Re-reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale! Time to start wrapping things up in act 5, scene 1, catching up with everyone from the first half of the play.

Remember that sixteen years have passed since the last time we saw Leontes. After the death of his wife Hermoine following her trial, Leontes had a change of heart (or did he?) and swore to spend the rest of his life in mourning. How’s that going? He enters, followed by courtiers Cleomenes and Dion. You’ll remember them as the two messengers who traveled to the Oracle of Delphi and back. I guess they’ve been promoted, because now they’re acting as Leontes’ advisors. Cleomenes says Leontes has had a “saintlike sorrow” over the years, but not it’s time to move on. Leontes says he still regrets his “blemishes” for what he did to Hermoine, and he also bemoans how his kingdom is now heirless.

Paulina is back as well, heaping huge praise onto Hermoine’s memory, but also sneaking in word about how Leontes is responsible for her death. Leontes has a short speech where he muses on the phrase “she I killed.” Paulina, Cleomenes, and Dion have a conversation about wanting Leontes to remarry, saying it would be good the kingdom’s future, and it would be good for him personally. What I find odd is that none of this is marked as an aside, so Leontes is sitting right there while they’re saying all this. I assume he’s so lost in mourning that he’s tuning them out. This feels like the trope of a guy praying while all alone in a giant church.

Paulina argues against a remarriage, saying that no other woman could compete with the radiant Hermoine. She does a “previously on The Winter’s Tale” speech, reminding us of Antigonus’ death (pursued by a bear!) and the Oracle’s prediction that Leontes will not have an heir until his lost child is found. Leontes speaks up to agree with her, saying “No more such wives.”

Going into poor-me mode, Leontes says a curious sentence, which the Folger edition reads as, “On this stage, where we offenders now appear, soul-vexed, and begin ‘Why to me?’” The footnotes are all about how this line is wildly different among all the various folios and quartos and whatnot. Changes include substituting “were” or “we’re” in place of “where” and “offend her” in place of “offenders,” among others. I don’t have the wherewithal to parse this, but I will point out the similarities between this and the “If we shadows have offended” speech that concludes A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s around this point that Paulina refers to “the ghost that walked.” This phrase also shows up in Hamlet, and it’s the inspiration for classic pulp hero the Phantom.

Paulina asks Leontes to swear that he’ll never marry again without her permission, and he goes one further saying he’ll never marry again, period. Paulina says that if Leontes should remarry, then she should be the one who chooses the new queen, one that could satisfy both him and Hermoine’s ghost. “Ghost” could be literal, or it could just mean honoring her memory. So, what is Paulina up to? Is this Paulina still maintaining her loyalty to Hermoine all these years later? Or, have things changed so that Paulina has developed a thing for Leontes now? That’s probably not the original intent, but I can imagine actors playing it this way.

The scene ends with Leontes agreeing not to marry again without Paulina’s blessing. Either he’s just saying this to placate her, or something she’s said has unlocked the possibility or remarrying in his mind. She has an odd response in that this won’t happen until “your first queen’s again in breath.” All this is setting up the possibility of a new chapter in Leontes’ life, while also stating it’s highly unlikely. More importantly, it establishes Hermoine’s presence still being part of the story, setting up the big ending.

Next: Who’s that knocking at the door?

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