“Hermione is chaste; Polixenes blameless”
Each of the oracle’s verdicts are delivered by the officer in short utterances, separated by commas which incur a small pause between each verdict. These grammatical devices cause each verdict to be delivered with great impact and in turn increase the audience’s shock.
Hermione’s relief, ‘Praised!’ will mirror the audience’s at the oracle’s announcements.
This relief is shattered by Leontes’ denial of the oracle and is replaced with shock at Leontes’ request that “the sessions shall proceed”. The audience will believe that because of Leontes’ previous abuse of power, he will ensure Hermione the ‘guilty’ verdict regardless of the Oracle.
These proceedings are stopped by the servant’s announcement that Mamillius is dead. The way in which the servant delivers this news will ensure the greatest impact. By first informing the King that the Prince has gone, the audience is still unaware that the prince is dead but is still shocked by the disappearance. The added news that the Prince is dead, instils a further reaction from the audience. The fast pace of the King and servant’s conversation, successful through their short utterances also creates the feeling of high tension and action.
Just as Leontes begins to comprehend this shock, he is also informed that his wife is dead. Again Paulina delays the delivery of this news, so that the impact of the revelation is great.
The pace of revelations in this scene is fast; one after the other is delivered causing the audience’s feelings to be erratic. Each revelation builds on the other so that the end result is high tension. It is because of this series of revelations that the audience witnesses a change in Leontes’ character.
Leontes characteristically begins the court scene with an arrogant speech. Leontes has the full attention of the court and takes advantage of Hermione’s absence, therefore the absence of any interruptions.
Shakespeare’s use of regal pronouns such as ‘our, ‘us’ and ‘we’ in this speech is effective in assuming Leontes power as King.
“This sessions, to our great grief we pronounce,
Even pushes ‘gainst our heart”
Here it is noticed that Shakespeare made use of emotive language, emphasising Leontes’ beliefs that he is the victim, not Hermione.
The lack of justice is emphasised by Leontes’ irony.
“Let us be cleared
Of being tyrannous, since we so openly
Proceed in justice”
Leontes’ words are ironic because Leontes abused human justice. Hermione’s trial is unfair for the reason that Leontes has no evidence against Hermione; his accusations are the result of a jealous rage. Hermione observes this (line 112) when she comments that Leontes’ accusations are ‘rigour and not law’.
When referring to his wife, Leontes calls her ‘the prisoner’. Again Leontes is assuming his power over Hermione by repressing any recognition or emotion and by giving her the most deprecating term possible; with this name his feelings are explicit. The term Shakespeare uses gives the impression that Hermione has already been found guilty; she is condemned right from the start.
Leontes use of imperatives at the beginning of the court scene such as “Read the indictment” is also a device to assume power.
Hermione’s language however is true to her character, controlled and rational. Hermione conveys the indignity of her situation in lines 103-105.
“Lastly, hurried
Here to this place, i’th’open air, before
I have got the strength of limit”
Hermione is effective in asserting her status by reminding the court that despite Leontes best efforts to devalue her, she is not just anyone.
“The Emperor of Russia was my father.
O that he were alive, and here beholding
His daughter’s trial!”
Hermione identifies the absurdity of Leontes accusations in line 80.
“My life stands in the level of your dreams”
Shakespeare presents Hermione to be honest despite her situation.
“For Polixenes,
With whom I am accused, I do confess
I loved him as in honour he required”
Her honesty here indicates to the audience that she is innocent.
The physical effect of Hermione’s articulacy is exposed by Leontes’ reaction to it. The King, obviously frustrated resorts to crude language to attack the dignity of Hermione.
“You had a bastard by Polixenes…
Thy brat hath been cast out”
However, throughout Leontes’ attack, Hermione seems to have the upper hand by retaining respect and politeness. Her use of ‘sir’ when addressing Leontes only seems to anger him further.
The stark contrast between Hermione’s term ‘sir’ for Leontes and Leontes term ‘the prisoner’ for Hermione goes some way to show which out of the two is more angered. In terms of discourse structure, Hermione’s speeches are longer than Leontes, which indicates that she is dominating the conversation.
The effect of this language creates the impression of a power struggle between Hermione and Leontes and this is used by Shakespeare to entertain audiences. The audience will be aware of the absurdity of Leontes’ claims and will revel in Hermione’s ability to anger the King. Hermione’s intelligence seems to emphasise the stupidity of Leontes.
“All I know of it
Is that Camillo was an honest man;
And why he left your court the gods themselves
…Are ignorant”
In conclusion, Hermione appears in this scene to be controlled, rational and intelligent, a stark contrast to Leontes.
Shakespeare’s presentation of Leontes changes when Leontes hears that his wife and son are dead. Leontes appears to become clear-minded and completely resentful of his actions.
At the end of Act 3 Scene 2, Leontes appears to be a broken man.
“Come,
And lead me to these sorrows”
When the audience witnesses Leontes change in character, the sympathy they will feel for him at his losses will be of stark contrast to what they felt when he was employing egotistical language. Again this will keep the interest of audiences and their belief in the play.
This scene shows the two extremes of Leontes character. At first egotistical, arrogant and self-centred, the audience witnesses him become humble and resign himself to his penitence.
Paulina’s language is unforgiving towards Leontes. Grief-stricken, Paulina produces a catalogue of Leontes’ crimes before finally informing him that his wife is dead.
Paulina is relentless in her denunciation of Leontes, comparing him to the devil.
“Though a devil
Would have shed water out of a fire ere done’t”
Paulina’s language is effective in causing the audience for the first time to feel sympathy for Leontes regardless of his part in his son and wife’s deaths. Paulina does
however apologise for the “rashness of a woman” at seeing the King’s change in character.
The presentation of women in this scene is different to Shakespeare’s portrayal of men. The two main female characters are presented to be strong and intelligent and both succeed in their attacks of Leontes. Leontes, on the other hand is portrayed as a jealous tyrant and Shakespeare presents this trait as a weakness. Shakespeare’s presentation of a king is not how the audience would expect. Leontes lack of courage and transfer of guilt are traits we would not usually associate with a King.
Shakespeare has also effectively reversed the roles of the stereotypical male and female. In ‘The Winter’s Tale’ it is the male who cannot control his emotions and the females who become emotionally detached and instead concentrate on the facts.
The main theme relevant to the character Leontes is jealousy. Leontes is at the height of his tyranny during this scene. Leontes’ jealousy progresses to madness. Not only is he making absurd accusations, but also, so confident that he is right, he makes his accusations in public, suggesting that Leontes has lost all reason. Only the news that his wife and son are dead can deter him.
The theme of power is principal in Act 3 Scene 2 and this is reflected in the entire play. Through Leontes and Hermione’s language we witness their struggle for power over one another and we also observe Leontes’ abuse of power in court. There is a hierarchy of characters in ‘The Winter’s Tale’, and those at the top such as Leontes and Polixenes use their power frequently to manipulate others. For example Polixenes uses his power over Camillo in Act 4 Scene 2 by persuading him to stay with him and not to return to Sicilia and Leontes.
Polixenes …Of
That fatal country, Sicilia, prithee speak no more.
Camillo in turn manipulates Florizel. Camillo suggests to Florizel that he and Perdita return to Sicilia with him. Camillo then tells Polixenes of their escape in the hope that he will follow them to Sicilia.
“Wherein my hope is I shall so prevail
To force him after: in whose company
I shall re-view Sicilia”
The theme of deception also features throughout the play. In Act 3 Scene 2 this theme is shown to be relevant by Paulina’s claim that the Queen is dead. At the end of the play, this transpires to be a deception planned by Hermione and Paulina, lasting the course of 16 years. This is only found to be a deception in the concluding scene,
where Hermione continues the deception by disguising herself as a statue.
Another relevant theme in ‘The Winter’s Tale’ is that of morality. In Act 3 Scene 2 Shakespeare presents Leontes to be lacking in morality by accusing Hermione of the crimes that he is guilty of. Leontes is transferring his guilt of corrupting Camillo to kill Polixenes.
“Hermione, Queen to the worthy Leontes…
Thou art accused…
Conspiring with Camillo to take away the
Life of our sovereign lord the king, thy royal husband”
In conclusion, Act 3 Scene 2 is essential to the play as a whole. As previously mentioned, this scene completes the first half of the play and a great deal of the following plot relies on it. This scene is a turning point; characters change and situations change such as the one of Leontes. This is effective in sustaining audience’s interest and consequently makes the plot less predictable, as is established by the great deal of revelations that follow in the plot.
Act 3 Scene 2 is key to establishing three of the main characters and the language Shakespeare employed in this scene best shows these three characters in their element.
