A Living Poetry  by Betty Nelson 

William Shakespeare is the creator of some of the richest and most dense poetry in literature, leading some to claim he should be preferably read (rather than performed or viewed). This assumption forgets a critical aspect of his plays—that he was an actor writing for other actors. Unlike the sonnets (which were published with his guidance), most of Shakespeare’s plays existed for years only while being performed. The stage is their natural home. They came of age as words flowing from living characters not lines resting on the printed page.  Shakespeare depicted people in complicated detail. While his contemporaries often populated plays with shallow, stock character types, Shakespeare’s work teems with people of recognizable humanity—heroes with tragic flaws, villains who provoke sympathy. The Winter’s Tale is filled with them. Since it is one of Shakespeare’s last plays (the only later play of which he was sole author is The Tempest), it is logical to presume that the characters are purposely complex, much as the juxtaposition of comedy and tragedy seems expressly designed to permit a broad emotional range. Interestingly, many of the character traits most important to the plot are distributed along gender lines. In The Winter’s Tale, women display idealized characteristics, while men struggle to overcome the flaws of court society—jealousy, pride, social hierarchy. The men must learn to appreciate what they first dismiss as weak—grace, honesty, loyalty, and truth—qualities embodied by the women. Hermione embodies honesty and grace in the tale. She is repeatedly described as the “good queen” by all in the court (save her husband). Faced with false accusations, she defends herself with purity, never directly blaming another. She leaves Leontes with remarkable understatement instead of wrath:  “I never wished to see you sorry; now I trust I shall.” In fact, Hermione’s goodness is so complete that Shakespeare literally places her on a pedestal. Paulina, court counselor, is one of Shakespeare’s strongest women. Like Hermione, she represents noble virtues, particularly loyalty and truth. She defends her Queen not only to courtiers, but to the King, even at risk of her own life. She stands by the King, even though he has done wrong. She serves as his conscience, even against his will. Conversely, Leontes is caught in a web of self-deception. He compounds his jealousy (based on little more than suspicion) by refusing to admit his error. In his rage, he believes not only that his wife and friend are adulterous, but that they are plotting his death. He refuses to give credence to the testimony of those around him. He is trapped by his kingly authority. It is Paulina’s work to soften him up, and it takes years.  As the other person injured by Leontes’ fury, Polixenes could defend himself and Hermione. Instead, he flees the conflict, leaving Hermione to her fate.  Years later, his royal pride throws him into a rage that threatens his son and Perdita. Like Leontes, he is diminished by his anger, and it leads to a separation from those he loves.  When the men of The Winter’s Tale learn to behave more like its women, the play’s darkness begins to brighten. The glow of virtue lights the way for the flawed men, granting them the chance to cast off their misbehavior. No one is entirely perfect (indeed, the women practice their own deceptions), but all discover the redemptive power of grace, honesty, loyalty, truth.  That is a poetry that lives not on the page, but in life itself.