Re-reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale! As act 5 scene 1 continues, it’s all formalities and niceties as characters are reunited, but what’s brewing under the surface?

Now that we’ve caught up with Leontes and the gang in Sicilia, a servant arrives and says someone claiming to be Prince Florizell of Bohemia has arrived. Leontes is skeptical in that the prince has arrived only with a fair maiden, and not with a huge retinue. There’s a lot of description of Perdita’s beauty, which inspires Paulina to give an aside praising Hermoine’s long-lost beauty. Again, here is Shakespeare reestablishing Hermoine as a presence in this final act, setting up what’s to come. This servant is a chatty one, saying that once Paulina sees Perdita, she will admit that Perdita’s beauty is as great as Hermoine’s once was. I imagine a movie version of this could include a wordless scene in which Florizell and Perdita arrive at the castle gates, and we see this servant struck by Perdita’s beauty. Of course, there’s more to it than just Perdita’s looks – the Sicilians are instinctively recognizing her as one of their own.

Paulina gets in another dig, reminding Leontes that Florizell is the same age as Mamillus, Leontes’ son who died earlier in the play. Florizell, Perdita, and Cleomenes enter, and Leontes gives a lengthy speech welcoming them, before they get a chance to say anything. He praises Florizell for his resemblance to his father, and again piles on compliments to Perdita for her loveliness, not knowing she’s his long-lost daughter. Florizell’s response is formal, greeting Leontes on behalf of his father, even though Florizell’s father exiled him.

Leontes again shows regret for his past actions, saying they feel fresh again. He welcomes them “As is the spring to th’ earth.” Everyone always says the metaphor of this play is that it begins in winter and ends in spring, and I wonder if this line has a lot to do with that. He bemoans the fact that the stunningly beautiful Perdita was subject to the hardships of life at sea on the journey from Bohemia to Sicilia.

There’s a weird bit where Florizell tells Leontes that Perdita is from Libya (!), which Leontes says is ruled by the warlord Smalus. Florizell further says that Perdita is the daughter of Smalus and princess of Libya, and that their retinue stayed behind in Libya. My Folger edition alleges that “No historical source has ever been found for this name.” Indeed, googling this name brings up nothing outside of this play. It appears that Smalus is a creation of Shakespeare, another of his characters who are mentioned but don’t appear on stage, like Queen Mab from Romeo and Juliet or the witch Sycorax from The Tempest.

Leontes praises “your father” as being holy and full of grace. My books’ footnotes agree that this refers to Polixenes of Bohemia and not this unknown Smalus. It’s more praise and compliments as Leontes asks the gods to purify the air during their visit. He concludes by saying he would like to look upon a son and daughter like the two of them. Again, remember that he doesn’t know Perdita is his own kid. That’s the playful part of all this warm greeting in this scene, in addition to Leontes emphasizing that he regrets his past actions and has turned over a new leaf.

All seems well and good, with everyone being nice-nice, but this is Shakespeare, so of course things are about to get complicated.

Next: King vs. King.

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