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In these two plays Shakespeare explored the question of jealousy, beginning with Othello (c. 1604), and following with The Winter’s Tale (c. 1610-11). The first of these is a tragedy, and represents the condition of jealousy, the way it can take hold of a person and the terrible consequences it may have. Spellbinding in its depiction of its theme, it offers little practical comfort beyond the remorse of the jealous figure who is ultimately appalled by his action.
The Winter’s Tale treats the subject differently. The beginning of the play has much in common with Othello in displaying the protagonist’s fevered imagination, as he suspects his wife of infidelity. But the tragic event happens mid-way through the action, not at the end, and consists of the deaths of his son and (apparently) his wife. This means that the action of the rest of the play takes various forms: repentance on the part of the King, and recovery, enabled through the next generation of princes. The play is about having a second chance, and as such its form is closer to the romance genre (as understood by the Elizabethan theatre) rather than that of tragedy. It is distinguished by the famous fourth act which is dominated by the regenerative forms of pastoral and comedy.
As always in Shakespeare, the language of the play is of supreme importance, and so we shall study individual scenes very closely for their poetry. We shall try acting some scenes out in order to consider how they may be performed on stage.
In preparation for The Winter’s Tale, it is worth consulting its source text, Robert Greene’s Pandosto, which is available in print form and online.
Texts:
Othello, ed. Michael Neill (Oxford World’s Classics), Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0-19-281451-7
The Winter’s Tale, ed. Susan Snyder and Deborah T. Curren-Aquino (New Cambridge Shakespeare), Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-521-29373-0 |
