The Winter's Tale: Leontes' Jealousy
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Q- Discuss and analyze Leontes' jealousy in Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale?
In The Winter's Tales, much ink has been split in proving and disproving too that Leontes' jealousy is sudden, fierce and self-destructive.From the point of views of the origin of the plot, the theme of jealousy is, of course, the most important. Shakespeare's Leontes shows intended jealousy suddenly and without a warning, and no other character show any previous awareness of his jealousy either. The effect of jealousy is too fast.
The jealousy of Leontes is presented more as a disease than infirmity of character. For years Leontes has never had reason to question the devotion of Hermione or the friendship of Polixeness, yet all in a moment his in both is overthrown. And the cause is nothing but his own pretty jealousy, magnified out of all proportion. The first trace of his jealousy is seen when Polixenes agrees to stay on as his guest at Hermione's request, although he had declined to do so at Leontes': "At my request, he would not". The word of Hermione and Polixeness after that becomes distorted in the light of his suspicion.
Really speaking, the King's jealousy is not so sudden. A close study of the first Act, would supply ample material to prove the thesis that Leontes' jealousy had a gradual and logical growth. Leontes' speech to Camillo may be cited as an illustration:
"To bide upon't, than art not honest: or,
If thou inclin'st that way, thou art a coward, etc".
His next speech further gives the impression that he has been watching the growth of intimacy between Hermione and Polixeness for a long time and the people around him must have also watched it along with him. He asks Camillo:
"Ha not you seen, Camillo?
(But that's past doubt: you, have,or eye-glass
Is thicker than cuckold's horn)or heard?
(For to a vision so apparent rumour
Cannot to mute)or thought?
As Shakespeare does not permit the character to get away with quick easy repentance. It is a task to Paulina to constantly remind Leontes of the enormity of the wrong he has done under the influence of jealousy. The moment when Leontes' jealousy reaches at its highest pitch, that he rejects the words of an oracle:
"There is no truth at all;the oracle.
The sessions shall proceed. This is mere falsehood".
For this blasphemy, Leontes receives the punishment which is both dire and immediate. A messenger arrives to impart the news that the young prince has died of the shock of just thinking of disgrace of his mother, the accused Queen. He laments that Apollo is angry at his injustice. And now he becomes clear-sighted enough to appreciate the role of Camillo when he and once proclaims a man of truth and mercy. Leontes also confesses his guilt, which puts him fairly on the way of repentance, though it is to be a long-drawn one. Leontes confesses:
.......being transported by my jealousies
To bloody thoughts and to revenge, I chose
Camillo for the minister to poison
My friend Polixeness.....
.......................How he glisters
Thorough my rust; And how his pity
Does my deeds makes the blocker"
If we compare Leontes with Othello we can say that like Othello, he suffers two tragic experiences which are recurrent in Shakespeare's plays, that of disillusionment with the person dearest to him, when he becomes falsely persuaded of Hermione's worthlessness, and that of discovering that in his blind folly he has done things which shut him off forever from all hopes of happiness.