William Shakespeare

WINTER'S TALE; ED. BY SUSAN SNYDER.

Sara

Simon Elliott Stegall

I think I need to see Shakespeare's romances performed, because they aren't nearly as fun to read as the comedies and tragedies.

The winter's tale

Jeremy Anderberg

From the title alone, we know (well, scholars know) that this story will be somewhat fantastical — delving into surrealism even — with a likely happy ending. This was one of Shakespeare’s later works and seems to have scholars divided; when looking at rankings of his plays, this one is universally in the bottom half. I happened to read it simply because it was one of the two Shakespeare plays that were on my shelf; tis the joy of random bookstore browsing.

That said, I enjoyed it! I was drawn into the plot right away and it seemed, to me at least, to be easier reading than King Lear. Whereas Lear was just bleak from the start to finish, The Winter’s Tale was equal parts tragic, comedic, romantic, and mysterious. There are petty jealousies, long-lost children, crazy (and ghosty!) plot twists, even a bear mauling. The drama within is just plain fun and entertaining, but also less thematically powerful because of it.

At 116 pages, it’s slim enough to get through in just a couple days. If you’re into Shakespeare, it’s quite possible you haven’t read this lesser-known work, but I’d suggest giving it a shot. And frankly, in my very humble opinion, it’s not a bad way to further introduce yourself to the bard if you don’t have much experience with him. Worked for me!

If it’s been a while since you’ve taken in Shakespeare, I’d recommend you pick him back up. The Folger editions are great; on one page is the text of the play and on the opposing page are definitions and various helpful notes. There are also extensive introductions and commentaries at the beginning and end to help you figure it all out. The great thing about reading these plays is that they’re almost entirely dialogue; even though the language can be difficult, they read quickly.

WINTER'S TALE; ED. BY SUSAN SNYDER.

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