Re-reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale! It’s a whole new play in a new locale for act 4 scene 2. Welcome to Bohemia!

This scene begins with Polixenes, the king of Bohemia, and Camillo, a former Sicilian lord. Polixenes says he cannot grant Camillo’s request, that it would be like sickness or even death to do so. Camillo says it’s been fifteen years since he’d been home, and that Leontes, who he describes as “the penitent king,” has requested he return. It’s at this point we must stop and recap Camillo’s deal. He’s the guy that Leontes wanted to murder Polixenes. When Camillo denied Leontes and told Polixenes of the plan, Camillo fled Sicilia along with the rest of the Sicilians. Now we’ve caught up to him.

Polixenes says Camillo can’t leave, not because of anything Leontes said or did, but because Camillo has made himself so valuable to Polixenes over the years. We’re in comedy mode now, and Polixenes launches into a long list of Camillo’s good qualities and everything he’s accomplished. It’s a long speech of twisty-turny who’s-on-first wordplay. I imagine a comedy bit where Polixenes says all this while Camillo tries to follow along, only to get befuddled.

Polixenes changes the subject and asks where his son Florizell is. Camillo says Florizel seems happy, but he hasn’t been around the court to attend to any of his princely duties. Polixenes admits he’s had people spying on Florizell (helicopter parenting!), and that the boy has been hanging out around a lowly shepherd’s house. Except not so lowly, because the shepherd experienced a financial windfall and is better off than his neighbors. We the audience know this is the shepherd we met earlier, who got the bag of gold along with the abandoned baby Perdita.

Camillo confirms this by saying he has also heard of this shepherd, and that the man’s daughter is “of most rare note.” He says the girl has become well known far beyond the simple farm cottage and its neighbors. Polixenes concludes that this girl is why his son has spent so much time near the cottage. Polixenes says he and Camillo will don disguises and investigate. Camillo says, “I willingly obey your command,” showing he’s already changed his mind about wanting to go back to Sicilia.

That’s the scene, some plot setup and a few jokes. The big deal is that we’re fully in another location now, a whole other country from Leontes’ court. So how to get that across on stage? Changes in costumes, lighting, and probably scenery are the most obvious ways. There’s also a change in attitude. Polixenes’ jokey nature recalls our other Sicilian Archidamus seeming laid back and romantic earlier. So far, they truly do seem what we think of as “Bohemian” in this way.

Next: The king of thieves!

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