"Shakespeare presents the character of Paulina as nothing more than an interfering and loose-tongued woman.""Paulina is presented by Shakespeare as the voice of reason within the play."How can these views be justified in the text? What is your opinion of

Authors Avatar

Uri Pawlowski

“Shakespeare presents the character of Paulina as nothing more than an interfering  and loose-tongued woman.”

“Paulina is presented by Shakespeare as the voice of reason within the play.”

How can these views be justified in the text? What is your opinion of Paulina in the play?

Paulina, the wife of Antigonus is portrayed as a blunt-spoken, formidable woman who staunchly defends Hermione and absolutely will not allow Leontes to get away with his crimes. She denounces him directly to his face, taking every opportunity to remind him of the havoc his jealousy has caused, going so far as to confront him with the baby Perdita, whom he claims is not his. Furthermore, she directly challenges the King's authority and his word in declaring that the baby is his, "The whole matter the copy of the father" and in her argument of his treatment of Hermione, she says, "but this most cruel usage of your queen." To make these claims to a king who has already made up his mind is arguably a very dangerous act and one that warrants a great deal of courage from the. Her loyalty to her friends is shown by her desire to save Hermione from Leontes' wrath; In actually going to the gaol herself we see the lengths she is willing to go to, to reverse this injustice. This trait of Paulina is further emphasised by the gaoler's response, when asked if he knows her, "for a worthy lady and one who much I honour." This intensifies what we have already perceived about her person convinces the audience of her honourable character, by having such a clear endorsement from another character. It is difficult to justify the view of her as interfering and loose-tongued, when she is so clearly admired by her peers. Furthermore, the very fact that her husband and Leontes allow her to speak to him in this vein, suggests that they values her opinion, and that she speaks the truth. Paulina is not simply using this as an excuse to “have a go” or interfere; she is genuinely fighting Hermione's corner, and and is willing to face the consequences, showing how principalled she is.

Join now!

 Paulina's outspoken criticism of tyranny is another aspect which aids the portrayal of her as a strong, intelligent voice of reason. Arguably she does not want to free Hermione purely because they are friends, but also because she genuinely believes that what Leontes is doing is wrong. Paulina genuinely believes that Leontes is afflicted with some mental ilness, and wants to cure Leontes of his tyrannous illness as well as rescue Hermione. Shakespeare shows this through the medicinal language that Paulina uses, "I do come with words as medicinal as true", "myself...your physician" and "remove the root" (MEDICINAL IMAGERY!! :-)show ...

This is a preview of the whole essay