1. Define the term romance and discuss its elements as they apply (or do not apply) to The Winter’s Tale. Remember that I gave you a handout on Shakespearean genres a while back; be sure to refresh your memory concerning the various elements of the romance before you venture an answer.

2. Discuss the two "almost" tragedies in The Winter’s Tale and why their endings are happy rather than sad. How do these “tragedies” compare to the other tragedies we have read this semester?

3. Discuss jealousy as a theme in The Winter’s Tale. Is the emotion causeless and irrational? Why or why not? What is the wrong turning that leads to jealousy and what is the way back? Can Leontes’ jealousy be compared to Othello’s, his treatment of Hermione to Lear’s treatment of Cordelia, perhaps? Be sure to compare and contrast cause, consequence, and conflict resolution in your answer.

4. Discuss the theme of courtly love in The Winter’s Tale. What is courtly love? Have you encountered the concept before in other Shakespearean or non-Shakespearean plays, or in your study of history, art, music, or literature in other classes you have taken here or elsewhere? Explain how you conceive of “courtly love” and how you see it played out in The Winter’s Tale. Is it different from what you expected, from what you have seen before? How does it compare to romantic love?

5. Discuss the themes of innocence and redemption in The Winter’s Tale. Could Perdita be compared to Cordelia at all, to Sebastian perhaps? Or is her innocence of a different nature? What about Hermione? Can parallels between her and other Shakespearean characters be drawn?

6. And what do you make of Paulina? She is unusual, to say the least, and her meddling in the king’s affairs is considerable. She seems reminiscent of Kent, yet proves to be sage like the various fools we have met. At the same time though, she almost turns witch in the ending when she restores Hermione to life. Her personality and power surpass that of most female Shakespearean characters. Venture an analysis of Paulina: Trace her actions and speeches and monitor her development in the play. How does she become the woman she is—why is she allowed to grow so undisturbed?

7. Discuss the role of women in Shakespeare’s plays with happy endings. Why is it that women seem to shape the course of beneficent events? Is there any relationship between this and courtly love? How are women in tragedies different from women in comedies and romances? And does this perhaps explain the absence of mothers in so many of the plays we have discussed this semester?

8. The Winter’s Tale reads like a fairy tale à la Brothers Grimm—there’s abandonment and salvation, court and country, death and mystical recovery. Discuss the structure of The Winter’s Tale. How does it conform to and/or differ from the structure of your typical fairy tale, say Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Sleeping Beauty? What is its effect? Or, in other words, in what way has Shakespeare used romance, fantasy, and internal wonder to unify the play and involve the audience?

9. Do you find that The Winter's Tale, despite its use of Apollo's oracle, is a Christian play? Be sure to use references to the text to support your answer.

10. How important is motivation in a character? Do we need to know why Leontes is jealous? In your answer, you might consider issues of motivation that we have discussed in class in regards to other Shakespearean plays.

11. How do you respond to the women in the play (Hermione, Paulina, Perdita)? Compare and contrast their development throughout the play? What are their roles in regards to the plot? And how are they similar or different from other women characters you have encountered in other plays?

12. What is the effect of Mamillius's cheeky confidence on stage and his death offstage? What do you make of his being mauled to death by a bear? Was that type of violent murder a deserved or perhaps expected end for Mamillius? In other words, what its symbolic significance in relation to the play as a whole? Would you file it as a structural or narrative device? Explain your answer by using specific references to the text.

13. Endings and closure: Do some plays provide more of a sense of closure than others? Can you identify any linking characteristics between the more open and more closed plays?

14. There are at least two ways of approaching the last scene, treating it as a reverent exercise in wonder, or, at least at the beginning, as a more relaxed family occasion, suddenly lifted to the wondrous. Which interpretation do you prefer? Can you think of others? Again, be sure to use the text to support your answer.

15. What do you make of the last action of the play when Paulina and Camillo are matched? Have you encountered a similar spontaneous match-making in a previous play we discussed? How does Paulina and Camillo’s union differ; how is it similar? Is it romantic? Were you prepared for it or did it hit you entirely out of the blue? Explain your answer by using detailed references to then text.

16. Bring in at least two questions of your own. They can be either structural or narrative, but should deal with different acts if they question plot and/or character portrayal.

17. List two quotes from the play—quote them in their entirety, please; line reference won’t do. Do a close reading of these passages and explain in a paragraph or two each why they are significant to the play as a whole and thus would be likely to occur on the final exam as part of the identification questions.