If you get the reference in the title of this post, you deserve a cookie. If not, it’s okay because it has nothing to do with Shakespeare.
The Winter’s Tale is yet another Shakespeare play with tumultuous relationships and jealousy. These are such popular themes in Shakespeare’s works that it makes me wonder about his life. The two (Leontes & Polixenes) were childhood friends, are still friends, but that’s clearly going to change as the play progresses. The friendship of Polixenes and Leontes is becoming rocky due to the jealousy of Leontes himself.
“I have tremor cordis on me: my heart dances;
But not for joy; not joy. This entertainment
May a free face put on, derive a liberty
From heartiness, from bounty, fertile bosom,
And well become the agent; ‘t may, I grant;
But to be paddling palms and pinching fingers,
As now they are, and making practised smiles,
As in a looking-glass, and then to sigh, as ’twere
The mort o’ the deer; O, that is entertainment
My bosom likes not, nor my brows! Mamillius,
Art thou my boy?”
Not only is he doubting his wife, but he’s doubting the legitimacy of his son due to his irrational thoughts. I see no reason for the jealousy of Leontes. Wouldn’t he want his childhood friend and his wife to be cordial to each other? It seems to be backfiring though, so much so that he wants to poison Polixenes. Is this another case of insanity in one of Shakespeare’s plays? I personally don’t see the reasoning behind not only the jealousy of Leontes, but why he wants to poison his friend. He has no legitimate or sane reason, if there ever is a sane reason for doing so. Even Camillo thinks he’s crazy, and when he addresses the “relationship” between Hermione and Polixenes, Camillo doesn’t believe it.
Now the obvious, but again irrational reasoning behind Leontes’ jealousy is the very first line of the play “Nine changes of the watery star” which translates to 9 months, the length of Hermione’s pregnancy. This is just Shakespeare’s way of trying to imply to the reader that Hermione was indeed unfaithful, but also the only apparent reason for Leontes’ feelings about his wife, her pregnancy, and their son.
I agree with you that Leontes actually has not even one actual reason to believe that his wife is cheating on him with his friend. I would think that he would want the two people he is closest to in the world to be friendly with each other, but he takes it the complete wrong way. There’s never any proof of his accusations. Plus, he even admits to himself that his son looks just like him. So why should he be doubting the legitimacy of his next child? It makes no sense. He convinces himself of this false reality just to prove to everyone else that he is right and ultimately ends up hurting the ones he loves most.