The Winter's Tale - Themes (2)

Smith notes how our underexamined cultural assumptions that a tragic hero “learns something” from his mistakes offer hollow comfort if said hero then immediately dies a heroic (or otherwise) death and is never afforded the time, space or indeed the challenge of putting what has been learned into practice (e.g. Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, etc.). Better instead, perhaps, is the model found in The Winter’s Tale, where the sinner is forced to live with and regret his mistakes,and eventually the sinned-against are restored, for their own well-being or as a reward for his penance, or possibly both.

Faith – Paulina bids…