The Winter's Tale (31 page)
Authors: William Shakespeare
From 1608 onward, when the King's Men began occupying the indoor Blackfriars playhouse (as a winter house, meaning that they only used the outdoor Globe in summer?), Shakespeare turned to a more romantic style. His company had a great success with a revived and altered version of an old pastoral play called
Mucedorus
. It even featured a bear. The younger dramatist John Fletcher, meanwhile, sometimes working in collaboration with Francis Beaumont, was pioneering a new style of tragicomedy, a mix of romance and royalism laced with intrigue and pastoral excursions. Shakespeare experimented with this idiom in
Cymbeline
and it was presumably with his
blessing that Fletcher eventually took over as the King's Men's company dramatist. The two writers apparently collaborated on three plays in the years 1612â14: a lost romance called
Cardenio
(based on the love-madness of a character in Cervantes'
Don Quixote
),
Henry VIII
(originally staged with the title “All Is True”), and
The Two Noble Kinsmen
, a dramatization of Chaucer's “Knight's Tale.” These were written after Shakespeare's two final solo-authored plays,
The Winter's Tale
, a self-consciously old-fashioned work dramatizing the pastoral romance of his old enemy Robert Greene, and
The Tempest
, which at one and the same time drew together multiple theatrical traditions, diverse reading, and contemporary interest in the fate of a ship that had been wrecked on the way to the New World.
The collaborations with Fletcher suggest that Shakespeare's career ended with a slow fade rather than the sudden retirement supposed by the nineteenth-century Romantic critics who read Prospero's epilogue to
The Tempest
as Shakespeare's personal farewell to his art. In the last few years of his life Shakespeare certainly spent more of his time in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he became further involved in property dealing and litigation. But his London life also continued. In 1613 he made his first major London property purchase: a freehold house in the Blackfriars district, close to his company's indoor theater.
The Two Noble Kinsmen
may have been written as late as 1614, and Shakespeare was in London on business a little over a year before he died of an unknown cause at home in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1616, probably on his fifty-second birthday.
About half the sum of his works were published in his lifetime, in texts of variable quality. A few years after his death, his fellow actors began putting together an authorized edition of his complete
Comedies, Histories and Tragedies
. It appeared in 1623, in large “Folio” format. This collection of thirty-six plays gave Shakespeare his immortality. In the words of his fellow dramatist Ben Jonson, who contributed two poems of praise at the start of the Folio, the body of his work made him “a monument without a tomb”:
And art alive still while thy book doth live
And we have wits to read and praise to give â¦
He was not of an age, but for all time!
| 1589â91Â Â Â | ? Arden of Faversham (possible part authorship) |
| 1589â92Â Â Â | The Taming of the Shrew |
| 1589â92Â Â Â | ? Edward the Third (possible part authorship) |
| 1591Â Â Â | The Second Part of Henry the Sixth , originally called The First Part of the Contention Betwixt the Two Famous Houses of York and Lancaster (element of co-authorship possible) |
| 1591Â Â Â | The Third Part of Henry the Sixth , originally called The True Tragedy of Richard Duke of York (element of co-authorship probable) |
| 1591â92Â Â Â | The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
| 1591â92Â Â Â | The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus (probably |
| perhaps revised   | co-written with, or revising an earlier version by, |
| 1594Â Â Â | George Peele) |
| 1592Â Â Â | The First Part of Henry the Sixth , probably with Thomas Nashe and others |
| 1592/94Â Â Â | King Richard the Third |
| 1593Â Â Â | Venus and Adonis (poem) |
| 1593â94Â Â Â | The Rape of Lucrece (poem) |
| 1593â1608Â Â Â | Sonnets (154 poems, published 1609 with A Lover's Complaint , a poem of disputed authorship) |
| 1592â94/Â Â Â | Sir Thomas More (a single scene for a play originally |
| 1600â03Â Â Â | by Anthony Munday, with other revisions by Henry Chettle, Thomas Dekker, and Thomas Heywood) |
| 1594Â Â Â | The Comedy of Errors |
| 1595Â Â Â | Love's Labour's Lost |
| 1595â97Â Â Â | Love's Labour's Won (a lost play, unless the original title for another comedy) |
| 1595â96Â Â Â | A Midsummer Night's Dream |
| 1595â96Â Â Â | The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet |
| 1595â96Â Â Â | King Richard the Second |
| 1595â97Â Â Â | The Life and Death of King John (possibly earlier) |
| 1596â97Â Â Â | The Merchant of Venice |
| 1596â97Â Â Â | The First Part of Henry the Fourth |
| 1597â98Â Â Â | The Second Part of Henry the Fourth |
| 1598Â Â Â | Much Ado About Nothing |
| 1598â99Â Â Â | The Passionate Pilgrim (20 poems, some not by Shakespeare) |
| 1599Â Â Â | The Life of Henry the Fifth |
| 1599Â Â Â | “To the Queen” (epilogue for a court performance) |
| 1599Â Â Â | As You Like It |
| 1599Â Â Â | The Tragedy of Julius Caesar |
| 1600â01Â Â Â | The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (perhaps revising an earlier version) |
| 1600â01Â Â Â | The Merry Wives of Windsor (perhaps revising version of 1597â99) |
| 1601Â Â Â | “Let the Bird of Loudest Lay” (poem, known since 1807 as “The Phoenix and Turtle” [turtledove]) |
| 1601Â Â Â | Twelfth Night, or What You Will |
| 1601â02Â Â Â | The Tragedy of Troilus and Cressida |
| 1604Â Â Â | The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice |
| 1604Â Â Â | Measure for Measure |
| 1605Â Â Â | All's Well That Ends Well |
| 1605Â Â Â | The Life of Timon of Athens , with Thomas Middleton |
| 1605â06Â Â Â | The Tragedy of King Lear |
| 1605â08Â Â Â | ? contribution to The Four Plays in One (lost, except for A Yorkshire Tragedy , mostly by Thomas Middleton) |
| 1606Â Â Â | The Tragedy of Macbeth (surviving text has additional scenes by Thomas Middleton) |
| 1606â07Â Â Â | The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra |
| 1608Â Â Â | The Tragedy of Coriolanus |
| 1608Â Â Â | Pericles, Prince of Tyre , with George Wilkins |
| 1610Â Â Â | The Tragedy of Cymbeline |
| 1611Â Â Â | The Winter's Tale |
| 1611Â Â Â | The Tempest |
| 1612â13Â Â Â | Cardenio , with John Fletcher (survives only in later adaptation called Double Falsehood by Lewis Theobald) |
| 1613Â Â Â | Henry VIII (All Is True) , with John Fletcher |
| 1613â14Â Â Â | The Two Noble Kinsmen , with John Fletcher |
AND VIEWING
CRITICAL APPROACHES
Adelman, Janet, “Masculine Authority and the Maternal Body: The Return to Origins in the Romances,” in her
Suffocating Mothers: Fantasies of Maternal Origin in Shakespeare's Plays, Hamlet to The Tempest
(1992), pp. 193â238. Strong psychoanalytic reading.
Barton, Anne, “Leontes and the Spider: Language and Speaker in Shakespeare's Last Plays,” in
Shakespeare's Styles
, ed. Philip Edwards, Inga-Stina Ewbank, and G. K. Hunter (1980), pp. 131â50. Astute on language.
Cavell, Stanley,
Disowning Knowledge in Seven Plays of Shakespeare
(2003). Skeptical philosophical interrogation.
Coghill, Nevill, “Six Points of Stage-Craft in
The Winter's Tale
,”
Shakespeare Survey
11 (1958), pp. 31â42. Influential essay on some problems in the play.
Colie, Rosalie L., “Perspectives on Pastoral: Romance, Comic and Tragic,” in
Shakespeare's Living Art
(1974), pp. 243â83. Deeply thoughtful, with excellent sense of genre.
Egan, Robert,
Drama Within Drama: Shakespeare's Sense of His Art in King Lear, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest
(1972). Good attention to self-conscious artfulness.
Felperin, Howard,
Shakespearean Romance
(1972). Sophisticated generic reading.
Frey, Charles H.,
Shakespeare's Vast Romance: A Study of “The Winter's Tale”
(1980). Detailed critical reading.
Frye, Northrop,
A Natural Perspective: The Development of Shakespearean Comedy and Romance
(1965). Concise, beautifully written, goes to the mythic core.
Lyne, Raphael,
Shakespeare's Late Work
(2007). Excellent introduction to the play in comparison to the other “late romances.”
Sanders, Wilbur,
The Winter's Tale
, Critical Introductions to Shakespeare (1987). Strong close reading.
Bartholomeusz, Dennis, “
The Winter's Tale” in Performance in England and America 1611â1976
(1982). Exemplary stage history.
Brooke, Michael, “
The Winter's Tale
on Screen,”
www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/564832/index.html
. Overview of film and television versions.
Draper, R. P.,
The Winter's Tale, Text and Performance
(1985). Interpretation via staging.
Gilbreath, Alexandra, “Hermione in
The Winter's Tale,”
in
Players of Shakespeare 5
, ed. Robert Smallwood (2003), pp. 74â90. Another actor's perspective.
Jones, Gemma, “Hermione in
The Winter's Tale,”
in
Players of Shakespeare 1
, ed. Philip Brockbank (1989), pp. 153â66. On playing the lead female role.
McCabe, Richard, “Autolycus in
The Winter's Tale,”
in
Players of Shakespeare 4
, ed. Robert Smallwood (1998), pp. 60â70. Insight into the Clown.
Royal Shakespeare Company, “Exploring Shakespeare:
The Winter's Tale
,”
www.rsc.org.uk/explore/winterstale/2336_2341.htm
. Website with good range of materials on performance.
Sher, Antony, “Leontes in
The Winter's Tale,”
in
Players of Shakespeare 5
, ed. Robert Smallwood (2003), pp. 91â112. On playing the part.
Tatspaugh, Patricia,
The Winter's Tale
, Shakespeare at Stratford (2001). Valuable survey of RSC productions.
Williams, George Walton, “Exit Pursued by a Quaint Device: The Bear in
The Winter's Tale
,”
The Upstart Crow
, 14 (1994), pp. 105â9. On a particularly famous stage direction.
For a more detailed Shakespeare bibliography and selections from a wide range of critical accounts of the play, with linking commentary, visit the edition website,
www.rscshakespeare.co.uk
.
The Winter's Tale
, directed by Jane Howell (BBC Television Shakespeare, 1981, DVD 2005). Stylized and effective.
The Winter's Tale
, directed by Robin Lough for television, from Gregory Doran's RSC stage production (transmitted 1999, DVD 2005), with Antony Sher and Alexandra Gilbreath as Leontes and Hermione.
1.
Eyewitnesses of Shakespeare: First Hand Accounts of Performances 1590â1890
, ed. Gamini Salgado (1975), p. 33. The authenticity of this document has been questioned in the past but is now generally accepted.
2.
The Winter's Tale: A Casebook
, ed. Kenneth Muir (1969), p. 24.
3.
Quoted in Muir,
Winter's Tale
, p. 28.
4.
See further, Paula Byrne,
Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson
(2004).
5.
“Of the Impropriety of Theatrical Representations, as Far as They Relate to the Scenes, Dresses, and Decorations, Etc.,” in
The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle
, 72 (March 1802), pp. 231â2.
6.
Dennis Bartholomeusz, “John Philip Kembleâ
The Winter's Tale
in a Picture Frame,” in his
The Winter's Tale in Performance in England and America 1611â1976
(1982), pp. 42â63.
7.
London
Times
review of
The Winter's Tale
, 26 March 1802.
8.
Helen Faucit, Lady Martin, in a letter to Lord Tennyson on 1 November 1890, quoted in
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine
, January 1891, pp. 1â37, and partly reprinted in
Shakespeare in the Theatre: An Anthology of Criticism
, ed. Stanley Wells (2000), pp. 67â72.
9.
London
Times
review, 28 November 1845.
10.
London
Times
review, 1 May 1856.
11.
London
Times
review, 1 May 1856.
12.
London
Times
review, 29 April 1856.
13.
The production and her experiences are discussed in detail in
Ellen Terry's Memoirs
(1932, repr. 1969).
14.
Review in
The Athenaeum
, 3 May 1856, p. 561.
15.
Review in
Punch; or the London Charivari
, 10 May 1856, p. 90.
16.
London
Times
review, 12 September 1887.
17.
Detailed discussion of the production can be found in Dennis Kennedy, “Shakespeare Alive,” in his
Granville Barker and the Dream of Theatre
(1985), pp. 123â47.
18.
John Palmer,
The Saturday Review
, 28 September 1912.
19.
A. B. Walkley, in a review (originally unsigned) in the London
Times
, 23 September 1912.
20.
Walkley, London
Times
review, 23 September 1912.
21. John Palmer,
Saturday Review
, 28 September 1912.
22.
The Athenaeum
, 28 September 1912, p. 351.
23.
Peter Fleming, review in
The Spectator
, 6 July 1951.
24.
Dennis Bartholomeusz, “Boston, New York, London; Connecticut, Ontario, Oregonâ1912â1975,” in his
Winter's Tale in Performance in England and America
, pp. 165â96.
25.
Susannah Clapp,
Observer
review, 27 May 2001.
26.
Clapp,
Observer
review, 27 May 2001.
27.
Clapp,
Observer
review, 27 May 2001.
28.
Charles Spencer,
Daily Telegraph
, 2 April 1992, quoted with permission of the author.
29.
Vincent Canby,
New York Times
review, 2 June 1995.
30.
Charles Isherwood, review in
Variety
, 10 July 2000, p. 31.
31.
Charles Isherwood, review, “Off Broadway,
The Winter's Tale
,”
Variety
, 3 February 2003, p. 43.
32.
Michael Brooke, “The Winter's Tale,”
www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/527466/index.html
.
33.
Nevill Coghill, “Six Points of Stage-craft in
The Winter's Tale
,”
Shakespeare Survey
, 11 (1958), pp. 31â41.
34.
Robert Speaight, “The 1960 Season at Stratford-upon-Avon,”
Shakespeare Quarterly
, 11 (1960).
35.
Patricia Tatspaugh,
The Winter's Tale
, Shakespeare at Stratford (2001), p. 47.
36.
Herbert Kretzmer,
Daily Express
, 1 June 1976.
37.
Richard Findlater,
Financial Times
, 31 August 1960.
38.
Kenneth Young,
Daily Telegraph
, 31 August 1960.
39.
Julian Holland,
Evening Mail
, 31 August 1960.
40.
Jeremy Brooks,
New Statesman
, 10 September 1960.
41.
Bernard Levin,
Daily Express
, 31 August 1960.
42.
Sunday Times
(uncredited), 4 September 1960.
43.
Findlater,
Financial Times
, 31 August 1960.
44.
Evening Standard
, 31 August 1960.
45.
Levin,
Daily Express
, 31 August 1960.
46.
Michael Billington,
Peggy Ashcroft
(1988), p. 187.
47.
Billington,
Peggy Ashcroft
, p. 187.
48.
Don Chapman,
Oxford Mail
, 16 May 1969.
49.
John Armour,
Glasgow Herald
, 17 May 1969.
50.
Chapman,
Oxford Mail
, 16 May 1969.
51.
Trevor Nunn, in conversation with Peter Ansorge,
Plays and Players
, September 1970.
52. Peter Lewis,
Daily Mail
, 16 May 1969.
53.
B. A. Young,
Financial Times
, 16 May 1969.
54.
Young,
Financial Times
, 16 May 1969.
55.
Irving Wardle, London
Times
, 16 May 1969.
56.
John Barber,
Daily Telegraph
, 16 May 1969.
57.
Trevor Nunn in conversation,
Plays and Players
, September 1970.
58.
J. C. Trewin,
Birmingham Post
, 17 May 1969.
59.
Richard David,
Shakespeare in the Theatre
(1978), p. 62.
60.
Roger Warren, “Theory and Practice: Stratford 1976,”
Shakespeare Survey
, 30 (1977), pp. 169â79.
61.
Harold Hobson, London
Sunday Times
, 6 June 1976.
62.
Michael Coveney,
Plays and Players
, August 1976.
63.
Roger Warren, “Interpretations of Shakespearian Comedy, 1981,”
Shakespeare Survey
, 35 (1982), p. 148.
64.
Warren, “Interpretations of Shakespearian Comedy,” p. 148.
65.
Tatspaugh,
Winter's Tale
, p. 41.
66.
Tatspaugh,
Winter's Tale
, p. 42.
67.
Tatspaugh,
Winter's Tale
, p. 43.
68.
Michael Coveney,
Financial Times
, 22 October 1984.
69.
Coveney,
Financial Times
, 22 October 1984.
70.
Anthony Masters, London
Times
, 27 October 1984.
71.
Coveney,
Financial Times
, 22 October 1984.
72.
Robin Thornber,
Guardian
, 31 August 1984.
73.
Coveney,
Financial Times
, 22 October 1984.
74.
Martin Hoyle,
Financial Times
, 1 May 1986.
75.
Hoyle,
Financial Times
, 1 May 1986.
76.
Kirsty Milne,
Sunday Telegraph
, 5 July 1992.
77.
Charles Spencer,
Daily Telegraph
, 3 July 1992.
78.
Michael Billington,
Guardian
, 3 July 1992.
79.
Milne,
Sunday Telegraph
, 5 July 1992.
80.
Robert Smallwood, “Shakespeare Performed: Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon, 1992,”
Shakespeare Quarterly
, 44 (1993), p. 349.
81.
Smallwood, “Shakespeare Performed,” p. 349.
82.
John Peter, London
Sunday Times
, 10 January 1999.
83.
Benedict Nightingale, London
Times
, 8 January 1999.
84.
Peter, London
Sunday Times
, 10 January 1999.
85.
Charles Spencer,
Daily Telegraph
, 15 April 2002.
86.
Rhoda Koenig,
Independent
, 17 April 2002.
87.
Michael Billington,
Guardian
, 15 April 2002.
88.
Koenig,
Independent
, 17 April 2002.
89. Koenig,
Independent
, 17 April 2002.
90.
Michael Billington,
Guardian
, 9 January 1999.
91.
Billington,
Guardian
, 9 January 1999.
92.
Paul Taylor,
Independent
, 3 July 1992.
93.
Spencer,
Daily Telegraph
, 3 July 1992.