The Winter's Tale: Essay Topics
1) Examine issues of jealousy in the play.
2) The Winter's Tale is classified as a romance but some have said that this classification is misleading. Do you feel the play should be classified as a tragedy and, if so, why?
3) Analyze the character of Hermione. How does Shakespeare's portrayal of Hermione reflect the conceptions of women in Tudor England?
4) Compare the play with its primary source, Robert Greene's Pandosto. What changes did Shakespeare make and why?
5) Analyze the importance of Time in The Winter's Tale.
6) Perdita says "Methinks I play as I have seen them do". Examine the references to life as artifice in The Winter's Tale.
7) Discuss the role of mythology in the play.
8) Examine Leontes' stages of evolution and discuss forgiveness, remorse, and love as it pertains to each major character in the drama.
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More Resources
 Daily Life in Shakespeare's London
Life in Stratford (structures and guilds)
Life in Stratford (trades, laws, furniture, hygiene)
Stratford School Days: What Did Shakespeare Read?
Games in Shakespeare's England [A-L]
Games in Shakespeare's England [M-Z]
An Elizabethan Christmas
Clothing in Elizabethan England
Queen Elizabeth: Shakespeare's Patron
King James I of England: Shakespeare's Patron
The Earl of Southampton: Shakespeare's Patron
Going to a Play in Elizabethan London
Ben Jonson and the Decline of the Drama
Publishing in Elizabethan England
Shakespeare's Audience
Religion in Shakespeare's England
Alchemy and Astrology in Shakespeare's Day
Entertainment in Elizabethan England
London's First Public Playhouse
Shakespeare Hits the Big Time
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Research Your Topic
The Winter's Tale: Plot Summary
Introduction to Hermione
Introduction to Paulina
Introduction to Perdita
Introduction to Leontes
Introduction to Camillo
Introduction to Autolycus
How to Pronounce the Names in The Winter's Tale
Characteristics of Elizabethan Drama
The Romance Plays
Shakespeare's Language
Shakespeare's Metaphors and Similes
What is Tragic Irony?
Seneca's Tragedies and the Elizabethan Drama
Characteristics of Elizabethan Drama
Why Shakespeare is so Important
Shakespeare's Language
Shakespeare's Boss: The Master of Revels
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