Re: A Winter's Tale -- Mimetic Theory and Literary Study

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Date Posted: 09:14:18 04/21/08 Mon
Author: Betsy Peters
Subject: Re: A Winter's Tale
In reply to: Shannon 's message, "A Winter's Tale" on 10:28:54 04/20/08 Sun

I loved the doubleness between Polyxenes and Leontes. Polyxenes, afterall, in Greek, merely means poly xenos, many strangers. In other words, Leontes hardly competes with only one other man for his wife; he competes with an imagined figure of many competitors for Hermione which he applies to his friend.
Leontes concludes of his wife, "this jealousy is for a precious creature (object), as she's rare, it must be great, and as his person's might, must it be violent" (1.2.450-455.)In other words, he recognizes the object desire for his wife Hermione. However, he also acknowledges an even further and greater contention--that with the greatestness of the other man--this will lead to violence.

Shannon noted the similarity between the two men--growing up like twin lambs, but the play itself opens insisting on a distance that is rapidly decreasing: "you shall see [...] great difference between our Bohemia (Polyxenes) and your Sicilia (Leontes)" 1.1.4. When the differences go away, Leontes' life unravels.

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