Explore the role of women in 'The Winters Tale'

Authors Avatar

Explore the role of women in ‘The Winters Tale’

 “Intelligence without power

 Women play a very important part in the play, without being obvious they have control over the men. Women then, didn’t have any power and so achieved their goals by being cunning. They were able to be superior by using their intelligence to outwit the men.

  Hermione is established as a confident and friendly character early in the play. When Polixenes says he must return to Bohemia, Leontes tries in vain to make him stay. He asks for Hermione’s opinion.

   “Tongue-tied, our queen? Speak you?”

   He instinctively relies on her and trusts in her influence as a hostess. He values her opinion highly.

  Hermione feels happy and secure in her position and is able to speak her mind. She tells Leontes she was going to keep quiet until he “had drawn oaths from him not to stay”. She speaks in a tone of warmth and friendliness and tells Polixenes he will stay whether it is as her ‘prisoner’ or ‘guest’.

  “Your guest, then, madam”

Hermione continues to joke with Polixenes about sexual “sin”

    “Th’ offences we have made you do we’ll answer,

      If you first sinned with us, and that with us

     You did continue fault, and that you slipped not

     With any but us.”

 Hermione’s use of “we” in “your queen and I” could be misinterpreted by Leontes as the royal we, and implying that she has sinned with Polixenes. This happens in Act 2 sc 1 when Leontes takes Mamilius away from Hermione, she asks, “what is this? Sport?” Leontes takes it to have a more sinister meaning.

   In Act 2 Sc1 We see how Hermione is able to tune into other people and speak whichever language is appropriate. When Mamilius says he has a story to tell of “sprites and goblins”, Hermione knows how to make him feel important, “you’re powerful at it”. She gives him her undivided attention.

  When Hermione is being accused of adultery by Leontes, we see her strong and self-reliant character.

   “I am not prone to weeping, as our sex commonly are”

 This is not typical behaviour for a woman of this time. This strength is shown, when she tells her “women” not to cry for her because there is “no cause”. They should only cry for her when she has done something wrong. This shows her great sense of honour.

  Everyone believes Hermione is innocent apart from Leontes.

After Hermione and her ‘women’ have left, the Lords try to defend Hermione’s honour “the queen is spotless”. Antigonous declares that he shall ‘geld’ his own daughters if she is ‘honourflawed’.

   Act 3 scene 2 sees Hermione being put on trial for alleged adultery. In this scene Hermione delivers three powerful speeches. In the first, she uses very simple and clear words protesting her innocence.

Join now!

 The sentence structure at the beginning of the speech is very complex. She uses long sentences, which suggests she has prepared what she is going to say during the trial.

    “ Since what I am to say must be but that

       Which contradicts my accusation.”

She uses the language of negotiation throughout the speech.

During the scene she remains calm and collected. Everything focuses on her and she has complete control over the scene.

  Amazingly in the second speech she remains strong the whole time, even though she is being publicly humiliated, ...

This is a preview of the whole essay