Let’s read Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. This is often considered a “problem” play, and one difficult to put on stage. As such, it’s also developed a cult following among Shakespeare fans. In this blog series, let’s dig into it and see what we can see.

Act I, Scene 1 is a short conversation between Camillo, a lord of Sicilia, and Archidamus, a lord of Bohemia. It’s expositional table-setting as they compare their lifestyles and their kings. The set-up is that the Bohemian king is visiting Sicilia, and the two are good terms despite not having seen each other in many years.

The Winter’s Tale is sometimes criticized as two plays mashed together, with the first half a drama/tragedy set in Sicilia and the second a comedy/romance set in Bohemia. Shakespeare appears to address that in this opening, where these characters address the differences between the two countries.  

In today’s eyes, “Bohemian” represents the likes of hippies, beatniks, and other free-spirited folk. The Winter’s Tale is open to interpretation, but a cursory glance seems to portray the Bohemian Archidamus as a fun-loving free spirit, with Camillo acting formal and stately.

While Camillo will go on to be a main character, this scene is all we get of Archidamus. He gets the most fun and lively part of the scene when he offers to fill the Sicilians full of “sleepy drink” so their senses will be “unintelligent.”

Another interesting bit about the scene is that when Archidamus refers to Bohemia and Sicilia, he talks about them as countries, and about the people. When Camillo does it, he’s describing the kings as individuals – two childhood friends reunited after years apart. This shows a difference in mindset between the two characters, and possibly between their countries as well.

I imagine most live productions will cut out this scene entirely and start the action with scene 2, where everything gets rolling. But I like this opening. It’s a nice opportunity for the audience to get settled before things get dramatic.

Next: Things get dramatic!

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