greece
Bibliography

Bartholomeusz, Dennis. "The Winter's Tale." In Performance in England and America, 1611-1976. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982.

Bate, Jonathan, and Eric Rasmussen. "The RSC and Beyond." In The Winter's Tale, 131-78. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.

Bevington, David, ed. The Late Romances: Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, The Tempest. Toronto; New York; London: Bantam Books, 1988.

Dessen, Alan C. "Massed Entries and Theatrical Options in The Winter's Tale." Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England 8 (1996): 119-27.

Draper, R. P. "The Winter's Tale": Text and Performance. London: Macmillan, 1985.

Granville Barker, Harley. Granville Barker's Prefaces to Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Winter's Tale , Twelfth Night. London: Heinemann, 1993; Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1995.

Hall, Joan Lord. "The Winter's Tale": A Guide to the Play. Westport CT: Greenwood, 2005.

Jefferson, Margo. "Here, Men Are the Vessels That Decant Women's Woes." Review of The Winter's Tale, directed by Edward Hall, Propeller, Harvey Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 2005. New York Times, November 4, 2005.

Male, David. The Winter's Tale. Shakespeare On Stage. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Pett, Michelle. "Winter's Tale is Smashing." Review of The Winter's Tale, directed by Tracy Young, Ten Thousand Things Theater Company, Open Book, Minneapolis, 2004.

Smith, Peter J. Review of The Winter's Tale, Royal Shakespeare Company, Main Stage, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1999. Cahiers Elisabéthains 56 (October 1999): 83-4.

Snyder, Susan, and Deborah T. Curren-Aquina. The Winter's Tale. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

The Winter's Tale at Talkin' Broadway.

The Winter's Tale: Complete Edition. DVD. Directed by Gregory Doran, with Antony Sher as Leontes, Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Theatre, London, 1998/9. London: Heritage Theatre Ltd, 2002.

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