Cheek by Jowl The Winters Tale

One of Shakespeares greatest plays The Winters Tale though written at the same period as The Tempest smashes all the rules that The Tempest follows Unity of time place and action are hurled aside as we range across Europe from court to country from high tragedy to low comedy across a time span of sixteen years The Winters Tale tells of a delusional and paranoid king who tears his family apart But this is the new Shakespeare after he completed his great tragedies and the tough struggle for redemption yields flickers of hope Initial darkness gives way to joy as Time leads the characters to a shattering conclusion