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The Winter’s Tale

William Shakespeare

  • Drama
  • Book language: English
  • 184 pages

The Winter's Tale is one of Shakespeare's late romances, blending tragedy and comedy. It begins with the friendship between King Leontes of Sicilia and King Polixenes of Bohemia, but Leontes's sudden jealousy sets off a series of events that test loyalty and time. The play is valued for its rich poetry and its moving exploration of forgiveness and renewal.

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Text source: standardebooks.org · The work is in the public domain.

Opening of the book

Dramatis Personae
Leontes, king of Sicilia
Mamillius, young prince of Sicilia
Camillo, lord of Sicilia
Antigonus, lord of Sicilia
Cleomenes, lord of Sicilia
Dion, lord of Sicilia
Polixenes, king of Bohemia
Florizel, prince of Bohemia
Archidamus, a lord of Bohemia
Old shepherd, reputed father of Perdita
Clown, his son
Autolycus, a rogue
A mariner
A gaoler
Hermione, queen to Leontes
Perdita, daughter to Leontes and Hermione
Paulina, wife to Antigonus

Emilia, a lady attending on Hermione

Mopsa, shepherdess

Dorcas, shepherdess

Other lords and gentlemen, ladies, officers, and servants, shepherds, and shepherdesses

Time, as chorus

Scene: Sicilia, and Bohemia.

Act I

Scene I

Antechamber in LŧLjƿǵŧǪ’ palace.

(Enter CĵƽƗƯƯLj and AǡŕƒƗŠĵƽǼǪ.)

ŠĵƽǼǪ

If you shall chance, Camillo, to visit Bohemia, on the like occasion whereon my services are now on foot, you shall see, as I have said, great difference betwixt our Bohemia and your Sicilia. ĵƽƗƯƯLj

I think, this coming summer, the King of Sicilia means to pay Bohemia the visitation which he justly owes him.

ŠĵƽǼǪ

Wherein our entertainment shall shame us we will be justified in our loves; for indeed — ĵƽƗƯƯLj

Beseech you —

ŠĵƽǼǪ

Verily, I speak it in the freedom of my knowledge: we cannot with such magnificence —in so rare —I know not what to say. We will give you sleepy drinks, that your senses, unintelligent of our insufficience, may, though they cannot praise us, as little accuse us. ĵƽƗƯƯLj

You pay a great deal too dear for what’s given freely.

ŠĵƽǼǪ

Believe me, I speak as my understanding instructs me and as mine honesty puts it to utterance.

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