The ending is also a mixed bag of feelings. Everything seems happy because the princess is alive and well, Hermione is back to life, the king realizes his faults, and it almost seems like Shakespeare could have added a couplet at the end that included something about happier ever after. Despite these elements that feel like they amount to a happy ending, there are still some elements that remain unaccounted for. Whatever happened to the man eaten by a bear? What about Mamillius? It would be nice to understand more about the power or trickery that brought Hermione back to life.
Of all the plays we've read, I feel like this one was the most complex. There are fewer answers to the "why" questions that I'm used to asking as I read. I wonder why Shakespeare chose to make this play slightly more nuanced, or if he just got lazy and did not feel like tying up loose ends. I would appreciate hearing your opinions as to why there are many different inexplicable parts of this play, and why you think they're there.
P.S. While I was doing a little bit of research, I found this article about Hermione vs. Hermione Granger. It only talks about A Winter's Tale for a small part of the article, but worth the read for Harry Potter fans :)
I wondered the same thing at the end of the play. It certainly seems to wrap up neatly, the way that his other plays do-Hermione is alive, Perdita is back, she is revealed to be a princess and can marry the love of her life, whose father just happens to forgive Leontes? It's very neat. But at the same time, nothing is resolved for the little boy, and the discussions between characters about what had happened, which seem necessary to me, don't happen. It's an odd one, for sure
ReplyDeleteI agree! It feel like it's the happily ever after that isn't as happy as it should be. I feel like there needs to be a better balance of justice and mercy.
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